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The past week has been amazing. I have three stories to tell.
First, my full moon hike. A couple months back, I hiked up a mountainside on a trail that starts by my favorite campfire spot in Green Canyon. The hike was phenomenal. I wrote a review of it for a friend and I will just share that to describe it.
In the light of the full moon with a light haze, it was a really fun hike. We left at 1 am and reached the peak just before 4am. We were ill equipped for sleeping (I was in shorts and a t-shirt), especially with a steady wind on us, but we managed to each get a short power nap in before battling the cold. Eventually, we realized we would not be sleeping much more, so as dawn approached at 5, we began our descent and watched the morning light blaze in glorious color as we hiked down. At the bottom we went into town and had breakfast before going to our homes to sleep. The hike was fantastic and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
The second story is of running. I ran my first half marathon on Saturday. Prior to Saturday, the last time I did any running was Ragnar in June. The longest distance I had run was about 11 miles. Somehow though, I ran as if I had prepared for it well. I paced myself well and held a good position and moved myself from 19th at mile 5 to pass one final runner 100 yards from the finish line to take 10th overall. I also placed 2nd in my division of men ages 19-24. I also won a raffle drawing with my bib number and got a free entry into the 10K next year. My time was 1:42:11. In one month, I run another half marathon. Hopefully I will be ready for it.
The final story is a gory one. During my annual firework show Saturday night, right as we were preparing for our finale, a shell went low and exploded right on or next to my left ear. It felt as if my ear was blown off as it swelled instantly and felt numb. I dropped everything, shouted that I had been hit, then carefully felt around for my ear. To my complete and utter surprise, the ear was intact! I honestly believed it was gone. I cannot adequately describe how it felt other than it felt like it was blown off. I ran to a well trained first aid certified member of the search and rescue and determined it was bleeding good, but I would live. So, being me, I ran back to the fireworks, lit some more off while we set up the finale, then concluded our awesome show. The show lasted just over half an hour and was very successful. The only lull was when I got hit. Immediately after the finale, I went up to the house we were at and washed off the blood, then held a cloth with ice in it to my ear. I iced it all night and with the help of a healthy dose of ibuprofen, was able to get to sleep. The swelling reduced a little Sunday and by Monday my ear was almost the normal size again. There is lots of scabbing and it is extremely tender on the backside, but, even with a couple bits of skin gone, I think I will make a full recovery with plenty of time to plan the next show!
Now for photos!
First, my full moon hike. A couple months back, I hiked up a mountainside on a trail that starts by my favorite campfire spot in Green Canyon. The hike was phenomenal. I wrote a review of it for a friend and I will just share that to describe it.
From the canyon floor, you hike 2.1 miles up the mountainside. The terrain is rocky and open, then becomes lush and green, ending in a picturesque forest of tall pines near the top. At the ridge, a campsite sits where the trail splits. One trail heads down to Wind Cave Way in Logan Canyon, the other up along the ridge toward Beirdneau Peak. As you hike along the ridge, you are treated to multiple views of the valley behind you and an awe-inspiring scene in front of you as you climb higher and look out over the entire Cache National Forest wilderness. As you approach Beirdneau, only the sounds of nature are heard as you walk along the ridge through meadows of wildflowers, pine forests, and aspen groves. Keep an eye above you for a natural arch on the mountain slope. At the base of Beirdneau, there is a great view from a rocky outcrop of the canyon as it turns northward. The trail continues along the side of Beirdneau, but to reach the peak, a long scramble up the steep mountainside is required. Once at the summit, a plaque sits on some rocks just to the side of the peak. Enjoy the amazing view across miles and miles of uninhabited lands to the east and of Cache Valley and beyond to the west. This amazing hike is most beautiful during the cool early summer, when wildflowers are in full bloom. It is also a great hike to do under a full moon at night and it is worth staying to watch the sunrise over the mountain back country before hiking down. Time from bottom to top, approximately 3 hours. Reverse trip down, about 2 hours.
In the light of the full moon with a light haze, it was a really fun hike. We left at 1 am and reached the peak just before 4am. We were ill equipped for sleeping (I was in shorts and a t-shirt), especially with a steady wind on us, but we managed to each get a short power nap in before battling the cold. Eventually, we realized we would not be sleeping much more, so as dawn approached at 5, we began our descent and watched the morning light blaze in glorious color as we hiked down. At the bottom we went into town and had breakfast before going to our homes to sleep. The hike was fantastic and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
The second story is of running. I ran my first half marathon on Saturday. Prior to Saturday, the last time I did any running was Ragnar in June. The longest distance I had run was about 11 miles. Somehow though, I ran as if I had prepared for it well. I paced myself well and held a good position and moved myself from 19th at mile 5 to pass one final runner 100 yards from the finish line to take 10th overall. I also placed 2nd in my division of men ages 19-24. I also won a raffle drawing with my bib number and got a free entry into the 10K next year. My time was 1:42:11. In one month, I run another half marathon. Hopefully I will be ready for it.
The final story is a gory one. During my annual firework show Saturday night, right as we were preparing for our finale, a shell went low and exploded right on or next to my left ear. It felt as if my ear was blown off as it swelled instantly and felt numb. I dropped everything, shouted that I had been hit, then carefully felt around for my ear. To my complete and utter surprise, the ear was intact! I honestly believed it was gone. I cannot adequately describe how it felt other than it felt like it was blown off. I ran to a well trained first aid certified member of the search and rescue and determined it was bleeding good, but I would live. So, being me, I ran back to the fireworks, lit some more off while we set up the finale, then concluded our awesome show. The show lasted just over half an hour and was very successful. The only lull was when I got hit. Immediately after the finale, I went up to the house we were at and washed off the blood, then held a cloth with ice in it to my ear. I iced it all night and with the help of a healthy dose of ibuprofen, was able to get to sleep. The swelling reduced a little Sunday and by Monday my ear was almost the normal size again. There is lots of scabbing and it is extremely tender on the backside, but, even with a couple bits of skin gone, I think I will make a full recovery with plenty of time to plan the next show!
Now for photos!
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| Beirdneau Peak |
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| One of many great views into Cache Valley |
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| The sunrise from the hike |
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| The view from where the firework show was |
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| Sunset before firework show |
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| Before cleaning |
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| After a day before scabbing |
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| I didn't even notice it burned most the hair on my wrist and hand off till someone saw a ton of bloody specks on my hand |
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