Monday, April 6, 2015

I've Been Keeping Some Secrets

I've been keeping some secrets from you. For example I would give anything to grow a moustache like Burt Reynolds. And flying in airplanes scares me to death. And my car traps odors so you can smell a Big Mac for a week.

There is another secret I've been keeping - the location of one of the most incredible views in the entire world. To be honest, the spot isn't the kind of secret that I'd have to kill you if I told you. Ultra Adventures race director Matt Gunn was the one who showed me. And I've taken others to this amazing spot on Sand Mountain. But it is kind of tricky to get here. There aren't good directions. Chances are you'll get lost if you don't know where you're going (and if you're like me you'll get lost even if you DO know where you're going).

Thursday night I took my friend Sam and brother-in-law Matt to this little slice of heaven.

The ten mile route is full of soul-sucking sand. Lots of climbing up that soul-sucking sand. It's kind of miserable. The views aren't anything to write home about. But at the peak you reach the end of the cliff and you'd swear you are standing on the edge of the world.

Sam is a local legend for always drinking a can of Mountain Dew once he reaches the top of a high mountain peak. I BEG of you to watch THIS view of Sam being caught by a KSL News helicopter high up in the Wasatch doing just this. I was pretty excited for my first opportunity to drink a Dew with Sam and Matt.

Matt caught this shot of my jump at the edge of the cliff.

We were incredibly lucky to hit the secret spot during the golden hour when the red cliffs were burning with light.

The moment the sun set the sky really began to glow.

I got lucky to catch this picture, one of my favorites of the night:

The last hour of our run was in the dark. But the moon was shining so bright that we didn't need to turn on our headlamps. It was.....dare I say.....magical.

And so I leave with you a few more secrets. If I let my hair grow out, it would look like I French kissed a light socket. I could survive on a diet of nothing but banana bread and pumpkin pie. I have a bad reputation for passing out when I get my blood drawn.

Finally one last fact that isn't such a secret: I am intensely, deeply, madly in love with the world that opens up to me when I hit the trails.


  1. Thanks again for showing me these amazing places.

  2. I just finished reading all your race reports and loved all the pics and descriptions. I just want to spend a year running in Utah. Keep up the wonderful reports and pics. Thank you very much, you are inspiring.

  3. Your photographs are beyond amazing. Absolutely beautiful.

  4. My car also traps odours. But mine are more of the wet dog kind. Not sure if that's worse than week old Big Macs or not.

  5. Beautiful photos! (And you would so rock the Burt Reynolds)

  6. Beautiful places ...awesome photography....
    pic of
    jumping of the cliff was jus wonderful what timing of photography

  7. Awesome pics, Cory. It almost rivals Alaska, lol. I've been reading your blog for about a year and I am SO curious as to how you recover from your monthly 100 mile races while still working and spending time with your family. Maybe an upcoming post?? I'm training for my first 50 miler and can barely recover from work outs. Cheers and happy running.