Where the buffalo roam, where the people and antelope play

It has been on my bucket list to run to a mountain peak.

But as much as I say I love trail running, I'm really not that good at it, so most of the Wasatch peaks are out of the question.

But there was one that sounded entirely doable: Frary Peak on Antelope Island. According to the research I did, it was 6.5 or 7 miles round trip, with a climb of 2,000 feet. That's the same distance as North Canyon to Rudy's Flat, my favorite default trail, but a little steeper.

So on Wednesday, off I drove to Antelope Island. I hadn't been to the island since September 6, 2010. I even got there without using my GPS.

It was really a perfect day. It was overcast but not rainy. This would be a miserable hike in the sun, especially in the summer, because there is almost no shade whatsoever. I also hear it's very buggy, but bugs were not an issue at all on Wednesday. It was about 50 degrees, which is perfect running weather.

Lately, my body has not been cooperating with my intended runs, so I was worried I would be up on the mountain, feel sick, and have to walk down. But it cooperated this time. I also worried something bad would happen to me and I'd be on the mountain all alone, but there were plenty of people there, so I wasn't scared of that. I think Davis County's spring break enabled more hikers and families to be there.

It was a little challenging. I had to take many stops to take pictures and drink water, which are really just excuses to catch my breath. But I've been on harder trails. It would be steep, then level off for a bit, then get steep again. I wondered if I was taking it too easy, but I did pass many hiking groups.

Once I got to three miles, the trail split. From what I had read, the shorter trail was more technical and went directly on the ridge of the peak. By going to the right, the trail was safer but longer. No one is more afraid of slipping than I am, so I took the longer trail. Once I passed three miles, I did almost no running, since it was rocky, steep, and tricky. I wouldn't really say I was scared, but I was frequently uncomfortable. I was glad I had my Camelbak instead of a water bottle, because I was glad to hold on to the rocks and branches. It was about .6 miles past the three-mile mark to the top.

I made it to the peak and ate a snack before I headed down. I passed an older couple whom I had passed on the way up. The man seemed surprised I was already going down, but I made it to the peak and looked around. What else was I supposed to do? I was a little chilly at the top, because it was windy, and I had lost heat from not running. I wished for some gloves. But it was all right.

Once I made it past the more challenging portion of the trail, I ran all the way down. Rather than be selective about my pictures, I just thought I'd throw them all here.

This was pretty early in the hike. You can see the parking lot.

That is a gneiss rock.

You had to walk through the rocks in the background.

Yellowbells are out!

Most of the snow was gone.

The radio tower was at the three-mile mark. I didn't see a road leading to it, surprisingly. Past the tower the trail got more difficult.

The only snow on the trail was on this more challenging portion, which certainly didn't help me feel at ease.

They had registers in the little mail box. I broke the door off, but I think it was already broken. There was also a weather-worn Book of Mormon inside it.

I like gneissic foliation.

This might be Tintic Quartzite, which is 500 million years old.

My wildflower identification books don't tell me what these flowers are. I've seen them on a vacant lot in the neighborhood, so I wondered if they are a nonnative groundcover, but what would they be doing on Antelope Island?

After my successful run, I went over to the Island Buffalo Grill for lunch. On my way over, I passed a group of cars stopped to look at buffalo. I don't think buffalo are that interesting, since they're all over Yellowstone and Antelope Island. Then a little later, I saw an antelope running parallel to the road! I have never seen an Antelope on Antelope Island before. I slowed down so it could cross the road. I made it to the restaurant, where they had veggie burgers, my favorite food, but I had to get a buffalo burger for the novelty of the thing. Mostly it tasted like ordinary beef.

But I will have to go back sometime this summer, because it's on my bucket list to swim in the Great Salt Lake.