Six Years, One Mountain: Timpanogos 2021–2026

Some traditions start on purpose.

This one started because Deb said she wanted to hike Timp.

That was September 2021. Six years later, we've stood on top of Mount Timpanogos (11,752 ft.) together every single year. Six summits in a row! And we have the summit pictures to prove it. :)

A Little Timp History First

I first summited Timp back in August 2009, years before I moved to Utah in 2013. Once I lived here, I ran the Timp Trail Marathon in 2014. Jim and I backpacked up and over the summit in July 2016 (camped near Emerald Lakes with a herd of mountain goats and NO mosquitos). Then I ran the Timp Trail Marathon again in 2019 (wet, muddy, and 8 inches of snow on the bench. Never again on a wet year!).

But after 2016, I didn't stand on the summit again for five years. Shame on me.

Deb fixed that.

The Numbers (for the geeks)

Year	Date	Miles	Time
2021	Sep 26	14.5	5:25
2022	Aug 28	14.0	6:22
2023	Aug 13	14.2	6:02
2024	Aug 18	14.6	6:01
2025	Aug 3	14.5	6:18
2026	Oct 4	14.0	5:55

That's 85.8 miles and about 36 hours on one mountain, mostly with the same friend. Not bad.

2021: Where It Started

Year one! Deb, Limhi, and me at the summit hut, Sept 26, 2021.

It was just starting to feel like fall, and the trees were turning yellow and orange. We set off at 7 am sharp and power-hiked to the top. Then I ran down, which turned out to be the fastest of all six years at 5:25. Deb was much more sensible and enjoyed the fall colors on the way down. She took most of the photos, because all I saw were the rocks a step in front of my feet. Hah.

I had no idea we were starting a tradition. (Here's the original 2021 post, and yes, I went and did a night hike up Grandeur Peak the very next day. Hah!)

2022: Year Two

Year two on the summit ridge: Jim, Deb, Sylvia, and me.

Jim and Sylvia joined Deb and me this time, and suddenly we were a "group." Blue skies and a few clouds on the summit ridge.

2023: Bundle Up!

Year three, hiding from the wind in the summit hut: Jim, Deb, Sylvia, and me.

My log says "Perfect day." The photo says hoods, jackets, and everybody crammed into the summit hut with the flag. Both are true! It was a nice day, but cool and windy on the summit, which meant it probably wasn't suffocatingly hot near the bottom. I'll take that trade any day.

I also felt slow compared to everyone that year, so I borrowed Luna (her first Timp summit!) for a little ski-joring help on the way up. It REALLY helped! ....highly recommended. :)

2024: Bluebird Day

Year four.  Jim, Deb, Sylvia, me, and one very happy Luna.

Not a cloud in the sky.

2025: The Friends Year

Year five at the red-roofed summit hut, Utah Lake way down below: Jim, Deb, Sylvia, Jeff, and me.

2025 was my "focus on friends" year, and this hike was a good example. Jim, Deb, Sylvia, Jeff, and me (plus Luna!). We walked the whole way down this time. It got hot at the end, but I felt great and the weather was perfect.

2026: Almost Didn't Happen

Year six! Deb and me, with fall colors and Utah Lake behind us.

This one nearly broke the streak.

Our usual summer Timp day got called off because the forecast was close to 100°F at the trailhead. Hard pass. Deb and I went and did Kings Peak instead, and for a while it looked like Timp just wasn't going to happen this year.

But...we weren't about to let six become five.

So on October 4th, Deb and I went back for a fall climb. Cool temperatures, gorgeous fall colors, and our fastest time since that first year: 5:55. It felt like we'd come full circle, back to the same fall colors we started with in 2021.

Just Deb, Luna, and me this time (Luna's fourth summit in a row!), and not a speck of snow on the summit.

Why I Keep Going Back

This year I quit racing. No more start lines, no more chasing PRs. (Why I quit racing is another story... to be continued!)

But I'm not giving up on this one. Timp doesn't care what your pace is. It's just a really good excuse to spend a whole day on a mountain with a friend.

Thanks, Deb, for six years! I love our adventures!!!

Same mountain next year?

You know it. :)