The base of Brighton resort is @ 8790 ft. elevation and will forever be known to me as simply "Mile 75". During the Wasatch a small A-frame building at the Brighton resort is used as a major aid station. At the very least, you must enter the building for a weigh in (you are weighed before the race and 3 times during the race, too much % weight gain or loss signifies problems and they will hold you until your weight stabilizes). This building is well known as "the Morgue". Runners typically don't look their best at this point, moreso looking like they should be taken to the morgue. A fair amount of runners drop out here. I don't mind going in the building, I do not want to cool down and get the chills because I arrive here in the cool brisk morning hours. My favorite parts are the donated toothbrushes, makes you feel like a new person, and utilizing an actual toilet seat, also makes you feel like a new person....or should I say civilized! Remember that this year the dentist will also provide warm washclothes.
Out of Brighton starts a steep climb up a nice single track trail up thru the resort to Lake Mary. One year we saw a moose having breakfast here. The climb mellows a bit thru shaded switchbacks to Lake Catherine, and then a quick march up the boulders to Catherines pass. On the other side of the pass (southwest) is Alta! Sunset peak and Rocky point are the mountains that surround the southeast aspect of Lake Catherine. During ski season we frequent this area....very easy access from Alta and fun little powder shots. During an early season ski tour Peter proposed to me atop of Sunset peak....ooolala!!! The trail continues up from the pass, winding around the north side of Rocky point. Here is the sandpit, yes, fine sand that has been blown from the west desert, pretty wild and every time I try to walk so carefully so the microsand doesn't infiltrate my shoes or my lungs. At the top of this saddle is point Supreme, which is the highest part of the Wasatch course @ 10,450 ft. From this point is a super cool view....you can see Midmountain, which is the most southern part of the course - Rock Springs mile 87, Heber is off left looking east with the Uintahs behind, and Alta and Snowbird are right looking west.
The trail takes a 1000ft. decent down Dry Fork to Ant Knoll. This is a technical downhill and not much fun during a training run, let alone on race day. Last year I was on this section during my 4 am sleepy time. My brain was cooked and I had no depth perception, I was quite slow. The Ant Knoll aid station (mile 80, 9000 ft.) is at the bottom of Dry Fork. I try to stay away from this station because they are cooking up a great breakfast with pancakes and sausage and I am afraid that.....well, I would not want to leave. The trail winds up thru aspens and then there is a short but steep (380ft.) climb...here at the top of this climb is where I like to stop for a look at the view....you can almost see the finish! Oh, and for a long ways you get an awesome view of the Mineral Basin and Mt. Baldy to the west, which is the back of Snowbird and Alta. The trail gently rolls and traverses thru aspen meadows (one year I hallucinated a Penguin hanging out on this grassy slope!), then heads down via fun switchbacks to Pole Line pass - a very nice section of trail that you can run well.
The Pole Line pass aid station (mile 83+, 8925ft.) is located at the crossroads of a graveled access road intersected by the Great Western Trail. Out from the AS, trail #157 continues south first through a dusty sand pit and then cruises along a pine tree shaded west facing trail. I really like this section and last year Greg and I saw big moose tracks. Not too far from Pole Line Pass you reach a really, really tough spot...... I call it the Shortcut Fork. It is located at the north part of Midmountain and one could take the shortcut left, which means ~ a mile or so and meet back up with the Wasatch course. However, the course goes right ~10 miles all the way around Midmountain, and we are talking a tough 10 miles. Continuing on the course, there are short steep sections but overall a fun contour to Forest Lake. Forest Lake is just runoff water and not much of a lake on race day. What is interesting is that there is a ton of tree debris, would be surprised if an avalanche caused this but I don't know. Another short climb to get over a rocky ledge and then a cool traverse to the best view of Timpanogas and Box Elder peaks. The trail comes out of the trees and this section is very exposed but the air always feels clean, and the flies and bugs hang out here too. Just a short contour to Rock Springs aid station (mile 87, 9445 ft) enjoying the view of Timp and the mountains by Provo canyon (that's the Squaw Peak course). Rock springs is the southern aid station of the course, and then the trail heads due east and then around north, now on the Wasatch back! Oh, and watch out for the metal fence posts partially buried on this short section.
Here we snapped a photo.
Lori, Carolyn, Colleen with Timpanogas in the background
Now the fun starts. The Dive and the Plunge. These are righteously named, steep downhill ~600ft, climb back up and do it again. Next is the section that I named the "Endless Aspen Traverse". Essentially the trail contours north around the mountain and you are stuck in this vortex of aspens where you are sure it ends just around the next corner, but it doesn't. I found that I can get thru this section by counting hills, I start counting from the first meadow, some have a double hill (I think it is 1 and 3) and there are 6 in all..... and when I do this, life again seems fair and the Endless Aspens Traverse will end after hill 6. Oh, and it ends where the Shortcut meets up with the course (see..... if you take the shortcut you would miss out on the views, the Dive and the Plunge, and the Aspens). So, where the trails meet, the course heads straight down the drainage to Pot Bottom, steep and dusty and rutted at the top and a nice cruiser thru shady pine trees at the bottom.
Pot Bottom is mile 93 elevation 7380ft.......2 climbs and 2 decents to go! It starts out with a dusty jeep trail and a jump over a creek, then up thru dry creek beds (dry by race day) up thru the shady aspens switchback and then to the upper jeep trail for a low angle climb. I have heard of bear droppings/sightings in this area (not hallucinations). At some point there is a single track trail off to the right which starts the downhill. The first half is nice soft trail but somewhat rutted and the last half is full of ankle twisting rocks on a jeep trail. The ankle twisting ends at a gravel road intersection and the course goes left over a rolling hardpacked gravel road and then down to the private property gate. Then you get to trespass...... not really but it does say Private, and up the last climb to the water tank. How high is this last climb?...only 80ft. but it is so bitter and then sweet on race day.
The last down hill is pretty fun. Starts with more rocky ankle twisting rocks and then takes a sharp right thru the scrub oak. By race day the colors of the scrub oak are amazing. Thru the oak and then the grassy fields, and then the oaks, and then the grass, it is a fun soft dirt roller trail but watch out for the roots. This is the one section that I really try not to look ahead at the golf course or the road because it is false feeling.... you can see them and then you can't and then you can and then you can't.....it just works better to watch where you are steeping and then, magically, the paved road appears. The last mile of the Wasatch 100 is pavement, makes a mountain trail run anticlimatic, but then the finish line is at the Homestead resort (5720 ft.) and it is quite a nice lawn area for everyone to hang out and cheer all the runners in. There is a short roller on the pavement but the top of the roller starts the descent into the finish line area and it basically gives you a big of momentum to be lookin' good after your 100 mile adventure!
Now, on the day of the training run, the girls started @ 6am on the Spiro trail in Park City and came over Scotts pass into Big Cottonwood Canyon. I was just rolling out of bed when they started and I met them on the Guardsman Pass road ~8:15. I am not an early riser for a training run...... my alarm went off at 6, I enjoyed my coffee and morning routine. Peter and I jumped in the car @ 7:30, that is my version of going for an early morning training run.
We all suffered injury. I clocked my forehead on a tree because I was too busy watching Colleen’s shoes while we ran and chatted. After that I kept my distance and practiced running solo and without tunes for VT. Colleen and Lori hit the dirt, Colleen drew blood. Deborah suffered from jet lag as she had just returned from Portugal. However, these gritty girls were still able to have fun.
Water: We stopped at the Brighton Store and the girls filled up with water. Thanks to Deborah for planting water at Pole Line Pass......which is key to ensure enough water for the remainder of the run. There is a spring at Rock Springs and we found it to be was running strong, but there had been reports of vandalism on the PVC pipe. There is also a trough filled by another spring on the way down to Pot Bottom, careful because you have to contort your body around the stinging nettles to fill up your bottles from the running pipe water.
I didn't bring my camera, sorry I didn't enhance my description with photos. Maybe some day.
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