BEN LOMOND PEAK TRAIL RUN
I met up with Bret, Ken, Bryant, Jon, and Albert (couldn't talk Ben into it) at 5:00 am at the North Ogden Divide. It was still a tiny bit dark for the first few miles but luckily the first 0.5-0.75 miles aren't rocky so we avoided any sprained ankles. This morning was perfect for the ascent. Once on the ridge you could see the 4/5 full moon to the west and the sun just about to rise over Powder Mountain to the East. It was also the calmest wind that I've experienced up on top.
We saw a big, big moose just hauling across the ridge about 200 meters in front of us. Fortunately, it wasn't running in our direction. It was a cool sight to see. Then on top we scared two mountain goats that were chilling at the very peak. They quickly ran down the west side once we approached the peak. No other hikers on the trail the whole time until the last half mile; we had the trail all to ourselves.
Overall, it was a great run. It's always one of my favorites every year. We ran it in 2:14, whereas last year we were 2:12, so just a tad slower. But, 8:30 pace for a mountian run ain't bad.
Here's a link to some video that Albert took during the run: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDsJA_Tm0KQ | 
