What Its Like to Run 30 Miles in 30 Hrs Up Arizona’s Mount Lemmon

We rose early on day two and hit the trail around first light. Mileage was mellower, consisting of 10.86 miles with 1208 feet elevation gain, and 4154 feet elevation loss utilizing Palisade Trail down to the Arizona Trail, and then finishing at Gordon Hirabayashi Camp.

This mountain offers such a beautiful, playful, dynamic mix of microclimates and biodiversity. I was continually captivated by the flora, varied terrain, and geologic features. We meandered the winding trails passing through saturations of saguaros and ocotillos, sections of oaks and tall grasses, rocky outcroppings, and thorny overgrown patches. I was continually distracted by the shiny mica and quartz abundant throughout the higher sections of trail. We made our way up into the pines, and I felt at home hearing the wind through the trees. The weather we experienced was about as varied as the terrain, with clouds, bright and hot sun, storms dancing in the distance, wind, and even some rain greeting us along the way.

Source: https://www.fieldmag.com/articles/mount-lemmon-arizona-trail-run-video