Run Across Utah Lake (Triathlon Training Day 56)

Recreation Outlet had a few people in it last night as I went looking for some inexpensive safety line.  The employees were very helpful and I walked out with 100’ paracord for $5.99. Enough for three lengths of 33’ each. This is a safe length of rope for any one of us to become rescuer and not plunge into the icy depths. I tie a bowline knot into the end of each segment after fusing fusing the end over our gas range.

I do an equipment check before hitting the hay:

• Rope – Check
• Thermal Blanket – Check
• Hand Warmers – Check
• Full change of warm clothes – Check
• Extra Shoes – Check
• Screwdrivers(Mini Ice Axe) – Check
• High Fat Food – Check
• Whistle – Check
• Signals – Check
• Water Bottle – Check

The bag is packed and double checked. I check the weather one more time. It will be freezing over night. This is perfect. Everything is set for an Epic Adventure. My head hits the pillow and a few seconds later my eyes shut with an anxious excitement.

6:50 a.m. – My eyes pop open as my alarm sings to me. I jump out of bed, say my prayers and do my usual morning routine. Only this morning will be anything but normal. We will be doing something I have never even thought of doing before – trekking eight miles across a frozen Tundra. I dress, eat a quick bite of oatmeal, and grab my bag. My son Taylor has agreed to be our driver this morning so we don’t have to leave cars at the start and finish. We pick up my friend Richard who is ready and waiting for us at the office when I arrive. He jumps in and we head over to Saratoga Springs. The meeting place is a little recreation area called Inlet Park. This is where the Jordan River flows from the Great Salt Lake into Utah Lake. Andrew, my business partner and friend, arrives with his 10 year old son Sam shortly after we do. Surprisingly Andrew’s wife is the one dropping off her baby boy with a warning not to let anyone fall in.

We swap backpacks in case anyone falls in they will have a dry change of clothes after being rescued. We throw the rope over our shoulders, pose for some pictures and head over to the ice. On our way a cute couple that had just finished a frosty morning run stop us and ask if we were going to run the lake. We affirm their suspicions and with eyes as wide as saucers grill us with questions like, “Is it safe?”, “How long have you been planning this?”, “What will you do if someone falls in?”, and “How far is it?”

After answering their machine gun of questions, we say goodbye and advance toward the lake. We are not sure exactly how to get to the water’s edge so we just tromp through the snow and weeds until we find a path down the embankment to the ice. Our first steps out on the ice are tenuous until we realize there are a couple ice fishermen already out walking around the mouth of the tributary. We compare traction for a minute. Richard has brought some YakTraks and Andrew screwed a couple small screws into the bottom of both of Sam’s shoes. Andrew has on a sweet pair of Solomon trail shoes with monster tread and I am wearing my Nike LiveStrong LunarGlide 4. Maybe not the greatest for traction but in the end it turned out to be beneficial.

The lake is covered in ice and the ice is covered in snow, or maybe it is just a thick crunchy layer of frost. Either way there is a nice ½ inch thick layer of traction for us to run across. Andrew brushes away the snow and we can pier down though the ice. It is thick and clear and solid. It appears to be somewhere between 4-6 inches thick, just like we were hoping. From our research we found that 4” will support 2,200 lbs in a 30×30 square. This prroved to be true just past the mouth of the Jordan River. We spotted tire tracks from what had to be a big truck.

Seeing the thickness of the ice, the fishermen walking around, and tire tracks from a large truck allayes our fears. We set out.

We set with a cautious, steady pace and run. We run about 30 feet apart from each other in case of some soft spots in the barrier between fun and frozen. The frosty snow crunches beneath our feet as everyone settles into a rhythmic cadence. The sky is blanketed with cottony clouds. I look at each of my fellow runners in stride and see the look of wonder at our adventure and also the wonder of how beautiful nature truly can be. The snow covered mountains in the distance, the vastness of the smooth white covering over the lake, the crisp air and stillness of the morning settles softly on our soles bringing with it a peace that can only be found in nature. It is beautiful.

Sam points to our right at about the mile mark and asks what the big shiny circle is. At first I think that it is just a patch without snow. After looking a little closer I realize that it is not a circle of snow free ice but rather it is one of the “Hot Spots” we had read about last night. We must be close enough to the hot springs of Saratoga Springs to have a 30’ circle of warm water melting through the ice. This heightens our senses and makes us more aware that the whole lake is not completely frozen. We joke that if we did fall into one of the hotspots that it wouldn’t really be that bad. It would be kind of like waiting in a nice hot tub while the helicopter comes to pick us up.

We come upon a long flowing ribbon of ice devoid of snow with a crack running perfectly along the centerline. We inch across the frictionless solid one at a time spreading apart a little further for added precaution. The crack has sealed itself back together completely. As I gingerly step over the crack  I think that this streak of pure ice must have an underwater current flowing beneath it.  I wonder how many fish are looking up at us as we eek across the ice.

With a little more confidence in the safety of the ice we continue on our trek. Sam, the 10 year old, is keeping up with the rest of us without missing a step. This kid was born to run. The stark beauty of the environment around us distracts from the run itself. I look at the screen strapped to Rich’s arm and see that we are nearly halfway across the lake. Without even realizing it we’ve made it to the middle of our journey. A tinge of sadness hits me. It is so beautiful, so memorable, I don’t want this experience to end and we are already halfway through.

At the halfway mark we stop and take pictures. There are mountains on every side so we take a picture, shuffle to the left a few steps take another, shuffle to the left, etc… until we have captured every angle. Since we are already stopped, Sam and I decide to have a little fun and start doing snow angels. I think they turned out quite nice. Richard says, “You guys will catch up with me so I’m going to run ahead.” He also has a lunch appointment that he needs to get to. So he runs ahead while we play around with pictures and snow angels a little more.

Now the race is on to catch Rich. The three of us take off at a good clip. Andrew stays with with Sam. I am a man on a mission. He started about 3-4 minutes ahead of us and my goal was to catch him in that same time frame. I increase my stride and quicken my turnover. I see Rich’s YakTrax imprinted in the snow and follow directly behind him. I can feel my heartbeat rise as my pace increases. The gap between us starts to shrink. I’m getting closer to Rich with each step but because he had such a head start it is probably half a mile that I must recover. I find myself getting distracted by the beauty of the earth beneath my feet, above my head and all around. If I am going to catch Rich I have to focus on the pace. Head down and constitution strong I push harder. 200 yards, 100 yards, 50 yards and finally I tag Rich with, “Your it.” Rich throws a startled smile back at me and says, “I knew you would catch me.” We run for a little while longer until we cross another frozen underwater stream. This one surprisingly has some water on top of the ice. Both Rich and I get one shoe soaked. Rich keeps running and I wait to warm Andrew and Sam. They choose a spot up stream to cross and keep both feet dry. Because it was such a nice day and our internally furnaces are blazing the drenched shoe isn’t really bothersome at all.

We can now identify some prominent landmarks on the Orem side of lake. We spot the Lindon boat harbor, the Dump, and the glowing spire of the new Theater in Vineyard. Because of this we decide to change course slightly using the theater as our lighthouse.

The brisk air flows into my lungs as my feet fall gently on the snow crusted ice. The sun is still veiled by the blanket of cotton candy clouds but seems to be shining a little brighter now. The view of the mountains from every angle is being etched into the granite of my memories. We are running close together now because of our confidence in the strength of the ice beneath our feet and I turn to the guys and share a thought that has been rattling around in my brain since the first few steps, “Part of the experience is not just what we are experiencing, but everything we don’t have to experience while out on this frozen tundra. We don’t have to experience the sounds and smells of traffic. We don’t have to experience the hustle and bustle of real life. We don’t have to experience civilization. It is just us, the sky, the air and the ice.”

The next smooth ribbon we get smart and instead of cautiously stepping across we increase our speed and slide across. It works better than socks in the high school gym. We effortlessly glide across the 10’-15’ of smooth ice.

After a few more underwater streams we make it to the Lindon Boat Harbor. On this side of the lake we see ice skating tracks, snowmobile tracks and best of all frozen waves. These are so incredible you just need to see the pictures. We find our way off the ice and Taylor is waiting for us again.

The best way to describe today is EPIC. Epic Beauty, Epic experience, Epic Run.