The Narrows

Arriving to Capitol Reef is like entering an enchanted world. We traveled through snow capped mountains to get there, climbing some major climbs in Big Bertha, and passed through practical ghost towns. We also passed through an area I plan to revisit at some point, Otter Creek Reservoir, a running gem on an enormous reservoir with beautiful ATV trails in all directions. We were off to Capitol Reef, and could not stop. Saved for another day. You arrive into Capitol Reef heading downhill and all around is the reef, once under water and now exposed. The colors and shapes of the enormous mountains are hard to describe-every shade of orange and red and pink and white. We did a number of runs, but I will only describe my best one. Around noon on our first full day, when the heat was at its spring peak, I set off from the camp, going straight up Cohab Trail. I wasn’t sure if I could do the whole loop I had planned, about 14 miles, just 7 days after an ultra, but I kept an open mind. From Cohab, I went into the Frying Pan, aptly named for its hot, undulating sandstone and incredible views in all directions. It was more of a hike at that point, but I tried to run where I could. I finally reached the peak and started down, now on a gravel running trail, past Cassidy Arch and then down, down, down into the Narrows, also called the Wash, which took me through the river basin between rock that soared a few hundred feet up. The views were so incredible, the trail so challenging yet runable, I just kept going. I had my camera in my camelback, and took pictures often. After nearly 4 hours, I looped back via road and trail to the campsite, exhausted, triumphant. I think that run had been calling my name for months. I will be dreaming of red rocks this winter.