TRAIL RUN AT SNOW BASIN
I met Ken at his place at 6:00 and we drove up to the Wheeler Canyon Trailhead, just below Pineview. From there we ran up Wheeler, taking the Arc and Nord Trail, then hit the Green Pond Trail, Needles, Maple, and then back down Icebox to Wheeler. The first 1.5 miles were very runnable despite the rain, but after that it was a mudfest the rest of the way and the pace dropped substantially.
During mile 3 a moose ran across the trail about 15 meters in front of me. And then toward the end of the run before hitting Icebox, another moose came crashing out of the bushes and ran parallel to us about 20 feet off the trail. It easily outgained us, but then stopped and just stood there just off the trail again about 15 meters in front of us. We didn't want to get any closer and we couldn't get it to move by making noise. So eventually backtracked a bit and took a the other trail at a fork in the trail. The trails just before Icebox were basically streams as opposed to trails, tons of water rushing down the trail. The scenary was incredible up there in the clouds with the rain and the lush green.
Overall we averaged a 8:34/mile pace. My stabilizing muscles are a bit tired from all the slipping and sliding in the mud. Great morning run though.
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