Wasatch 100 Prep Run
For a few years now, I've been volunteering to help with the Wasatch 100 endurance run. Most years, my prep work has been focused on making sure that I have a working radio station, and that we'll have enough snacks to graze on while working the race. This year though, I got to spend a little more time doing some prep work.
With the washout of FR085 in American Fork Canyon in the narrows above Tibble Fork, there has been some concern about the aid station workers being able to get up to the station locations at Ant Knolls and Pole Line Pass. The route from the west side of the canyon was closed, and until recently, even the route from the east in Midway had been closed.
Now that the route from Midway was open, a few of the aid station captains and I decided to make a trek up to those stations to see how things are going. I normally work at Pole Line, and we were going to have a new aid captain this year, who wanted to see the area.
Our crew of three, myself, Alex, and Jeremy met up near Soldier Hollow, and we were soon on our way. This was Jeremy’s first year at Pole Line, so he just wanted to see what the site was like. The drive wasn’t too bad, but the route was a bit rough on his Subaru, so we had to creep along in spots. Once we arrived, I was able to give him a short tour, and explain where things usually get setup. At that point, Jeremy headed home, and Alex and I continued on to Ant Knolls.
We made our way west, continuing down FR085 until we got to the junction that would lead us to Ant Knolls. Alex rode with me, and the drive was a fun, but slow one. We had to make multiple stops to clear brush and fallen logs from the trail. We had brought a saw and a few tools, but we really regretted having not brought a chainsaw along. We persevered though, and eventually made it. The site was in great shape, and now that our work had cleared a path for his crew to drive up in a few weeks, we were able to call it a day and head home.
As much as I enjoy our posh setup at Pole Line, I've got to admit that Ant Knolls definitely has the better views. Though, it is pretty hard to find a spot up here that a bad view.
