Clear Creek

Last weekend Jacob and I took off for the Grand Canyon planning to head down to Clear Creek and spend the night.  After a cold week in Flagstaff, we were looking forward to some warmer temperatures in the canyon, but on the drive over we watched the thermometer slowly sink to 0 before rising up to the mid 20s when we got to the park.  After parking the car we at the visitors center we took the shuttle to the Kaibab Trailhead and took off into the canyon.  Actually we started fairly gingerly as there was still a bit of snow on the trail.

Halfway down

We made it down to the river in less than an hour and a half and soon were at Phantom Ranch where we filled up our bottles and headed up the trail.  After turning off on the Clear Creek trail we took a quick break to eat and then were back underway.  The day heated up a little at times as we made our way along the Tonto Platform but there was almost always a nice little breeze to keep us cool.  We moved along pretty quickly and soon found ourselves heading down the red hillside into Clear Creek.  We reached the creek and decided to head upstream a ways where there are some Native American ruins at the foot of a canyon wall.

The Zoroaster Temple

Hanging out by the ruins

Pretty fascinating to think about

After eating a late afternoon snack at the Native American ruins and taking some time to check them out, we headed back down the stream and looked for a place to camp.  We found a nice spot for the bivy sacks, ate dinner, then wandered down the creek a little ways before we crawled into the bags and  went to sleep.  Of course at 6:30, we weren't all that tired so we watched the stars for a while before settling down to sleep.  Clear Creek was definitely warmer than our night in the Mazatzal Mountains, but camping by the creek lead to a bit more humidity and condensation was soon forming on the inside of my bag.  The way to deal with condensation is to open up your bivy sack and get more air flow, but this also means a colder night.  Fortunately, it wasn't all that cold and I slept nearly the entire night without waking up.

When morning came we packed up quickly and were soon on the trail heading of the Clear Creek drainage.  Breakfast was chilly but it didn't take long for us to warm up on the climb and start shedding clothes.  After a couple short stop to lose some clothes, we were cruising along the Tonto Platform enjoying a warm sunny morning in the canyon.  We didn't see anyone until we were descending down toward Phantom Ranch where we filled up our bottles and started the climb back up to the South Rim.

Morning

Getting under way

Up and out

The Tonto Platform

Just upstream from Phantom Ranch

We started the hike up to the South Rim and decided to just eat on the walk to save some time so we munched on sunflower seeds, dried fruit, and jerky for the first section of the climb.  Once we reached the Tipoff we caught up with a group of mules who were only a couple hundred yards ahead of us.  Initially we were worried we'd be eating dust to the rim, but as soon as we caught up to the mules the skinners stopped the train and let us by.  What great guys!  Jacob and I continued on the long sunny section up to Skeleton Ridge and then on to Cedar Ridge where the cool air from the rim was finally starting to come down.  The climb was pretty uneventful as we saw quite a few people and mostly just chugged along.  The one mind boggling thing was the people, well, the canyon is mind boggling too.  First, you have no clue how many people where yak tracks to the bottom on the Canyon.  Maybe the first mile was icy.  Also there was this older dude who was wheeling something like a wheelbarrow full of stuff down the Kaibab.  I kid you not.  First, I don't think you can have wheeled vehicles in the canyon.  Second, how was he going get that think out?  Last, if your one mile into the canyon after noon, I sure hope you can make it to the bottom.  Anyhow, we were nearly out and ready to jog the last couple miles along the rim back to the car when we hit mule train number 2.  These were not the supply mules this time, but the touring group.  Anyhow, I have no doubt they cost us 15 minutes in the last quarter mile.  I don't think mules should be in the canyon at all, but this group really pissed us off.  Anyhow, we enjoyed a quick jog along the rim and hopped in the car much sooner than anticipated.

Nearly out

The Mazatzal Mountains

With snow all around Flagstaff and a rainy snowy mix likely for Sunday morning in the Grand Canyon, Jacob and I headed south to the Mazatzal mountains just outside of Payson.  Snow covered the ground for a long time leaving Flagstaff but once we hit the trailhead, we took off on bare ground.  The warm breeze that soon started up joined us as we climbed up trail 44 into the mountains, occasionally looking back toward the Mogollon Rim on the horizon.  We hiked up the first few miles crossing  numerous small creeks caused by the runoff from the recent snow.  Soon we hit some snow, but the travel was easy as someone had already broken the trail.  Stepping footprint to footprint, we made our way up toward the pass.  After cresting the pass we took off to the north on a bare trail that was a little overgrown in areas.  Soon we turned around a ridge and found ourselves on a north-slope hiking through snow.  The trail we were planning to take turned off to the left up a snow covered ridge, but I quickly realized that we needed to reassess our plans and try to stay on the snow free trails as much as possible.

The Mongollon Rim

Our first dose of snow

One of a few beautiful peaks

Some north side snow

We continued on the main trail and found it progressively more overgrown with brush.  The problem in central Arizona is there is a lot of manzanita and shrub live oak(manzanita with sharp leaves) and apparently no trail crews.  This really made me appreciate the work of Ed Willson and the Waldo trail crews he organizes who put in countless hours clearing the trails around Willamette Pass. We continued pushing through brush, occasionally finding chances to run open stretches, and then hiking through snow on all the north facing slopes.  Eventually we passed trail 43 which we intended to head out on.  We pulled out the map and there was no easy loop available so we realized we'd have to hike up the trail that afternoon and back down it in the morning, or head down trail 42 to another trailhead then follow trail 288 along the foot of the mountain range to get back to the car.  Even with the other trail as an option, we wouldn't be able to make any kind of loop as I intended.  We continued until around 4:30 and made dinner and prepared for the night.

We camped by this creek

Our socks were wet from all the snow so we tried to dry them as we boiled water, but that didn't work.  Over dinner we planned to make our way out as quickly as we could as the trail seemed to get progressively more overgrown and snow covered.  As we set up our bivy sacks, the setting sun brought on a rather chilly breeze that made us realize we were in for a cold night.  I knew it would be pretty cold, so I suggested that we build a fire.  After checking the forest regulations on the backside of the map, we started to gather up some pine needles and scratch out a place for the fire.  We built a quick a ring and then lit up some pine needles with the lighter and carefully coaxed them into a flame.  We slowly added more until we got a pine cone burning and then went in search for wood to pile on.  As darkness settled in we got a good sized fire going which was putting out a bit of heat.  We scooted the bivy sacks up close and headed to bed around 7 (its dark early and there's not much to do when its dark).  At 11, we were both cold and woke up so we restoked the fire, talked, warmed up and headed back to bed around midnight.  We piled up a bunch on pine cones for future use and loaded them on at 3 when we woke up again.  Fortunately this lasted us until 6 when we got up.

Getting the fire started

You gotta love a good fire

Especially at midnight when its keeping you warm

After a quick breakfast, we headed off in search of trail 42 which we thought we passed shortly before we set up camp.  We turned onto trail 42 and soon expected to crest the ridge and head down.  Only we continued to wind along the hillside.  Eventually we crossed the same creek we had camped by farther upstream.  This wasn't good so we pulled out the map.  We soon saw we must have walked by trail 42 so we turned back and headed back in search of trail 42.  With lots of snow on the ground we explored a few false starts but soon realized we weren't going to find trail 42, so we resolved to head out on trail 43.  We hiked along pushing through brush and crunching through snow, which with the warmth of the day was now in perfect condition for postholes.  We reached trail 43 and turned down the canyon hoping to get out quickly.  I expected trail 42 to head down the canyon but in contoured along the hillside for a long time before finally descending.  The north slope we hiked along was mostly snow coated with and icy crust on top, so we punched through every step a layer of ice before sinking in a foot or so.  I wasn't too happy because this hard on the shins and really slow going.  After endless snowfields, we eventually made our way into the canyon and out of the snow.  With the Mongollon Rim on the horizon and the parking lot in sight below us, we ran down the last couple miles to the car.  We were planning to head out early and maybe sneak in a run on the Highline Trail(Zane Grey course and south facing), but by the end we were thankful to be able cruise in the last few miles and get to the car.  The Mazatzal Mountains were worth seeing, but sadly the terrible trail conditions(snow excluded) will probably keep us from heading back.

Starting through the snow

Some beautiful morning views

So much fun!

Winding down the last descent

Looking back up the trail

A nice falls just a few miles from the car

Thanksgiving in the Grand Canyon

For the past few years we have skipped Thanksgiving and taken the time off to go backpacking.  Once again we returned to the Grand Canyon, which was extra easy this year as Jacob and I are just over and hour and a half away.  Mom and Dad flew in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning, so we spent the afternoon together around campus.  We packed up our stuff Wednesday night, and Thursday morning we headed off to the Grand Canyon.  It was below freezing as we arrived at the rim and headed down the Hermit Trail.  The first section of trail follows a slight ridge so we were in the wind for a while making the descent a bit chilly.  We hiked down to the Boucher junction, the dropped the back and walked over to Dripping Spring to get some water and a bite to eat.  From there, we picked up the packs and traversed around the top of Hermit Creek Canyon before rounding Yuma Point and starting our descent to Boucher Creek.  After Yuma Point we were in the shade, but the lower elevation led to warmer temperatures.  Our path leveled out as we went by Whites Butte and then we headed down again dropping into Boucher Creek just before it got dark.

Paintbrush in late November

Heading down the Hermit Trail

Looking down Hermit Creek Canyon

The head of Travertine Canyon

Dropping down from Whites Butte to Boucher Creek

Looking out a mile above Boucher Creek

The Parents

The next morning was sunny and clear and we headed west on the Tonto, climbing out of Boucher Creek and making our way over to Slate Creek.  On our way over we stopped to eat lunch and look down on the Colorado River and Crystal Creek on the other side of the river.  As we continued toward Slate Creek the day started to darken and we could see some rain rolling in to the east.  Luckily we avoided the rain but the day was fairly cool after that.  As we made our way to Slate Creek we saw a couple bighorn sheep who were a few hundred yard above the trial.  We made our way into the Slate Creek drainage only to find there wasn't a creek.  There were a couple puddles we could use, but up the drainage there was a small trickle that eventually dissolved into the rock below. We pitched the tent a ways up the creek and then headed down the drainage to explore for the rest of the day.  The hike down the side canyon had a few tricky sections but was largely easy walking as there was no undergrowth.

Nice and clear on Day 2

Heading west on the Tonto

Some rain rolling in to the east of us

Fortunately we didn't get wet

Our campsite for the second night

Day three found us heading east to Hermit Creek.  We made our way back into Boucher Creek and then climbed out.  The traverse from Boucher to Hermit Creek was hillier than most of the Tonto as the cliffs above the Tonto Platform come closer to the river leaving less room to wind in and out of the drainages.  This section of trail has some great view looking down on the river.  After we made our way around the last knob, we wound our way into the Hermit Creek drainage.  We headed up the creek a little way and ate dinner then headed into the tent early as we planned to get out early to see the Portland Timbers semifinal game against Dallas. (The Timbers tied Dallas 2-2, winning the series 5-3 on aggregate.  The next weekend, Portland beat the Columbus Crew in the one game final, 2-1, leaving Portland as the MLS Cup Champions!)

Heading east the next morning

Looking across the Canyon to Crystal Creek

The River

We headed out early on the last day and planned to make breakfast after we had hiked for a while so we grabbed some snacks and took off under the moonlight.  We all had headlights on, but there was plenty on light from the moon to illuminate the trail.  For me, the nighttime is always special.  It reminds me of races that started or finished in the dark, descending into the Grand Canyon to run R2R2R, and just all the time we went hiking or backpacking and the darkness settle in around us.  I'll be back in Corvallis in a week and a half, so I'm looking forward to hiking around in the Coastal Range and having a fire while darkness settles in, before we drive back home.

Anyhow, we headed along the Tonto Trail and soon turned off and began the climb up the Hermit Trail.  Once we crested Cathedral Stairs, we stopped to eat breakfast.  After that we caught our last glimpse of the Colorado as we traversed along the eastern side on the Hermit Creek Canyon.  The trail rolled along and eventually headed up to a small plateau from which we began the last climb up to the rim.  We took a quick stop to grab food to eat on the go, and then climbed out of the Canyon.  All in all it was an awesome trip, especially having the parents along too.  That'll be the last trip to the Canyon this fall, but I'm looking forward to some more trips next spring, once school start up again.

An early start on Day 4

Looking back down on the Hermit Trail

Looking Back and Moving Ahead

The last few weeks I haven't been running all that much.  Largely this is because I took some time to reflect on the last year.  Overall it was a solid year of running but not quite what I had hoped for.  Reflecting on the year, I realized the biggest change I needed was to train a little more and race a bit less.  What I mean is that I raced Orcas Island in February, 5 weeks later ran the Georgia Death Race, 2 weeks after that ran Gorge Waterfalls, McDonald Forest followed 6 weeks later with a trip to Italy thrown in there, and Bighorn was 6 weeks after that.  Then I rushed back to running just a few days after Bighorn and soon found myself injured for the rest of the summer.
When I first looked at my spring schedule beginning last year it looked like a lot of fun with plenty of great races to keep me excited.  Honestly that wasn't the case.  The excitement seemed to spread out over all the races so there was no single race that I could barely fall asleep the night before.  And the performances were disappointing too.  I'm not saying I ran poorly, but I know that I definitely could have run faster at all those races.
What could I have done better?  Well that's what I pondered on several sun soaked hikes down in Sedona this fall.

We just scrambled around on a bunch of slick rock this trip.  We never really got that far from the car, but our red rock playground was plenty of fun for the day.

The first thing I decided to do was to take a break in the fall.  Not run much, not even run every day.  The goal was to get rested up and ready to go for next year.  Obviously my body fell apart after Bighorn, so I knew I needed to rest up and go into next year running strong.  Rest only goes so far though, but the timing of the rest this year is where I think I will find improvement over years past.  Really, scheduling of my running is the main change as I was very happy with my runs, just not the races.  This year, I'm taking some time off earlier that the past years.  I took November very easy this year, and hope to start to build up my running a slowly after we come out of the Grand Canyon next week.  Yep, my parent are flying down and we are spending Thanksgiving in the Canyon.   We won't be out in time for turkey, but we will definitely be ready for the Timbers match(second leg of the semi-final) at 3 on Sunday!  This change in schedule still gives me time to let my body recover but more importantly gives me more time to really run before my first race.  So, running more before the first race, where does that lead?  Well that was another question I pondered hiking around Sedona.

See that arch?  Well there's a trail leading to it.  Or you can opt for a bushwhack through thick manzanita.  Being the adventurous guys we are, Jacob and I opted for the bushwhack.  A quarter mile max, 45 minutes.

Actually, we were really happy to find the trail, but felt pretty dumb we missed it on the way out.

Running a bit more before my first race gives me more time to get into shape for the year ahead.  Races take a lot out of me because I run as hard as I can.  I run hard outside of races too, but no where close to as long, which is why races really take it out of me.  Then after races, I have to take some time to recover and be prepared to run again.  I've realized that my best performances always come at the end of the year, which makes sense because I'm continually improving.  Obviously I can't run hard nonstop year round or I'll do my body in pretty quickly.  Not sure why, look up Overtraining Syndrome.

So my plan for next year is to start running earlier, largely just easy runs, so I'm more prepared and will reach 'end of the season' shape earlier.  I have run a few races that I have that were truly special and each one of these were at the end of the year (August or September).  Thinking about reaching that kind of shape, when everyday running always feels easy and I race well, makes me very excited to see what I can do if I find myself at that level earlier in the year.  Now starting running earlier may help some, but the main part of my plan is to race less.

Racing less gives me more time to improve between races instead of rushing from one to the next.  This year I felt like I was mostly ready for all my races.  I'd enter a race feeling mostly prepared, but thinking that I would be able to be all the way ready for my next race.  That never happened.  Races just take too much out of me.  I need to take a few day to recover, then start some easier running and get back to normal in about a week or two (a bit longer for the longer races).  The lost time recovering then resting up for the next race really minimizes training, especially when the races are close together.  Even a few weeks between races might yield only one week of actual training.  Putting extra time between races will allow me to improve faster throughout the year and starting with a higher level of fitness really has me excited for next year.  Also, this doesn't really increase the risk of Overtraining Syndrome as the extra running will be about on par with the really hard race efforts they will be replacing.  The other benefit of racing less, is I'll be more excited for races.  I'll be better prepared which boosts excitement and there will be fewer so I'll really be ready to go.  Right now, I'm already starting to feel the excitement, I just have to keep it contained for while.  This mostly sums up my plans for next year, but after looking at these changes, I looked for anything else I could improve.

We hiked up to Wilson Mountain.  A little bit of snow, but it had mostly melted making the trail muddy.

That's a tarantula

Yesterday's arch is in the middle of this picture

This hike started out cold, but lead to some sweet new trails.

Food.  That was the last thing I could improve.  I usually eat pretty healthy, but I though that there was room for improvement.  After all, food is my fuel and I would put crappy gas in a car so I should put crappy fuel in myself.  I didn't really know where to start.  There was a section in my health book on nutrition, but that seemed like a big change from what I ate and I've been running well so I didn't want to mess things up.  So I asked Joe Uhan for advice.  Joe is a strong believer in a high fat diet, which was similar to how I have eaten over the last few year.  Now, I'm strongly committed as its nice to see science backing up what I'm doing.  In short if you eat fat, you burn fat.  If you eat carbs(sugar) you burn carbs(sugar).  There a lot more fat in your body that sugar stores so fat is a far better fuel for the long run.  To get a more detailed analysis of this go here.  The high fat diet doesn't just benefit long distance runner so it an option for everyone.  Anyhow, that's what I'm doing to be a better runner for next year.  Here's the last couple weekends:

Snow on the south rim

Sundown

Whoops.  About those down coats... 

Climbing out

A parting shot of the Canyon

Sedona

The wind was really whipping up here

When I'm not running a lot, I try to remove myself from the sport so I make the decisions that are right for me, not a poor decision based on what other are doing.  Because of this, I've been a little lackadaisical updating my blog.  Sorry about that.  The winter should have a bit more running action and hopefully lot of stuff during and exciting spring and summer.