Where I come from...

2011 Hardrock 100

2011-12-15T08:45:00.008-07:00

Pre-Hardrock 100 - 2011

2011-12-15T08:21:00.005-07:00

This is what our mountains looked like on July 2nd when Liz and I hiked up Taylor Mtn. This would be my last climb up to 10,000ft before leaving for Hardrock the following Wednesday.

And then... it was time...

The finishing chute where I hoped to be running through in less than 36 hours

The pre-race meeting

Pre-start @ 5:45am July 8th, 2011

Camp to Belong

2011-12-15T08:01:00.005-07:00

After Adams, we drove to Portland and spent Friday hanging out in some of that elusive sunshine before making our way on Saturday to Silver Falls State Park which was to be our home for the next week. The weekend was spent getting to know the other camp counselors and preparing for Monday when the 150 kids would arrive on busses. From Monday afternoon to Saturday morning, it would be non-stop action as the entire camp became a huge, moving, boisterous party. Explaining the entire week would be a book by itself and in the sake of time, I'll have to pass on any more details. But what I will say is that it was an incredible experience, the kids were amazing, and this program (and specifically the program director) does an absolutely phenomenal job making sure these kids have an outrageous week reconnecting with their siblings, making new friends, and providing them with a fun weeklong camp experience that they otherwise may not have ever had.

http://www.ctbnorthwest.org/

karyn@camptobelong.org

Mt. Adams

2011-11-25T11:15:00.006-07:00

Skipping ahead a bit, we were soon on our way to spend a week in Oregon in mid-June. Prior to that, on Memorial Day weekend, we had run the Pocatello 50 mile, a beautiful race that once again was affected by weather. Race day conditions were much better than in 2010 when the race was cancelled due to heavy snow and 50mph+ winds on the peaks that produced blizzard-like conditions and forced many runners inadvertently and sometimes dangerously off course (One group of lost runners that chose to stay together found themselves running through a bull pasture. One of them was wearing a bright red jacket.) Although this year's race did contain alot of snow, it was in the form of a still-lingering, record-setting snowpack from the prior winter that prevented access to the last big loop up and over 8,500ft Scout Mountain. The course was altered and we even got in a few extra miles.

The beginning of June also marked my biggest push of ascents up Snow King, regularly logging 2 or 3 ascents/day and once even 4.

But then, finally, we were headed west to Oregon stopping to climb Mt. Adams before rolling into our home base in Portland.

This is as far as we could we drive on the road up the the standard TH at Cold Springs on the south side of the mountain. Again, lingering winter snow was the culprit, but we would have a nice 4-5 miles extra to get warmed up the next morning before getting onto the actual peak.

These were going to be great conditions for skinning. Even better conditions for a beer.

Just above the Cold Springs TH which was still buried under 6 feet of snow.

Looking south across the Columbia River at Mt. Hood in Oregon and the setting moon.

Our shadow to the west with Mt. St. Helens in the distance.

There had better be a good reason for there to be snowmobile tracks all the way to the summit. As this was a wilderness area, these machines are not allowed anywhere on the mountain.

Almost crampon worthy, but still just soft enough to allow for kicking steps.

Approaching the summit

Mt. Hood from the summit

Mt. St. Helens

Mt. Rainier

Liz and Trevor

The descent was frozen concrete for the first 1,000 ft...

...And then it transitioned into 2,500 ft of some of the best spring snow we'd even skiied. Wide open. Soft corn. Bliss.

Hardrock Training

2011-11-25T11:05:00.002-07:00

After taking a work position in Jackson back in March, I began a consistent and fairly rigorous program of running up Snow King before or after work or on my lunch hour or sometimes all three. This is when my Hardrock training ultimately began in earnest. It was time to start building up my downhill running legs.

Here are a few photos of an early morning ascent up Snow King on May 18th via the Rosie's Ridge trail, the only trail at that time to have melted out (mostly). I have fond memories of these early morning runs, breathing the cold spring air and generally having the whole mountain to myself.

Spring Cycling in Yellowstone - South Entrance

2011-11-24T20:33:00.005-07:00

We parked in Flagg Ranch and rode the 1 mile north to the South Entrance. From there, it was approximately 25 miles to West Thumb where we would turn and head east around the north shore of Lake Yellowstone for another 25 miles to Lake Village before turning around and riding back. The lake was still very much frozen.

There may have been a wolf walking out on the ice 100 yards off shore. Didn't get a real good look at it, but that's what the 20 people were saying who had stopped there to take pictures.

I'd never ridden on a road with 5-10 foot high snowbanks on either side. Created a bit of concern over not having any escape routes at all when cars would pass by. I don't like the feeling of being trapped. Unless it's dark. And I have a blanket.

Running in Pocatello, Cycling in Teton Nat'l Park

2011-11-24T20:06:00.003-07:00

May 14th & 15th-

That Saturday, we drove to Pocatello to do some recon work of the Pocatello 50 course. Beginning at the Gibson Jack TH, we followed the course route up over Kinport Peak to the City Creek TH, then back up and over Kinport to Midnight Creek and back to Gibson Jack. Other than a 4 mile stretch of 2 foot deep post-holing and a panic-stricken 4 minute bout of deer chasing by the dogs, everything went well.

Then on Sunday, it was over to Jackson for an 80 mile loop ride up to the Jackson Lake dam and back.

It was really amazing to see the volume of water being released from the lake in preparation for the record-setting snowpack to melt and flow into the lake. Thankfully, the preparation worked and mother nature brought very gradual warming which allowed for much of the water to be released controllably downstream without any major flooding.

Record Spring Snowpack: Approaching 700 Inches

2011-11-24T20:02:00.002-07:00

May 7th-

Another spring weekend. Another snowstorm. More powder skiing on Mount Glory.

This is a couple hundred feet below the summit of Mt. Glory where the bootpack trail goes under the Big Grey Square.

Cycling Yellowstone in the Spring

2011-11-24T19:40:00.003-07:00

May 1st-

We headed up to West Yellowstone for a 60 mile road bike tour to Old Faithful and back.

The best part of touring Yellowstone by bicycle in the spring? All the babies are on display, predominantly the bison.

And the worst part of touring Yellowstone by bicycle in the spring? The bison use the roadways to travel because after the park service plows them, it is the most efficient route between where they are and... wherever they want to go. The bison are clearly in charge.

We had to wait numerous times for a vehicle to meet up with us from behind and ask the driver to give us a "rolling block" between us and the 1200 lb wild beast walking down the road.

We thankfully did not have any negative animal encounters. We may have seen a snowflake or two. And we also had the opportunity to prove a park ranger wrong* (which was definitely the highlight for Liz).

*For the record, after being welcomed through the West Yellowstone gate by the park ranger working there, we were approached by a ranger at Old Faithful who told us the roads were currently closed to cyclists due to grizzly bear activity and essentially reprimanded us for riding there on our bikes. Despite the throngs of people walking a half mile or more off the roadway on the interpretive geyser basin pathways (the pathways were completely open), this guy seemed to think cyclists on the roads had been temporarily banned. Liz countered. And won.

Mt. Glory

2011-11-24T19:26:00.002-07:00

April 30th-

With winter refusing to give up, I continued to take a lap on Glory before heading into Jackson on those Saturdays when I was scheduled to work.

Still skiing powder!

Seven Months of Posting...

2011-11-24T19:16:00.002-07:00

... in seven days!

Not sure if it can be done, but I'll give it a shot. Due, in part, to a malfunctioning camera/computer interface since my last post on Easter Sunday last spring and also, in part, to a busier and far more hectic schedule over the past spring/summer, my blogging has since faltered having been replaced by persistent and escalating frustration towards my continually unusable LG phone (which also doubles as my blogging camera and has recently been replaced under warranty) and some rapidly changing, fast-forward life events. Whew...

Picking up where I left off last Easter...

Enjoy...

Teton Range from West to East

2011-04-27T20:44:00.005-06:00

Easter Sunday, we continued to enjoy the beautiful clear skies and skied from Teton Canyon on the west side of the range up and over Table Mtn and out Avalanche Canyon to Bradley Taggart. This is definitely a must-do route for any backcountry skier who enjoys spending time up high in the range. No big peaks. No huge lines to ski. No long pitches of powder to enjoy. Just a long tour up in the high country. And well worth the effort!

After a 5am start, we reached the summer TH and the beginning of the climb up to Table. 2,000ft up and we were looking back down Teton Canyon into Teton Valley, ID

10,000ft and nearing the big peaks

We skied the south side of Table (crispy!), traversed over to Hurricane Pass, and had this view to the north down South Cascade Canyon.

Our three lines off of Hurricane Pass over Schoolroom Glacier and across the frozen glacial lake.

Arriving at the Avalanche/South Cascade Canyon divide

Mt. Wister and Buck Mtn across the upper reaches of Avalanche Canyon

The Amora Vida Couloir. This one's still very much on the list.

The most unusual avalanche debris. It was like a million softballs had run down the slope and frozen together. We were skiing over this mess that appeared to have come down the day before. It was fresh. By this time, it was close to 1pm, the day had warmed up considerably, and we were glad to be on our way down and past the slide paths as we were now seeing and hearing sluffs off some of the steeper areas on the south and east facing aspects that were receiving the sun. We arrived at Bradley Taggart a bit past 2pm. A 9 hour tour. And we realized we hadn't seen a single other person out there the entire time.

Easter Weekend - Saturday

2011-04-26T21:15:00.002-06:00

Which brings me to the present. Whew. I'll type more soon, but in the meantime, here are a few photos from this past Saturday starting with an early 7am ascent up Glory and another 1,500ft of boot-top deep fluff to enjoy on my way over to work (I mean seriously, how many people have a commute like this?!?!). And then the view from Jackson Lake Dam at the turnaround of our bike ride along the Inner Teton Park Road that afternoon.

April in the Tetons: Closing in on 700 inches

2011-04-26T20:40:00.004-06:00

Post spring-break, it was back to winter in the Tetons and the next Sunday, April 10th, we were back up on Maverick skiing powder. Again.

There has been so much snow this year and so many consistent, violent storms that these cornices have actually created an entirely new ridgetop located a good 40 feet north of where the actual ridgetop lies. It was fascinating to look at how the snow layers had formed on top of one another and see how these layers were gradually built and steadily pushed further north and east from the winds settling the snow on the leeward side of the trees marking the ridgetop. A bit disorienting. Another day up high in the Tetons. Another day skiing powder. Yes, we had just come from a warm desert, and had not had more than one day above 50 degrees so far locally, but hey, if it's not going to warm up, at least we still have powder skiing to be had!

More of the same the following weekend as continuous storms cycled through the area and left a few more feet of snow behind. So naturally, not having to work on Saturday made for an easy decision to head up to Teton Pass and partake in a couple of Glory laps. And glorious it was. A foot of fresh snow to enjoy all the way down and two, 1,500ft laps by 11am. Perfect. The following morning, it was back up to the Pass for another quick run, this one was ok, but not quite as good as the prior day as the storm system had warmed enough to the point where it was barely above freezing at 9,000ft. Still fresh, but a little heavier. So having all afternoon available, we did the next best thing to skiing powder and headed down to the Kelly Canyon area and headed out on a 4 hour, 20 mile run. It's nice having Heise Hot Springs available at the end to have a nice soak afterwards. Temperatures were warmer there than in Teton Valley, but still not entirely "warm."

Fruita

2011-04-25T22:04:00.003-06:00

It was on to Fruita, CO for the last three days of the trip.

Not being in charge of the route selections made it easy to just go out for a ride and see what it was all about while also maintaining a guilt-free conscience.

Day 1, Thursday: Horsethief Butte

Day 2, Friday: The Edge Loop

There may be a small percentage of riders who come to Fruita and know this route exists. Fewer end up giving it consideration. And there must be an even smaller percentage who actually attempt it.

Handies

2011-04-24T20:53:00.003-06:00

In the days following our R2R2R effort, we spent some time in recovery mode by taking the mountain bikes out for a spin around the South Rim the following morning (Monday) and Mesa Verde, the next day before dawdling our way up and over to Silverton, CO. Objective: Handies Peak, one of Colorado's 14'ers and the high point of the Hard Rock 100 coming up on the agenda this July. I thought it'd be a great way to get some beta on the terrain albeit in a vastly different winter environment, but nonetheless, I was very interested in seeing it.

This is as close as I would come.

At a tad over 13,000ft, we arrived at a saddle across from Handies overlooking an enormous basin (American Fork, I think?) and a severely wind-loaded, high-angle, concave 1,000ft slope dropping down into it. A strong storm had moved through the area overnight and blown through just as we arrived at the saddle, but the high winds persisted and the new snow was being blown over this precipice in volumes and had been since some point the night before. We'd had a great morning. No need to ruin it. With miles of untracked snow behind us, we turned around and savored an area of the San Juans all to ourselves under beautiful blue skies.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T18:46:00.002-06:00

Spring Break - Go South!

2011-04-23T20:44:00.003-06:00

Amother R2R2R.

Another amazing day.

After spending Saturday night at the Mather Campground, we woke up Sunday morning at 4am, drove the 2 or 3 miles over to the Bright Angel Lodge, and were on foot by 5am on our way over to the South Kaibab TH via the maze of park roads and paths that form a web of confusion around the South Rim development. But we made it.

By 6am we were on our way down.

And, as fate would have it, this would be the sole photo of the entire run (about halfway down the S Kaibab Trail) as my frozen battery quickly reached the end of it's charge (it was below freezing for the first 1 1/2 hours of our run).

We were down to the river in under 3 hours, across to the North Rim in just under 7, and back to the river in just over 11. A very casual pace. From there, we diverted over to the Bright Angel Trail for our ascent back up to the South Rim where the car was waiting. We reached the top about an hour past sundown. 15 hours total. And by adding the additional mileage between Bright Angel and South Kaibab at the beginning of the run, we ended up with a total of a tad over 50 miles.

Bright Angel Fault

Into March...

2011-04-22T21:09:00.005-06:00

The last weekend in February presented us with one of the few glorious bluebird days we'd had all winter and we made it back up to Maverick with only one other group of four with which to share the entire mountain with.

Glorious

Monkey tree

Looking north toward the Grand

The next weekend, March 5th, we headed into Garnet Canyon with the West Hourglass Coulior in our sights.

From the top of West Hourglass, we had a great shot into the upper reaches of South Garnet Canyon and the wind-scrubbed slopes leading up to the saddle between the South and Middle Teton.

Grand, Disappointment Peak, Teewinot

Looking down in West Hourglass

Middle Teton with a great view of the massive Ellingwood Couloir cutting down the SE flank.

Skiing the West Hourglass

The following week, we headed towards the Spoon Couloir and another route up Disappointment Peak, but conditions were questionable and general fatigue and exhaustion made it an easy decision to bail and find a sweet little couloir tucked away into the north side of the ridge that led down into Glacier Gulch. I would have no idea this route even existed, but oh what a little gem it is. And surely rarely skiied.

It's tight!

After scrubbing the slope and hopping over the pinch, it was Liz's turn.

What a beauty of a chute! At the bottom, Liz politely directed my attention to the fact that my fly was open (from my last nature break a half hour earlier), so we discreetly dubbed it Open-Fly Couloir. I'm sure it already has a name, but this gives it special meaning to us.

February 20th, 2011 - Borah Peak

2011-04-21T20:47:00.004-06:00

For those who don't know how, here's your sign.

The town of Mackay is... full of character.

After working Saturday morning, we set off towards the east to the town of Mackay, ID at the base of the Lost River Range about 3 1/2 hours from Teton Valley. We would spend the night in town before setting off in the dark hours of Sunday morning to attempt a summit of Borah Peak and, if all went well, a ski down. That afternoon, a well-developed storm rolled into the area and left 6 inches of snow on the ground in town. We figured this 6 inches in town would translate into maybe twice that up high and would add nicely to whatever snowpack existed up higher on the peaks and offer some pretty good skiing conditions. Not only that, but the system was expected to blow through by morning and allow for at least partly clear conditions while we would be up there. Everything was falling into place.

About 1hr, 30 min from the truck. The summer TH is just below the sagebrush. The snowpack here consisted of about six inches of snow on top of maybe a six inch base. Not quite as much as we expected. Not even close.

Ascending the summer route up the ridge was challenging with a variable mix of snow conditions from icy crust to six inches of fluff over scree to pockets of 2 foot deep drifts. Climbing up through the trees was slow going.

After about 3 hours, we were finally able to begin catching glimpses of Borah through tiny breaks in the clouds.

4,000 ft higher than where we began, and we were still on the same six inches of fresh snow that now covered the jumbled, loose, rocky chaos that makes up Borah's flanks. It was just enough to hide the uneven surface hidden underneath and make walking in a drunken stupor look better. By this point, we had been out with our skis on our backs just about the same amount of time as we had been on them while skinning lower down.

After close to 7 hours out, we arrived at what was likely Chicken Out Ridge. It definitely poses a formidable barrier to moving further along, but it really didn't seem to be all that bad except for the now annoying six inches of snow that was covering every rock surface, hiding everything safe and unsafe, and providing an incredibly perilous chance of slipping. We had ice gear, but there was no ice, just the same six inches of fluff we had been traipsing over since we left the truck 5,500 ft below. The most unusual snowpack (or lack thereof).

At this point, we mad the call to turn around. The conditions appeared to be deteriorating. Our pace had been unreasonably slow just getting to this point with another 2 hours at least to go before summiting, and an area of high danger in front of us wasn't looking good. So, we did exactly what we needed to do and walked back down a few thousand feet with our skis on our backs, tripping and falling along the way down, slipping and imbalanced.

Finally, about 1,500 ft off the valley floor, we got back into the woods and found a shallow gully where the snow was a bit more protected and we actually linked together a fair bit of turns through the same crusty, icy, shallow, drifted, warming, cooling, soft, hard, abstract snow we had ascended hours earlier. It wasn't easy. It wasn't good. But I was honestly just thrilled to be finally skiing.

We got back to the car mid afternoon sometime, I don't know exactly when, I wasn't paying attention anymore. I didn't care. It didn't matter. I was just happy to be back. I guess we found out the hard way why there just aren't that many trip reports out there on skiing Borah.

February 13th, 2011 - Avalanche Canyon

2011-04-21T19:52:00.004-06:00

Whew. It's been a while.

Since my last post, I've finished off another two online classes, switched job locations to work "over the hill" in Jackson, burned through a hard drive, exhausted an 8 year old laptop, and continued straight through a seemingly endless winter storm cycle (still currently taking place as I type this) with weekend skis, runs, and even a day or two on the bike.

To begin to catch up, here are a few shots of our adventure up Avalanche Canyon a couple months back. Liz had some friends in town and we were hoping the gale force winds from the prior day would subside enough to allow entrance into the Amora Vida couloir for an ascent/descent.

Sunrise start at Bradley Taggart

A few hours up canyon and it was clear the winds were still very much present. We could have kept going a bit longer, but for everyone's enjoyment (and safety), we turned around as going higher would lead to terrain of greater consequence and as wind tends to move snow around in funny (potentially dangerous) ways, we decided that another couloir back down the canyon a bit was a nicer choice. So we hunkered into these trees, changed over into ski mode, and grabbed a fair amount of quality turns on the way back down canyon.

Terrain in upper Avalanche Canyon

Mt. Wister with the north flanks of Buck Mtn in the background from about halfway up the couloir we ascended.

We topped out on the ridge separating Avalanche Canyon from Garnet Canyon that leads up to Shadow Peak. This is looking north over lower Garnet at the south side of Teewinot.

This is the east face of Nez Perce from higher up on the ridge leading to Shadow Peak. That sliver of snow slicing through the rock is the well-known Sliver Couloir, a planned yet thus far unreached objective for the winter.

Looking north over Garnet again, but this time with the Grand (left), Owen (the pointy peak just to the Grand's right), and Teewinot.

From here, the ski down was fairly uninspiring. It's amazing how tracked out the "backcountry" gets around here. But that's sometimes the effect of having some of the best terrain and snow conditions so easily accessible.

Disappointment Peak

2011-02-25T07:59:00.004-07:00

February 12th, 2011

Disappointed indeed as we never did reach the summit due to hurricane force winds at 10,000ft, but the ski down the couloir was a worthy cause.

Another beautiful morning in Grand Teton National Park

Someday, I will get some lighter skis, but in the meantime, will continue to push these monsters around. They've done me well.

Looking back over Bradley Lake

Heading up the couloir to the ridge of Disappointment. The snow was breaking under my feet which made for slow going.

Looking at the South Teton and up South Garnet Canyon. The east side of the Middle Teton is the huge rock face on the right side of the picture.

We hunkered down in this wind-scoured alcove next to a prominent boulder up on the ridge to gather ourselves and prepare to bail out back down to the lower slopes. The wind was absolutely ripping up here and the summit was looking less and less enticing.

Fun ski though!

Albright Peak

2011-02-23T21:45:00.003-07:00

February 6th, 2011

With a springlike day sprouting upon us, we took off for another Big Park Sunday ski tour and decided to go for Albright Peak. Back in late November, we had skied Wimpy's and eyeballed Albright through the storm clouds as a huge north/northeast facing cornice broke off the summit and thundered down a couple thousand feet in front of us. We agreed that staying safe on Wimpy's was a great idea. And we had a spectacular day. But today was shaping up much differently... Lots of sun, minimal wind, warmish temps. It felt like spring and Albright was a go.

The left peak is Albright. The right peak is Wimpy's. We left the Death Canyon winter TH and used the standard approach route up Wimpy's, then over to Albright.

Albright from the summit of Wimpy's around 10,500ft. This is the face that we witnessed the cornice break loose over back in November.

Looking west from the summit of Albright up the upper reaches of Death Canyon. The Death Canyon Shelf and the Teton Crest Trail is visible along the wide horizontal cliff bands in the background. Only five more months before it will be runnable.

Top of Wimpy's from the summit of Albright.

Happiness Level? Pretty close to the top.

Middle Teton

2011-02-23T07:45:00.007-07:00

January 30th, 2011

After not making it even close to the summit a few weeks earlier due to blizzard conditions, we saw what appeared to be a better chance for another attempt and decided to give it another go. We left the Bradley Taggart parking lot around 6:15 under clear skies and comfortable temps.

We arrived at the Meadows at 9am and although there was a cold wind blasting down off the peaks, everything was still looking good.

Ascending up to the base of the SW Couloir. The NE flank of the South Teton is in the background.

Just below the SW couloir. It was cold, but we were comfortable. Wispy clouds blew around us creating a veil through which we could see the peaks.

This is looking back at the South Teton from around 11,500ft. The view of the summit was there one second and gone the next.

The crux of the route really isn't much more than a few steps through this pinch towards the top of the couloir. The snow was fairly solid and we had, for the most part, been following the boot steps of the party that had been there in the days prior.

One or two hundred feet below the summit.

Climbing up to the summit. 12,804ft.

First turn on skis after hiking down the majority of the couloir due to the many prevalent rocks. And this turn still had a few.

Skiing the slope out of the SW Couloir and heading down to a point just below the east side of the South Teton/Middle Teton saddle. The surface was hardpack crust up higher, but then turned to frozen marbles in most places down below. The whole upper canyon had been scoured of snow for the most part so we diced our way through the rocks.

This is Disappointment Peak on the east side of the Grand. A few weeks later, we would ski the couloir visible in the right side of the photo here.

Back in the Meadows and heading out of Garnet Canyon. Another amazing day in the mountains.

Sayulita, Mexico

2011-02-22T23:10:00.003-07:00

In an effort to catch up on things here (since I'm a month behind still), I'll just let the photos explain the trip. Don't know if I have much more to say anyway...

2011-02-10T22:05:00.001-07:00

Four days later on January 20th...

2011-02-10T21:33:00.002-07:00

After having not really been running much over the past couple months (other than sporadic, short, hour-long blips), I put together a few longish runs in a timespan that could actually be considered training in mid-January. I knew I always had my ol'reliable... Mud Lake. Except this time, I had a partner.

Athletes inspire other athletes and this is no exception. Maybe I don't do so much for him, but he certainly is inspiring to watch as he bounds tirelessly through deep snowfields hour after hour. I only wish I could move that fast.

On January 16th, it was back to Big Park Sunday and a return visit to Maverick. The morning began under partially clear skies, but quickly shifted back into the more typical storm conditions we had grown accustomed to so far this winter. As we were the first ones up the route, we had the privilege of breaking trail which made for slightly slower going, but also brought a more solitary experience to our efforts as well having nothing but untouched snowfields for 3,000ft above us as we ascended.

The solitude stopped when we were passed by a group of three following our track, then moving on ahead to break trail in front of us. Strangely, one member of the group chastised us for apparently being what they thought was too safe as we crossed an open, unprotected slope one at a time after they had gone across seperated by about two feet each. Well, to each their own I guess when it comes to safety, but I've never heard anyone scold another for being too safe in the backcountry. Especially when crossing open snowfields one at a time is pretty standard protocol.

The skiing was great. Three 1,200ft laps on Maverick later and we were feeling satisfied for the day. Again.

2011-02-05T19:07:00.001-07:00

The weekend of January 8th/9th finally offered weather conditions we deemed safe and bearable enough for our planned winter camping trial experience. I had camped in snow before, but it hardly constituted winter conditions. Definitely nowhere near the conditions typically present through a night in the Tetons at 9,500ft. But all in all, it went very well. We learned a bit about our gear which proved its worthiness in keeping us warm, fed, and moving. And we learned that overnight trips in the winter backcountry is safely possible. So we could look forward to February's trip in earnest.

Dinner at camp

The low that night was somewhere between 0 and -5. Getting up and getting moving wasn't too difficult, but it definitely felt frigid.

A New Start

2011-02-01T21:05:00.004-07:00

Seeing as this is my first post of 2011 and it's already February, that could mean one of two things: Either I've been too lazy to post anything or too busy...

My last post of 2010 ended at Christmas and, at that point, I had already been spending a nice chunk of my weekends up high in the Teton backcountry. I had taken Friday, the last day of the year off from work which allowed for a perfect opportunity to close out the year with a day up in the mountains. This day, it was a jaunt up the West Mail Cabin drainage to get to what ended up being three incredibly fluffy 1,200ft laps on a beautiful easterly ridge. Although temps for the day were somewhere near zero lower in the valley, it warmed nicely up towards the 9,000-ish ft ridgetop we topped out on. A great day skiing powder.

The next morning, we were up at 5am and arrived at the top of Teton Pass for what most likely ended up being the first lap on Glory for 2011. There were no cars up there. No tracks. Just bitter cold darkness and a biting wind. Can't say the skiing was amazing, but it was never intended to be. The purpose was to get up there early and get it in before the rest of the day's events took over.

The following day, we were up again at an early hour and headed over to Bradley-Taggart for what we were hoping would be an attempt up the Middle Teton. The forecast looked pretty good and the morning was calm and mostly clear when we left the car at 6:30. All systems go. At the Meadows in Garnet Canyon, we stopped to refuel and got our first whiff of the icy wind blowing down off the high saddles between the peaks. Another 1,000ft up and we were enveloped in a cloud, visibility down to not much, traversing a hard, wind-packed sloped which provided a precarious perch for the edges of our skin-covered ski bases to hold purchase. That, and the wind had picked up against us substantially to a strong, steady force. A bit tense. But we kept going. Up another 500 ft and the ground had been wind-scoured and became mostly rock connected with an interlacing patchwork of snow. We walked over it all with our skis on until we finally made the agreement to turn back. Going up further in these conditions would provide us very little benefit and, although comfortable physically, it was evident this would not be our day. We turned back and arrived back at the car with a great day of time up high in the mountains, surviving the elements, and just a tad bit of frostnip on the bridge of my nose.

Later that week, I had a chance to hike Glory in late afternoon. A truly fantastic way to end a day.

A sign of things to come? What could this mis-matched array of items be doing together? What does it all mean?

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T16:33:00.003-07:00

Time flies. And so does the snow. And this past month, so did Trevor. At least I felt like I had. Apparently, that's what repetitive 1,000 ft doses of powder snow does to me. I don't know, I guess I'm still getting used to it, but it's becoming more natural and I absolutely love getting up high on some new terrain in the winter. What began generally as an idea and a dream a couple months ago has quickly become a reality. And sometimes I still feel as though I'm living a surreal dream.

The weekend of the 4th/5th, I was able to get in a few runs at the Ghee with Ron after work on Saturday and then Sunday was spent skiing Oliver in the morning before attending an Arts Council meeting that afternoon. I had plans to visit Portland from Dec. 8th-14th, but heavy winter weather snuffed out those plans and I instead spent that weekend doing what else... spending alot of time on skis in the backcountry. Saturday, Dec. 11th, we took a couple laps again on Oliver. Quick and easy. Sunday, it was back into the park (GTNP) for a trip up Garnet Canyon. Rapidly warming temps put an abrupt end to that trip as we began to encounter widespread areas of unstable snow throughout the canyon at 8,500ft.

The next weekend, Jay and Lisa put on a 5k/10k run in Teton Springs on Saturday so off I went to run a 10k.

After the run, MikeE and I took a Glory lap off Teton Pass and came home feeling utterly spent. But, of course, then it was Sunday and that meant going to the park for Big Powder Park Sunday! We ended up getting three laps on Maverick and calling it another great day.

I took the end of this past week off so after doing some Christmas prep on Wednesday, I took off on skate skis in Teton Canyon for a quick dusk jaunt upcanyon and back. Thursday, taking advantage of a midweek day off, we headed back into the park for a trip up 25 Short. Yep, another three big laps of soft fluff. How could I ever go back to resort skiing after this? Friday, Christmas Eve, we made for the summit of Housetop Mountain, but after 4 hours of ascending, we called it off and turned back having another 1 1/2 hours to go before reaching the summit and a dinner party to be back for at 5:30. That peak has a deceptively long approach. Maybe some other day when we have more time.
Which brings me to today. Christmas. And another early trip up Oliver before anyone else had arrived and an absolutely beautiful Christmas morning to enjoy.

And if anyone is wondering where the photos are, well, some of them are still in my camera somewhere up on Maverick where my camera departed my possession and became one with the frozen Teton Mountains. And that explains why the photos from the later trips are missing as well. So until I get a new camera, this will have to do.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

Also, a friend of mine sent this video link to me. Another brilliantly done short film.

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.

Donating Shoes to Africa

2010-12-03T00:13:00.006-07:00

I've been meaning to put up this post for quite a while.

Last February or March, a dozen or so pairs of my old trail running shoes were stuffed into an oversize, overweight suitcase and flown off to Africa. This is where they ended up.

There are many organizations out there that take in used (but still in wearable condition) running shoes and send them over to Africa. Woontanara Aid just happens to be my local connection. From the sounds of it, collecting shoes and getting them to Guinea is logistically difficult for this particular organization and, at this point, it's not something that they are really focused on. Woontanara Aid recognizes the need for shoes over there, and they were happy to make room for mine, but their focus happens to be in other areas like education and health care.

My biggest request is to never throw away your old shoes unless they are completely, utterly unwearable. There are plenty of people in this country that would love to have a still decent looking pair of top-tier footwear. And there are countless other people in other countries much worse off than ours that may have never worn shoes in their entire life. So donate them. Either to your local second-hand store or maybe to an international shoe-specific charitable organization. Give the gift. Share the love. You may never know just where your old shoes will end up. But won't you feel good knowing they may cause a reaction like this?

For more information, please visit

http://www.woontanaraaid.org/

Here are a couple more websites for non-profit organizations that are shoe specific:

http://www.shoe4africa.org/

http://www.theashefoundation.org/

Wimpy's

2010-11-28T21:02:00.003-07:00

The morning started innocently enough. A 6:30 alarm. A 7:00 ride. A drive over to the Death Canyon TH in Jackson.

Unfortunately, we got caught in Jackson's morning rush hour traffic...

We left the car at 8:45 and set off under a light snow to begin the long 4,000ft ascent up to Wimpy's. Everyone around here agrees, this has been one of the most memorable snowpacks for late November the Tetons has seen in a while. Which is fine with me, really, because as a result of a number of logistics falling into place nicely, I have a wide open door to fully experience everything the Teton Backcountry has to offer this winter. And today, things were looking good if not great.

The skin track from the prior visitors was still clear for the most part up the majority of the lower portion of the ascent, but began to fade up higher as the wind and steadily falling snow filled it in. We made the top in a steady, but comfortable 3 1/2 hours, took in the magnitude of our foggy perch, and proceeded on to a three lap, 900ft circuit in some of the best November fluff the Tetons can produce.

After the first lap, we stood on top of Wimpy's pondering the plausibility of getting up Albright Peak and just as we had settled on at least traversing over to check out the snow stability over there, I saw the cloud...

The large cornice on the NE facing ridgetop had released sending a massive volume of snow and ice down the face directly in front of us. The cloud of snow was followed by a thunderous crash as the debris cascaded down the NE face onto the lower snowfield. That was enough for us. Negative on Albright. So we took two more laps on Wimpy's.

What a day. I'm quickly finding my ski legs both climbing and descending and feeling better each time I go out even with my heinously monsterous skis. I could use a pair half the weight, but at this point it's only making me stronger. And it's what I got. So that's that.

The final descent down was what one would expect of a continuous 4,000 powder run. Not much else to say about that. Keep it snowing.

Table Mountain - almost

2010-11-26T22:48:00.003-07:00

Tried to go up Table today but was twarted by a couple of factors: Late start, friend's frozen pipes at home (cause of the late start), ungroomed ski from the winter trailhead to the base of the climb that took longer than expected, and LOTS of deep, untracked snow to climb through. I am exhausted. But in a good way. And I doubt there is a more complete workout than what we did today. After the past few weeks, I needed it.

Skiing off into the sunset

Bliss

Down lower, the snow started to get heavier and thinner. So did the trees and willows. We had to pick our line down very carefully and never really felt completely safe until we were back at the summer trailhead. I happened to be on the receiving end of the two most noteworthy incidents. Finding the slope's biggest hidden rock garden and taking a scrubby aspen square between the legs. Luckily, I was able to push it mostly down and out of harm's way. Sheesh. The risks involved with trying to take a few early season turns...

We didn't make it to the top, but we were able to partake of the slope's best snowfields which, other than being a bit thin in spots, actually held pretty decent snow. Don't know if I'm gonna make it up Table this month. I haven't yet and I only have two more available days to do it.

A Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T22:21:00.004-07:00

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and enjoyed time with family and friends. We all are extremely fortunate to have what we have and be able to do the things we do. Sometimes it's easy to lose track of that, but hopefully for only brief moments, if at all.

I live in an amazing place. I know this and I am thankful for that. And I have amazing friends. I am very thankful for everything I have and am able to do. Days like this are beautiful days.

Got together for a morning ski excusion up to Mt. Oliver with MikeE and Liz. Took the better part of the day skinning up to the 9,000ft summit then doing a few laps off the top. Then it was off to the traditional thanksgiving gathering at the house of some friends in Driggs. Great food. Great company. Lots of laughs. Don't know if I can think of too much else that would make for a better day. Except maybe to see my family and friends back in Portland. Two weeks!

Danny MacAskill

2010-11-24T00:35:00.002-07:00

Quite possibly the best trials rider ever. And quite possibly the best cinematography as well. Brilliantly done.

12 Months of Table Mountain

2010-11-17T19:57:00.022-07:00

The project began three days after Thanksgiving on the last Sunday in November, 2009. I continued to reach the summit at least once in each of the next 11 months.

I started the hike from the summer trailhead in three of the months, November, December, and October. The rest of the months, I began at the winter trailhead and ran the four miles upcanyon to the summer TH and the base of the climb.

I used the Face Route to ascend in all 12 months and used various routes down.

I used snowshoes in eight of the months from November through June. The other four were snow-free.

Here are the photos from the top from each month:

NOVEMBER - The best sunset

DECEMBER - The coldest (it was -13 when I began and I'm pretty sure it just got colder from there)

JANUARY - The most powder! And also the slowest.

FEBRUARY - The worst summit photo

MARCH - Most bluebird

APRIL - First time in shorts

MAY - The windiest

JUNE - Best use of all four seasons

JULY - Best hailstorm

AUGUST - The warmest

SEPTEMBER - The slushiest, sloppiest, slipperiest. And most crowded.

OCTOBER - The most unique colors (grey and yellow) and the best company (Jon and MikeE)

Late October - Into Storm Season

2010-11-15T21:01:00.006-07:00

Towards the end of October, the climate began to display the shifting of the seasons in earnest as the temperatures had become consistently lower and the high country grew whiter. The lower elevations still hadn't been affected and we were still taking advantage of the dirt that remained under foot as much as we possibly could. That meant an afternoon outing up the Roaring Fork of Teton Canyon all the way to the windswept alpine expanse of Hurricane Pass on Saturday and a gentle meander through the remote southwest corner of Yellowstone Nat'l Park on Sunday amidst a relentless chilling rain. This is what it's all about right here.

2nd weekend in October

2010-11-15T00:37:00.010-07:00

On Saturday, MikeE and Jon and I moseyed up Table amongst typical fall colors: Yellow leaves and grey skies.

This marked my 12th consecutive month summiting Table and the completion of my goal. But maybe I'll just keep going...

Then, on Sunday, MikeE and I drove over to JHole for an ascent of Buck Mtn. Finally! After ten years of living here, I finally got to the top!

Alabama and Tennessee

2010-11-14T23:45:00.005-07:00

After a week in Oregon, I flew to Birmingham, AL on a work assignment. For whatever reason, I do not have a single picture of Birmingham. I attribute this mostly due to the fact that I was under a pretty heavy amount of stress, every day seemed to be a whirlwind, and taking pictures just never crossed my mind when all I desired was my sanity. Thursday morning after I flew in, I had some time to kill so I drove south of town to Oak Mountain State Park and suffered through a painful, slow, hot 'n humid run along one of the park's many trails. I could only muster 45 minutes. Four days after the 100 miler and I was not ready to run yet.

That weekend, however, things got better and I had a chance to head up north to Nashville, TN for an afternoon on Sunday (my only free day) and yes, I finally got the camera in action.

What's going on here, you might ask? Only 1,000 yoga-ers ready to get their yoga on in downtown Nashville.

When would there ever to be a better time to try yoga for the first time?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh................................

Later that afternoon, I found an REI (My people!) just down the road and got a sweet tip about a nature park nearby that had trails. Percy Warner Nature Park holds over 2,600 acres of preserved woodlands with a variety of roads and trails that crisscross the park. I found the 4.5 mile rolling loop trail that follows the park's perimeter and ran it once counter-clockwise, then turned around and ran it clockwise. Including the 1 mile approach from where I parked, I managed an 11 mile run the week after a 100 miler and by then, I could just barely feel the twinge in my left foot. I got to chat along the way with a few different local runners which was cool. Nice people out there.

And I almost stepped on this owl who was sitting in the middle of the trail! I just about gave me a heart attack when it burst off the ground five feet in front of me and swooped up onto a tree branch. Who does it think it is? Who would pull such a stunt like that? Whoooooooo?

And then, after finishing the run at dusk, I drove back into town, changed into something a little fresher, and set off to enjoy what the nightlife in Nashville had to offer. This city has one of the best downtown scenes. I loved every minute of it and after enjoying a couple of hours in BB King's blues club listening to one of the best blues bands I've ever heard and enjoying a tradional southern fried catfish dinner, I certainly didn't want to leave and was not looking forward to the 2 1/2 hour drive back down to Birmingham. But alas... My short time there was worth it. I only spent an afternoon in Nashville, but I loved every minute of it and would love to go back.

Pine to Palm Photos

2010-11-14T22:43:00.005-07:00

Ok, I know, this is two months late. Sorry. But just in case you were wondering what things in Oregon looked like when I was there running the Pine to Palm 100 way back in September, here's a few looks:

I stopped at Multnomah Falls on my way through the Gorge on may way to Portland and ran a popular loop up to the top of the falls, over to Wahkeena Creek and back down to the bottom of Multnomah. It was warm and very humid.

Wahkeena Creek

The start of the Pine to Palm 100. Williams, OR. Saturday, September 18th. 6:00am. 60 degrees, cloudy, and humid.

Getting weighed at mile 25. 70 degrees with a light rain.

Trevor H and I coming into the aid station at mile 40. The temp had dropped slightly and it was still raining. From here, at one of the course's low points, we had a long gradual climb that took us up roughly 4,000ft over 20+ miles to the course's high point which we reached together around 8:00pm, just as it got dark, and in the midst of a raging cold windstorm. Other than light windbreakers and an impromptu garbage bag apeice, this is about what we had with us when we arrived there. After gathering some warm food, warmer clothing, and our night gear, we set off into the dark.

I had a great stretch of running from this point (mile 65) all the way down to the next big aid station at mile 78. Felt surprisingly good other than a slight twinge on the outside of the bottom of my left foot. At that point, after descending back down to another one of the course's low points, we had another 4,000ft+ climb up to the next (and last) high point at mile 90. I fast-walked almost all of the climb, caught up to a few guys, and managed as far as fourth place at about mile 88 which I maintained (in the windiest, darkest, rain-pelting storm) up and over the final climb, but then lost on the long drag to the finish getting passed by one, two, then three other runners who were hot on my heals. I was limping, hobbling, and walking much of this stretch as the bottom outside of my left foot was hurting pretty badly. I finished in Ashland under cloudy skies just before 5:00am on Sunday.

My aching swollen left foot on Monday following the race

Back Home

2010-10-04T19:38:00.002-06:00

Well, let's see... I've been gone for almost three weeks, but it's almost like I never left. Went to work today and slipped right back into the routine. It's been warm here lately so the mountains are free of snow and look much like they did in mid-August other than the addition of all the yellow and gold colored aspens.

What to do this weekend...

Pine to Palm 100

2010-09-22T12:03:00.002-06:00

The race is over. Here are the results:

http://roguevalleyrunners.blogspot.com/2010/09/2010-pine-to-palm-results.html

I'm recovering. The left ankle swelling has gone down dramatically. Things feel much better today than they did Monday morning. Maybe this weekend, I'll go for a short jog.

Overall, it was a pretty good event. There were some organizational things that need to be worked out for next year's race (more space at packet pick-up, more food at the pre-race dinner, and I don't know what went wrong with the live results), but I'm happy with the event and Hal and Ian and the rest of the team of organizers pulled off a really good race.

A couple things worth mentioning:

The race volunteers. I am always amazed at the volunteers at these 100 mile races. These events would not be possible without them and although every 100 mile race I have attended always seems to have great people working remote aid stations all day and night, this race's volunteers were exceptional. The level of attention and willingness to help was the best I've ever experienced. Thank you all, whoever you are, for helping out all the runners!

The aid stations: A seemingly unlimited supply of GU gels and Chomps as well as the customary bananas, potatoes, cookies, crackers...etc.

The course: More road running than almost everyone expected, but the sections that were on trail were absolutely some of the best. And that last climb up to Wagner Butte? It's not often that the most difficult climb of the course begins at mile 80 and tops out at mile 90 4,000 vertical feet later. Climbing that brute at 2am in a raging rainstorm is a memory I will always remember. Now if there were only a way to link up the trail sections with more trail...

Good Luck?

2010-09-13T21:35:00.004-06:00

I'm not superstitious. At all. Don't believe there is such a thing as luck. So I'm not sure if getting zapped by a wasp two days ago means anything except that me and an angry, scared and/or hungry wasp happened to be buzzing along Teton Canyon Road together about 10 minutes out from my car on Saturday afternoon. It felt like a bee sting at first. Right above where my water bottle rests just above the small of the right side of my back. I immediately swatted at the thing, but didn't feel any sort of insect body, so, if it was in fact a bee, I figured it must have buzzed off. It wasn't until I got home that night and pulled my bottle out of the waist holster that I finally saw what had attacked me. There it was lying in the bottom of my bottle hoster...

Death to you, you wascally wittle wasp!

Dear Wasp,

I still have your carcass lying on my countertop so that I may walk by it everyday and know who got the last word. I may have a quarter-sized welt on my back, but I am alive. And you are not.

I could think that having this wasp encounter the weekend before a 100 miler means that I've gotten it out of the way and I won't have this kind of issue during the race. But then again, I don't really believe that's how things work. So whatever happens out there happens and I'm just planning on being able to work through it and get to the finish line sometime in the predawn hours before 6am on Sunday.

One Giant Brown Slurpee Please

2010-09-11T22:50:00.007-06:00

Got my September ascent up Table Mtn in this afternoon. This is what the mountains looked like after this week's storms blew through.

I knew it'd be slower going (which is good since I've got a 100 miler coming up in a week) and most likely a slushy sloppy mess.

I was right. This was at 8,000ft.

9,000ft

10,000ft

11,000ft

I don't know that I've ever seen more people on the trail to Table as there was today. And they were almost all college-age looking kids, my guess from BYU-Idaho out in Rexburg. There had to be at least 50 people up there in various places on the trail, not all together, but in a number of groups of 2, 3, 5, 8, or whatever. It sure wasn't an easy day to go up there with all the snow, but everyone seemed to be in really great spirits so it made for a really fun afternoon. I hit the top in about 1:27, spent maybe 15 minutes up there, and then bolted off the top after being chilled to the core by a biting cold wind.

Looking south over Hurricane Pass and the now buried Teton Crest Trail. Will warmer weather over the next month melt this off? Probably not all of it, but maybe most of it will go away to allow for one last TCT crossing in October? Maybe I'm delusional?

And then this is how the next hour was spent. Sloshing through a giant ribbon of brown, Slurpee-like mud and snow. I haven't run in trail conditions like this since the Pocatello 50 back in May!

The wet, heavy, early-season snowfall did a number on the plant growth down lower.

Bear Family

2010-09-11T22:38:00.002-06:00

The day after the marathon, I set off on a mellow jaunt up from the Moose Creek TH in Victor on the trail leading up to Taylor Mtn. After 2,000ft of moderate climbing, I turned around and cruised back towards the TH where I was stopped short by about a quarter mile by a guy standing in the trail holding a big stick. Good thing he was there or I would've had day 2 of racing, this time a panicky life-or-death steeplechase competing against an angry protective mama black bear guarding her three cubs.

Cute and harmless looking little buggers, but we kept our distance not wanting to get anything close to cozy with any of them. It took about ten minutes, but they finally wandered off the trail to quietly exist before their next human surprise encounter.

GTR Marathon

2010-09-11T21:53:00.003-06:00

Wow. What a week it has been.

It's been a week now since the GTR Marathon and I'm already looking forward to next year. I had my eyes set on the course record, a speedy, yet fairly attainable (I thought) 3:49. I knew it would require a big push, but after some good training in the prior months, I felt I was ready for it. I had three goals set in the following order of importance to me: 1. Set a new course record. 2. Run the entire 26.2 miles. No walking allowed. 3. Win.

I set into a comfortable pace off the start beginning the 2.5 mile, 1,810ft climb up to the top of Fred's Mtn. I felt like I was running right at my AT. Not too fast as to not be able to recover, but at the absolute fastest I could go while still looking ahead to the remaining 23.7 miles. I hit the top in 31:30, grabbed a cup of water, and quickly began the descent feeling surprisingly light on my feet. 15 minutes later, I was on the extra 1.2 mile loop for the marathon course and I breezed through the base area at 6.8 miles in 57 minutes. I was down Mill Creek and past the Teton Canyon aid station at mile 12.5 in 1:42. Smooth. 29 minutes later, I turned off Ski Hill Rd at mile 15.8 and while I was still right at my AT, I felt that I still had enough juice to maintain the pace. I was back at the Base area at mile 20 in an exhausting 3:06 and off onto the last 5 miles around Rick's Basin with 43 minutes to spare. The effort had caught up to me on the climb back up to the base area, but I was still hanging in there. Rick's would be tough, but I had been running this loop during training in a comfortable 40 minutes so I figured I had it. Just keep things together and there'll be a 3:46 course record at the end. Nope. I was working harder than in my training, but going slower. Every time check I had created for myself during my training showed I was losing time. Big time. And then I got a side stitch. And then my hip flexors began seizing up. And there was the wall. The climb out of Rick's contained 100% running, if that's what you want to call it, but it wasn't pretty. I was cooked. Finish time: 3:55:10. 49 minutes for the last 5 miles. Woof.

Next year...

Grand Teton Ascent - Almost

2010-08-29T09:04:00.007-06:00

Made an attempt up the Grand Teton yesterday. Looking at the weather forecast on Friday, the idea was to get an early start Saturday morning to beat the thunderstorms that were predicted for that afternoon. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try to outsmart the weather... the weather wins.

MikeE and I left Lupine Meadows at 4:30am.

2 hours later at 10,000ft above Garnet Canyon Meadows looking at the wispy clouds billowing over the Middle Teton. No cause for alarm.

Around 7:30am looking up at the Lower Saddle. All systems go.

Upon reaching the saddle at 11,500ft, we caught our first glimpse of the building dark grey storm cell moving towards us from the SW corner of Teton Valley, ID. All we needed was 2 more hours.

Our ascent to the Upper Saddle at 13,200ft was highlighted by deterioring weather conditions that began with a few tiny flecks of snow towards the bottom and ended with a full scale blast of stinging 40mph sleet/snow and a close-range bombardment of lightning and thunder. We were in the thick of it with visibility down to 50 yards at times. By the time the lightning and thunder began, we were already on our way down from the Upper Saddle having already made the decision to not go past the Belly Roll (pictured above) and on to the Crawl and the much more exposed portions of the upper peak. Climbing wet rock in a lightning storm on the exposed summit was not part of our agenda.

Leaving the upper Saddle.

Eye of the Needle

Once back on the Lower Saddle, the storm system passed and the mountain opened up again, but it was now coated with a nice sheen of water and sleet. We could have turned around and headed back up now that the weather was better, but I feared the damage had already been done. It would take time for the rock to dry off and with more intense weather forecasted later in the day and on through the weekend, I figured it wouldn't be worth it. We got turned away, but there were two things that satisfied our minds: 1. We still got in a pretty dang cool climb up to 13,200ft on the Grand Teton. And 2. We'll live to try again another day.

A "situation" waiting to happen a couple hundred feet above the Moraine camping area below the Lower Saddle.

Descending the rock band that separates the Moraine from the Lower Saddle via the fixed ropes set up by the climbing guides.

We got back to the car around 1:00pm in warm sunshine and headed towards Jackson where we encountered a severe thunderstorm that had enveloped the entire region with hundreds of lightning strikes, pounding rain, and high winds. I'm sure things were more than just a little sketchy high up on the peaks and I hope everyone who was up there was staying smart and safe.

MikeE and I are planning another attempt on Labor Day when the conditions are more favorable.

Teton Crest Trail: 8hrs, 10min

2010-08-22T20:41:00.003-06:00

Phillips Pass: 6:45am

Fox Creek Pass: 9:15am

Hurricane Pass: 11:00am

Paintbrush Divide: 1:15pm

Well, there it is. The idea of being able to run the length of the TCT in 8 hours is finally turing into reality. When this idea was born, 4 years ago, and before I had even run the length of the trail, I really had a comfortable feeling that it could be done smoothly in that time without requiring a huge effort. My view changed fairly quickly after that first crossing and has remained that way pretty much ever since.

The trail is commonly listed at 39 miles. (I still believe it is longer than that, but can't prove anything until I get a GPS.) 39 miles in 8 hours requires a 12:20 pace. Not that fast really. And for a while (four years), I couldn't understand why I was so outrageously slower than that. Until I realized a few things this summer:

Like just how rugged this trail is. Not sure what the total elevation gain is, but it's alot. And although there are some smooth stretches, yes, the rest is a chaotic obstacle course that, to run it at speed, requires more than just a few special dance moves.

The only water available is that which flows off the mountains, and while availability is generally good (except for late late summer), timing plays a very important role knowing where the water sources are and how much water to carry between them based on how much time it will take to get from one to the next. This is a trail that runs best after some recon work.

The majority of the trail lies above 9,000ft with the two highest points above 10,000ft coming in the second half. Even living every day at 6,000ft doesn't offer enough prep to be able to run uphill at that elevation after 30 miles. The only way to prepare is to spend lots of time up there.

Take only what is neccessary. Take food, a windshell, two water bottles, a phone, and a camera. Lose the rest. If a huge storm comes up, then bail out down one of the canyons. If there's a bear, outrun it, or at least the others nearby. Injury? Suck it up and deal with it. Some other catastrophy? Be safe, smart, and creative.

And finally, just how many photos I was taking! Each shot takes time, if even just a little, and take twenty or thirty of them and include a few sight-seeing excursions along the way and there's 15-30 minutes. The first time I ran the trail this summer, I took ALOT of photos. The second time, not so many. And this time? 4.

I'd like to go back and push the time under 8:00, but with August coming to a close soon and a busy September ahead, I'm not planning on it this year.

Splits:
Phillips Pass to top of first big climb: 1:00hr
Marion Lake: 2:15
Top of Sheep Steps above Alaska Basin: 3:30
Hurricane Pass: 4:30
North/South Cascade Canyon Jct: 5:22
Lake Solitude: 6:00
Paintbrush Divide: 6:45
North String Lake TH: 8:10

2010-08-18T23:16:00.005-06:00

I had planned on running the Crest Trail again last weekend, but decided against it at the last minute (I had litetally made it one minute up the trail before turning around). I had a two hour run up at Targhee the day before which began fine out on the rolling Rick's Basin loop, but ended with a tougher than expected climb up to the summit of Fred's Mtn where I felt fatigued, pep-less, and just plain spent most of the way up. I was expecting to feel more life in my legs after a relatively light week of running, but maybe I was still recovering from a pretty heavy two days from the prior weekend. This was the feeling again on Sunday as I left the Phillips Pass TH and my mind raced ahead 9 hours to my projected finish at String Lake and I found it difficult to grasp. There would be no way I could finish it off in 9 hours feeling this whooped 1 minute into the run and I had no interest in being out there for over 10. My mental game can overcome the physical. But once the mental game goes, it's over man. Game over. So I drove to Teton Village and prepared to do a loop up to the top of the tram, down into Granite Canyon, and back to the Village on the Valley Trail. 20 miles beginning with a 4,000ft ascent in 7.5 miles. I ran this loop just after July 4th and arrived at the summit in 1:35. Oddly enough, I got to the top this time in exactly 1:35.

Looking west over the southern portions of Granite Canyon and further over the Crest Trail and past that over Victor, ID, Teton Valley, and the Big Hole Mtns way off in the distance.

The rest of the run went really well. Felt good. Warm sun. Finished in 4:00hrs.

Enjoyed listening to Lunker on the Commons area of Teton Village for about 30 minutes after the run.

Lunker. Great local band out of li'l 'ol Teton Valley, ID.

Monday was a whirlwind day at work. Went in early. Got home late. Completely whooped. Tuesday was an Arts Council meeting. Wednesday was my next opportunity for a run and, feeling like I needed some more elevation, I decided on a hopefully quick sprint to the top of Table and back.

In the past, this has been considered a big run. Something to prepare for. Something that would take time and planning. It has become pretty routine over the past few months, so much so, in fact, that I felt comfortable leaving the winter TH, 4 miles from the base of the climb, at 6:30pm without a light, fully knowing that I could be off the trail and on the road back to the car by the time it got dark dark at 9:00. This would require a typical 30 min approach on the road, a 1:15 ascent, and a 45 min descent. It'd be tight, but I thought I could do it. I was also testing out my new Nathan waist bottle carrier to see how I could handle 9 hrs of food + windshirt + camera and phone with it. With one bottle on my waist and one in my hand, I felt faster, and, in fact, I was. I finished off the road appraoch in 28 min, 2 faster than usual. Once on the climb, I was 1:30 under my PR for the first 1,000ft arriving at the first plateau in 15 mins. 2:30 under my PR at the metal post where the North Teton Canyon Trail splits from the direct route arriving at 47:30. And popped up on the summit at 1:10:45, 3:45 under my previous PR from 2 weeks ago. I now know that a 1:10:00 is possible and without nine hours worth of food on me, I'm sure I could go back and knock off 45 seconds. What's funny now is how this ascent had transitioned from a power hike to a run. Whereas last year and the year before, I thought most sections on the way up were too steep and rocky to run, I now find myself picking my feet through the rocks and pittering my way upward in tiny running steps. But it's running! Not much faster than walking, but it is faster! And there are now only a handful of sections where the running isn't happening.

Last one on the summit for the day. Again.

The new Nathan waist pack carries a bottle and minimal other items nicely. I was back to the base of the climb in 50 minutes. Right at dark. Back to the car in another 30. 4 hrs total. Perfect. Felt great.

And then I came home to this. The cat-faced spiders are back for the summer and this one has taken up residence directly under my porch light which essentially becomes a sort of spider exhibit for me to study. Those who know me well enough may already be aware of my strong dislike of these creatures. I have to admit, they freak me out, give me the eebie-jeebies, creepy-crawlies, and whatever other kind of arachniphobia induced spasms exist. But I still find these guys fascinating. I can't help it. Their webs are engineering marvels with guy-lines and support mechanisms built in place and bends and angles that defy any simple design. They know what they're doing and they're brilliant at it. And despite they're thick, prickly, menacing appearance, they certainly do their part to help out by catching alot of bugs!

This one was either extremely hungry, showing off a bit, or maybe just a little surprised, catching, then wrapping up a moth that was bigger than it was. I stood there watching it do its thing for about 15 minutes as it pulled its webbing out of its... you know... backside, and using its two back legs to do the wrapping. Fascinating.

Did a short and easy jaunt up to Mud Lake after work today so stretch the legs. Didn't feel too bad, actually. After work on Saturday, I'll get up on top of something over 10,000ft, still not sure what yet, and then go after another Crest Trail run on Sunday. Summer weather is still holding on so I gotta make the most of it now before things change. And they'll be changing soon!

Speaking French, Summit Memorials, and Whiskey Shots

2010-08-09T18:22:00.002-06:00

Forgot to mention a few noteworthy things from yesterday's trip:

As many of us probably know, trail conversations with buddies can produce some rather entertaining and memorable moments. Some appropriate. Some maybe not. But the improvised conversation I had with MikeE during our descent from the summit of the Middle Teton was almost entirely in French (some actual words were even used! Like Teton!), included the commonly used crazy French waiter accent 100% of the time, and will likely remain as one of my more memorable trail conversations (even though I don't even really know if what we were saying really made much sense or if somewhere along the way things got a little off color, so to speak. Or alot.).

This was not only the first time either of us had summited the South Teton, but it was also the first time either one of us had stood atop a peak that had claimed the life of a personal acquaintence. I didn't think too much about it early on as we were tackling the Middle, but as soon as we began to reach the summit of the South, it wouldn't leave my mind and became pretty eerie to think about. One of those wildly mixed feelings of happiness, sadness, fear, and peace.

It also marked the first time I've had whiskey shots at 12,500ft. We met a couple of climbers from Jackson who arrived at the top just after we did and wouldn't you know it, out comes the flask for a quick high altitude celebration. It sure helped make the summit experience much more party-esque!

Trip details:

Left the Lupine Meadows TH (6,700ft) at 5:50am.
Garnet Canyon Meadows in 2:15.
Top of Middle (12,804ft) in 2:15. 4:30 total. 30 min on top.
Top of South (12,500ft) in 2:00. 7:00 total. 30 min on top.
Lupine Meadows TH in 2:45. 10:15 total. Finished at 4:05pm.
Total distance: 16 miles?

Middle and South Teton Ascents

2010-08-08T20:00:00.008-06:00

I've had a great weekend. Teton Crest Trail on Saturday. Ascents up both the Middle and South Teton today. Can't say that I've ever had such an ambitious and successful two days playing in the mountains!

The goal: Climb the Middle Teton (12,804ft peak on the right) then cross over to the South Teton (12,514ft peak obscured behind Nez Perce on the left).

More curious marmots. These hardy rodents continue to amaze me with their curious antics and their ability to survive in one of the harshest possible environments.

A close-up of the summit of the Grand (13,770ft) from the summit of the middle. We could actually hear people talking up there!

On the summit of the Middle.

MikeE clambering up the NW ridge of the South underneath a pile of jumbled angular chaos.

The Wind River Range off in the distance. Mixed amongst those far off peaks lurks the Grand Teton's biggest source of spite: Gannett Peak, taller than the Grand by a mere 39ft laying claim to Wyoming's highest point while also being far less known and even less traveled. Someday, I will stand on top.

Aptly named Icefloe Lake, probably my favorite alpine lake simply because of it's many unique features and surrounding beauty.

The Grand and the Middle (in the foreground of the Grand) from the summit of the South.

Looking east from the South's summit over an impressive ridgeline that includes Ice Cream Cone, Cloudveil Dome, and Nez Perce.

A new view for me. Having never stood on top of the South Teton before, I found the view to the south to be thoroughly enjoyable. Like it could be anything less?

Any idea what this is? Does it just look gross? Or is it actually really disgusting? You be the judge.

Teton Crest Trail

2010-08-07T19:43:00.005-06:00

Ran the Teton Crest Trail again today. Two weeks ago, the run ended on a slightly sour note after not maintaining adequate hydration on a day with temps just about at the highest point this area sees during any given summer. So today, I wanted to nail it. Today also marked a step in my own personal progression of minimalism. I have traditionally run ultra-distances with a Nathan Race Vest, both for training as well as racing. Last week, I tested my RaceReady shorts's ability to contain all my supplies comfortably and, with surprisingly good results, I decided to put this new method to the test today. I must say, I'm very happy with the outcome. With more experience running in the mountains, I've become more comfortable with what I need and my ability to get myself out of a jam, if neccessary. I guess I just don't see the need in packing so many of the extras for what has now become a routine run. If something drastically unexpected occurs, I'll find a solution. Maybe via my survival instinct or something.

I began at my customary starting point: The Phillips Pass (or Ski Lake) TH on the east side of Teton Pass. I began at 6:45 carrying two handheld bottles (one with multi-hour mixture of electrolyte mix and one with a regular mixture), 2 Shot Blocks, 7 gels, and 3 Cliff Fruit/Nuts/Sea Salt Bars. All of this (except for 3 gels) was loaded into the rear pockets of my shorts along with my 4oz windshirt, camera, and Potable Aqua iodine tablets. The other 3 gels went into one of the handheld pockets with my phone going into the other. That's it. Ditched the bear spray. Ditched the hat and gloves. No light. No arm warmers. I decided I wouldn't need any extra clothing because if the weather turned early on, I could dart out any one of the canyons on either side of the range. And if the weather turned late in the run, then I'd be almost done anyway. All of this was easy, rational, and safe justification. With the exception of the bear spray because if a bear turns early or late, and you're the closest one, chances are, you're going to be a hoser. My justification here lies in the fact that although bears are very much present in these mountains, I have yet to hear of any case where a bear attacked a moving person during the summer months. Yes, attacks have happened in late winter/early spring, but bears are hungrier then and there's not much to eat out there at that time other than say, a cross country skier. I've yet to even encounter a bear at all in all my time spent up in the high country. Now, I know, just because I don't see them doesn't mean they're not there. I know they've seen me. But if they've seen me and let me go by all these times so far, my guess is they've most likely realized how unappealing I am as a meal what with my scrawny, chewy runner's muscles and all.

The meadows that lead up to Phillips Pass were loaded with chest-high lupine that still held every possible water droplet that had fallen during yesterday's thunderstorm on their leaves. Other than being a tripping hazard as I plowed through the foliage, they also released gallons of rather chilly water onto my lower half. Although beautiful, I was glad it only lasted for about 15 minutes.

Getting ready to leave Death Canyon Shelf. A couple of noteworthy things:

1. The wildflowers up here are AMAZING!

2. The curious lenticular cloud hovering over the peaks. Given that every day for the past week has produced a rather intense afternoon thunderstorm (or two) I didn't neccessarily need to see this cloud to feel pretty confident that something would build up and pop. But this cloud (an indication of high winds in higher altitudes mainly over high peaks) certainly reinforced my outlook. The biggest question was... when.

Possibly my favorite vista along the route from Hurricane Pass looking at the Middle and South Teton above South Cascade Canyon and a glacial tairn at the lower terminus of the Schoolroom Glacier.

The ridgetop hallway nearing the top of Paintbrush Divide. 10,200ft.

Looking south from the top of Paintbrush Divide, I knew time was of the essence. Those dark clouds had finally had enough time to gather their energy together and would soon unleash. Time to go down!

Thirty minutes from the end in the lower portion of Paintbrush Canyon, there was a magnificent bull moose feeding off the shrubs. Beautiful animals. By this point, there had been thunder rumbling and light sprinkles for just about the entire way down from the top. Ten minutes later, the deluge began and didn't let up for the remaining twenty minutes to the end at String Lake. With nothing but my windshirt which remained tucked away in my pocket as it would be worthless against the downpour, I quickly became just as wet as I would've been had I actually jumped into the lake.

The best part of this finish was catching up to a hiking group with a few young kids and having the two boys (ages 6 and 8) run with me for about a half mile. The 8 year old had already run a 5k so far in his young life and didn't seem to be having too much trouble clicking over a 10 min/mi pace whilst carrying on a conversation with me! (he eventually dropped back to wait for his 6 year old best friend who was screaming at us to "please just take a one minute rest!")

All-in-all, a pretty successful run. Never really felt great, but I guess that's also something that I find quite satifying really... that I can knock off a rugged, 39 miler, at elevation, without much trouble even when I'm not feeling "on". It sure is a tough 39 miles.

Splits:

Top of climb above Phillips Pass: 1:00

Grand Teton NP boundary: 1:45

Fox Creek Pass: 2:50

Top of Sheep Steps entering Alaska Basin: 3:40

Hurricane Pass: 4:45

Jct of S/N Cascade Canyon: 5:45

Lake Solitude: 6:25

Paintbrush Divide: 7:15

String Lake: 8:50

Heat, Hills, Cloudbursts, and Shakespeare!

2010-08-05T20:22:00.002-06:00

The week began with a liesurely Sunday morning around the house, then a casual jaunt up to Mud Lake still feeling the effects of the prior day's run up to Table.

That afternoon, I helped set up for A Midsummer Night's Dream presented by Montana Shakespeare in the Parks and hosted by the Teton Arts Council and then enjoyed a very entertaining performance with a few hundred local residents out on the grass on a warm summer evening.

Monday, I began at the high school track for a group workout, but ended up at the top of Spring Creek just SE of Alta, WY at 9,100ft. The pull to higher mountains was too strong and the track was boring. I couldn't help it.

Tuesday was an off day as the Arts Council folks gathered at Alpine Wines for a small celebration of the completion of most of our major summer events.

Wednesday, it was up to Targhee for a comfortable 45 minute lap around Rick's Basin before a time trial to the top of Fred's in 32 minutes. Knocked another minute off my PR.

Tonight, I'm catching up on things at home. Tomorrow, a light run. And this weekend... could be a big weekend. I'm excited...

Table Mtn / Alaska Basin Loop

2010-07-31T23:33:00.006-06:00

Here are a few photos from the run today

This has quickly become one of my favorite routes (in case you haven't noticed) as it gives me just about everything I look for in a big mountain run that I can knock off in an afternoon (less than 5 hrs). It's a ten minute drive from Driggs (to the winter TH where I start), I can get above 10,000ft relatively quickly, and the scenery is breathtakingly spectacular. Now maybe I ought to go spend more time in some other mountains for a while because I know there are countless other beautiful places out there, but I gotta admit, right now, this lizard is having as much fun as he's ever had leaping through the Tetons. And I feel better than ever too... As evidenced by how I felt today and a new personal best up Table: 1:14:30. (Why do I get so much satisfaction out of this?! I love it!) And even after the climb, I wasn't completely wiped. I still finished the run well after five hours. 1:10:00 to the summit seems achieveable, but it's gonna have to be a huge effort and there's probably not too much room to improve after that. ( My main concern at that point is cracking an ankle over on all the blocky scree or just plain tripping.) Nonetheless, I simply love being up there.

See it? About 10 minutes out from the TH, I encountered a mama moose and her calf. Couldn't get a good shot cause, you know, didn't feel like getting trampled today, but it's always (well, usually) a treat to see these magnificent animals out there and especially cases like this where I got to watch as the calf fed off it's mama. Who needs a zoo?!

Local Wildlife

2010-07-28T20:13:00.004-06:00

OK, so it's time I did a non-running-related post.

Here's a question instead:

What is this?!?!

I found this thing out on my porch railing one morning this week and was pretty impressed with not only its large size, but also its ability to be comfortable as I macro-photo'd it from varying angles. (or if it wasn't comfortable, it never gave me any indication)

From what I found through a session of intense and extremely thorough research, this is a Pachysphinx Modesta moth. Here's a link if you want to know more. Pachysphinx Modesta

I happened to give it my own name. The Behe Moth. You know, cause it's so big, right?

Teton Crest Trail

2010-07-25T20:40:00.012-06:00

The Teton Crest Trail. Arguably one of the country's most scenic, yet relatively lesser-known (and less-traveled) trails. I'm always a bit surprised when I encounter people who are completely unfamiliar with our mountains here. I guess I've become more accustomed to it over the years as I've realized that many people even have trouble placing Wyoming geographically and while they may have heard of this place called Yellowstone Nat'l Park, it's exact whereabouts remain a mystery and it's proximity to Jackson Hole, Grand Teton Nat'l Park, and especially where I live in Victor, ID are particularly puzzling. And yet, this region receives over 2.5 million visitors a year so clearly there are many out there who know! But...

...The Crest Trail. It's beauty is enhanced by it's peaceful solidarity. Tucked away far from where the masses congregate and in some places, particularly on the southern portions away from the main peaks, tucked away from just about everyone.

It may not have the grandeur of the Grand Canyon's Rim to Rim to Rim. It may not have the mystique of Rainier's Wonderland trail or the length of the John Muir Trail and the Colorado Trail. But I have found myself drawn to it more and more every year since I first ran it in 2006 and I'm sure it has become even more special to me during that time for no other fact than it's pretty much my backyard. How sweet is that?!

Up on Phillips Pass looking north over Moose Creek Valley after 50 minutes of climbing 1,300ft in the first 4 miles to 9,000ft elevation.

It was chilly start with temps in the 40s (and was that frost on the ground?!)

Fossil Mtn (left) and Mt. Bannon (right) way off in the distance at mile 5. 1:00hr

Marion Lake at mile 10. 2:30

Up on Fox Creek Divide just past Marion Lake at mile 10.5 and 9,500ft. Fossil Mtn is on the left and thar's them Tetons way out there. 2:45

Cruising along the Death Canyon Shelf at mile 14 looking down into Death Canyon from one of the many super scenic campsites. 3:30

Preparing to descend the Sheep Steps into Alaska Basin near mile 17. That's Table Mtn way out there on the left. It sure seems alot closer to the Grand when you're standing on top! 4:00

From the top of Hurricane Pass at mile 20 and 10,500ft looking at the South Teton. 5:00

Lake Solitude. Mile 28. 7:15

The looooong gradual 5 mile, 2,700ft descent down the south fork of Cascade Canyon was stunningly beautiful, but deceptively dangerous. The running was easy and relaxed, but it was midday now and getting warmer as I dropped lower and I should have been pounding the fluids to keep topped off. I was still feeling great and didn't really see anything wrong with anything. At all. After five miles, there's a junction to go right, out the canyon six miles to Jenny Lake or left, 3 miles up to Lake Solitude. I hit the junction in just under an hour and ran to just about halfway up the 1,200ft climb to the lake before I ran out of steam. Too little water. And the 1,600ft climb up to Paintbrush Divide was looming over my right shoulder to the north. I refilled my bottles, ate some food and was surprised at how quickly I had gone from feeling great to feeling generally pretty bad, but was still optimistic I could turn things around. I began the climb and, more than anything, was simply awe-struck at how amazingly beautiful it was as the trail climbed higher and higher.

Pika. (not to be confused with Pikey) There has been talk about how these resiliant little guys are becoming more and more in danger while their high-alpine homes gradually melt away. It's often hard for me to believe that global warming could still be a very real possibility since I just find it difficult to comprehend that a colder environment exists outside of the Teton Range, but this region has seen just as big a reduction in its glacier systems as any other. And according to some wildlife biologists, these little pikas are feeling the pinch.

Looking back south down the north fork of Cascade Canyon and back up the south fork. Hurricane Pass is just on the other side (south) of Table Mtn on the right of the photo.

Paintbrush Divide looking down into Jackson Hole. 10,600ft. Mile 31. 8:15

At the high point with Mt. Moran in the background. From here, it's a 3,800ft scamper in eight miles down Paintbrush Canyon to the end at String Lake.

The end. 9:45

Wanna know a funny story? I'll tell you.

My decision to run the Crest Trail was fairly last-minute and with Jay busy with work and unable to join me, I was prepared to do the run solo and just hitch a ride back to Jackson where there would be a work bar-b-que happening at one of the parks in town with a bunch of my co-workers. Then I'd just need to find a ride up to my car sill parked up on Teton Pass. No big deal, right? String Lake gets packed on warm Saturday afternoons so I didn't have any concerns about being able to get a ride from someone. Once I got to the lake, I was feeling pretty well hammered so I sauntered into the water for a just a couple of minutes to refresh and clean up a bit just as this couple in a canoe paddles by. I took the above photo of them specifically to use as the final finishing photo of this post. Perfect. Canoe. Lake. Mountains. Trees. Classic. And then I shuffled my way over to the exit road and got my thumb out. Five, maybe ten minutes later, a Subaru pulls up with a canoe on top and wouldn't you know it... that very couple is in it and gives me a lift into Jackson!

Table Mtn/Alaska Basin Loop Part II

2010-07-23T20:13:00.006-06:00

Thursday, after work, I was at it again, racing up Table Mtn, then cutting over to Alaska Basin and out South Teton Canyon. It's the same loop I did two weekends ago, but I knew this time there would be much less snow which would make for a much faster trip. So after parking at the winter trailhead and cruising the 4 miles to the base of the climb in 30 min, I tore into the ascent and ended up arriving at the summit in 1:17:30. A full five minutes faster than my previous best. I was also pleased with how much less snow there was compared to two weeks ago. These were all very important details that not only would help me cover more ground quickly on this particular outing, but it also confirmed that a full-length Teton Crest Trail journey was ready to be prepared. I decided fairly quickly that Saturday would be the day.

My marmot friends were out to say hello as usual.

Catching the late sun on a warm rock is apparently a popular evening marmot activity.

A horse group above Hurricane Pass at 10,500ft.

Sunset Lake. At sunset.

Teton Crest Trail just north of Alaska Basin with Buck Mountian standing watch.

This huge tent group ended up with a decent camp site.

Alaska Basin's unique geologic features

Tin Cup

2010-07-19T21:55:00.010-06:00

It sure looked like another highly successful Tin Cup event this year as the Driggs city park was once again swarming with hundreds (dare I say thousands?) of community-minded townspeople. Runners, joggers, walkers, lookers, doers, young, old, and everything in between... Everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves and the festival atmosphere. Time will tell just how successful the event was as the totals are tallied and we find out just how many participants there were in the running and walking events and each of the participating non-profits find out how much donation funds were graciously passed their way.

The kids' hula-hoop competition

Dawn, assisting all the young artists create their masks at the Teton Arts Council booth

One of the highlights for the kids

Petting bunnies, goats, ponies, and pigs are always a highlight

And I had to go check out the karaoke booth. Here we have "Girls just wanna have fun!"

Anyone who stopped by the Teton Arts Council booth could design their own mask...

...any artistic way they wanted to.

I can't estimate anything as I am not involved in the organizing or operating of this event, but I will say that I love seeing so many members of our valley communities come together and create such a wonderful experience for so many people to enjoy. I wish our valley had more events like this during other parts of the year. Maybe a February winter festival should be in the works? Same place in the Driggs city park? Warm clothes? Warm drinks? Fun snow games? Ice skating? Oh! Or maybe it could be held at the new ice rink in Victor?! Yeah! Perfect. I dunno. We'll all have to think about that. I really think that these free events managed by so many willing volunteers can offer our community so many great things: Fun, awareness, healthy and vibrant social activities, and above all, a greater sense of community cohesiveness which I've come to believe is something far more important in small, rural communites such as ours. It feels good to be a part of it.

I ran the marathon again this year after running it for the inagural event in 2008, then sitting last year out due to my work schedule. Two years ago, I was shooting for a 3:15:00. I ran a 3:14:45. This year, I was shooting for a 3:10:00. I ran a 3:11:23. Close, not quite, but close, and I can think about a number of areas where I could have picked up a minute or two on this course: The slight side-ache between miles 4-8, the short, steep hills between miles 5-9, the pit-stop in the field grass at mile 15, the head-wind from mile 19-22, and I could have kicked it up a notch at mile 20 I think instead of waiting until mile 22, but, you know... looking back, I couldn't have taken much more than a minute or two off that time and I feel like I really ran a smart race (for not being much of a marathoner as this is only my fourth marathon). Many things during an event just can't be changed. It's just how things happen. If it's not one thing, it could be another. My split halfway was about 1:35:00 so I was pretty evenly split and I finished with four 6:30ish miles (on a slight downhill, but still!) so yeah, pretty happy with that. I think on a flatter, true road course (without being 2/3rds gravel/dirt), without five turn-around points on the out-and-back sections, and at lower elevations (Portland, perhaps?), and I could maybe maybe m-a-y-b-e be looking at going sub 3:00:00. But boy, putting together a string of 6:52 minute miles sure sounds daunting. More than daunting. But possible? Sure, why not?

Sunday, I ended up on the road bike riding up to Grand Targhee with MikeE. Legs definitely were heavy, but not sore. Felt surprisingly good to be out pedalling circles.

Tin Cup Marathon This Saturday!

2010-07-14T22:16:00.006-06:00

Community Foundation of Teton Valley

It's that time again! The 3rd annual Tin Cup Challenge occurs this Saturday and after having to miss last year's event because of my work schedule, I'm back at it this year and excited for another opportunity to run the marathon!

This is a unique event and a very special one to many of the residents of Teton Valley as it has become one of the most popular and successful events of the year and arguably one of the top fundraising opportunities for forty of the valley's non-profit groups.

This year is particularly special for me as I will be running in support of the Teton Arts Council to help "garner" some much needed funds which will help support the popular ceramics department as well as be able to continue and expand the hugely successful Kids Art Class program. These programs have not only been extremely popular and fun for the participating children, but it also provides them with a great opportunity to learn about a variety of artistic styles. And the parents have also recognized what a value these summer classes are. At $30/week for 3 hours/day from 1-4pm, it's a deal better than any childcare service and the only way to make this possible and continue to offer this amazing program for the community is through the ongoing support of donors!

If you are interested in making a donation of any kind to support the Teton Arts Council, click here!

Remember, any donation made to the Teton Arts Council through the Tin Cup Challenge website through 5pm, Monday, July 26th, will go 100% to the Teton Arts Council and will also include matching funds from the Community Foundation of Teton Valley which makes your support go even further!

Fossil Mountain

2010-07-12T21:23:00.009-06:00

Sunday morning began slowly enough as I woke up feeling the effects of the previous day's jaunt. No muscle soreness, just heavy and tired feeling legs and the left kneecap was just as stiff, sore, and swollen as I expected it to be after pounding it directly onto that rock the day before. Yep, it was causing me a pretty decent limp, but I knew it would be something that could be taken care of relatively quickly (a couple of days) and not slow me up too much. Of course not.

So after breakfast and witnessing the fall(s) of Lance during stage 8 of the Tour, I did some light cleaning up of the place, took the pooches out for a walk, caught the first half of the World Cup Final, and gathered myself together for a run up Darby Canyon to my main destination: the summit of Fossil Mountain.

For some reason, I have not stood on top of this peak during my entire (almost) ten years in the region and I actually feel sorta ashamed that it took me this long to do it. It's very accessible as the summit is only about 6 miles and 4,000ft up from the trailhead. The approach goes right past Wind Cave and the amazing waterfalls that are usually present. And it offers just about the most incredible views of many of the Teton peaks as it sits near the geographic center of the 40 mile long range.

Wind Cave with large amounts of runoff means access to the cave entrance is difficult and dangerous. Luckily, I was heading further upcanyon.

The entire Darby Canyon is riddled with limestone from top to bottom like all the rock you see here. This is the only canyon I know of in the Teton Range where limestone is so prevalent. Ain't it just a geological oddity... This mountain range has been known to keep geologists guessing.

It looks close, but it would take 45 minutes and 1,500ft of climbing to get to the top.

The final push to the top up the SW ridge. Again, it looks quite close, but would take 30 minutes of delicate clambering on a 45 degree slope consisting of loose, shifty rubble that seemed more interested in letting loose from its resting place and making friends with gravity rather than staying put and holding up a skinny guy.

This thing's just a big pile of garbage really. The entire peak seemed to be crumbling away. It really wasn't all that dangerous. Just kinda annoying and... shifty... and... sharp... and unpredictable. But I took my time. Safety first.

The major Teton Peaks from Fossil Mtn

Top of the tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR). If you look closely, you can see a tram car descending below the dark cliffs (Corbett's Couloir) on the left side of the peak.

Looking south over Fox Creek Pass and the Teton Crest Trail.

Soon... very soon. It will be runnable. Oh yes.

The tinyest heartiest most fragile little flowers living out their existence at 10,900ft.

Table Mtn - Alaska Basin Loop

2010-07-11T21:24:00.007-06:00

Let it begin! Summer running season in the Tetons is here! Barely...

Gauging by the way Table Mtn looked on Friday afternoon, I quickly began plotting and scheming an opportunity to do one of my favorite big-mountain loop runs. Even last weekend, Table was still covered in quite a bit of white towards the top, but with another week of warmish temps, I could tell that it had been melting off rapidly with each passing day and there was a good chance that the surrounding areas to the south (Hurricane Pass) would also be mostly clear. I had an inkling that Alaska Basin might still be snow covered as it tends to hold snow longer than most other areas, but I would not be crossing the basin, only skirting its north boundary, and by knowing the trail system well, I was confident that I could get through it easily.

Part of my thinking was accurate.

My ninth month in a row on Table Mtn.

(At this point, I'm only speculating, but it's sure seeming to look as though there are only 4 maybe 5 months where snow devices of some kind are not required to get up to the summit.)

Shirtless on the summit! (that wouldn't last long)

The summit block (the "table") was teeming with marmots!

Curious little buggers

And only a little shy. Their curiosity overcomes their shyness especially when it comes to an opportunity to nab those cookies out of an open pack.

Only one of them was black. I tried to think if I had ever seen a black one before and wasn't sure if I ever had.

Shortly after leaving the summit, the sky turned dark and began to rumble, a cold wind blew in, and it began to hail. With maybe an hour to go still up above the treeline at +10,000ft, I was hoping it would blow through quickly so as to make my exposure seem a bit less of an issue. Thankfully, it was over and past with the hail lasting only 5-10 minutes. I flattened myself up against the slightly overhanging leeward side of a house-sized rock in an attempt to avoid the pelting. I was mostly successful.

Getting ready to descend south off Hurricane Pass. The thunderstorm remnants still lingered, but most of it had either moved east over the big peaks or was continuing to rumble on further south. If there had been even a little more snow than this, my travel would have been much more difficult. This was definitely the earliest possible time I would have wanted to be up here.

There's ALOT of water pouring off these mountains! Just about every section of trail had parts that were flowing with runoff.

What's a trail runner without the proverbial skinned knee? I fell through a weak spot in the snowpack and landed pretty much directly on a boulder hidden underneath. For someone who has already been waging a battle to keep my patellas healthy and happy, this definitely didn't help. I could feel it swelling and it gave me pain all the way back to the car. The pain and swelling is still there tonight (Sunday).

Overall, a great run. Finally got some decent extended time above 10,000ft (including a brief hiatus to wait out a small hailstorm as well as some snowfield negotiating and routefinding) and ended up with about 25-ish miles in aout 5 1/2 hours.

A few good days

2010-07-09T21:53:00.005-06:00

There's always something to be grateful for. Sometimes, as we all go about our stuff, it can be easy to lose track of, but it's always there. For all of us. Something. I'm frequently aware that after thirty-two years, I've found myself on a rather unique and perhaps slightly surprising path. One that would have mainly been unthinkable to me (and probably others) ten years ago. And this isn't neccessarily a big deal as I know it happens to millions of people all the time, I'm sure. I'm sure many of us find ourselves in similar situations: Leaving a hometown for someplace new and exciting and unexplored... Landing a job because it was available (not neccessarily because it specifically was a goal) and having it become a career... Making friends along the way that influence your hobbies, passions, lifestyle, and, whether you know it or not, your entire future.

Ten years ago, I never thought I'd move to Jackson, WY, get a job at a bank, buy a condo, and embark on an ultrarunning pursuit that not only seems to get bigger and better over the months and years, but also becomes more and more ingrained in who I am and helps refine the way I think, act, and generally live. It has certainly helped change some of my perceptions of the world for the better.

I still seem to be in the minority when I look around and see many of my friends with families doing the happy family thing while I'm out bounding over mountains. A bit of a surprise, maybe, if you would have predicted this fact to me ten naive years ago when I still had what I thought was the traditional American life to look forward to, but I never had a real grasp on how to get there. At that time, I thought that's what I wanted; the good family life I see so many of my friends and family enjoying. Sometimes I think of how great it is for them and how it could be for me. But now I'm not so sure that's right for me. Maybe it's just not the right time. At least not right now. I see my close friends with their families. I see neighbors. I see co-workers. I see residents of the area in which I live. Right now, I realize that this life I am currently living is exactly the life I want to be living, should be living, and need to be living. Despite whatever notions I may have had in the past about whether I had the right job or whether I was living in the right place or doing the right things or whatever... I'm right where I should be. Forget tradition. Forget typical. Forget what's considered "normal" cause I've come to realize that I don't want it. It doesn't work for me. And maybe it doesn't work for many others too. Is our best option really to live the life that is fed to us through TV and hollow cultural traditions? Maybe that's what all this time spent in the mountains and running 100 miles has done; Help me realize that I determine what my world will be and help bring me back to a healthier, more natural state of existence and self-sufficiency. And I don't know if I'd want it any other way. Maybe things will change down the road here at some point, but for right now, I'm happy the way things are. No, it's not perfect. There are still things I'm looking forward to changing. But ultimately, given where I've ended up and the decisions that have brought me here, it seems to be working just fine.

I'm going to begin with last Saturday, July 3rd.

I had to work in the morning and then tore outta there just a tad early to zip up to Grand Targhee for the Wrun for Wray, a 2.7 mile hillclimb in memory of Wray Landon, a local Teton Valley resident who was killed in an avalanche this past February. Wray was an extaordinary athlete who loved the mountains and who was one of the more unique individuals who not only seemed to enjoy the time spent ascending them more than descending, but who could also carry his 6 ft 5 frame uphill faster than just about anyone else. Period. It was an honest honor to get whupped to the top of anything by Wray.

The Wrun was short in mileage, by comparison to just about anything else, but it was a good turnout and a good cause (the proceeds went to a land-trust foundation set up in Wrays name) and it felt good to be a part of it.

I reached the top (9,600ft) in 33 min, 9 sec. Right about the fastest time I ever clocked last year. After coming down and grabbing some food, drink, and going through the closing ceremony, I found myself doing a second lap up to the top with an olympic level rower from Seattle. Those rowers can run! 11 miles total.

Sunday, July 4th

Did a run up Pole Canyon and south to Thompson Peak (9,481ft) and back. Approx 25 miles.

Monday, July 5th

Ran up to Jackson Peak (10,741ft) and back with MikeE. 11 miles.

Tuesday, July 6th

I was working at one of our locations in Jackson for the day so I decided to get a run in on the Wyoming side for a change. After a quick thought, I decided to do a route I've been wanting to do for a while: Begin at Teton Village, run up the service road to the top of the Tram (10,450ft), over the west side of Rendezvous Mtn to the S Fork of Granite Canyon, north down the S Fork to the main fork, east down the main fork to the valley trail at the canyon mouth, then south along the Valley Trail back to Teton Village. It was my second day in a row over 10,000ft and I could feel the previous days in my legs, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and that's what training is all about right? 25 miles.

Wednesday, July 7th

Taylor Mtn (10,352ft) with MikeE. 9 miles. Third day in a row over 10,000ft!

Buddy found a girlfriend! Two furry faces, six legs, and one and a half tails.

And then two rest days with plans for the weekend!

Mahogony MikeE

2010-06-28T23:14:00.005-06:00

MikeE's back in town at least for the summer so he and I did a burly-ish 3 1/2 hrs on Saturday afternoon up Mahogony Canyon where we could run directly from the house he's living at, then went back out Sunday morning for another majestic 2:15 in the Snake River Range south of the valley.

Mile 99 with 2010 Western States 100 winner Geoff Roes

2010-06-27T23:40:00.000-06:00

Phenomenal. Extraordinary. Exceptional. Amazing. Call it what you will, Geoff's performance this past weekend surpasses just about everything. A win. A new course record. And even after 99 miles, he still looks fresh! And to think Anton was only six minutes back at this point! Both these guys had an outstanding race. Anyone who finishes a 100 miler is outstanding. This guy just does it faster than anyone else.

(Not sure who the guy is who filmed this, but thanks for putting it up on Youtube so quickly and nice work on shooting the footage while riding a bike and not having any mishaps in the process! It's nice for us humans to see what that last mile was like for Geoff.)

Click here for full results

Table Mountain in June

2010-06-27T22:18:00.009-06:00

Got my monthly Table Mountain ascent in for June last Friday. Things are finally beginning to open up in the high country. It'll still be a month or so before the majority of the high country trails are passable to foot travel (sans snowshoes), but nature's progress is being made.

The gate at the mouth of the canyon opens to car traffic on Mermorial Day weekend, but even with it open, I've grown to enjoy the extra 4 mile approach as well as the return trip so I plan on making that my standard Table Mtn Trailhead.

The snowpack on the west facing side of Table became solid around 9,500 ft and was riddled with suncups. Not very big or deep, but could become akward if they continue to grow. And there already were pronounced channels where melting snow had carved out a trough in it's quest for the easiest possible way downhill. These are one of the most fascinating features of snow to me.

Rocks poking through!

My most pleasant summit experience so far this year! I spent fifteen minutes on top.

The aspens up at 8,000 ft are just now starting to break out their summer attire.

You can't see the snowshoes strapped to the back of my pack, but in a full run, my elbows would smack into them and they became a little cumbersome. This Salomon pack (The '07 Raid Revo 20) does a nice job containing bounce with almost any load.

I always expect to see a moose here, but I think I've only ever seen one, maybe two. Total trip time was 4 hrs, 10 min (with 15 min on the summit).

Table May I?

2010-06-27T19:33:00.008-06:00

Ok, so this is a little late, but I still wanted to post it just for the record. Yes, I did summit Table Mtn on Wednesday, May 26th, which marks my seventh month in a row with an ascent up Table. This was my final prep for the Pocatello 50 three days later. Taper? Nah.

As you can see, it was as gray a day as all of May had been which is a good reason why I hadn't made it up there sooner. I prefer going up in clearer weather to enjoy the views, but this was probably my last chance to go up for the month and I figured going to 11,000 ft three days before a 50 miler would be good altitude training.

Nearing the summit, it really wasn't all that cold (as far as cold can be in the Tetons), but it was practically a white out in a cloud with a bitey south wind.

It cleared just enough at the top to be able to see the big peaks.

I took this photo facing south and I used the flash to light up all the gale-driven snow particles. (I didn't realize it at the time, but training in these conditions would prepare me well for what was in store for us at the Pocatello race that weekend.)

Three days earlier, I drove over to Jackson with a bad case of cabin fever (since it had been pouring rain almost every day the prior week and all the trails in Teton Valley, ID were greasy clay). I was hoping the trails around Snow King and Cach/Game Creek would be in better shape. And they were!

Five years ago, when I first began this whole running journey, this was one of my favorite routes:

Begin at the Town Square. Run to Snow King on King St. Run up Snow King. Run the ridge going E/SE from the top to the trail that drops down into Game Creek. Run up Game Creek to Cache Creek. Run the Put-Put trail down Cache Creek to the end at Nelson St. Then finish up with the last mile down Broadway back to the Town Square. I need to measure the distance, but I think it's somewhere around 18-20 miles most all of which are on beautiful, blissful singletrack.

Jackson, WY

A week prior to that, I spent the weekend in Boise and got in a long 4 1/2 hr run on Saturday starting from Fort Boise and following the Shafer Butte 50 route all the way up to Bogus Basin. It was a warm day and I was able to get in about 5,000 ft of climbing. On dirt! Mostly...

The snow was still very present on top of the ridge leading north to the summit of Bogus Basin.

That's Bogus! No, really, it is.

2010 Pocatello 50

2010-06-27T19:23:00.004-06:00

So by now, there have been a number of people who have written race reports on this race so that's not what I'm going to do here. For those who are curious and don't already know, try these links:

http://challengeofbalance.blogspot.com/2010/05/2010-pocatello-50.html
http://mountains00.blogspot.com/2010/06/p50-adventure.html
http://amysproston.blogspot.com/2010/06/pocatello-50-miler-turned-50k-2010.html
http://ajwsblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/pocatello-50-dnf.html

In short, the race was cancelled due to blizzard conditions on top of the first two climbs which caused a number of runners to become lost, hypothermic, confused, miserable, and in need of much more assistance than they had planned for. Jared and Ryan, the race directors did a wonderful job with the decision-making recognizing the need to make sure any lost runners were found and focusing their rescources on making sure everyone was safe rather than continue the race into even more remote and dangerous conditions. Nonetheless, it was a sweet 50k and I'm already looking forward to next year!

Buddy was going to run the whole thing with me on his three legs, but decided against it at the last minute when he opted for the luxury bed setup in the back of my parents' truck.

A deceptively dry start did not prepare anyone for winter's last onslaught.

After coming down from the first big climb up to 7,000 feet, I knew I was going to want my Marmot Essence Jacket for when we climbed right back up there again. I honestly don't know how anyone made it through that stretch without a wind/waterproof shell. Or why they didn't have one in the first place. It was, by far, the nastiest, windiest, snowiest, most un-springlike conditions I've ever run in.

This was a vehicle that had just come down from what would have been the last aid station.

A Wet Wet Wet Spring in the Tetons

2010-06-27T18:46:00.009-06:00

While I'm here, I might as well continue this recap into June, which, for the record, has got to set a Teton Valley rainfall record for the month by month's end. I don't know how this couldn't be the wettest June of all time. Below is a picture I took of Game Creek just outside of Victor whilst out on an evening run early in the month. It had been raining for days and days and days and this swollen creek would've quickly sent me downstream had I attempted a crossing. I turned back at this point after 3 miles.

On Tuesday, June 8th, Mike Ehredt arrived in Driggs on his cross-country Project America Run. I caught up with him the following Saturday and ran with him in two different sections (the first 10 miles out before I ran back to the car and the last 9 miles after I drove to his finishing location for the day and ran back to meet him and ran with him back to my car.

Five minutes after we began, we got stopped by a cattle drive.

And then it was the long climb up Togwotee Pass.

Planting a flag every mile to honor each of the fallen soldiers in Iraq since the war began.

On top of Togwotee Pass on the Continental Divide at 9,500 ft.

His hosts for the night were the absolutely wonderful people at Triangle C Ranch who were also so generous to allow me to stay the night as well. (Mike had it in mind that this day was to be 26 miles long, but it ended up being 34 so he got done a tad later than he had anticipated and seeing as we had both been out in some nasty weather for quite some time, we were both keen on getting showered, warmed up, and fed. And I just can't say enough about the great crew of people living and working there for the summer. If anyone's interested in a real-life dude ranch vacation, come here cause I don't think you'd find a better experience anywhere else.

The next morning, we all set off with Mike for his first few miles of the day. There's alot going on in this group here so I'm sure we got more than just a few quizzical stares.

Which brings me to the first day of Summer and another trip to Jackson to run my favorite Snow King/Game Creek/Cache Creek route. Almost the entire Game Creek stretch is being re-routed and another couple miles of sweet trail added in the process so I'm looking forward to going back when it's finished to help break it in! Thanks to all for the great work on these trails!

I arrived back in Jackson just after sunset on a beautiful first summer night.

Mud Lake Redundency. Redundency. Redundency. Redundency.

2010-05-12T22:09:00.002-06:00

So I ran up to Mud Lake again tonight after work. Again. For the 100th time this year. Ran around the neighborhood block first on my way there. Again. Turned around at the "lake" like I usually do. Again. Then I ran home. Against me this colder than normal spring is! It just has not warmed up here yet! At all! I think we've had like 1 day so far over 60 degrees and barely at that so here we are, mid-May, and every trail off the valley floor still contains large quantities of snow. I've yet to set foot on a snow-less trail so far this year. Nothing has melted off. Except for Mud Lake (which really is more of a really steep road than a trail) and possibly the Aspen Trail (but it doesn't have too much to offer in the form of elevation gain). So here I sit all broken-hearted. And you know the rest. But really, it's not that big a deal. I go other places for a run. And this summer, at least we won't be in such a water shortage and high fire-danger. And the wildflowers should be spectacular! How about that summer...

Pocatello 50 - Preview

2010-05-04T21:05:00.007-06:00

For those running the Pocatello 50 in three weeks (or those interested in catching a glimpse of what us yahoos will be doing while we're out running), here's a preview of the first two sections (32.5 miles) of the course.

Mile 4. Top of the first 1,000ft climb (el. 6200ft) looking south over Mink Creek at still-snow-covered Scout Mtn. Leg 3 climbs due south along the west slope of Scout (the right side of the peak in this photo), turns east up to a saddle south of the summit, then ascends the south ridge to the long, rolling road to the top before dropping back down over the northeast slope via a loooooong glissade. Yaaaaaaay! Only 39 miles to get there!

Mile 4. From roughly the same spot looking north at Pocatello.

Mile 6. Blissful rolling singletrack!

Mile 10. Sign of things to come. Turn-off from the Gibson Jack trail and beginning of the brutal, thigh-burning, calf-busting, lung-searing, off-trail, straight-up 1,500ft climb. Sah-weet! This is definitely one of the unique trademarks of this race and something that makes this event so challenging. (Don't end up skewered like this guy, there's a long ways to go)

Mile 10.5. Follow the ribbons and rock cairns. When in doubt, go straight up!

Mile 11.5. Looking south back down the climb from the top (el. 7200ft).

Mile 11.5. Same place looking northwest. There's a mile stretch of flat road here on top before the wild descent down. So far, there was only minimal snow patches on the trail which will surely be melted off in three weeks.

Mile 12.5. Beginning of the descent and likely the first encounter with snow. The descent is on a steep, rugged, rocky, switcbacking road with sporadic patches of snow, ice, mud, and runoff likely. Fun! After a couple miles, a left turn is taken onto buttery singletrack through the grassy fields and dumps out onto the first major aid station at the end of leg 1 at mile 16.9 (el. 4500ft). Whew! Better hope you haven't trashed your quads already!

Climbing out of the aid station is the beautiful City Creek trail. Definitely one of the prettiest stretches of the entire course. So gentle is the climb for 3 miles, but then comes the true test: The crap chute! At first, I thought there was less snow than last year and surprisingly no runoff streaming down.

But I was wrong. At this point, there is more snow than last year (much of it should melt...?) and the runoff didn't appear to have begun yet. This could very well turn into the same slick, muddy, sloppy, slippy climb up a river of melting snow that I remember. Yeeeaahhh! Definitely one of the highlights of the race!

After reaching the crest at mile 22 (el. 7200ft), there's a long stretch of smooth rolling doubletrack that slowly descends to the next aid station at mile 26. From here, there's a 500ft climb that could also still have snow patches unless the weather turns quite warm. It's all north facing and shaded and this is what it looks like now. Mostly snow-covered and pretty slow-go'in.

After the crest of that 1 mile climb, the trail is mostly flat or gently downhill for the next 2 miles. Most of this snow should be gone by race day as it's almost gone now and sits out in direct sun. This was a slooooooow slushly section for me with all the stretches of slush to slog through.

Mile 29. Turn off onto the West Fork Trail (el. 6200ft) and 1,000 ft to go to the end of leg 2. Again, on a north facing, shaded slope. If it's not too warm over the next three weeks, there could still be snow here too. But with warm temps, it could melt off quickly.

I didn't mess with the third section as it clearly had alot of snow on it and I knew finding the yet unmarked route would be darn near impossible and maybe a tad bit dangerous. Expect a long 10 mile climb up to the summit and a quick glissading descent off the top!

I absolutely love this course. Always something new. Always amazing views. And such an incredible variety of trail conditions: Smooth & rocky, steep & flat, muddy & dusty, snowy & dry. A perfect and enjoyably brutal challenge.

Are you ready?

2010-05-04T21:05:00.004-06:00

Geez! I almost forgot to post the photos from the Smith trip a month ago! Wow, has it already been a month??? Susane and I drove out to Smith and met up with Joe for a long weekend of "spring" climbing that was unfortunately not as spring-like as we would've liked. But we still got some good climbs in between the sideways rain and the snow squalls.

Day 1:

Hop on Pop 5.8

Pop Goes the Nubbin 5.10a

Snuffy Smith 5.9

Nine Gallon Buckets (lower anchor) 5.9

Five Gallon Buckets 5.8

Snuffy Smith

Day 2:

Captain Xenolith 5.10a

Helium Woman 5.9

The Outsiders 5.9

Captain Xenolith

The Outsiders

Day 3:

The Purple Headed Warrior 5.7

Anclostoma 5.9

Ginger Snap 5.8 + Cinnamon Toast 5.7 (w/ 2 pitch rappel)

On the crest of the Dihedrals looking West at the Cascade Volcanoes. ???

(I see Black Butte. The one on the right)

Rappelllllllll!!! Bye Joe!

R2R2R + R2R

2010-05-02T15:52:00.012-06:00

A striking and spectacular vantage 1,500 ft above the Colorado while descending the South Kaibab Trail

Staring at my slowly shuffling feet. Face expressionless. Body virtually unresponsive. Other than the slow, perpetual movement of the unending wood steps beneath my feet and my heaving breaths, I sense nothing else in the world. Except maybe the seconds that have become minutes that have become hours. Just over nine of them. Finally, the top will be reached in a few more minutes. And then I'll be able to rest.

I took a fairly last minute trip to Arizona in late April to visit family in Phoenix and, while I was there, I thought I may as well run the R2R2R being so close by. I packed my things, flew into Phoenix late Tuesday night, picked up the rental car, and began the drive north on I-17. I was exhausted. I pulled over to sleep. When I awoke, it was practically dawn. So much for an early start for the run...

The forecast was gloomy. Rain showers, snow flurries, wind...etc. No bailing. Never once considered it. I was here to run. I pulled into Mather Campground to refill water bottles and drove out to the Yaki Point parking area. To say it was raining would be an understatement. It was a downpour. Just so you know, in case anyone is looking for a run-worthy, lightwieght, packable, and exceptionally waterproof rain jacket that I just couldn't imagine being any better, check out the Marmot Essence. This is a no-frills jacket. One chest pocket. No vents. But in a downpour, it keeps me totally dry. And that's totally rad.

I left the South Kaibab Trailhead (el. 7,000 ft) at 8:00am and this is what I was looking at. It was absolutely pouring. Bummer. The middle of the trail was a river of fast-flowing mud mixed with mule urine and feces. Double bummer. And four minutes down the trail... BAM... the business end of a loooooooong mule trail. Trifecta. Luckily, the aft-most mule train captain somehow noticed me behind and yelled up to the mule train captain in front to stop and let me pass. It took all of about 2-3 minutes. But I still wished I had left ten minutes earlier!

After 20 minutes and 2,000 ft down, the rain finally let up and I took off my jacket. It was much warmer down here too. And there were a surprising amount of people going down and coming up given the nasty weather and it being a Wednesday. And then, about 20 minutes and 1,000 ft below, on a striking red/green plateau, I froze in my tracks. I stared, unmoving, witnessing one of those sights beyond beauty. There were others doing the same. Nothing moved. It was silent. I could've stayed a while, but I couldn't. In that moment, time seemed to stand still, but it wasn't. I had to keep moving. Quickly. I packed the camera away and continued down knowing full-well that it would probably be a long time before I witnessed anything like that again here.

The most beautiful of Grand Canyon scenes

I hit the black bridge (el. 2,500 ft) in 57 minutes, crossed the Colorado and continued right on past Phantom Ranch without stopping. I knew I could make it to Cottonwood with the two bottles I started with. It wasn't especially warm and it was very humid making hydration much easier. I passed through the "box" and continued up the wider part of the North Kaibab canyon reaching Cottonwood (el. 4,000 ft) in 2:15. I refilled my bottles. So far, I had only consumed two, half-bottles. (I had mixed double-strength drink mix into each bottle so I could drink the first half of each at double strength, then fill up and continue on with a normal mixage.)

I hit Roaring Springs Pumphouse (el. 4,500 ft) at 2:35 and floated right on up the trail running virtually all of it (except for the steep stair sections) right on up to the high bridge at 6,000 ft. From there, it began raining steadily again and water was cascading off every cliff face and pouring onto the trail like gigantic showers. I walked/ran most of the rest of the climb until 7,000 ft where snowdrifts remained and became larger and larger as I ascended up to the North Rim trailhead at 8,200 ft where it was solid snow four feet deep.

I hit the North Rim in 4:05. Took two pictures. Ate three Shot Blocks and a half tube of honey roasted cashews. And turned back down the trail.

I made it back to the pumphouse in 65 minutes (5:10) and stopped to refill water. 15 minutes later (5:25), I was back at Cottonwood and cruised on by.

Another 65 minutes (6:30) and I was back at the Colorado refilling water at the spigot just across the creek preparing for the final push. I knew I was getting low on food, but hoped I had anough pep in my step to make quick work of this brute of a climb back up to the South Rim. I slipped into my comfortable and familiar shuffle, up to the bridge, across through the tunnel and began my way up.

I knew right away, this would soon turn out to become more of a struggle than I intended. But then again, have ANY of the climbs back up to the South Rim EVER NOT been a struggle?!?! Nope. Wishful thinking, my friend. Dream on...

The short of it is, I took the last of my food after an hour of climbing at around el. 4,500 ft. I still had 2,500 ft to climb and it would take me another hour and twenty minutes of painful suffering to get there. It became very windy. Very cold. Very miserable. I thought I was going to go delerious. And then, after countless steps up over those %#@#! wood stairs, I was at the top where everything was coated in a fresh white layer of snow for the upper 500 ft.

I was knackered. Finished at 5:10pm, 9 hrs, 10 min after stepping off this very cliff. And very hungry. And very cold. And without any time to rest or recover, I walked back to the car, changed my shorts, and raced off back to Phoenix to pick up my parents at the airport. (Happy birthday Mom! Sorry I was a few minutes late! But it sure was good to see you both!)

The next Monday, after hanging out in Phoenix with family for four days, I found myself again looking across the Canyon, this time on a beautifully bright, crisp spring morning and this time headed down the Bright Angel trail with the intent to do another R2R2R.

Within the first five stepsdown, I knew I was in trouble. My lower calves were still shot from the 8,000 ft of descending stairs from the Wednesday prior. I'd been stretching, massaging, wobbling, recovery-ing both calves ever since, but it still just hadn't been enough time. Every step down over those steps was a shocking pain. And the Bright Angel Trail has WAAAAAAY more steps than the South Kaibab. I began to realize for the first time just how much these two trails differed. I was concerned about the 24 mile trip across to the north rim and even more concerned about the return trip. Surely, the climb up Bright Angel would put me in a dark, hellish, pain cave with nothing but my own tortuous thoughts to comfort me. I began to long for the smooth stair-less sections of the South Kaibab trail and I thought about having dinner with Grandma back in Phoenix later that day, and taking a walk through the neighborhood that evening to listen to the doves, and get some final relaxing pool time in before leaving the following morning and soon I was seriously considering that just making it across the river and turning up the Kaibab trail back to the South Rim was going to be enough of a feat for todays run. Plus, as if giving myself further justification, I thought it'd be good to have a go at running a fair portion of the climb to see just how quickly I could have done it the week before. And... AND!... I'd still have a five mile jaunt along the rim back to the car at the Bright Angel Trailhead. It'd still turn out to be around 25 miles.

It was quite warm at the bottom. I refilled my bottles, read up on how well the reintroduction of the California Condors was coming along in the Canyon (There are now over 300 wild nesting birds up from just 22 at their lowest!), hobbled over to the black bridge, and set off again up the climb. Despite the sore calves, ascending wasn't so bad. Even with the stairs. This trail sure is smoother than Bright Angel! Much more pleasant to run. And even in the heat, I felt good. Not great. But good. Good enough to run the flatter, stairless bits.

Looking down on Boat Beach and the connector trail between the black bridge (S Kaibab) and the silver bridge (Bright Angel). They are only about a half mile apart and are apparently the only two spans across the Colorado in a 277 mile stretch.

Looking over at the silver bridge (far left, kind of camoflauged) and Phantom Ranch (with all the leafy cottonwood trees)

This is apparently a condor nest (bottom of the picture, towards the left).

Here is a close-up. I couldn't tell if that's a bird in there, or not.

About 500 vertical ft below the rim, there were three condors gliding on the thermals above, but I only got a photo of these two. Magnificent. The crowds of people were everywhere, stopped and staring upwards with cameras and binoculars out.

It took me exactly 2 hrs to reach the top from the spigot at the bottom. On a good day, fresh, I think I could hammer this climb in around 1:45. But I'll never be able to do it without descending 4,500 ft first and, more likely, after going up the 5,5oo ft over to the North Rim and Back. But considering I did make a few short stops along the way and I still wasn't fully recovered from the last run, I think a 2 hr climb would be possible after a full crossing. Which means I would be looking at an 8 1/2 hour R2R2R. And, with better weather and no snow on the north side, I think another 15 minutes could easily come off of that and possibly more? Hmmmmmmm... That'll have to wait.