Running In The Wasatch

Sense of place may not always require slow observation

I grabbed my blue running vest and stuffed into the little stretchy compartments everything I would need for 14 miles of running in the Wasatch Mountains. A headlamp, a GU packet, two 500ml bottles of water, a filter on one of them, and a light rainjacket. I tied my completely thrashed shoes, snugged the vest around my torso, and started up the dry trail at a slow pace.

I was about to connect a ridge I had run countless times with two drainages I had also explored separately on several occasions. But now it was all going to come together. The prospect excited me. It felt almost like I was about to learn a new language over the course of only a couple of hours.