The Forbidden Trail of Mud and Bones, 5.94 mi

The sound of rain throughout the night tempted us to call off this morning's run.  But we decided to give it a try. We drove through flooded streets in the rain on the way to Mapleton Canyon.  On the map it looks like the Bonneville Shoreline Trail starts at Mapleton Canyon and heads South.  Private property has blocked the trail however.  After about a mile the rugged pipeline road ended and the old Bonneville Shoreline Trail began.  We ran for another mile on the much better trail before turning around. We assumed there must be a different access to the BST, so we tried two different dirt roads heading west toward Mapleton, but both of them ended at private property behind locked gates.  It was a miserable, mushy, slippery and wet run. After heading downhill a second time, we decided to jump a fence and finish the run on pavement.  In the end, it was a fun early morning adventure.  I plan to scout out access to this trail another day.  





By the end of this six-mile run, we were soaked and filthy muddy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hidden Oak Trail - Above Spanish Fork Reservoir

Image
On a 93 degree day, this trail was the perfect choice.  The Hidden Oak Trail (also known as Snell Canyon) starts at the end of the road just east of Spanish Oaks Reservoir. Most of the trail is through thick oak and pine trees, so it is very shaded.  Bring your bug spray as there were a lot of flies and gnats, particularly the first half mile. It's only 1.25 miles to the overlook , but it feels further because of the climb.  From that point the trail gradually starts to disappear in the tall grass and shrubs, though many people will bushwhack much further up Snell Canyon. Highlight: playing with a spotted fawn who kept running up the trail and then waiting for me to catch up.  The trail is a gradual climb until just over one mile, at which point there are two steep switch backs leading to an amazing view of the Spanish Fork City and River Bottoms.   Other fun trails in this area include: Look Out Point, Escalante Cross, and Red Knoll
Read more

Tower Mountain (Water Canyon to Dixon Peak)

Image
This was a killer climb, and very rocky. 966 ft. in the first mile alone.  4,082 ft. overall elevation gain. The front of the mountain looks a little dry, especially during the current drought.  But by mile four, we were running through luscious green trees, and bushes with red berries and yellow flowers.  I was joined by Matt Seeley and Garritt Page. Garritt is the brother of Lalena Page, a former college teammate of mine. Matt and Garritt were mountain goats on the uphill. Pics below are out of order, but you can see exactly where they were taken on Strava . Coordinates to the trailhead: 40.039171596858544, -111.63391146714346
Read more

Trail 051 - Orem Water Tower / Dry Canyon Loop, 7.1

Image
It was a calm, clear and beautiful 34 degree morning on Trail 051 today. We started at the Orem Bench Trailhead.  We ran the BST north, then up Dry Creek Canyon to Trail 051 past the south side of Little Baldy, then down to "The Alter" and back to the trailhead.   Part way up the trail we heard laughter and loud conversation.  The fun and adventurous group was world record holder,  James Lawrence , aka "The Iron Cowboy" and his team.  With how much fun these guys were having, you would never guess that they are actually some pretty serious athletes, having just recently completed  50 triathlons in 50 states in 50 days  - absolutely amazing! As you can see, there are numerous variations for endless hours of exploration in the beautiful area. Looking down Dry Canyon "The Alter" - Five trails intersect at this location
Read more