Pyramid Peak and the Scatter-brained Hiker

My friend B-dub and I decided to hike Pyramid Peak in Desolation Wilderness one fine Sunday afternoon in August, 2013.  Pyramid Peak is the highest peak in Desolation and stands at 9,983 ft.  We hit the trailhead from Lyons Creek parking lot just off Wright's Road.  It was a 5 mile windy drive off the main highway and out of cell phone range; but with ample free parking.

Just a quick day hike was the agenda and B-dub and I made it happen.  The first five miles are a breeze paralleling Lyon Creek, passing the turn-off to Lyons Lake; we made short work of that section of trail.  After a short break at Lake Sylvia, we started the most difficult part of the climb, a scramble over massive rocks up a steep slope followed by more loose shale and steep inclines.  That continued for a good mile or mile and a half until we reached the shoulder of Pyramid Peak.  Amazingly there was still snow in the shadow of Pyramid Peak even though we were in the latter half of the Summer.  After a quick re-group with B-dub, we put the final section behind us and enjoyed lunch and vast views at the summit.

Pyramid Peak from the final approaches - Snow in August still!

"This hike is a piece of cake, what could possibly go wrong?"  Aloha Lakes in the background.

We made quick work of the descent, stopping once so I could get our a portable radio about 20 mins from the Summit.  Back at Lyon's Lake, we stopped again for a quick snack.  A few minutes out of Lyon's, B-dub realized he forgot his sunglasses; I waited while he ran back to Lyon's and grabbed them.  Every hike has a little wrinkle ... unfortunately for us there was another much more painful wrinkle waiting to rear its head.

"I am all that is Man!"

We made it back to my car in the late afternoon; awesome hike.  Celebratory high fives were exchanged and the feeling of completion and accomplishment started to sunk in.  Until ...  I rummaged through my day pack and didn't find the green dry bag that contained my keys and wallet.  Rummaging frantically now, I asked B-dub if he is messing with me; did he snag the bag at one of our stops on the way down?  He didn't have it; and of course he thought that I was messing with him.  A sick feeling came over me as I pulled everything out of my bag and clearly the most important items (the keys!) were missing.

Time to make a new plan.  We had our phones but no service, not that there was anyone who we could call who could solve the issue of me not having the keys easily.  Tow truck services were probably an hour away even if we could call and my spare key was just as far away; getting service would be a few miles walk down the road.  We were out of water and food.  We both just hiked 13 miles and covered about 4,000 vertical feet; we were just a bit tired!  It was 4:30 PM on Sunday; we would have light until about 8 PM.  We both worked on Monday morning; B-Dub started at 7 AM.  I thought that certainly left the bag with the keys at Lake Sylvia, 5 miles back up the trail.  A decision had to be made.

This situation called for one thing - a Feat of Strength!  I decided I would run the 5 miles and 1200 vertical feet up the trail and retrieve the keys.  B-dub insisted that he come too although I wanted him to stay.  Off we went, leaving our packs hidden under some scrubby bushes near the useless vehicle.  Fueled by fear and wanting to atone for my mistake, I made fairly quick work of the trail.  As B-dub begain to lag behind I told him to take his time; there was no way he would be able to match my stamina with the motivation I had harnessed.

I passed a couple hikers smartly leaving the wilderness at this time of night.  They certainly were confused at why I was running in my hiking boots and heading up the trail as we started to get into the late evening.  I asked them if they had seen the bag I sought.  Nobody saw anything.  Miles 4 and 5 were a real slog as the trail steepened; I slowed my pace.  Finally, I arrived up at Lyon's Lake; surely I would find the keys.  I looked around hastily trying to remember exactly where B-dub and I had stopped 3 hours prior.  Nothing.  Nadda.  Disaster.  I talked to hiking group (older couple and I presume their 30's something daughter) we passed on the way down who were camping at Lake Sylvia.  I will call these people The Onlookers.  They saw nothing.  They offered me water and I sucked directly out of their Camelbak because I was ridiculously thirsty.  Party foul on my part but ...  I was parched and not really thinking very clearly!

Ok, new plan.  B-dub was probably a mile behind me and twilight was upon us.  We had to get out of the woods (literally) and into cell service range to get a ride.  I turned back around and started on the section of the trail for the 4th time that day; shortly I met B-dub who also couldn't believe that the keys weren't recovered.  Mentally, we were fragile.  Not quite yet broken but on edge.  The helplessness of the situation continued to sink in.  We were racing daylight now; we walked quickly and regained our mental composure.  Soon we ran; we made good time going downhill.

Back to the car, we quickly retrieved our bags as we heard a car slowly approaching from up the road.  B-dub flagged them down and explained our precarious situation.  The couple in the white truck with camper were really nice and offered to give us a ride down to the main road so we would be able to make a phone call and get help.  We pulled ourselves into the cramped extended cab, happy to be off our feet.  I would have been happy on the dirt floor of a prison in Mexico; I was that exhausted.  Terry, the driver, must have seen the hopelessness on our faces; we told him that we live in Folsom.  Since they were heading right past Folsom on their way to Sacramento, he offered to drop us off.  Wow, awesome guy.  Gladly we accepted their offer and slugged out the long ride home crammed behind Terry, his wife, and young daughter or granddaughter.  Terry was a chatter box and all I wanted to do was drink water and go comatose in the back.  Luckily B-dub humored Terry with some light conversation as I tried to ignore my stomach which was tied in knots and my painful physical exhaustion.  Finally, we reached Folsom and the valet service right to my door.  I really hope good karma has found Terry and his family because he saved our day.

The next day, Monday, I made a bunch of calls to the ranger district and Tahoe Police to see if any identification or keys had been turned in.  No luck; it was a longshot anyway.  I kept having this lingering thought that maybe I forgot to put the bag with keys and wallet back into my pack at the first stop down from the Summit, higher than Sylvia Lake.  Maybe it would be worth checking since there really isn't a trail up there as it was more of a scramble and there certainly wouldn't be many hikers on a Monday.  I still had to retrieve my car anyway (I had the spare key now), but my body was exhausted.  I prepared for the Pyramid Peak Feat of Strength Part II!

I was set on making another retrieval run.  After work, B-dub dropped me off at my car at 5 PM.  Equipped with running shoes, a hydration pack and sheer determination, I once again started the run up the hill, again fighting daylight.  I made quick work of the trail and reached Lake Sylvia in just over an hour.  I talked to The Onlookers.  They searched around the lake but didn't find any trace of my missing bag.  Onward I continued.  Up the complicated scramble I went higher up towards Pyramid Peak.  I looked back and noticed The Onlookers watching me eagerly.  I disappeared over the shoulder of the ridge and continued upward, hiking briskly and sucking air as running was not possible on this incline and altitude.  Then, a sight for sore eyes -- there is was sitting unassumingly near a scrub pine perfectly propped up.  It was my green dry bag with keys, wallet, first aid, etc which I'd left 30 hours earlier when unnecessarily retrieving a radio out of my pack.  It was a very happy reunion, we embraced and I think one of us cried.  :)

With 2 of the 3 onlookers and their dog at Lake Sylvia; celebrating the unexpected recovery.

Riding an emotional high, I zoomed down the hill in record speed to Sylvia where The Onlookers were amazed that I had retrieved the bag (and that I was still physically able to stand after the last 36 hours of activity).  They snapped a photo and actually sent it to me on FB later (shown above).  I zoomed down from Lake Sylvia to my beloved Acura TL and she fired right up.  35 miles and 7000 vertical feet after I started, the hike was finally over.  Pyramid Peak was conquered, almost twice!

More pictures on my Google Photos account (Picasa).  Be careful who you trust the car keys to!

I'm happy the way things turned out the way they did.  I was tested physically and mentally perhaps more than I'd ever been before.  What would you have done once you'd realized back at the car that your keys were somewhere on the trail?

Moab and Arches - some of Utah's Finest - Fall 2012

From previous escapades, I was well aware that Southern Utah was one of my favorite places on the West Coast for adventure.  Then came Moab!  What a great spot to be outdoors.

Typical Moab View - soak it in.

Some of the usual suspects gathered Gene, Mark, and I.  I flew into SLC to meet Mark; we drove to Moab from there.  Gene made the long solo drive from LA, managed to blow out a tire and won back some casino money lost on our prior Zion trip at the desert lovely oasis called Mesquite.

We planned for a late Fall trip, in mid-October and that was a really good time to be in Moab.  Sure, the days were shorter than August but the weather was warm enough during the daytime and cooled off at night.  The crowds were minimal too; I hear that in the peak Summer season, Moab is a zoo.  I was grateful for the affordable lodging, meaning we didn't have to camp.

Evening 1: We played some disc golf at Old City Park just South of Moab.  I'd rate it a 4 out of 5.  I nearly threw my first hole in one on my first throw on hole 1 - so close!  It was Gene's first disc golf outing and he made considerable improvement throughout.  It was a fun course, challenging but still plenty of birdie opportunities.

Day 1: The first day was all about exploring on two wheels.  I rented a bike from Poison Spider Cycles (sweet name, good service!); Gene and Mark already had their mountain bikes in tow.  We headed out to the Moab Slickrock area.  I highly recommend this for some mildly technical to extremely technical mountain biking.  The risks are high as the trails are solid rock and there are ups, downs, curves, and bumps.

Gene, Mark, and I did the practice loop to get acclimated then headed out to the main loop.  A mile or two into the main loop, we came across an older gentleman who took a hard spill down a steep, technical descent.  Mark, who is a doctor, helped out but really there wasn't much that could be done except make sure to stabilize his back and neck neck, check for broken bones, and distribute pain meds (Mark's specialty).  With that fresh reminder of the perils of mountain biking, we continued along; another mile or so into the trail, after some leg crushing climbs, we came to some stunning views overlooking the Colorado River and the town of Moab.  Some nice descents followed by more minor ascents kept us moving along.  I was sucking wind trying to keep up with Gene while Mark was sucking wind trying to keep up with me - peer pressure in tact!

We pumped out the ride, taking in the ridiculously expansive views.  Back to the car, we loaded up the bikes as we were planning another ride up a nearby fire road.  We made it to the fire road where we saw a bunch of mountain bikers, sponsors, organizers, and spectators setting up for some kind of race.  We were in for a treat, the race was starting soon but we still had time to ride up part of the trail that the mountain bikers would be later going down.  Off we went.  Everyone was gassed from our Slickrock adventures already but we made it up a few miles.  Some race spotters along the way let us know that the race was starting soon so we headed down.  The racers caught us midway back as they literally screamed by.  They made us look like we weren't even moving.  I was going as fast as I possibly could (I don't know, 12 MPH) over all the bumps, crags, huge rocks, loose rock, etc; I thought I was moving semi-fast.  Then these pro guys fly by, jumping all the big rocks, full pedal, probably 25 mph.  Mind you we are on the side of a mountain and heading off the edge would lead certainly to a broken collar bone, neck, or back.  Apparently it takes some huge cahones to be a pro mountain biker.  We saw one guy take a huge jump, clear about 15 ft. of boulders and come off his bike in mid-air but somehow he gracefully recovered without falling and popped back on the bike without missing a beat.  Ridiculous; I would have certainly left my blood and skin on the trail.

After a long day of riding and adventure, we ate some good food at Eddie McStiff's in Moab drank our fair share of beer.

Aren't these rock formations amazing?  They are hundreds of feet tall.

View from the top of our Arches canyoneering adventure

Day 2:  The plan for day two was to go to Pleiades and do some technical canyoneering there.  We had out wetsuits and headed out early.  As we drove to the site, we found that it was much higher in elevation that we'd bargained for and actually there was some light snow on the ground and it was frigid.  Pleiades is a canyoneering adventure best done in the dead of Summer it seems.  We made the call that we probably didn't want to be wet in that weather so we aborted that plan and made an alternate plan to go to Arches National Park.  We had a short day so we were unable to explore Arches thoroughly but we did make time to partake in some really awesome canyoneering.  I don't know the name of the canyon (Teardrop perhaps), but it was very near the entrance to the park, less than a mile or two away from the Moab-side visitor center.  There was a short hike from Park Avenue trailhead back towards the visitor center and then a hefty scramble up to the top of some formations.  From there were great views, and a couple huge bowls to explore.  We found our way to the canyoneering drop-in point and found that the rappelling gradually increased in length and difficulty.  First was a 12 ft. rappel, then a 18 footer, then a 30 footer, then a semi-concerning blind-landing 50 footer.  The rappels were followed by a short hike out and we were on our way again.

Brent spread-eagled on the last (longest) rappel.

Arches is certainly a place I'd like to spend a couple of days at and Moab is an area I think I could spend an entire week or Summer exploring.  I will be back!

I still have Bryce Canyon to explore so hopefully I will be back in Southern Utah in the next couple years ...  and will have time to do Zion again as well as Moab and Arches. So much to do, so little time!

Circumventing Mt. Rainier on the Wonderland Trail

Well, it's been much too long since I've posted to this blog ... WAY TOO LONG!  Life is busy and only getting busier but I am going to try to find more time to post at least occasionally!  Without further ado ...

One of the coolest life adventures to date was to go around Mt. Rainier in September, 2011.  I'd already achieved the summit many years ago so now I guess it was time for me to go around Rainier right?!?  My hiking amigo, Gene, and I actually planned this trip reasonably well; we had food cached, reasonable hiking distances, and all the necessary gear to cover the 6 day, 92 mile clockwise walk around the raddest mountain in the Pacific Northwest, if not the World.

About to take the first Wonderland Trail steps

Day 1 (14.7 miles):  The Elder Bero (Dad) escorted Gene and I to the White River Ranger's Station to get our permits then to hit the trail.  Surprisingly at whatever ungodly time it was that morning there was another hiker, a single young lady, in line getting her permit too and taking her sweet time!  Gene and I were chomping at the bit to get the day started but were waiting for Ms. Chatty to move along.  :)  Finally, we got our permits, and after a  few ceremonial pictures we took our first steps on the trail just a few miles south of the White River Campground on the North-East section of the Wonderland Trail.

Dad and Brent at Panhandle Gap

Dad joined Gene and I on the first segment of the trail which unexpectedly turned out to be some of the best trail of the entire trip.  This area is called Summerland and it is G-L-O-R-I-O-U-S.  A slight incline took us up the Fryingpan Creek bed to amazing views of Mt. Rainier.  We made quick work of the trail gaining the Summerland rock house then Panhandle Gap by lunch; along the way Dad used his super-human vision to point out bear and other big game to us.  If he were on the whole trip with us I bet we would have seen a lot more game!

At Panhandle Gap, we at lunch together then said farewell to Dad.  He headed back to car while we we just beginning our long journey.  More expansive views and perfect weather accompanied us along the way to Indian Bar.  The Summerland / Indian Bar portion of the hike is the portion that I most want to hike again - hopefully sometime soon.

Amazing views on the way to Indian Bar.

We saw some mountain goat on the way down from Panhandle Gap to Indian Bar.  After Panhandle Gap, there were very few hikers and it felt like we were off all on our own.  The afternoon went by slowly as we really dug into the hike and made our way through some up-and-down terrain to the Nickle Creek campground.

Looking back at Rainier from above Indian Bar; this is a Lord of the Rings like view right!?!  Insane.

I'm pretty sure we were the only group at Nickle Creek that night - after a good day's hike it really made little difference but it did drive home the point that we were out in the wilderness and were somewhat alone.

Indian Bar Shelter

Day 2 (18 miles):  From Nickle Creek, we continued the Wonderland past Box Canyon (Port-O-Potties!) along some overgrown trail through Steven's Canyon towards Louise Lake.  On our way, we say a Black Bear and cub at just 50 or 75 yards away scampering away - I think Gene soiled himself.  :)  Then, shortly after that, we ran into an interesting solo hiker.  He was an older guy, probably in his 50's and he'd been out hiking in Rainier National Park for 17 or so days, mainly in terrible stormy weather all by himself.  I love the outdoors but I don't think I'd ever want that experience, especially by myself.  He was enjoying the last couple days of sunshine though.  As a side-note, the weather during our hike was ideal, no significant rain for 6 straight days, yet it rained hard the night before our trip and the night after our trip.  Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good!

Green Day! Crazy Solo Hiker dude took this picture

 We continued and came across the Reflection Lakes - which are really, really awesome and I recommend everyone to visit here - a road passes nearby.  Then, on the way from the Reflection Lakes to Longmire Gene and I ran into another unforgettable character.  As we descended some thick trail, we heard some rustling about 10 yards off the trail.  We came upon a solo woman who who had on some kind of butcher's apron and possibly I imagined a machete in her hands because she was scary!  She said she'd been out in the wilderness for nearly 30 days but had only traveled a total of 50 miles; she had been spending the majority of her time meditating in nature and was almost ready to rejoin society.  Whew, that was weird; we pushed on with all of our appendages.

Reflection Lakes - Wow!

Nisqually River Crossing

Soon we were in familiar territory near Narada Falls and Longmire.  At Longmire (running water!  bathrooms!) we took lunch, a break, and retrieved our first food cache.  The end of day two was a tough climb up to Pyramid Camp.  One boot in front of the other ...

At Pyramid Camp, Gene made his famous spam and pasta which was ridiculously delicious since we'd only been eating dried fruit and trail mix for 2 days.

That evening there was another group in Pyramid Creek who we chatted with.  It was a couple about our age and the guy worked at Bungee and was working on all the designs of the vehicles for some new video game.  They seemed pretty cool and their hiking plan had them at the same camp in a couple days so we looked forward to chatting with them again.  They must've had trouble keeping the pace because we never did see them again ...  hopefully the butcher lady didn't catch up with them!

Day 3 (15.7 miles): In the hiking groove now, Gene and I were up early and hitting the trail at first light.  Today though would be in my opinion the most difficult day of hiking considering the elevation and that we were in the very middle of the hike - the newness had wore off slightly and we still had a long, long way to go.  Physically we were tired and mentally we needed to stay focused.  Also, this part of the trail was extremely deserted and we saw only 1 or 2 other hikers all day.

Indian Henry Patrol Cabin

From Pyramid Creek we made our way to Indian Henrys Hunting Grounds which was an awesome alpine meadow and came across an empty Patrol Cabin up there.  There were some great views at the alpine meadow, lots of wildflowers, green fields, and views of Rainier through the clouds.  Also, we were about halfway around the Wonderland at this point and we ran into the young lady who was in front of us in line at the check in ranger's station on day 1.  She was going around counter-clockwise and was making remarkable time.  Impressed.

There was some rugged terrain on this side and we passed very close to our first glacier of the trip, the Tahoma.  Emerald Ridge provided grand views despite Rainier veiled in the clouds.

The glacial debris of the retreating Tahoma Glacier

We arrived at our destination for the day, the North Puyallup Camp, in good time and yet again we were completely alone.  I had not spent much time on the west side of Rainier but quickly learned that it is the lonely side of the mountain.  Also, there are thicker, more dense forests which makes the trail more secluded.  Gene and I went through our nightly ritual of eating & preparing dinner, freshening up with a moist body wipe (essential piece of geaer!), preparing the next day's water, and squaring off in some spirited Magic the Gathering battles!  :)  Haha - Thanks Gene for teaching me Magic, now I have achieved "Super Nerd" status!

Brent at the North Puyallup, in good spirits and memorable scenery at the end of day 3!

Day 4 (15.2 miles):  Five minutes out of camp, one of the coolest things on the trip happened.  We were out really early in the dark forest at a time when the night had not yet completely given over the sky to the morning.  In the early light a big adult owl came swooping down the trail directly at us and just past our heads.  The owl's orange eyes glowed as it silently swooped through the air.  It was spectacular and a fitting way to start the day which was basically a long walk through a mysterious, scary forest.  The trees were dense and huge with frisbee-sized, occasionally neon-colored fungi coming off tree trunks from a few feet off the ground to a hundred of feet up the trees.  Through the forest we went towards another high alpine meadow area called the Golden Lakes, named as such for their golden colored reflection at sunrise and sunset.  From here, we experienced a long descent to the South Mowich River.  Gene and I entertained ourselves by trying to name every single student in our senior class at Bellarmine Prep - Out of the 220 or so classmates I think we named well over half, not bad!  It was a good way to pass the time as we exited the scary mushroom forest.

Clearly this is the scary mushroom forest!

Crossing the South Mowich River in the mid afternoon, Gene and I saw people again after what seemed like a couple days.  We had a snack and then ended the day with a grueling 3.4 mile, very steep trudge up to Mowich Lake.  A tuna-powered Gene doinated this section and I was doing my best to keep him in sight.  The tuna-boost was insurmountable though as he left me in the dust here.  I was NOT tuna-powered so maybe that explains my performance.

At Mowich we retrieved our last food cache from the bear box at the Patrol Cabin and set up camp.  Successful, long day - only two days left!



Day 5 (13.2 miles): Day 5 was one of our shortest distance days but also had two of the most grueling ascents, one up to Spray Park and the second up to Mystic Camp.  At Mowich, there is a choice presented to the Wonderland hiker to continue to descent towards the Ipsut Creek Campground or to ascend Spray Park.  Gene and I chose the later, shorter route to stay closer to Mt. Rainier; we were rewarded with some pristine hiking and great panoramic views.

Spray Falls

Shortly out of Mowich we went slightly off the trail to check out Spray Falls.  I nearly had to rescue Gene who tried to cross the raging stream below the falls to get to the other side for a better photo op.  It was a good excursion from the trail.  Then, we made the climb up to Spray Park.  It was a really nice area with some great views and another perfect high alpine meadow.  Some bugs up there but those are expected!  After Spray Park was a steep descent to the Carbon River crossing; on the way we ran into the first rangers we'd seen on the trail and they checked our permits.  It's amazing how popular Mt. Rainier is yet how few people we saw during the trip; the only "busy" spots were Longmire and Sunrise.

Rainier from Spray Park

 
The Carbon River crossing is over a really long suspension bridge, followed by the steepest portion of the Wonderland trail up past Dick Creek.  We had this section during the early afternoon and baked in the sun as we made our way up the trail alongside the Carbon Glacier.  Sweat poured out of me and I was happy to make it to the high alpine meadow with some shade as we approached Mystic Lake and Mystic Camp, our destination for the night.  There were a handful of other campers in Mystic.  Our last day was on tap so we got a good night's rest after our ritual of making dinner, preparing water, freshening up, and Magic The Gathering for entertainment.

The Carbon Glacier

Day 6 (14.7 miles):  Last day!  Gene and I made great time, our packs were light with less food as we made our way past the Winthrop Glacier to Skyscraper Pass (awesome) and the Burroughs Mountains.  There were lots of people, mainly day-hikers, as we came within a few miles of Sunrise; it was a nice change from the uninhabited trail we were accustomed to.  Again, we had great weather and kept a steady pace.  We had originally planned to stop at Sunrise for some prepared food at the Visitor's Center kitchen, but we had plenty of supplies and were making great time, so we just used the Visitor Center bathrooms and contacted Dad for our return ride.

I did a good job making Gene look like a giant in this picture
from Skyscraper Pass!

We continued on to the steep descent from Sunrise to the White River Campground which Gene and I had done 10+ years earlier during a grueling 23 mile jaunt that included the Mt. Fremont Lookout and the Owyhigh Lakes.  Once we made it to the White River Campground it was a quick 1.5 mile flat stroll to our starting point and had completed the trail by mid-afternoon, earlier than expected.  It was awesome to see that starting sign again.   We waited for Dad to show up, munching on our leftover snacks, re-aquainting ourselves to not wearing a 40 pound pack, and reveling in the accomplishment. What a great feeling!

More Wonderland Trail Pictures (Brent's Picasa)

We're there man! Sporting our Victory Red!

Brent's Best of Wonderland:
Best Trail Food: Spicy Dried Mangos, Gene's Famous Spam Pasta
Best Camp: Mystic Camp
Best Section of Trail: Summerland / Indian Bar
Next Best Sections of Trail: Golden Lakes, Spray Park
Best way to pass the time: Continue walking!
Best Views: Summerland, Reflection Lakes
Best piece of gear: Indestructible Spork/Knife Combo, odor-absorbing boxer briefs
Best encounters on the trip: The Medidating Butcher Lady, Counterclockwise Solo Hiker Girl, Black Bear and Cub, Bungee Couple
Most Unexpected: The Scary Mushroom Forest, perfect weather
Interesting Fact: Only a couple hundred people complete the Wonderland Trail every year while around 10,000 attempt to summit Mt. Rainier.

The Wonderland

Wonderland Trail Profile Map with a cumulative 22,000 ft. of elevation gain, and of course the accompanying 22,000 ft. of elevation loss!

26.2

Update December 2010

Back in May, 2010 I started training for the December 2010 California International Marathon.  It was an experience I'll never forget, although maybe never repeat.  I was religious in my training and worked my way up to some very long solidary runs, reaching about 23 miles.  I was able to taper for nearly 3 full weeks heading into the marathon and had a couple small tune-up runs with the Folsom Half Marathon a few weeks prior and the Sacramento Turkey Trot 10 days prior.  I BLAZED the turkey trot, logging a time of just over 42 minutes for the 10 k race (6:55 min/mile).

The day of the marathon was P-E-R-F-E-C-T.  It had been threatening rain all week but on the morning of the marathon it all cleared up and the sun started peeking through the clouds.  Temps were expected to be in the 50's, just about perfect for the race.  I was carbo loaded thanks to a delicious spaghetti dinner prepared by Laura the previous night. 

An iPod, snacks, and energy gels filled my pockets as I waited anxiously at the starting line.  When the starting horn fired I was off, along with 9,000 other hopeful runners.  We surged in a hoard down a 5 lane road blocked off for us for the half mile then turned onto a long and flat two lane country road, heading West from Folsom to Sacramento.  It was crowded in the first two miles with some people surging ahead and others obviously starting too far in front and falling quickly behind other runners.  I was zipping along at just under 8 minutes per mile avoiding those falling off the pace. 

After a few miles I settled into my race groove which kept me at about an 8 minute per mile pace. I passed the time rocking out with Jason Aldean and other country superstars, watching other runners, and soaking in the crowds.  As a runner you definitely get a boost from the crowd energy and excitement of the day -- and all the nice snacks and drinks handed out by volunteers along the way.

I kept surging along, but then miles 17 through 21 were strenuous; my pace dropped off probably 20 seconds per mile and I was starting to labor.  I think that because of all my training my body was able to push through this and I picked the pace back up in the final 5 miles.  Running shirtless a la the Incredible Hulk I ran full sprint the last 200 meters, releasing my inner beast with war whoops and various other displays of manliness.

I crossed the line at a time I was really happy with, 3 hours, 31 minutes and 51 seconds for a 8 minute, 3 second per mile pace.  Not bad for a first timer!  I exceeded my own expectations when I set out to train for this thing and I will always consider it a big life accomplishment.

During the marathon, I had great support from my girlfriend, Laura, her friend Brooke, and Laura's Dad, Alan.  The ladies made signs promising beer at the finish line and one particularly special sign with a "B" inside of a Superman polygon. 

Will I run again???  Perhaps -- I've since been on a few short runs and one 14 mile slow run.  Maybe I'll run again at the end of 2011 ... until then I'm going to devote my fitness energy to something different .... stay tuned.

Official Results:
http://www.flashresults.com/2011_Meets/CIM/searchind/


June 2010 Post:

 Today I signed up for the California International Marathon (CIM)! I'm really excited for this and have been training for a couple months. Running a marathon is something I've wanted to do for a while, one of those personal accomplishments I'd better get done in my youth. It's all about the journey. The training isn't necessarily fun, but it is good. The long runs TAKE A LONG TIME; I prefer morning runs so waking up at 5:30 or 6 o'clock takes extra motivation and commitment. That feeling of accomplishment during the last miles of the run makes it all worthwhile; the adrenaline on race day should give an extra kick too.


One of my favorite things about the training is the time to just think; there's not a whole lot is happening out there at 6 in the morning except me running with my iPod. It's the perfect time to reflect on what is going on and the important people in my life. Oh, and you know I'm listening to country music when I run ... a techno country mix ... that's what I need.

My goal is to finish strong and run about an 8 minute per mile pace.

26.2 miles, one stride at a time.

NASCAR, Bud Light, and Mullets!

Fast cars are American.  Bud Light is the perfect beverage.  Mullets provide the flexibility for business or party.  NASCAR combines all three in a cocktail of American awesomeness.

I recently experienced my first live NASCAR race at Phoenix International Speedway for the 2010 Chase Cup.  This was the 2nd to last race of the year there were three drivers in position to make a run for the Cup including Denny Hamlin in the 11 car, Jimmy Johnson in the 48, and Kevin Harvick in the 27.  Me and the race crew of Reid, Trevor, Dennis, Andy, and Tim entered the race track to a cornucopia of greasy fair food -- everything from Papa Johns pizza to salted pretzels to nachos.  For accompaniments there was $7 sixteen ounce "man cans" of Bud Light or Bud Regular.  We grabbed as many delicious tall cans of alcoholic frivolity as our pockets and hands could muster then headed to our seats.

Part of the pre-race festivities included vintage Chevy Corvettes driving each driver around the track to salute their adoring fans.  Following were were two parachuters piercing the sky with American flags and landing in the middle of the track.  Next was the National Anthem and accompanying Blue Angel fighter jets buzzing the track.  Finally there was the famous command of "Gentlemen, Start your Engines" (no Danica Patrick in this race!) and the track came alive. 

One thing you quickly learn at a NASCAR race is the value of ear plugs.  They are absolutely priceless.  With 43 cars zooming by at unmuffled speeds up to 150 mph as well as crowds up to 100k, the noise is deafening.  Thankfully we came prepared but if not I would have traded my two front teeth for some ear protection.  From our seats 75 yards from the track the noise was so deafening that we couldn't even talk to each other; right up next to the track was like being next to a jet engine.  The vibrations, sound, and speed coming off the track were spectacular; it's something you really need to experience in person to have an appreciation for. 

I wanna go fast!

The cars whipped around the track with Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch taking turns at the front.  Denny led for 190 of the 312 laps; however Denny and teammate Kyle Busch made an ill-fated fuel and tire stop around lap 300 when all the other drivers stayed out on the track.  Denny and Kyle were unable to make their way back to the front as the other cars conserved fuel and tires to the finish line.  It was a risk that didn't pan out; poor job by their race teams.  Jimmy Johnson gained valuable Chase Cup points and would overtake Denny for the Chase Cup at last race of the year the following weekend for his fifth consecutive championship.  Poor Denny!  Lucky Jimmy!

Get me 1 more Bud Light!

We hung around the track bar for hours after the race with hundreds of other race fans.  Country music blazed from the sound system and Bud Light man cans were again the drink of choice.  We met a man who must've been Don Mattingly's twin whose wife loved Reid's Kyle Busch "Pedigree Dog Food" shirt so much that Reid gave it to her right off his back.

Whenever you feel like American is slipping, head to a track and take in some gasoline fumes, burning rubber, and the sound of stock cars.  You will be reassured that the simple, hardworking folks of this nation are still among us, camouflaged in their mesh trucker hats and long mullet locks.

My Pit Crew ... refueling!

Infineon Raceways in 2011!

Adventures in Utah -- Part II -- ZION

Zion blew me away.  If you're anything like me maybe you've never even heard of Zion National Park in southern Utah.  If you haven't, get in a car, take a train, ride your bicycle, do anything to get there!  Zion is the definition of epic; one of the most stunning National Parks I have ever been to.

As you drive towards the National Park, you start to see little teasing glimpses of what Zion is hiding behind it's canyon walls.  Gene and I arrived the evening after our grueling St. George mountain biking adventure.  We refueled with some pizza and frozen yogurt and sought out lodging.  The hotels were expensive and paid camping spots booked.  Luckily there is some Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land a few miles outside of Zion which is undeveloped yet free.  Free is perfect.  We headed there and Mark, "Doc Awesome", met us shortly after dark.  We spent the night under the stars in our sleeping bags; glorious.  We slept with the Milky Way painted across the sky on the doorstep of Zion.

In the morning we rounded up all the necessary gear which included all the traditional rock climbing items (ropes, harnesses, belay devices) as well as wetsuits, hiking shoes, and helmets.  It was a beautiful day at Zion with sun and temperatures expected in the 80's.  We rode the Park bus into the Canyon and started from the Weeping Rock Trailhead towards Echo Canyon.  From the trailhead we blitzed up switchbacks on the East Rim Trail for about 4 miles.


Amigos ready for Canyoneering at the Weeping Rock Trailhead 

  

Views from the East Rim Trail

 We fueled up with a tasty lunch of salami & havarti sandwiches as well as gummy worms at the drop-in point for Echo Canyon while switching from our hiking gear to the canyoneering gear, including the wet suits & harnesses over the wet suits.  Ridiculous but necessary for our upcoming adventure. 

Look at Mark's Smile -- "Canyoneering Rocks!"

We dropped into the narrow canyon, utilizing our climbing gear and splashing through icy cold puddles at the bottom of the canyon. As we proceeded the canyon walls stretched higher and higher above us and at spots the canyon was about 8 ft. wide and over a hundred feet tall. Sunlight never hit the bottom of the dark canyon, keeping the water and air temperature very cold; hence the wet suits. We rappelled down 6-7 drop offs where when there is water flowing in the canyon would have been waterfall to pool drops. In the dry summer conditions these drops were from ledge to icy, murky, pools of water. With the water so murky we couldn't predict the depth of the water so I was often the crash test dummy. We came to this decision as we needed Mark at the top to take care of the climbing ropes and Gene's only swimming stroke is the doggy paddle / sink to the bottom.



Brrrrrrrrrrrr!



Welcome to my office!

The drops ranged from 8 to 25 feet with pools at the bottom ranging from 8 inches to deeper than 6 ft. This was a truly unique adventure, not very strenuous and not super technical but a nice blend of both. At one point in the exploring, Gene found a goat foot, evidence of a flash flood victim. Gene kept the 'lucky' foot and named it Edward. ;)

Eddie

After three hours of canyoneering the canyon walls began to subside and we found ourselves an opportunity to escape back to the East Rim Trail. We swapped gear once again and made our way back down to the road.

Celebrating with a beer and tasty food, Gene and I bid farewell to Mark; he was heading back to Salt Lake City to meet his Dad early the following morning.  Gene and I went back to the friendly confines of the BLM land and spent another night under the stars; we had decided to hike Angel's Landing in the morning.

Angels Landing was breathtaking.  The first 2 miles up were grueling switchbacks; heaps of elevation were put under our boots.  Gene and I reached a ridge which stretched for another 3/4 mile to an outcropping called 'Angels Landing'.  Some rock scrambling ensured with drops of 1000 ft on one side and 1300 ft on the other.  Two weeks after our hike the forest service was closing the upper portion of this hike to make it safer.  I highly recommend this hike, especially for those who are not afraid of heights.  At the end of the hike you make it to a nice place to have a small lunch and get amazing views up and down Zion.  If I were an Angel, this is indeed where I would choose to land in Zion.

An afternoon in the Cesar's Sports Book in Las Vegas split up our drive back home.  Another good adventure in the books.



View from Angels Landing



Wow

 

Ridiculous Views



Adventures in Utah -- Part I -- Mountain Biking

For our Summer 2010 adventure, Gene and I decided to do a road trip to the natural beauties of Southern Utah.  We planned to go mountain biking in the St. George area then rendezvous with a friend of mine, Mark "Doc Awesome", at Zion National Park for a unique and very modern adventure called canyoneering.

The trip began rather uneventful with me flying into Burbank late on a Wednesday evening in early September.  I saw for the first time Gene's recently-acquired condo in Pasadena -- baller!  Although I must say, he has a pink couch (questionable!) and a life-sized poster of "Edward" from Twilight (super-questionable!)!  We got some ZZZ's and woke up early to make our way to St. George, a good 6 hour drive away.

Driving east through Southern California leaves a lot to be desired.  We drove past the non-operational biggest thermometer in the world and stopped at In-N-Out for a bite.  We crossed the Nevada border (ho-hum), drove through Vegas WITHOUT stopping, and pit-stopped in Mesquite, NV to satisfy Gene's gambling urge.  I played for 15 minutes at the craps table and made $22.  Gene lost maybe $20 because he refused to bet on my rolls and I dominated!

We continued to St. George, Utah and rented our full-suspension mountain bikes.  At the bike shop, they meticulously went over every scratch on the bikes as we would be responsible for any damages, which, knowing us, were likely.  Gene really hit it off with the rental guy, which is important for later in the story.  We had dinner, checked into a dingy $40 hotel room, and went to Chili's for a celebratory beverage.   This is was where Gene made his first mistake -- he ordered the uber-salty, dinner-sized queso and chips.  I'd imagine there were 17 zillion milligrams of sodium in that dish and I don't think Gene peed the rest of the trip -- ie. SALTY! 

We were informed that "Happy Hour" does NOT exist in Utah, or at least in St. George.  Some other nuggets of alcohol-related Utah wisdom -- you can't order a shot and a beer at the same time in Utah and any beer from outside Utah (imported) is under 4.0% alcohol content; local beers aren't required to meet this restriction.  Gene amazingly finished his queso and we were off to get some sleep; we had a big day of mountain biking ahead of us in the morning.

In the morning, we woke up and packed up our things, including putting the mountain bikes on Gene's bike rack on the back of his car.  I secured my bike first, then Gene secured his.  The bike rack is one of those which sits on the back of a sedan so the bikes are kind of handing off the trunk area (hint -- important info for later!)  Consulting with the bike shop rental guy on the previous day led us to decide to mountain bike the Gooseberry area, ~1 hour outside of St. George.  We were halfway to Gooseberry when Gene noticed his bike, on the outside rack position, was becoming loose.  He nonchalantly pulled over and tightened the straps.  We should have took this as a bigger sign of danger. 

About 5 miles further down the highway, going 60 miles per hour, we suddenly felt the car suspension shift and heard a faint crash of rubber and metal on the roadway below.  Looking back behind us, I saw Gene's rented bike turning handlebars over seat, crashing on the road below and skidding horribly on the asphalt.  Gene pulled over immediately and began chasing after his bike to get to it before any vehicles ran it over.  There was light traffic on the road and as Gene approached the bike; it was sitting in the lane of traffic we were travelling in with a Semi truck approaching.  In the oncoming lane of traffic was a RV; the RV and semi at present speeds were destined to meet at Gene's partially mangled bike.  The semi truck would have nowhere to go but over the bike, crushing it.  Luckily, the truck driver spotted Gene's bike and/or Gene running towards it and slowed down in time to let the RV pass then went into the other lane of traffic to bypass the $1500 Specialized bicycle.  Quickly, Gene retrieved the bike from the road and lugged it to the shoulder; the wheels no longer rolled and obviously unridable.  The damage included a front wheel which twisted like an elliptical pretzel, asphalt-shaved shifters, ripped back seat, and various other scratches and bruises.  Our only option was to put the bike back on the rack and drive back to the bike shop which was just opening for the morning.

Notice that there is no shifter in the pictures below and the wheel is all whacked out.

Bicycle Damage #1

Bicycle Damage #2

Gene was on the hook for some pricey damages.  Luckily, the bike shop rental guy Gene hit it off with was working again; he was surprised to see us.  Gene showed him the badly damaged bike; bike guy took down the damage and went inside to get an estimate from the boss. They determined that frame, suspension, crank, pedals, forks, back tire, and seat were OK it was just the front wheel and shifters which needed replacing.  They cut Gene a super deal (who knows why) and only charged him $160 or so for the damages and gave us another bike to destroy; this time Gene got a woman's bike as they were out of the men's -- fair punishment in my opinion!

We weren't going to let a little roadway accident deter us.  With a few hours wasted and time at a premium we changed our plan and decided to mountain bike in the Green Valley / Stucki Springs area just a few miles from St. George. 

Finally, we were in the saddles of our bikes and climbing rather large and rocky hills.  The terrain was very Southern Utah (high desert) with few trees and great vistas.  We did a awesome up and down this towering ridge where Gene popped his back tire pretty badly, through the sidewall.  We repaired it with our only extra tube, however the tube when fully inflated was bulging out of dime-sized hole in the tire sidewall.  We then repaired this with my energy-gel wrapper (no other tools available) by placing it between the tube and inside sidewall of the tire.  Surprisingly, this actually worked rather well and allowed Gene to fully inflate the tube.  One more popped tire and we were headed back; it was still before noon!

  

Gene fixing his flat

We hit some high-speed downhill going off the trail and over big boulders; quite a rush.  Gene is a pretty accomplished mountain biker and he showed me some techniques to go up and down large gaps and boulders.  We made it back to the car in time to grab a bite to eat and refill our water.  It was very hot in the desert and we were going through water fast.  We saw some great landscapes on this ride and had a really good time navigating the trails, hills, and rocks. 



Green Valley Area

For the afternoon we decided to head out to the Stucki Springs area (without much of a detailed plan or map).  We hit the "Three Fingers of Death" and "Acid Drops" in the map above and then started out on a large loop called the Bearclaw Poppy Trail.  It was a long trail and took us very far away from the car.  I was getting tired and starting to run low on water and was out of food.  Not to mention that my butt was hurting from the 4 hours of the seat jabbing into it.  Gene was also nearly out of water and it was maybe 3 PM; we needed to return the bikes by 6 PM so we started to make our way back, continuing on the loop.  Unluckily the trail ceased being easy to follow and the way back to the car was blocked by numerous ridges.  Trails criss-crossed all over the place and we were very weary from already 25 miles or riding or so.  We tried one route which dead-ended in a narrowing river canyon with impassable boulders.  We tried another similar looking escape and yet again were turned back.  I was starting to worry.  I had my phone but no cell phone service and no warm clothes or gear for a night on the desert floor.  I was out of water and there was no water in sight.  We tried another trail which went nearly vertical up the side of a ridge, pushing the bikes up ahead of us.  If this didn't provide a way out then I'd have to cuddle with Gene for warmth that night.  To our relief, we made it to the top and saw a path back to the car.  I was exhausted but still had a ways to go.  We made out way downhill the rest of the way to the vehicle and returned the bikes.

Celebratory with burgers from "Five Guys Burgers" (not as good as I-N-O) were obtained then Gene and I headed towards Part II of our Utah Adventure -- we were pointed towards Zion to meet Doc Awesome and recover in time for the next adventure ...

More pictures on my Picasa as well.