For our 9-year anniversary, Andrew and I did what any cheap couple would do to have fun almost a decade of marriage…
18.2 miles with 4,921 toes of climbing alongside a course with 200+ downed bushes (Andrew’s estimation), 4 mountain lakes, and one Re-Lyte snow slushie (at mile 13ish, we got here throughout snow and I added that to my bottle that had 2 ounces of Relyte left) that saved my soul.
I can’t let you know how good it felt to start out with a long-sleeve prime as a result of it was chilly.
Perhaps one yr we’ll have fun by sleeping in and doing one thing lowkey…
We left the lovable little farm the place we stayed at 5:30 am and drove about 45 minutes to the Prarie Lake Trailhead. We had been each afraid of what we had been about to do, however truthfully, we must always have been a bit of extra afraid;)
The primary lake (Prairie Lake) is 4.75 miles into the run and breathtaking. It was the craziest optical phantasm as a result of once we ran up nearer to it, it seemed such as you wanted to drop all the way down to get to it… nope, it was proper there. We frolicked right here for a bit earlier than we began going once more.
I knew we had been going to be on the market for a really very long time and so I made positive that I took in a gel or sweet each half-hour. These seaside day gummies from TJ’s >>
We then climbed climbed climbed to our first peak. I may really feel the elevation change (we stay at 4,500 ft), nevertheless it wasn’t too unhealthy. My race in Wyoming can be just like this. At house I’m at all times doing trails the place you go up after which all the way down to the tip however my race appears to be like extra like this the place you might be climbing once more after happening.
After which our first down. We cruised down this portion and it was very runnable. Bonus factors = there was a restroom on the base!
After which we began the subsequent set of climbing that took us to decrease Norton and higher Norton lakes. Each had been gorgeous.
After these lakes we had one other mile of climbing to our ultimate peak. From Andrew: “I can’t let you know what number of occasions I draped my physique onto my handlebars and went limp and needed to discuss myself into going once more.” Hahaha issues changed into survival right here.
The views of the lakes from the climb.
After which we acquired to the highest and right here is the snow that I took for my Re-Lyte slushie (I used the clear snow beneath):
This subsequent down part was form of sketchy to run down… I felt like I used to be going slower down this than the earlier up. However I didn’t fall the whole run which is a brand new report.
Our ultimate lake–> Miner Lake! The unique objective was to leap into this one however at this level we had been out of water and had been dreaming of cheeseburgers. It was about three miles from right here to the automotive!
A couple of extra ideas:
*Andrew crashed at mile 13. He scratched his shoulder fairly badly, however we’re so grateful that it wasn’t worse.
*I dissociated these final three miles as a result of I used to be past thirsty. I have to be taught to carry 3x the water I believe I ought to.
*We solely noticed three path indicators the whole time, which felt like Idaho’s manner of claiming, ‘Good luck on the market.’
*As we had been doing this, I saved fascinated with the entire folks that do 50 and 100 milers on programs like this… I can not course of how.
*This was my longest run since final September!
*Nothing like coming house from a getaway extra exhausted than we left.
*WHY DID I THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO GET A PEDICURE BEFORE WE LEFT?!
*Operating/mountaineering/backpacking-> I can not advocate this path sufficient. It was all the things I used to be craving. Simply carry sufficient water/electrolytes/energy… anticipate it to take double the time you’d suppose it does. Mountain biking… most likely not probably the most mountain biking pleasant path however doable!
*Right here is the path that we did on AllTrails. I’m so grateful for AllTrails. If we hadn’t downloaded the map earlier than we misplaced service, we might most likely nonetheless be within the mountains of Idaho. We did take one flawed flip earlier than checking to see if we had taken the right fork, which ended up including near a mile.
I don’t suppose we talked from this level till we had eaten half of our burgers and drank three glasses of water at a restaurant in Ketchum, Idaho. After which we had been again to ourselves once more.
PS in case you are trying to do what we did, we stayed at this farm. It’s on acres of land, has gorgeous views, the host was so candy to us, and it was 1/third of the value of staying anyplace else within the space. Really, probably the most charming space with canines, cats and horses in all places. We sat and talked for hours in these chairs below the celebs and moon. It was good.
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Ever gotten misplaced on a run??
What’s one thing small that immediately makes your day higher?
What’s a should for you when on the lookout for an Airbnb?
What’s one place you’d like to run that you just haven’t but?
