Quest For Kings (double attempt)

Kings Peak is the highest peak in the state of Utah, reaching an elevation of 13,528 feet at the summit.  My friend Craig was putting on an informal race called Quest For Kings.  The route starts at Henry's Fork, run 13 miles to the summit, then turn around and do it in reverse.  The whole run has about 5,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain over the 26 miles, and it's all above 9,500 feet in altitude.  After some talking, myself, Scott, and Matt decided to make an attempt at a double.  We also heard that Crockett would be attempting a double, starting about 7 hours ahead of us.

The plan was to get to Henry's Fork around 7:00 or 8:00 in the evening, set up camp and try to sleep for a few hours before starting at midnight.  Well, we ended up taking entirely too long to get out of Salt Lake and stopped way too long in Evanston.  We finally reached Henry's Fork around 9:00 pm.  We talked it over and decided that by the time we got camp set up, we'd only be able to sleep for maybe an hour, if we could sleep at all.  So we made the decision to get ready and go.  We started our journey at about 10:45 Friday night... Mistake number one.

Scott & Matt scouting out the route



Having never been on this trail before, I let the boys lead out and guide me through the forest.  It was nearly a full moon out and the temperature was more mild than I anticipated.  The first 5 miles were great.  We kept a running pace for most of the way and finally reached Elkhorn Crossing where the forest opens up and leads you into the meadows.  Apparently we were very slow though compared to splits the guys had on previous attempts.  This trail is unbelievably technical.  Rocks litter the trail in places where you can run, and the last 3 miles to the summit is a completely different story.  More on that later.  It was tough navigating the terrain at night, which is probably why we were so slow.

A few miles later we ran into Crockett who was on his way down from his first summit.  He warned us about a snow covered section just above Gunsight Pass that was really sketchy.  He crossed it during the day when it was slightly soft and said it was one of the scariest things he's ever done.  In the cold and dark, it was guaranteed to be a slide of death, so we navigated below it.  We were also able to turn off our headlamps and run up this section by the moonlight, which ended up being a lot of fun.  After a quick scramble up to the plateau, we got our first look at the mountain.  Stunning!

I'm still all smiles before Gunsight Pass

We descended into the basin and mistake number two reared its head.  Scott was wearing his Hoka Bondi B's and he wasn't able to navigate the boulders very well in them.  He tweaked his ankle countless times on the boulders and would yell out "HOKAS!" which would get me laughing.  The Hokas slowed our pace significantly, especially on the descents.  I'm sure he'll never wear those shoes on that trail again.

We got down into the basin and made our approach to Anderson Pass.  Once we got here, we were all feeling a bit wounded.  I was starting to feel a little bit of vertigo; nothing too serious. Matt was getting a major headache, and Scott was dealing with nausea.  Matt pushed on ahead to tag the summit and get back down quickly.  I stayed back with Scott and let him dictate the pace since I could tell he was feeling it.  I don't know what this, we'll call it "paternal" instinct I have is all about, but I really want to make sure people are ok when they're with me.  I'll always stick back and hang with someone who's not doing well.  I feel like I owe it to them for some reason.  Kinda weird.  Anyway, with about 100 yards to go I pushed ahead and hit the summit at about 3:50 am.  I snapped a few pictures and waited for Scott.  He arrived shortly after and we hung out briefly before tackling the descent on the talus slope.  About 25 yards off the peak Scott doubles over and starts puking everywhere.  I did my best not to laugh, but some of the noises he was making were killin' me.  After 5 or 6 sessions, he finally stopped and we continued down the mountain.

My first Kings Peak summit

Once we got back down below Anderson Pass, Scott decided he should get some calories and he choked down a gel.  I could tell he had no energy, but I know what it's like trying to eat something after you've just yakked all over the place.  We made it back to the plateau and Scott laid down for about 15 minutes to take a nap.  He said he swore he was talking to us, but we weren't talking to him at all.  He was obviously exhausted.  When we got to Gunsight Pass we ran into Crockett back on his way up the mountain.  He went on to finish the double!  We filled up with water at the spring just below the pass and got to actually run again.  It felt good.

We kept a slow running pace the rest of the way down, stopping to chat with others on their way up the mountain.  They couldn't believe we had already been to the top and were heading back down now.  Lots of people out on the trail, and I'd imagine it would get even busier once all the scouts were awake and on their way.  We ended up finishing just after 9 AM, 10 hours and 27 minutes after we started.

Feeling great in the early morning

We went back to the car to refuel and decide what we wanted to do.  Because of the time it took for the first lap, we didn't think we'd have enough time to do a second due to time committments.  If lap one was any indication of things to come, I'm sure lap two would have been a bad idea.  I'm glad we made the decision to call it a day.

On the home stretch

I learned a few things on this trip.  I learned that my body adapts well to the altitude.  I wasn't sure how I'd hold up having never been that high in elevation before.  When we go back to attempt the double again (which I'm hoping will be in the next couple weeks), we definitely need a better game plan.  We need to show up the night before and camp, then wake up early in order to tackle both summits in the daylight.  We underestimated how slow we'd be on the trail in the dark.  The boulder sections are especially difficult to maneuver through at night.  Scott learned to leave the Hokas at home and Matt learned to keep lots of wipes on hand.  It was a ton of fun and I'm officially hooked!