Timpanogos Triple

Davy Crockett

Saratoga Springs, UT

Mount Timpanogos (11,749 feet) is the most popular hiking destination in Utah. Two trails are the most common accesses to the summit, Timpooneke Trail (from American Fork Canyon) and Mount Timpanogos Trail near Aspen Grove (from Provo Canyon).

View of Timpanogos summit

from the early portion of the Timpooneke Trail

Three years ago, I made my first ascent up “Timp,” It was a slow ten-hour adventure that wore me out. It took me over five hours to reach the top. I was physically drained and felt sick and sore for two days. Eight to ten hours or more is typical hiking time for this strenuous hike. Now, in much better shape, a typical run/hike up and down Timp, without pushing too hard, takes me 4 hours 15 minutes. 2.5 hours up, and 1.75 hours down, with no rest stops.

My favorite trail is the Timpooneke Trail because of its steady, runnable ascent and beautiful scenery through a series of four plateaus and meadows, collectively known as the Giant Staircase. The last of these plateaus is Timpanogos Basin (10,100 feet), an open plateau, surrounded by mountains on three sides. From this basin it is about two miles to the summit. The total elevation gain during this hike is 4,579 feet. (Compare this to about 4,460 feet elevation change hiking down into the Grand Canyon from the South Rim).

Phil Lowry and Ben Woolsey

Two local hikers/runners have climbed Mount Timpanogos an incredible number of times. Ben Woolsey (age 63) holds the all-time record, 348 times as of October 15, 2005. Phil Lowry is the runner-up with 308 climbs to the summit as of October 17, 2005.

The Double Timp

Accomplishing a double Timpanogos hike is a significant physical and mental challenge. To achieve this feat, you do the hike twice in one day with a very short rest at the trailhead between trips to eat and drink. The 9,158 elevation climb and 9,158 decent in about 28 miles is a grueling physical challenge, but the mental aspect is just as challenging. After finishing an exhausting single hike, you must turn right around and make yourself repeat the same physical challenge again.

I have accomplished the Double Timp on two occasions. During such a deed, you may pass other hikers as many as 3-4 times. When they finally realize that they have seen you pass them multiple times, they insist on knowing what is going on. Reactions are amusing. People are flabbergasted at the thought of hiking it twice, not to mention seeing you run many portions of the trail. On my first double experience several hiking groups cheered me as I descended for the second time. I remember one group started a chant, “Go for 3, go for 3.”

The Triple Timp

Would a Triple Timp be possible? Veteran Timp runner, Phil Lowry told me that he believes that no one has ever accomplished a triple. Phil intended to do a triple several times, but the mental effort to push himself out for the third time was incredible. A double was plenty.

My completive nature loves to face new challenges. Last Saturday (October 8) I accomplished a Double Timp in some pretty cold and windy conditions. I convinced myself that I could do a Triple Timp, and it would be cool to be the first known person to accomplish it. 13,737 feet up and 13,737 down in over 42 miles!

I planned to start this crazy challenge on Friday October 14, at 5 p.m. I planned to run/hike through the night and finish about 8 or 9 in the morning. On the first ascent, I would haul up some supplies to the ridge (saddle) overlooking Utah County. It was critical that I eat and drink plenty during this challenge to keep my body fueled with liquids, carbohydrates, and electrolytes. Having things stored near the top was also a mental strategy. If I left my goods there after my second summit, I would have an additional reason for heading back up to the top, to retrieve my stuff. Phil Lowry supplied another motivation, promising me a prize if I really accomplished the task.

I planned to have the first two trips take 4.5 hours each and the third to be more than 5 hours with additional time at the bottom, stops of about 15 minutes each. By running the Triple mostly at night, I would not need to carry and consume as much liquid compared to a run during the day. I also do much better running in cool temperatures.

Trip #1 (4:50 p.m. – 9:48 p.m. Summit: 8:00 p.m.)

Running buddy, Jeff Gerke agreed to run with me on the first trip. The temperature at the bottom was warm. I decided to run the first trip in shorts and a T-shirt, with a warmer biking shirt wrapped around my waist for use when it got colder.

We started up the trail full of energy and excitement about the adventure ahead. I quickly despised the pack on my back because it slowed me down. I was carrying up a thermos of hot soup, two water bottles, some food, a warm jacket, and a pair of mittens. I was careful to make sure that I did not use up my energy on this first trip. Jeff, also an ultra runner, full of energy, and only doing one trip, would run ahead at a faster pace and then run back to rejoin me.

We passed a group of hikers moving very slowly down the trail. They asked if we were heading to the summit. We said we were. They mentioned that they had started in the morning at 7:30 a.m. and that they were proud that they had reached the summit. Their round-trip would take them over 13 hours. They looked like they were really hurting. We didn’t want to burst their bubble of accomplishment by mentioning what we were really doing. I silently predicted that we would do our trip to the top and return to the bottom shortly after they reached the trailhead, and they only had about three miles left.

Shortly after passing those hikers, about an hour into our run, to my horror, I realized that I had dropped my flashlight somewhere, as far as a mile back. I knew this was a critical mistake. While I had a backup headlamp, I knew that my pace would be slowed terribly during the night without my bright light. We took off our packs and ran with great speed down the trail to try and find the flashlight. The slow hikers soon realized that we both were not typical hikers -- we were runners. Thankfully, we found the flashlight in the middle of the trail about a mile back. We returned and ended up wasting 27 minutes on that detour. That was discouraging, but I knew that time was not the issue of this challenge. I decided not to worry about time. Doing the triple was the important goal. If I accomplished it, I could always be insane again and try to do it in better time.

View down to one of the “giant stairs”

where I dropped my flashlight

The sun began to set on the valleys below, decked out with stunning fall colors. We were both amazed that the temperatures remained warm. There was snow on the trail above 9,000 feet, but it wasn’t icy. A nearly full moon rose above the eastern mountain ridges. When we reached the saddle, we were presented with an amazing view of the lights of Utah County. I spent about ten minutes setting up my “aid station” of food and drink. The wind was unusual. It was blowing from the southeast. Usually the wind blows from the south or west, making the final acsent to the summit a windy experience. We noticed that when we passed over the saddle, the wind disappeared. I put on my jacket, but quickly took it off because the temperature was still pretty warm for vigorous activity (about 40 degrees F.).

Summit hut

At 8 p.m. we reached the summit hut and signed our names in the register. (Surveyors who used the peak as a triangulation point originally constructed the steel shelter.) If I subtracted the detour time, and the time I took to set up my aid station, my pace was about what I wanted for the first trip. I told Jeff, “Now the fun begins!” We broke into a run as we started the long return trip down the mountain by the light of the moon and our flashlights. We were having a blast. I love running at night in the mountains. We ran most of the way down, but I was cautious to insert walking periods so that I would not wear out my legs too early. At one point several deer bounded up the mountain when we approached. That startled us and made us laugh. We also saw a porcupine crawling through the bushes.

We arrived at the trailhead at 9:48 p.m., about a 5-hour round trip. If I subtracted the time for the detour, my planned pace was just about right. Jeff bid me goodbye and I worked to drink, eat, and motivate myself for the next trip. We didn’t see anyone on the trail during our run down, so I knew that on the second trip I would not have any company going up. That would be a challenge. I tend to go much slower if I don’t see lights of other people ahead that I can catch.

I started to head out and realized that I hadn’t changed into my long tights. I would freeze on this trip if I only wore shorts. I turned around, went back to my car, and made the change. I was frustrated that I again wasted time. My stop at the bottom was a long 28 minutes.

Trip #2 (10:16 p.m – 3:27 a.m. Summit 1:15 a.m.)

I headed up again. I noticed that the temperature was dropping in valley pockets near the bottom, but once I reached the plateaus, the temperature rose. I was pleased that the conditions were ideal for night running. I plugged in my MP3 and enjoyed singing to the tunes as I power-hiked up the trail. I was pleased that my legs felt strong and my energy level was high. Without the pack, I felt much stronger going up on this trip.

View of top of Timp and snow-covered Timp basin

(Taken earlier in the week)

At the Timp Basin (about 10,000 feet), I noticed some pretty bad pain in my left heel and my ankle felt loose. The constant incline was taking its toll on my foot and ankle. I backed off the pace somewhat and the pain decreased.

At the saddle I enjoyed drinking some warm soup. I exchanged my gloves for some mittens and began the climb up to the summit. The wind had shifted about 180 degrees. It was now coming from the northwest. But I was pleased that the wind was only about 10 m.p.h. and that the wind-chill still felt like it was above 30 degrees. I still felt warm and good.

I reached the summit for the second time at 1:15 a.m. I again signed the book noting that I had accomplished a double, and then quickly turned around for the return run. I was pleased that my legs still felt great, but I was careful not to push the pace. I didn’t want to “trash my quads” on the way down. It was imperative that I should arrive at the bottom feeling good in order to face the mental challenge of continuing on for the triple. At about Scout Falls (20 minutes from the bottom) my legs finally began to feel somewhat fatigued. They were ready for a rest.

I was surprised that there were hardly any hikers on the trail. Even at this time of night, usually when there was a bright moon, the trail is full of hikers. I guessed that the BYU homecoming probably kept many young hikers away. I did pass three groups near the bottom, a group of college-age hikers, a solo-guy hiker, and a family moving pretty slowly rearranging their packs. I reached my car at 3:27 a.m. My trip had taken over 5 hours, but I purposely kept it slower to save it for the third trip.

Trip #3 (3:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Summit: 6:57)

At my car, I felt great. There was absolutely no doubt that I would head out for the third trip. In fact, I felt so good, that I even kidded myself that maybe I could do a Quad Timp. I quickly ate and drank, cleaned some grit out of a shoe, and started the next trip. My legs felt strong and I ran portions of the first couple miles, hoping that I could make this climb faster than the first two climbs. I was soon surprised to see lights coming down the trail. It was the group of college-age hikers. They had turned back after only an hour or so. As I ran past, a girl said that it was too ambitious. I couldn’t resist, I mentioned that I was on my third trip up for the night. But I could understand why they were giving up. There was now frost on the trail and it felt quite cold in all the valley pockets. I knew that it would be warmer once above those pockets of cold, and sure enough it was.

After a large snowfield that the trail crosses (an avalanche area that never melted away during the summer), I caught up with the family of hikers. They recognized me from earlier and asked how many loops I was going. They were stunned when I told them that I was on my third trip up. They wished me well as I motored past them.

When I reached the Timp Basin, my heel again hurt pretty badly, and in addition my Achilles tendon ached. When I tried to run, I could feel a sharp pain in the tendon. I backed off. I didn’t want to risk serious injury so I decided to take it pretty easy. But still my pace was about twice the pace of the typical hiker. I could see lights in the distance from groups of hikers heading on the Aspen Grove trail. They were making very slow progress in the snow above the basin. As I climbed up toward the saddle, I passed the solo-guy hiker. He knew I was doing a repeat trip and asked if I was an ultra runner. I said yes. I cruised past him and I was again the leader on the trail.

The final section to the summit was pretty cold this time. The wind had shifted again, from the north, and felt like it was 20-30 m.p.h. The wind-chill was now below freezing and all the snow on the trail was frozen. My left heel and ankle complained and I knew that this would be my last trip up to the summit this day. The sky began to fill with light. I was pleased to realize that I would reach the summit close to sunrise. I arrived at 6:57 a.m. and was presented with spectacular colors in the sky as the sun prepared to appear. I signed the register for the third time (no one else arrived at the summit between any of my trips). This was also my 15^th lifetime summit. I had topped the mountain 13 times during the past couple months.

Graffiti covered wall of summit hut

(My first two summits of the year recorded)

I pulled out my cell phone and called Phil Lowry, leaving a message that I was on the Timp summit for the third time. I had accomplished my goal. All that was left was the return trip to my car. I decided to take it easy and go slowly. At the saddle, the family of hikers greeted me. They had many questions about my Triple. When did I start? How long did each trip take me?

Many other hikers, who wanted to talk with me, further slowed my trip to the bottom. They would ask, “Did you make it to the top?” I would reply, “Yes, actually, I made it to the top three times during the night.” Shocked questions would follow.

As expected, I ran into Ben Woolsey, who was heading up for his 348^th lifetime summit. We talked for about ten minutes or so. He told me I was crazy for doing a triple. I told him he was crazy for climbing Timp 348 times. Near Scout Falls, another group stopped me to talk. When I explained that I did a Triple, a guy asked, “What’s up with that?” I explained that to my knowledge, no one had ever done it before, so I thought I would try. I had really succeeded.

Fall colors along the trail

The last couple miles were pretty slow and somewhat painful. I wasn’t eating much anymore since I knew I was almost finished, so my energy level was down. Lack of sleep was starting to take its toll too. Despite being energy-drained, I enjoyed my stroll on my last trip down the mountain. I met a group of people I knew from Saratoga Springs, so I stopped and had a good time telling them about my adventure.

Finally, I reached the trailhead at 10:00 a.m. I had accomplished a Triple Timp. It felt like I had just ran a 50-mile ultra race. I was tired. My feet ached, but my leg muscles felt fine. I had no thoughts of continuing for a Quad Timp. I believed I could do another trip, but I knew it wouldn’t be fun. It would be painful. It was time to go home and sleep. The Quad Timp would have to wait for another insane day.