it started innocently enough, just a casual visit to see what it was like. but i keep coming back. i'm drawn in by the beauty and just that it's different. i'm talking about the Wolverine Bowl.
my first couple runs after my recent injury were too familiar, a couple loops in the BLM, backside of Flat Top...say i'm taking it for granted but it's the same ol' thing. so last Tuesday when the snow hit the front range of the Chugach i hit the Prospect Heights trailhead.
it was so new and fresh. the combination of running again, new snow, and the non-familiar drew me back up on Saturday. i had searched online for new trails in the bowl, i found one and ran it with eager excitement. the Wolverine Bowl loop has become my new favorite quick run.
i was back for more today, tackling Wolverine Peak. i've been up before in the summer but it's a different world in the snow. i was making good time till i hit the spine that leads to the ridge. the higher i climbed, the more the wind howled. it got so bad that when a gust tore through i would put my back to it and hunker down. Jackson, who is always bounding ahead would cower behind me and whine when the gusts hit. i'm no expert on guaging wind but i would guess 60-70 mph easy. it got so bad that i had to turn around right below the main ridge, about 1 mile and 1000 feet shy of the summit.
when i made the turn Jackson took off down the spine like, "finally, Dad got some sense blown into him." it was funny to see him bound away through the snow. running down i felt like i was floating most of the way. i took short steps with rapid turnover, which is completely opposite of how i ran before the injury. what had taken 1:22 to get up took only :47 to get down.
great outing with no wind burn or frozen digits. i'm already planning my next rendezvous.
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