Category: Epic Runs

Fun times in the 'Big Ditch'

4/9/2014

The road trip crew: Zach, Myself, Jenny, & Jason

Like all good adventures, this one came together last minute. I had wanted to get out to the Canyon this spring and until last week didn't have anyone to go with. Then I got a message from Jason asking if I was still planning to head out that way and it all fell into place from there. I hitched a ride down to meet them in Golden on Thursday afternoon, Camped in Moab that night, and was standing on the Canyon rim by Friday. Primed and ready for my 3rd double crossing!

Just for fun, I decided to see if I could get close to the 3 hr mark on the first crossing going south to north. I have been putting in a few big weeks both in miles and vert so I knew I wasn't going to feel fresh, but this is was just another big training run and why not make it a solid effort.

A mix of clouds and sun kept the temperature in check during the run.

The air was crisp as I unzipped my sleeping bag and opened my tent. The early morning glow at 6:00 AM and cold shoes that go along with springtime adventures were all I needed to feel awake and excited for a fun day ahead. We quickly warmed up as 6 of us squeezed tightly into a small car and drove to the trailhead. Within a few minutes we were quickly descending down the switchbacks and into the warmer canyon air. After just 10 minutes I was alone with my music, focusing on my footing and enjoying the ease of the descent while thinking about the climbs and views ahead.

Somewhere below Skeleton Point and just past half way down I caught up to the mule train. Luckily I only had to walk behind them for about 30 seconds before they let me pass. A few minutes later I was getting my first views of the mighty Colorado river and soon after that I was crossing it (0:45). Right on pace. After a quick water stop at Phantom Ranch (0:51) to fill my bottle I was on my way again. The gradual climb up to Cottonwood campground went by fairly quick and although I forget my split through there, I knew I was still close to 3 hour pace. Having run this a couple times already I began preparing myself for the grinding climb to the north rim. Soon I was at the Residence where I would fill my bottle one last time before the final push.

Outrunning the storm which hit the upper North Kaibab trail.

Over the remaining 4+ miles to the top the trail gets gradually steeper and with my GPS watch losing its signal multiple times I no longer had an exact gauge on the distance. I knew I was getting close when I could see the trees near the north rim and some patches of snow remaining in the shady corners of the trail. It became a race against my watch as I began to approach the 3 hour mark. In a last ditch effort to make my goal time I tossed my water bottle aside and dug in to grind out the final climb. My watch hit 2:58 as I passed Jenny who had started a few hrs before us, and she informed me that she was 4 minutes down from the rim. That was a bit demoralizing. Knowing that I had no chance to break 3 hrs I eased up the pace slightly and when I reached the north rim my watch read 3:02:34. So close!

Oh well, I put in a solid effort and know that I can easily get it next time. I had no intention of going hard on the return trip so I took a few minutes to enjoy the cool air and talk to some other runners who were making the trek. On the way back I stopped ant talked to the rest of the group as we cross paths and also to some random hikers along the way. The Grand Canyon is such an amazing place and I made sure to take it all in yet again. A photo here, stopping to admire the view there, all mixed in with some more running and hiking. Eventually I made it back to the south rim with a total time (including stops) of 7:57.

Enjoying the views and testing out my AK vest Sunday morning. (Used just a handheld for the actual run)

Overall it was a great weekend of camping and running. Sunday morning I got out for a short shake out and felt surprisingly good. It was a bluebird day and I really didn't want to leave. Sitting in a car for 12 hours somehow didn't sound too appealing... Who knows what the rest of the year will bring and if I will be able to get back to the Big Ditch for an actual go at a fast time. If not this year then next. This was my 3rd year in a row running R2R2R, so I'm going to have to keep my streak alive.

Gear: Altra Torin's, 14 VFuel gels, UD Essential Belt & Jurrek Grip handheld
Splits: River (0:45), Phantom (0:51), Cottonwood (?:??), Residence (?:??), North Rim: 3:02:34

4 Comments

Dad's Pissed! - Adventures in the Big Ditch.

3/18/2013

0 Comments

Spontaneity... that's the best way to start an adventure. I got a call from Pat O'Neil on Friday afternoon about going to the Grand Canyon for a St Patty's Day run. In typical O'Neil fashion, the message was short and to the point. It basically said; Grand Canyon, St. Patrick's Day, leave Saturday at 1:00 PM, run Sunday, back in CB by Monday afternoon, are you in? Lets face it, I don't know how to say no to a run, especially when it includes crossing the Grand Canyon twice. Hell yes I'm in!

Pat picked Andy & I up around noon on Saturday and we were on our way. Fast forward about 4 hours, toss in the "Big Game Hunt's" truck, and we had ourselves a race along canyon roads heading east past the turn for Telluride. That's right, we got distracted while enjoying a friendly car race and about 45 minutes later Pat hit the breaks, nearly stopping in the middle of the road. "The La Sals!" "Why are we looking at the La Sals, and why are we going towards Canyonlands?!" That's when "Dad" got pissed...

Pat - aka "Dad", is obviously... Pissed.

We missed our turn towards Telluride, while mocking every other car besides us making the turn. That was followed by the drag race with "Big Hunts", so we probably got what we deserved. Regardless, we were only adding an hour at most to our 9+ hr road trip. In the end it worked out though, since we got to drive through Monument Valley and stopped for a photo where Forrest Gump stops running in the movie.

Click on the picture to make it larger ---->

We ended up rolling into the Campgrounds on the South Rim around 9:30 PM, and after a quick dinner, passed out for the night. Morning came quick, and after breakfast and a gear check, we were at the canyon rim in the early morning twilight. A group photo (the only one from the tip), and we were off, on our way down the Bright Angel Trail at 6:11 AM.

The early morning temperature was in the upper 30's at the rim with a brisk breeze. Once we got a couple miles into the Canyon though, we warmed up and quickly ditched our outer layer. The sun began to light up the drainage we were in, and by the time we got to Indian Gardens, we were warm and enjoying the new spring green of the Cottonwood trees. A pleasant change from the long Crested Butte winter. Not long after that, we were crossing the mighty Colorado and filling up our water bottles at Phantom Ranch. Nearly 10 miles and 1 hr 40 minutes in. We were in no rush, and just enjoyed the day at a mellow pace that everyone was happy with.

Pat & Jesse headed down North Kaibab

As we began climbing up towards the north rim, the temperature continued to rise and soon we were into the sun. We stopped at the Ranger Station about 8 miles up from Phantom Ranch and approximately 5.5 miles from the rim to cap off our fluids once more. We would not have water again until we were back to that exact point in a few hours. The rest of the climb went by without a hitch, and near the end we all went at our own pace. Andy was the first to reach the top, followed by Jesse, Pat, & I with Chris coning in just minutes later. There was only a moderate amount of snow on the trail near the top of the rim, with the majority being in the final quarter mile. Everyone seemed to be feeling good and in high spirits with one crossing down, and one more still to do. Total time for the first half was just over 5 hours.

On the way down we started out as a group and even passed a couple other runners on their way up. It wasn't until we left the Ranger Station for the second time that we started to string out. Andy & Jesse were out front, Chris in the middle, and I sat back and ran with Pat for a bit. After a mile or so though, I decided to go catch up and within a couple miles was back with Jesse & Andy. The three of us cruised at a solid pace the last 5 miles or so down to Phantom Ranch. After waiting for about 10 minutes, Andy & Jesse were eager to keep moving and not let their legs tighten up, so they took off while I stayed behind to wait of the other guys. We must have ran the last section pretty quick, since it was nearly 30 minutes after we arrived that Pat & Chris showed up. And it was not the prettiest sight...

Pat had fallen on some ice and hurt his hip the day before we left, and that had started to bother him quite a bit. How did he put it..? "It feels like my hip is splitting in two" No big deal, I gave him the Advil that I had brought and he was ready to go. Chris also arrived about that time and he looked just as rough. His trouble though was the heat, probably some dehydration, no salt, and definitely a bit behind on his calorie intake. I made sure to fill up his bottle & bladder, handed him 5 of my S-Caps, and made sure he put down 15-20 oz and some food before starting the 7 mile climb back to the top. I stuck with them until the start of the climb after crossing the Bridge heading up the South Kaibab Tr, and once I knew they were feeling alright, set off to try and catch up to Andy & Jesse who had about a 30 minute head start.

The first 1.5 mile of the climb I ran, then realized that the heat was beginning to get to me as well. I felt slightly dizzy and decided to not push myself too hard. I'm sure my body was still feeling the effects of racing a week earlier, and after about 8+ hours in the canyon and 80 degree temps, I did not need to over do it. I decided to hike for a bit, and once I got up to some shady, more mellow pitches, began a slow trot once more. When I finally made it back to the south rim, the temperature was much cooler, but still pleasant and I felt refreshed once again. Andy & Jesse were sitting in the sun and had only been there waiting for about 10-15 minutes. I joined them and also enjoyed the feeling of completing our task. To our surprise, Chris and Pat were not that far behind and finished about 20 minutes later.

This was the second time I have ran R2R2R, the first on Thanksgiving week in 2011. This time though, I was much more prepared and felt fine afterwords. As for the other guys, it was their first time completing the double crossing, and they were stoked. We were all stoked, it was an awesome day. If felt great to run in warm and dry conditions. Now I can't wait for summer and the endless possibilities of adventure. Until next time, enjoy the photos below.

Photos!

0 Comments

Utah Hurrah! Bryce Canyon & Zion Traverse

11/23/2012

0 Comments

After last November's R2R2R adventure I have been thinking about what to do this year during the fall, particularly during Thanksgiving week. One run that had been on my mind for a while was the Trans Zion Trek (or, the Zion Traverse). Luckily for me, a couple ultra running friends were thinking the exact same thing. After a week or so of trading ideas and making tentative plans, we were on our way to Utah.

Brandon Stapanowich, Andy Thoman, & I met up with Brendan Trimboli just outside Bryce Canyon NP on Sunday (Nov. 18th) evening. After setting up out tents, we went for a quick shake-out run, had dinner, and turned in for the night early. The next morning we would be running across the park.

We woke up early and caught the sunrise from the canyon rim. As I sat there, teeth chattering from the cold morning air and trying spread frozen Nutella on my cold bagel, I got my first glimpses of the canyon. Within an hour, we had out tents packed up, our packs on our backs, and were on our way down the Under The Rim Trail. We quickly warmed up as we headed down into the canyon, though pines, along ridges, and into burn zones. The terrain and scenery varied with every turn, climb, and descent. Capped off with perfect weather, we were in trail running bliss.

The further into the run we got, the more stunning the surrounding scenery became. Before long, we were on the final climb, headed back up to the canyon rim. Once on top, after nearly 23 miles and 4.5 hours, we saw other people. (It always amazes me how seldom people visiting our National Parks stray more than an eyes sight of their luxury rental vehicles. Seeing these sights is one thing, anyone can do that just by sitting in front of a computer screen, but truly experiencing them on foot sheds a whole new light. It allows you to truly appreciate the size and power of nature and the forces that created these wonders.)

The final miles were mostly flat along the rim trail. We were getting to enjoy some of the best views of the day while jumping off rocks, running as close to the rims edge as possible, and just tapping into our inner joy of movement that we all remember as kids. When we reached the car, we had covered 25.42 miles in just under 5 hours. Tomorrow would be a rest day, and on Wednesday, we would set out to conquer 50+ miles of Zion.

Nov 21 - Zion Traverse: With three days of exploring and trail running in southern Utah, including a full traverse of Bryce Canyon NP, we were now ready to take on Zion. We had a place to crash for the night, indoors and warm, thanks to Andy, who set it up though www.warmshowers.org. Fueled up on black bean burgers, chips & guacamole, and yams, we were ready to go. At 5:10 AM Brandon, Brendan, & I were on our way!

We spent the first two hours of the run in the dark, but once the sun began to rise, so did the canyon walls around us. With daylight now lighting our way, we could see the magnificent scenery that surrounded us. It is hard to describe, in words, the feeling of being so far away from anyone else besides ourselves. No roads, no buildings, no sign of human beings except for the faint single track trail and an occasional trail maker

It is times like these that you find true appreciation for the natural world around you. Its what drives us as trail/ultra runners, always searching for whats around the next corner, over the next hill (or mountain), just to get there and say.. "wow! Worth it!" Then do it all over again. Why else would the three of us have made this trek to the desert, and set out on a full day's run through some of the most rugged and un-populated area of the southwest? Then do it again just days later.

Nearly half way into the run, we found ourselves climbing to the high point along the ridge. We had already spent 2 hours running in the dark, hopping back and forth across a river, trekking up, running down, and trudging through 10 miles of mud. Now we were high above the canyon floors, looking out over the open landscape. Just waiting to plunge back down into the depths of Zion Canyon.

After descending for quite some time, we reached the Angels Landing trail around mile 37. Andy was there waiting for us (he just finished a bike trip from Seattle to Colorado and was not up for a 50+ miler after running 26 just 2 days before). With the four of us re-united, we quickly climbed up to Angels Landing, before descending back down. The next section was also a highlight of the run, the wiggles, which are 21+ switch backs that descend the steep canyon walls.

Once on the canyon floor, we re-filled out water, covered the two miles of pavement, and began the grueling 6 mile climb back out. This portion of trail took us through some slot canyons and back up to the eastern rim. From there we had a "5" mile descent, which seemed to take much longer than expected, but eventually we made it! At exactly 11 hour on the dot, we reached the East Entrance parking lot where we had stashed a car the previous day. After 51+ miles, and 11 hours, a nice cold beer was just what we wanted, and of course... food.

The following morning after getting a good nights rest, Brandon, Andy, & I headed back into Zion and hiked around the Narrows until our feet were too numb to feel. Brendan went to spend Thanksgiving with his family. That night, after 5 days of our Utah Hurrah, we were back in Crested Butte. With the miles covered during the trip, and my birthday challenge just a day before, I was at 137 miles (running) on singles. I also had about 40 miles of skate skiing and 26 miles on my road bike all in that 7 day period. Needless to say, my body was fully exhausted and satisfied.

Thanks to Brandon Stapanowich for putting together this video from the trip!

You can also find Brendan Trimboli's trip report here.

0 Comments

Ruby Range Traverse - Crested Butte, CO

9/22/2012

0 Comments

Sunrise from Ule Pass

My buddy Nate Page and I have been talking about doing this traverse all summer. We were out for an easy run on Friday night and I brought it up again. The weather forecast was calling for colder weather starting Sunday, but Saturday was supposed to be a perfect bluebird day. Not sure of how many more chances we would get this year, we decided to capitalize on this perfect opportunity.

We made our plans to meet around 5:15 AM the next morning at Nate's house and cook up some breakfast. After that, we would drive out and park at the Paradise Divide.

With the forecast calling for near perfect weather, I decided to pack as light as possible. It would be sunny in the upper 60's, light winds, and night time lows above freezing. The only issue was that there would be haze from some Idaho forest fires, and our views might not be as spectacular as they should. No big deal, it will still be an awesome day!

I packed my Nathan race vest, enough Vi Fuel for up to 10 hrs, 50 ounces of water in my bladder, as well as another 20 ounces in a handheld. My apparel consisted of running shorts, my Vi tech shirt, Sigvaris compression socks, arm sleeves, a thin pair of gloves, my trusty 2007 NCAA XC winter hat (which was the largest item I had), Vi Endurance cap for when the sun gets hot, and my Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer Anorak jacket. Very light weigh, very minimal. I also brought my camera along, and had a styling pair of garage sale shades just for fun.

Purple Mountain - 12,958 ft

We got to the Paradise Divide around 6:30, and at 6:38 AM we shut the doors of Nate's truck and were off. The first two miles up to Yule Pass were a gradual climb and easily run-able. We stopped for a couple minutes on top of Yule Pass, took some pictures of the sunrise, then continued onward. The first summit we came to was Purple Mountain (12,958 ft). My Garmin read 59:18 and 3.18 miles. It felt good to get that first big climb out of the way. Now we were up high, and could start traversing the ridge.

These first 3 peaks are the furthest apart. It took us over an hour to get the second summit of the day, Augusta Mountain (12,559). Garmin: 2:07, 4.88 miles. The ridge is fairly exposed and you definitely have to watch your footing. One slip could send you tumbling hundreds of feet down. It gets even more technical around Angel Pass between Augusta and our 3rd summit, Richmond Mountain (12,501 ft). Garmin: 4:00, 6.97 miles. We spent some time climbing around near Angel Pass, and found that the fastest way around is via the East facing side, and by dropping down to avoid some unnecessary technical climbing. We definitely lost some time on this section, but since we were not in a rush, it did not matter. We even spotted some mountain goats scaling a huge cliff to the southwest of us.

Below are some of the spectacular views that we enjoyed along the way!

The next section was over a mile again to the 4th summit, but this part was much less technical. We dropped down to Oh Be Joyful Pass, then quickly climbed up to Hancock Peak (12,420 ft). Garmin: 4:40, 8.29 miles. Since I have already been on this peak earlier this summer, I knew this would be a fast section. My legs were also starting to feel pretty good. Nothing like a good 4+ hour warm up and 4 peaks to get the legs feeling like normal again. (This was my first big day since the Cascade Crest 100, exactly 4 weeks ago. I took 3 weeks completely off to let my Achilles tendinitis heal up.)

Nate on Afley Peak (12,646 ft)

Not long after leaving the summit of Hancock Peak, we were on top of the 5th summit of the day, Oh Be Joyful Peak (12,420 ft). Garmin: 4:58, 8.67 miles. I actually got into a groove and blew right up and over the summit. When I looked back and saw Nate waiving the summit canister I realized what I did.

Other than some lose scree, the section between OBJ and our 6th summit, Afley Peak (12,646 ft) was fairly routine. Garmin: 5:28, 9.48 miles.This next section looked as if it would take us a while. We had to drop down quite a ways and looking up at the next two summits, one of which is above 13,000 ft, seemed like it would take a while. It also looked as if we could get into some more technical sections. I predicted it would take us about 90 minutes to reach the top of Owen which would be peak #8. We actually made it there faster than that.

Views from the final 3 summits. Such a great day to be out there!

Surprisingly, the climb up to our 7th summit, Purple Peak (12,612 ft), was much easier than we thought it would be. It was steep, but not very technical. It was almost like climbing very steep stairs the way the rocks were laid out. On top of Purple, my Garmin read: 6:11, 10.21 miles. The only issue I had on this section was some tightness in the tendons that attach near the medial portion of my knee. I attribute that to going from barely no running or hiking for 3+ weeks, right into this big adventure. Luckily it never got any worse, and actually went away before we were done.

Nate Page - Flying down the final descent!

The next section between Purple Peak and summit #8, Mt Owen (13,058), again, was much easier than expected. We made quick time between the two and reached the top of Owen in just 19 minutes. Garmin: 6:30, 10.64 miles. We were greeted by a couple of hikers who were resting there on the summit before heading back down. One of them mentioned his son, who had done the traverse in 6 hrs 20 min a couple years ago.

After chatting with them for about 5 minutes, we were off again. The rest of the traverse we have done before, so we knew it would be quick. We were able to run the entire way down off of Owen, and once on the saddle, stopped again to empty our shoes. There was a lot of loose gravel on the steep descent. Nate stashed his pack, and we quickly climbed up to the final summit, number 9 on the day. Ruby Peak (12,644 ft) was a great final ascent. I don't have the exact data for this section, since my Garmin died just past Owen. We used Nate's phone to get the final stats though, and as I recall, we were somewhere around 6:59 on top of Ruby. Sub 7! Not bad. We high five'd, took a few more pictures, then were off again. This time it was all down hill, the climbing was done for the day. On the way down, we passed some friends of ours, chatted briefly, and continued on our way.

Recovery food!

The final section was a quick mining road turned trail that passed by Green Lake, and ended at a vehicle accessible road. Since we did not set up a shuttle, we hoped to bump into someone around that point to hitch a ride back to town with. Lucky for us, there were two guys just getting into their vehicle, and were nice enough to give us a lift. Vehicle to Vehicle it took us 7 hrs 22 min.

One of the guys was a photographer and since Nate has been looking for a new digital camera, had lots of advice. He even had the exact model that Nate has been looking at, go figure. So with the day behind us, and a ride to town secured, we were able to sit back, relax, and enjoy the drive home. We could not have asked for a better day. The weather was perfect, and the only issue was the haze, which in a way made the views more unique.

Once we got back we kicked back at Nate's house, re-fueled with some tomatoes, cinnamon raisin bread with Nutella, and a Black Butte Porter. Once we consumed the food, we took the beers to the creek and enjoyed them while taking an ice bath.

Nate, completely satisfied!

Other than the technical section around Angel Pass, we didn't have to do too much technical climbing. There was one section that we down climbed, which if we go back, can easily get around next time. Nate took a more technical route one other time, and I was able to find an easy walk around that saved a lot of time. If we were trying to go fast, I feel we could have easily done it in around 6 hours. Possibly even less had we known what to go around, and where stay on the ridge. Regardless, we had a blast and are glad we got out there and did it when we did.

The legs might be a bit sore tomorrow, since I have not taxed them like that in nearly a month. Its a good feeling though, and my Achilles felt fine the entire time. Hopefully within a week or two, I will be able to get back to my normal training schedule. If all goes well, possibly even look for a fall race somewhere. Time will tell, for now, I am just enjoying being out there in the mountain again. This is a great time of year, and the fall colors are near peak. You can't ask for any more than that.

A great day, and a great time! The entire trip, 9 mountain summits in all, took 7 hrs 22 min, vehicle to vehicle. The total distance was 12.79 miles with a total elevation gain of over 6,000 ft. I consumed 12 Vi Fuel Gels and two S-Caps, slightly less than my planned 2 gels / hr, but still felt great and full of energy.

Until next time,
Run Pure

0 Comments

Fun times in the 'Big Ditch'

Dad's Pissed! - Adventures in the Big Ditch.

Photos!

Utah Hurrah! Bryce Canyon & Zion Traverse

Thanks to Brandon Stapanowich for putting together this video from the trip!

Ruby Range Traverse - Crested Butte, CO

Categories