Fourth of July Weekend

As has been our tradition for the last few years, my family went backpacking by the three sisters over 4th of July weekend.  We hiked in Saturday morning and pitched our tent part way up South Sister on top of a ridge a little ways from the trail.  That afternoon we hiked across a snow field and caught up with the trail on our way to the top of South Sister.  We had a fairly clear day, but unfortunately the clouds blew in and were thick on top of South Sister so we never had much of a view.  By the time we made it back to the tent it had cleared off, so we were a little disappointed not to have had a view from the summit.

Sunday we descended down some snowfields to Green Lakes.  We roughly followed the trail from Green Lakes to South Sister, but since the trail was under snow, we mostly just headed straight down the snowfield.  From Green Lakes we followed the climbers trail up to Broken Top.  This year we scrambled up to the top which involved a short little bit of climbing (that's why we stopped short last year).  The climb isn't too hard, but if you fall, it wouldn't be good.  We enjoyed the view from Broken Top before heading back down to Green Lakes and slogging back up the snowfields to our tent.

Monday was our last day so we packed up the tent and headed back down to Devil's Lake Trailhead.  It didn't take too long to get out and we were happy not to have to deal with many mosquitoes.

Here's some picture from our trip...

Moraine Lake with South Sister behind

Dad with Mt. Bachelor in the background

Mt. Bachelor as the clouds roll in

Looking toward Broken Top from South Sister

Starting the descent off South Sister

Descending down to Green Lakes the next morning

Indian Paintbrush

Climbing out of Green Lakes toward Broken Top

Middle and North Sister

Looking down the ridge toward South Sister

The end of the Tam MacArthur Rim

Dad and Jacob with the Three Sister in the background

Mt. Bachelor from Broken Top

Green Lakes

Broken Top behind Green Lakes

Broken Top

Climbing back up the snowfield toward the tent

Descending back to the car on Monday with Mt. Bachelor on the horizon

Western States 100

Before I get talking about my run on Saturday, I want to say thanks to all the people who helped me along my way and offered kind words after the run.  Without you guys, I'd never be able to accomplish what I did.

Saturday I woke up at 3:15, got dressed and soon was in the car heading to Squaw Valley.  I was staying at friend's house about 25 minute away so I ate breakfast in the car to save some time in the morning.  After I checkin I ran into a few runners I knew, but mostly sat around with my family waiting for it all to begin.  With just a couple minutes left on the clock, I gave my parents each a hug, then lined up near the front of the pack.  In just a few moments we counted down the last 10 seconds and then headed up the hill, all hoping to make it Auburn, 100 miles away.

As we ran up in the morning cool, the pace felt comfortable and I felt good, so I was excited for the day ahead.  I ran near the front of the pack for the first half the climb, but then more people started to catch up so I crested the climb around 10th place.  I felt comfortable so I focused on moving efficiently and didn't worry about what other runners were doing.  I switched spots with a few runners as we moved along, but mostly hovered around 10th.  Early on I wasn't thirsty at all, I didn't even bother to stop at Lyon Ridge to fill my bottle as I had hardly drank anything.  I knew hydration would be important in the heat, but over hydration can be a huge problem so I trusted my body and only drank to thirst.

I kept rolling along in the high country soaking up the views and wondering which of the climbs I should hike and which to walk.  I was mostly hiking early on, but after Red Star Ridge, I realized that running the climbs was no problem, so I started running more and soon was passing a few people.  I rolled into Duncan Canyon, saw my crew for the first time, and was out quickly on my way.

I left the aid station feeling good, despite the ice bandana that was absolutely freezing, so I picked up the pace a little bit and ran strong to Robinson Flat.  The trail crossed a few creeks on the way over to Robinson Flat, so I made sure to soak myself in each creek, heeding the advice of Pam Smith who told me to get wet whenever I could, even if the water was disgusting.

I ran into Robinson Flat feeling strong and in good spirits.  I saw the other half of my crew, and was quickly out of the aid station and climbing up Little Bald Mountain.  The downhill on the backside opened up to some beautiful views as I cruised along.  Soon the trail leveled out turning into a jeep road.  I was expecting the downhill from Robinson Flat to be steeper but I accepted what it was and kept running.  Some of you may know that flat running is not my strength, but I was happy with how well I ran on that section.

I soon ran through Miller's Defeat, got some ice, refilled my bottle and was on my way.  The trail continued to roll along on dirt roads which gradually got steeper as I approached Dusty Corners.  I was in and out of Dusty Corners quickly with the help of my crew, but don't really remember too much about that section.  Honestly, almost all the way from Robinson Flat to Last Chance was kind of vague.  I was still feeling good in this section, so I was trying to keep soaking up the views and not think too much about running.

Dusty Corners to Last Chance put us back on some trails which rolled along slowly losing some elevation.  At this point I was starting to get tired of all the easy running, but I reminded myself that just a few miles off I'd enter the canyons which offered some steep climbs and descents.  I focused on running to Last Chance.  This was the first time I really focused on running aid station to aid station, but it was a theme that would continue throughout the day.

The descent from Last Chance was steep with a few rocks, but never too bad so I was able to run pretty fast for the whole descent.  I knew the canyons would be my strongest section on the course so after a strong downhill I focused on making good time up to Devil's Thumb.  I found myself power hiking early on in the climb, but soon the trail started to level and I mostly ran up to the aid station after that, only hiking on brief steep pitches.

Up till Last Chance I was just running along and enjoying the views, but once I headed down to the Swinging Bridge and back up to Devil's Thumb, my mentality started to switch.  I knew I was in 6th place at the time so I finally started thinking about other runners.  I ran pretty well from Robinson Flat to Last Chance, but really started to move on my way over to Devil's Thumb so somewhere on the climb I had a feeling that I might reel someone in.  And just few minutes before the top I saw David Laney hiking along.  I dropped into a walk behind him then ran past as the trail leveled off.  We didn't say much but I could tell David was struggling a bit so I moved by and continued to focus on myself.

I ran into Devil's Thumb aid station and saw Joe Uhan, a good friend from Oregon, working there.  We exchanged a few words then I headed out of the aid station quickly.  I rolled along a mile of trail before dropping down to El Dorado Creek.  The descent still felt easy, so I focused on my nutrition as I headed down the trail as I knew that I put in a pretty hard effort on the climb to Devil's Thumb and would repeat that effort going up to Michigan Bluff.  I had been eating a gel every 45 minutes earlier on, but this is where I switched to eating every 30-40 minutes.  Just before El Dorado Creek I caught sight of Thomas Lorblanchet and made sure I passed him before the aid station.  I rolled into the aid station and caught sight of Didrik Hermansen leaving so I was in and out of the aid station as quickly as I could.

I hiked the first bit of the climb up to Michigan Bluff, then switched to a run and soon saw Didrik ahead of me.  I ran past him and kept climbing hard and soon he was out of sight.  I looked back on a few switchbacks, but was feeling strong so I was pretty sure he wasn't keeping up.  The climb up to Michigan Bluff went well, but I felt a little tired toward the top.  I had eaten my last gel nearly 45 minutes earlier, so I backed off the pace a little and made sure to fuel up when I reached Michigan Bluff.

I rolled into Michigan Bluff and was soon on my way with the help of my crew.  I headed out of the aid station and ran well on the rolling sections that followed until the road turned uphill and the grade steepened.  I knew I was a bit low on calories, and starting to feel the fatigue setting in, but I kept running up the hill, knowing I could quickly fix the calorie deficit.  I turned off onto the trail and started down into Volcano Canyon.  I ran the descent pretty well and was starting to wonder how far ahead Sage and Jim were.  There descent went by quickly, but I was starting to heat up and was hoping to find a creek in the bottom of the drainage.

After dunking in the creek I began the climb out of Volcano Canyon and ran up toward Bath Road.  I felt better than I had a few miles earlier, and did a good job of running up to Bath Road.  After reaching Bath Road, I knew I'd see my crew soon and pacer soon so that gave me a good mental boost.  Shortly after starting the climb I ran into my brother who was going to pace me from Foresthill to the River.  The climb seemed less steep than I remembered from two years earlier when I paced Jason Leman which was a nice surprise.

I saw my crew just before the Foresthill aid station so I grabbed a new bottle and some gels and ran right through the aid station.  Somewhere in the confusion, I saw my friend Dennis with Pam Smith standing next to him.  It was pretty awesome to see them there!  Dennis was racing that day, so I felt sorry that something went wrong.  But seeing him and knowing he came to see me after a tough day was really special and kept me inspired for the miles ahead.

My brother caught up to me at the end of Cal Street, as he had stopped at the aid station to fill his bottle, and we headed down the trail together.  We moved along pretty well down to Cal 1 and the going was still pretty easy for me at that point.  We filled up at Cal 1 and headed along to Cal 2.

Somewhere in this section, things started to heat up and the endless winding trail started to take its toll.  I never had to walk anything I wouldn't have normally walked, but I could tell that I wasn't moving very well.  I kept going and finally we started to near Cal 2.  I recognized a couple places from 2 years ago and soon we rolled into Cal 2.  I got some ice filled my bottle, and just as I was leaving Didrik Hermansen rolled in behind me.

I took off.  That was the first time someone had come from behind me all day so I started flying down the descent to Cal 3.  I never saw Didrik when I looked back up the switchbacks but I kept pushing.  Soon I hit short steep section of dirt road that lead up toward Cal 3.  I felt strong hiking up this section so I figured a had a short gap on Didrik.  I was in and out of Cal 3 quickly and didn't see anyone come in behind me so I knew I had run the last couple miles well.

After Cal 3, we stayed on trail much longer than I remembered.  I thought that we hit the river road right away so I was thankful for every extra mile of trail.  I felt that I still moving well in that section and soon I was about halfway to the river.  Shortly after a creek crossing I asked my brother if he had seen anyone behind.  He said yeah, he's right behind us.

That was a shock!  I thought I was pulling away but he was right on my heels.  I was a little startled for a few minutes, but then I calmed down and realized there was still a long way to go.  I was running better on the hills than Didrik so I planned to build a gap heading up to Green Gate and if he still stuck with me, then I'd try to pull away climbing up to Highway 49 or Robie Point.

Soon we hit the river road and I focused on getting taking care of myself.  The road was hot but never too bad and I slowly pulled in front.  Shortly after we hit the road there was a short little climb that I tried to pull away on.  I opened a small gap which I had hoped to have coming into the aid station and the river crossing.  I knew if I had a small lead going into the climb I should be able to get out of sight which hopefully would demoralize Didrik.

Rolling into the River crossing I saw Joe Uhan waiting there with a yellow 11 bib on, he'd be pacing Didrik.  We just looked at each other for a second then I was passed him and had reached my crew.  A quick stop and I took off down to the river with my pacer Cary Stephens who would take me to the line.

We jumped in the river and started making our way across.  The cool water felt great and I took a few seconds on the far side to stick me head under water before we began the climb.  Hopping out on the far bank my legs felt refreshed and we started climbing quickly up toward Green Gate.  Didrik wasn't in the water yet when I left the river so I knew I'd have a lead of a couple minutes.

I hit Green Gate and then began rolling along on the winding single track to ALT.  I was a little worried I might give up some time along this section so I made sure that my pacer kept me from getting into a lull and running slow.

Once I hit ALT, I heard the Jim was still way ahead, but I had gained some ground since the river.  I knew I wasn't going to catch him unless something happened or he totally blew up.  Still, it was nice to know I was gaining ground and that gave me confidence I could hang onto second.

ALT to Brown's Bar was similar to the last section as the trail slowly rolled along. I'd lead on some of the steeper ups and fast downhills, but Cary usually stayed in front and kept me going.  I was moving a bit slower than I had hoped, but I was able to keep a reasonable pace which would make it difficult for anyone behind me to catch up.

Brown's Bar went by and soon I was starting to climb up to Highway 49.  The road rolled along and shortly after we turned off onto a trail and continued the climb.  I was getting tired at that point, but was still running well on the uphills so I was happy with the temporary break from flat running.  The trail started to level out as I neared the top of the climb and soon I caught sight of the aid station.

As I ran into the aid station I was asked if the course marking was alright.  I said yes and didn't think anything of it.  Maybe they just wanted to be sure.  Then I saw my crew and they were yelling at me that I was in the lead because Jim had missed a turn.  I quickly got my bottle and gels and headed out but I listened enough to know that Jim was still off course and I was in the lead with 6.5 miles to go.

I took off on the climb up to the meadow and quickly dropped my pacer.  I was feeling great.  Adrenaline is truly the body's equivalent of rocket fuel, but it doesn't last long and as I hit the meadow I felt my the added energy wane.  I knew I needed to keep running fast, but I also focused on eating and drinking like I had all day because there was still a few miles to go.  The descent to No Hands Bridge was longer than I thought but I kept moving and soon I came within sight of the bridge.  I ran down the last switchback and headed across the bridge.  People were telling me I was surely going to win but I wasn't going to back off yet.

I ran up the road from No Hands, moving well and soon found myself climbing up the trail which lead to Robie Point.  The whole time I was running along the road, I kept waiting to hear cheers, but they never came so I was starting to believe that I really would win.  The climb was a little bit of a grind but I told myself to run it all and soon was in sight of Robie Point.  Then I heard the cheering begin and soon was running along a paved road lined with people.

The last mile was pretty special.  I've never seen so many people at an ultra, so I kept moving but made sure I was soaking it all up.  I spend nearly a mile with Connor Curley, my contact at Salomon, on the trip through town and a quarter mile or so with my pacer.  He managed to get a ride from No Hands Bridge which made me happy because it would have been disappointing for him to miss the finish.

And then I hit the track.  People lined the inside and I held out my hand to high five everyone as I rounded the last corner and came down the homestretch.  I crossed the line, Craig put my medal around my neck and that was the end of the run.

After the race I got to enjoy the rest of the day with my family, pacer, and everyone else around.  It took me a while to start to understand what I accomplished and I still think I'm struggling to fully realize what I did.

One thing I know for sure is that it wouldn't have happened without a lot of help.  My crew and pacers did an amazing job out there, and the countless volunteers made it possible for the race even to happen.  The people of Auburn made the experience one of the greatest I will ever have with their unbelievable support and excitement over the last mile.  Also, I need to thank Salomon for providing me such great gear to use throughout the day.  Additionally, Injinji provided great socks which kept me feet happy and blister free.  There are countless others who I need to thank but I really want to say thanks to all my friends back home in Oregon for providing so much positive support over the years.  Without all those kind words, I might not even be running today.

Western States was truly a special event, in large part because the great community that puts on the race.  It will always have a special place in my heart and I look forward to returning next year.

Also, I want to congratulate all the other runners, but especially Jim Walmsley.  He ran and incredible race and was unfortunate to get off course so close to the finish.  His run was incredible, but his actions after the race were even greater.  Jim took the whole ordeal in stride showing how special a person he is.  Although he didn't win, he is a true champion.

Thanks again to everyone!  I've received countless kind words and am thankful for all the time people have taken to reach out and share their support.  See you all on the trail soon.

New Hance Rapids

Its taken me a while to get this up, but two weekends ago, Jacob and I headed down the Grandview trail, then followed the Tonto to New Hance Rapids.  As always the scenery was incredible and a few flowers blooming made the view even better.  Only a week after the Georgia Death Race, this was a totally experience as I had time to slow down, take in the view, and stop to snack.  The whole trip put me in a rather reflective mood, so I'll share some of the thoughts I pondered.

Indian Paintbrush in bloom

The Tonto Trail

Looking out across the Tonto Platform

Some cactus in bloom

As we made our way down to the river, we stopped a few time to look at flowers, take some picture, and just appreciate the view.  After racing just a week earlier, I was thankful for the chances to stop as there were times the previous weekend when I wished I could slow down and explore a little instead of pushing on.  This got me thinking about running as a whole...specifically what I loved the most.  

Initially I got into running because I enjoyed joining my mom for runs in the woods and loved our hiking and backpacking trips which took us across many beautiful places.  Reflecting on that, I realized the spending time with my family and enjoying the scenery were a couple main reasons why I run.  And these thoughts were more in line with the current trip in the Grand Canyon which offered a chance to soak up the beauty around me and spend some time with my brother than the Georgia Death Race.  So does this mean I don't like to race as much?

Well, I realized I don't like to race as frequently.  Over the last few years I found myself running more and more, and racing more and more.  This seemed like the natural progression but I've realized I had lost a little bit of the excitement those last couple years.  Races kept coming up and I wanted to run them all, it just felt like I didn't have time to get excited for them.  Looking specifically at the Georgia Death Race, I asked myself if I was excited?  Yes!  I hadn't raced since Bighorn in June so getting to race again was an awesome experience for me.  I was excited to run, excited to see how far I could push myself, excited for the whole experience.  Over our trip in the Grand Canyon, I realized I love to push myself as far as I can.  For me, this is the true thrill of racing.  But I realized that it takes a huge physical and mental effort to push hard during a race, and that I can only give that effort once in a while.

So do I like to race as much as simply enjoy the outdoors?  Yes, but spending time enjoying the outdoors will probably be a bigger part of my running over the years to come.  I love exploring new places and soaking up great views which is something I strive to do as often as I can.  If fact, I'm blessed to have the change to soak up a beautiful view every day here in Flagstaff, Arizona.  But racing is still important to me as many of my best memories are from racing.  So with racing, I'm simply trying to find the balance where I get to race, but feel fully prepared and excited to run.  Over the years, I have said my running is much more than just racing.  I find that statement to be more true now than ever before.  And I that finding the balance between exploring and racing has made me a happier person.

Running down to New Hance Rapids

The River

Some rapids upstream of New Hance Rapids

You can't quite appreciate the river's power until right next to it

Exploring a neat side canyon 

After reflecting on adventuring versus racing, I was capture but the thrill of the Western States 100.  I can't quite express what it means for me to be heading to California in June.  The race is the most storied ultra on Earth, and is known to all in the ultra community.  Its the proving ground for ultra runners, where they can see how they stack up against each other.  So to get a chance to see how I can do against the best of the best is a huge thrill.  Racing is about pushing myself as far as I can, but I'm competitive too, so I'll be aiming high when I head to Squaw Valley.  I'm thrilled about getting to run the race, but I'm even happier at the excitement I'm finding in my running.  Some days, I can hardly wait till June.  It will be an awesome day when race day comes.

Climbing out the next morning

Those Cottonwood trees are just so green

More cactus blooms

The Georgia Death Race

At 6:45 I woke to the familiar beep of my Suunto.  I had slept well that night with no trouble falling asleep, and as I got out of bed I was excited of the day ahead.  Mom fried up a couple eggs for breakfast which I enjoyed with an avocado.  We were staying in a cabin at Vogel State Park where the race started, so it was only a short walk to check-in in the morning and to pick up our railroad spike, which we all carried along the run.  I headed to the start line a few minutes before 8, just in time to hear Sean "Run Bum" Blanton's pre-race speech before we took off into the hills.  I wasn't sure what to expect from the race as I hadn't raced since Bighorn in June, but race morning found me calm and confident.

An easy walk the day before

The pace was pretty comfortable on the initial one mile climb and couple mile descent that followed. Once we hit the long climb up to Coosa Bald, we started to pick up the pace a little and ended up climbing pretty hard all the way to the top.  As we started the climb, Michael Owen, Brian Rusiecki, and I started to pull away from the field and by the top of the climb it was just Brian and I with Michael perhaps a minute behind.  After cresting Coosa, I started rolling on the downhill and quickly pulled away from Brian.

As I made my way down the Duncan Ridge trail, I focused on running fast on the downhills, and staying efficient on the climbs, whether this be running or hiking.  I moved well for the first 20 miles of the race and soon turned down the short out and back section to Skeenah Gap.  The trail descended around 800 feet in 1.25 miles which went by fast on the descent but was a little slower coming back up.  I started passing runners on the way back up and figured that Caleb Denton was about 6 minutes back and Michael Owen and Brian Rusiecki were about 11 minutes back.  This was a pretty solid lead at that point, but I focused on running the climb well and trying to put on a little more time before I reached Point Bravo at mile 28.  Ultimately, I race to see how well I can do, but I'm a competitive guy so I knew that I needed to build a lead on the Duncan Ridge if I wanted to win the race.

I went through the Point Bravo aid station pretty fast with the help of my stellar crew and soon was alone again on the trails.  Only a minute after I left Point Bravo I thought I heard cheering.  Coming into Point Bravo was one of two small mental lows, so in the back of my mind I think I was worried about losing time to the field.  Anyhow, this gave me a good boost and I ended up climbing strong over Tooni Mountain and descended quickly down to the Swinging Bridge.

At this point, I was pretty sure that whatever cheering I heard wasn't for another runner.  Still, I focused on climbing strong over the next few miles, knowing the more runnable sections of gravel road later on would be tough to maintain a lead on.  The next 4 or 5 miles of trail climbed up along a ridge, occasionally rolling down the backside of a knob before continuing the ascent.

I rolled into the next aid station feeling much stronger than at Point Bravo and tried to make my stay as short as possible.  To this point I'd been drinking exclusively water, but I ended up filling up with Gatorade at the aid station.  This ended up being a good move as I drank perhaps 5-6 bottles of gatorade the rest of the day.

The next section of trail was largely rolling so I knew I needed so stay focused and run strong.  This section went fairly well as I moved along at a good pace and managed to sort out my electrolytes.  I got behind a little early on, which is why the gatorade tasted so good, so I really focused on taking care on myself during this section.  The section rolled along and soon I reached the big meadow where we turned off on the Benton Mackaye Trail and headed onto gravel roads.  There was short steeper descent down from the meadow for a half mile, so I pushed hard on this section know there would be many places for me to pick up time for a while.

I rolled into the next aid station filled up with some gatorade and took off onto 5 miles or gravel road.  The road rolled along winding across the hillside and I made fairly good time.  I was happy how well I was running, knowing this would be one of my weakest sections.  I also focused on getting my electrolytes dialed in as I still could feel I didn't have the right balance.  I figured I was low on electrolytes, but I didn't want to make the mistake of getting too much.  To make sure I actually need salt, I bit and S-cap in half and sucked on in with some water.  It was salty, but the salt tasted good so I soon washed it down with some gatorade.  I kept rolling along and made sure that I ate one more gel before the aid station.  A couple times earlier, I felt a little low on energy, but eating a gel soon helped so I knew I need to keep eating and have a steady supply of energy.  Soon I rolled into Winding Stair Gap, met my crew, and headed out.

I wasn't feeling great at this point, but I tried to run hard down the initial road descent to give me some confidence.  This section went well for little while, but soon the road began to level off and we turned onto some rolling trail.  This was the second section of the race that I had a mental low, but managed to keep pushing down to the Jake Bull aid station.  I moved through Jake Bull fairly quickly and soon was on the last 18 mile stretch to the finish.

Starting down the East Ridge Trail

At this point, I finally started to feel the finish.  I was hoping to feel the pull after leaving Winding Stair but that section was a struggle.  I continued on some rolling trail, but was running everything strong now and soon popped out on a gravel road.  This turned onto the one significant section of paved road on the course which rolled along for 3 miles.  I made good time here and continued to run strong on the rolling gravel road that followed.  I knew Run Bum had said that the actual climb up to the last aid station was 3 miles long, so I waited until I was sure I was climbing before I allowed myself to think I was 3 miles from the aid station.  The climb was a long grind, but all runnable, so I ran.  I remembered this section from coming down it last year(reverse route), but didn't really know any landmarks.  Eventually I reached the aid station after a solid climb and made my way out as fast as I could.

From here we climbed up an old road which soon leveled off.  I felt strong on this climb and made sure to force down one more gel before I started the descent.  The road soon leveled off and there began to descend.  As I continued along, the road became progressively more maintained, but I felt confident I was running strong enough that anyone behind me would have trouble catching up.  As the road continued I focused on just making it to the lodge at Amicalola and then worrying about the last few miles.  The course turned off the road and I followed the marking along a trail that led up to the lodge and the top of the east ridge trail.

Starting the last climb

Climbing up the stairs along Amicalola Falls

I saw Dad and Jacob here and they gave me a cheer as I went by which gave me a pretty big boost.  I headed down the east ridge trail and soon was at the bottom.  Mom was waiting here and gave me some encouragement as I began the climb back up Amicalola Falls.  I knew there first half was a paved path so I committed to running all of this section.  I passed a few people out for the day, but maintained my focus on pushing hard on up the switchbacks.  Then I hit the step and it was time to hike.  I took them on two at a time and made my way up pretty quickly.  The steps were going well until about halfway up and then I started to feel tired.  Still, I knew I was only a couple hundred vertical feet from the top, so I put my head down and powered up the last few flights.  Dad and Jacob were here and gave me a cheer as I went by.  Then I ran down the road for a quarter mile and turned off onto the west ridge trail.  The trail was little technical but not too bad so I ran down this section pretty well.  At this point I knew the race was almost done so I was starting so soak up the day and enjoy the last few minutes.  Soon the trail came down along the creek, and I could see the finish.  I splashed through the creek (using the bridge was deemed to easy by Run Bum) and was done.

A mile from the finish

No need for a bridge

Soaking it all, beneath a beautiful sunset

As always, I owe a huge thank you to my family for crewing for me and to all the volunteers who made the day possible.  Additionally, thanks to all the people who wished me the best and were cheering for me on race day.  Also, a big thanks to Salomon for providing me with great gear to run in, and to Injinji for great socks that kept my feet happy all day long.

The men's podium

The recovery begins!

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