Let's go up again.

My last adventure with Katie was so magically happy and beautiful, that I couldn't wait to do it again. Aaron suggested we plan it for Saturday. Katie and her favorite Chris were very much on board! We met at the pond at 9am, piled in Aaron's car and made the always-death-defying drive up Farmington Canyon to the gates. I had been slightly concerned about the climbing temperatures, but figured we'd just have to deal with them. This time we went left. I was still slow (what's new?), but I was pleasantly surprised that my injuries weren't complaining too much- just a little throb here and there. Katie humored my easy pace as we climbed and the fellas waited for us now and again so we could stick mostly together. It's amazing how much closer Gold Ridge's first false summit is when you go the right way! It turns out, Gold Ridge has about 4 false summits. Each is stunningly beautiful with views for miles, and the climb to each a little bit steeper than the last. We spent plenty of time taking pictures and goofing around at each. As we stood on the summit of Gold Ridge, an eagle (or some other majestic bird of prey) thought fit to soar around us just below the ridge and say hello. It was such a happy morning! The temperatures were actually really nice up high. We decided to make a loop of it and made the descent south toward the Bountiful campground side of things. The wildlife didn't disappoint. Plenty of adorable rodents, a magical young buck that leapt across our path, glowing in the warm morning sunlight, and at one point I think we may have smelled a bear... or it's scat.... either way, we ran faster. By about 6 miles in, my right knee and left hip began to twinge in protest, and my elbow and shoulder began to throb a bit uncomfortably. It was nothing I couldn't work through, but the others humored me with plenty of walk/hike breaks. The company was so very awesome that it caught me by surprise to be coming around the bend to the car.
8.6 miles
1716 ft of vert
14:39 average pace