Full Zion Train – 36.7 miles
1   Richard (The Grizz) Randall
2   Isaac Hart
3   Paul (Bloody Hands) Hart

The Grotto to Lava Trailhead and Back - 28.4 miles

1   Lise (Team Feral) Brunhart
2   Ulrich (Team Feral) Brunhart

Lee Pass to Lava Trailhead – 22.5 miles

1   John (Prince Many Dots)Moellmer

Lava Trailhead to Finish – 14.2

1   Joan (Gunga Din) Moellmer (plus three miles hauling water and food)

Aid station captain: Joan Moellmer
 

This year’s running of the Zion Train was rather small owing to the absence of our two modern co-founders being absent.  Stephen Utley, at whose home in Hurricane we usually meet and feed, spent the day very ill in a Salt Lake City hospital.  Our other modern co-founder, Irv Nielsen, spent the day (actually over 24 hours straight) working in Salt Lake at the University Hospital getting the pharmacy computer system on-line.

On Friday night, the Grizz, Joan Moellmer and Prince Many Dots, Bloody Hands Hart and his son Isaac met at the Cedar City Days Inn and discussed the morning’s strategy.  The next morning, at 5:45 AM, all met at the Kolob Canyons Entrance Station and divided up the cars.  Isaac and Grizz left their cars at the Entrance Station, Joan left in her car and drove to Lava Point with the aid station gear, and Paul took Grizz, Isaac and John to the start at Lees Pass.  The weather was high overcast and cool and the run started in the early light.

The section of the run from Lees Pass along LaVerkin Creek was beautiful with more water in the creek than has been seen in the previous few years.  However, Hop valley was simply enchanting.  The sun was shining on the east facing cliffs and the green grass and trees set off the blue stream flowing through the valley beautifully.  Hop Valley was really a scene from the Garden of Eden.  It was completely idyllic – quiet and peaceful.  I wanted to transport Stephen there and set him in the middle of the valley.  This is Utley country.

The Hop Valley trailhead was equipped with water jugs thanks to Joan who had dropped them off on her way to set up a remote aid station at Lava Point.  Joan was going to leave the car at the Lava Point trailhead as an aid station and then run along from Lava Point to the Grotto.  The connector route from Hop Valley Trailhead to Lava Point was as fine a run as ever, but the burned trees, which in years past still stood, now were falling over the trail.

At the Lava Point trail junction was food, water (25 pounds of it!), and pop (packed in snow).  What a wonderful aid station!  Joan brought it down the trail from the trailhead, saving us a 100 yard walk up to the car.  However, a note revealed the true story.  The gate, a mile up the dirt road, was closed and Joan had carried all the gear in two trips to the aid station!!!  Good Grief!  The woman had donated two extra miles to carry all that gear so we didn’t have walk up the road to the car.  (Now, I realize, this is what Irv did in 1998.  Irv, I had no idea what you did for us then).

John, who had been nursing a cold, felt worse as the distance rolled on and finally, at Lava Point was feeling pretty sick.  The plan was for Paul (Bloody Hands) to quit at Lava and drive the car to the finish.  With John sick, Paul and Isaac went on and John drove around and waited at the Visitor’s Center shuttle bus stop for the group.  Grizz finished first and saw Lise and Ulrich doing an out and back to Lava Point from the Grotto.  In about 30 minutes a shuttle bus dropped off Paul, Isaac and Joan.  The next bus brought Lise and Ulrich.  Everyone had finished about the same time, around 5:00 PM.