Goodbye Summer -- Hello Fall

In dire need of a break from work, I took the day off Friday to just mentally relax.  With the wife and little one in the Hawkeye state for a wedding, I had a 3 day weekend to myself.

Last Day of Summer - Friday the 21st Sept - Square Top Mountain A (13,794) and Argentine Peak (13,738) & attacked by Alpine Chickens!:

I was in the mood for something different, something new.  Some peaks that were off the radar and lacking any true trail.  Not really sure why I choose these peaks but I'm glad I did.

(Argentine & Square Top from Kenosha Pass)

Parking just north of Guanella Pass at the Silver Dollar Lake Trailhead, I was off just before 7:00am.  Elevation at roughly 11,200 feet and temps at 30 degrees and I was smacked with the reality that today would be all about going very slow. 

After 10 mins on an established trail, I would spend the next 2 hours and 45 minutes off-piste.  Temps were actually fine but the wind along Square Top were harsh.  Things thankfully calmed down comfortably once I made my way to Argentine.   

(Square Top after 1,000 feet of scrabling in 1/2 mile)

 

(Love Shack near the top of Argentine)

 

After Argentine, I had planned on climbing near by Mt Wilcox, but I just wasn't in the mood.  I was having fun taking pictures, enjoying the views and moving slowly.  Plus I wanted to get home and just relax. 

 





(Last hint of summer in the high country)

 

More off-piste traversing and I was finally on an established trail with just under 2 miles to go back to the car.  Up to this point all I'd seen was some falcon type bird flying around high above 13,000 feet.  With a mile to go, I came across some hikers.  Maybe 10 yards in front of me.  All of a sudden a huge swarm of Alpine Chickens (1/2 dozen White Tailed Ptarmigans) came popping out of who knows what.  One of them clipping me.  A hiker screamed as she was scared I was going to get eaten alive.  I was just like WTF! but not really effected by the encounter.  I was more peeved that this was the best shot I could get of 2 of them feathery bastards.

 

Something like 8.5 miles (6.5 off trail), 3,800 feet of vert in 3 hours 15 mins.

 

First Day of Fall - Saturday the 22nd of Sept - Enjoying the Denver Marathon:

 

For the second straight year, the Denver Marathon came within feet of my home (Mile 20).  An early and easy 9 miles and I was kicking it with my neighbors drinking coffee, mimosa's, IPAs and grubbing on breakfast burritos as we watched all the marathoners run by.   

 

My neighbor plays in a band and their group of bag pipes and drums was so much better then anything offered up on the course. 

 

Plus we offered up beer to all runners.

(Yes, there was a "Thank You Very Much"!)

 

There was even a ultra trail runner sighting!  In true trail running fashion, CB took a wrong turn and got lost for many, many miles putting him at like mile 34, 20 miles into the marathon.  I of course kid (about getting lost, not the miles) and CB was looking strong out there! 

Sunday the 23rd of Sept - Colorado Trail West of Kenosha Pass:

Last weekend I drove over Kenosha Pass with the family and the colors were amazing.  Thought it would be fun for an easy and slow out and back along the Colorado Trail.  A section I had never been on.

(Mt Goyut - On of my favorite peaks around)

 



The colors were peak last weekend but the views were still stunning this morning.  The trail is absolutely amazing and I was all alone for a majority of my run.  The perks of starting early!

I was really encouraged with this mornings run as it was done at an easy pace and the body responded nicely by feeling fresh at the end.  Something like 14 miles in 2 Hours and 20 Mins with 3,000 feet of vert. 

( I believe I just found a long run for next spring)

 

 



 



2012 Leadville 100 - Huge Disappointment

Short Version:

DNF at Winfield.  Body just stopped working near the half way point with the last 2 miles taking me almost 45 minutes.

Long Version:

A few things before I start explaining my pathetic attempt at running 100 miles. 

None of this would have been remotely possible if it weren't for my wife.  You know how much you mean to me and I'm glad you got to experience at least half the ride with me.

(Sorry honey for posting a pic you hate)

 



Sorry you didn't get the chance to pace me for a few hours this past weekend but I'm glad you were able to get in a few miles when all said and done PG.

MH, I know you were crewing/pacing KM, but you helping out my wife and daughter Saturday morning was nothing short of awesome.  I can not thank you enough for your kindness. 

Before the Start

I slept great and had a rather uneventful start to the morning.  All was going great and I had absolutely no reason not to expect anything but a great day.   

To May Queen

Quick highlights include:
5 minutes into the race and just not feeling right but hoping for the best.
An unexpected squat in the woods just before the mini powerline section.
Getting a piss poor attitude by my stomach feeling off and the inconsistent running pace around the lake.
Another bathroom brake upon arriving to May Queen.
Leaving May Queen a good 20 minutes past my expected 2:10 split.
 
It just blows my mind that I enjoyed absolutely nothing about my time out between the start and May Queen.

To Fish Hatchery

Knowing I had a conservative target time between May Queen and Fish Hatchery, I was hoping to find a groove and make up some time.  However it was shockingly obvious on the road up to the Colorado Trail that my quads were feeling the effort exerted already. 

During all my training over the past 9 months, I can't recall my quads feeling as horrible as they did as I headed up to the Hagerman road.  They just got worse and worse as I continued the up.  During this whole time I continued to pull back my effort.  Finally hitting Powerline I was hoping that stretching out the legs on the downhill would release whatever funk my quads were in.  To the contrary, they only got worse.  I ran the whole Powerline section very comfortably but it hurt a lot.

My negative attitude had gotten even worse as I was on the mile plus long paved stretch towards Fish.  Here I am running maybe a 9 minute pace at what felt like an extremely conservative effort.  My whole upper body relaxed and calm which I was fully expecting.  Calves, feet, groin muscles all working perfectly.  But my quads just hurt.  I tried stretching, I tried walking, I tried sprinting a few strides and nothing was helping them out.  They were done and I was maybe 24 miles into a 100 mile race. 

The lone positive was my bathroom brakes held in check during this section.  There were a few moments of wanting to duck behind a bush but thankfully there was never a need too.

With all that was going bad for me, I was 15 minutes behind schedule. 

(I'm the pissed off guy near the middle)

To Half Moon

The road section came and went.  I ran as easy, relaxed and efficient as I possibly could but each foot plant and each push off reminded me of how bad my quads felt.  There was never a foot step where I didn't think about my quads.  They just slowly got tighter and tighter. 

Once on the trails along the woods, I kept on having scares of needing to squat behind a bush.  Then finally Half Moon Aid Station arrived and the only thing I noticed were the 6 or so porta potties. Stop number 3 in a plastic hut that might have been 200 degrees.  I sweated more in that hot box then I did during any running point of the race.

5 plus hours in and I still wasn't having fun. 

To Twin Lakes

It became pretty obvious by now that my desire to eat had gone away along time ago.  Drinking thankfully wasn't an issue and I was staying well on top of that. 

I finally found a nice groove as I left Half Moon and ventured unto the Colorado Trail.  The running was far from impressive but I was moving at a clip that I had expected of myself all day. 

Around the high point of this section near the East Elbert Trailhead, it became obvious to me that my quads weren't going to get any better.  However they weren't really going to get that much worse.  I finally faced reality and accepted that my quads were completely blown.  From what I have no idea.  But they weren't going to be the reason why I finish this race. 
 
That was my first positive thought I had all day and before I knew it I was sitting next to my wife and daughter at the Twin Lakes Aid Station.  2 minutes ahead of my conservative pace of 7 hours and 30 minutes.   

A positive thought wasn't enough to cover up the fact that I still wasn't having any fun out there.  I told that to my wife and she simply said to continue on and hope that things would get better. 

To Winfield

The water crossing was a relief as the day was starting to get warmer.  I was looking forward to the huge climb of Hope Pass and took in a pack of chomps to make sure I had some calories in me.  The first item I had eaten since Half Moon.  What I also got to experience for the first time since Half Moon was another squat in the woods.  You have got to be kidding me!!!

The climb was done very conservatively but it was impacting my body a lot more then it should have.  I have power hiked hard and walked up slow so many times this year that I know the difference between the two when tackling a climb.  Even if I tried, there would be no hard power hike in my bag of tricks today. 

The climb was never tough, just tiring and before long I was at the top no worse off then I was before the climb started.  And still on pace with my splits. 

Eager to run my way into Winfield proved impossible.  I couldn't run a downhill section.  I walked/stumbled 75% of the downhill to the new Continental Divide Trail. 

I can't remember if it was a positive thought or simply being distracted by others heading inbound but for the first time all day I didn't labor on negative thoughts.  I was getting eager to hitting Windfield and heading inbound myself.  I started to run for a good mile or so on quads that I knew weren't going to stop me from completing this race.  

Then it happened.  After walking a steep uphill section I tried to run.  Right leg push off left leg plant and stumble.  Try again and fall.  Walk for a few and try this running thing and stumble badly yet again.  My guess is it took me some 45 minutes to cover the last 2 miles into Winfield.

My body had completely run out of fuel and shut down on me.  I got to Winfield and laid down on a cot.  I was given food and water.  I could drink.  I could talk, but I just had no desire to eat.  And eating some type of substance was what I needed to continue on.  My guess was I had consumed a 2 gels and 1 pack of chomps since Fish.  While my maltrodexterin water mix was helping out tremendously, the deficit created with all them bathroom brakes was simply to much to make up for me.

I had contemplated for a minute to try and make it back to Twin Lakes but I couldn't stand up off the cot.  It likely would have taken me 5 to 6 hours to make it back back to Twin putting me in jeopardy of missing the 9pm cut off. 

Aftermath

The stage of soreness my quads experienced the next day is unlike anything I've felt.  Worse then after my first Imogene Pass Run.  Worse then after my first road marathon.  Too this day it blows my mind how and why my quads got beat up as badly as they did. 

I ate a slice of pizza later around 9pm that night but didn't really consume any real food for some 30 hours after my race had ended. Why my stomach went south is a head scratcher.

My pissy attitude overshadowed items that are great about the race.  Specifically arriving to the aid stations of May Queen, Fish Hatchery, Twin Lakes and Winfield.  Outside of seeing my wife, I can't recall a thing about any of these aid stations.  As far as I can remember, they were either completely empty or full of folks laughing at me for running like a dork. 

I'm at peace with the decision to drop.  What I'm not at peace with is all this hard work put in over such a long period of time to only run 50 miles and fail so miserably. 

However I look back at the journey itself to race day which has been such an incredible ride.  Some of the most fun I've ever had running in my life.  So many miles spent with such solid people in this ultra running game.  I'm a better person for it and can't wait spend more time with friends on the trails.

Lastly, it's funny how I'm reminded of how insignificant my selfish attempt at trying to run 100 miles is.  Here I am all beat up and pissed off at the world from dropping at Winfield.  My wife and I arrived at our rental home at roughly 8pm.  Just before my little one was put down for the night.  I'm not even at the door and I hear my 18 month old yell out "DA DA" as she runs at me and embraces me around the legs. 

I embraced her as well, kissed her on the top of the head and for the first time all day I'm happy and enjoying the moment. I'll have to remember this moment the next time I line up for my next 100.   

 

July 2012 Summary

Runs - 32
Workouts - 0
Injured - 0
Running Days - 27
Average Miles per Running Day - 11.5
Vertical Climbing - 41,000

The Bad:

The Long Drive:  2 to 4 plus hours to drive to a trailhead.  6 to 7 hours to run. 2 to 4 plus hours to drive back home.  This stuff adds up way to quick and gets in the way of family time.  Yeah, I could have not driven so far away from home, but to get some real needed high elevation training in, I had to.  And I'm talking about sustained above 10,000 feet training in for hours at a time.

It would be one thing if it were a run here or there but I got in 4 straight weekends of this type of training in.  Was so happy to spend the last weekend of the month at home with the family with my long run in the foothills 20 minutes away.

The Good:

Overall Numbers:  I am so happy with the numbers when all said and done.  For most of the month, I ran very strong and smart...till my last long mountain run.

Worst Run = Best Run:  My last long mountain run around the Buchanan/Pawnee Pass Loop.  It was one of those days where I didn't even want to run 5 flat miles around Wash Park.  Yet there I stood in the Long Lake parking lot contemplating other shorter routes.

I finally said screw it and headed off to tackle Buchanan first.  Clumsy and fatigued from the start.  The number of falls during this run exceeded all my falls over the past 5 years (2 falls versus 1 fall).

Physically, it was simply one of those bad days.  Mentally, it was awesome.  I never once let my shitty state of running hamper me one bit.  Yeah it was frustrating at times to run so poorly but I didn't seem to care.  Before I knew it was knocking out Buchanan, then meeting up with the Cascade Trail and finally Pawnee.  I was walking much more then I normally would but I was moving the whole time.  And not at a bad rate either.  I finished up the loop in 6:30 (6:50 total time).  During the run, if you were to ask me how long it might take me, I would have guessed closer to 8 hours.

(Clumsy Runs result in kicking one to many rocks)

What this run showed me is that those last hours up in Leadville will be about how much I have mentally versus physically.  

Taper Time:  About f'ing time.  I've enjoyed my huge spike in training over the last few months but I couldn't be more thankful for 3 plus weeks of taper time.  It's come at a perfect time.

Looking Forward:

17 days till race day. 17 days filled with little running and heaps of stretching, foam roller, relaxing and hanging out with my beautiful wife and daughter.    

My goal back in November was to make every workout count while not having it impact my family life.  Looking back, I can say that I did a pretty solid job in nailing this goal.  It was tough at times.  Extremely tough but somehow managed.

Now work will be busy for the next month with my only escape being the race itself.  So I won't be spending much time between now and then worrying about the race.  I've thankfully got all items sorted out for race day.  Housing, logistics, clothing, fuel...you name it.  Only thing left is to put all this hard work over the past 9 months to the test come race day.  Can't F'ing Wait! 

Four Pass Loop

Since I wasn't going to be in the San Juan's spectating or crewing Hardrock, I figured I might as well be somewhere in the state that would be a close second in terms of beauty.

The Four Pass Loop within the Maroon Bell Wilderness Area did not disappoint.  It has been a few days since the run and I'm still left speechless with how beautiful the run was.  Easily my favorite run I've ever done in the state.    

The loop is a beast (roughly 27 miles, 8,500 feet of vert) and well worth getting in shape for.  7 hours and 9 minutes was the time it took to complete but can't say I was every working hard outside of a few stretches here and there just to test out my fitness late in the run.  Time spent on top of the passes was easily 20 to 30 minutes total.

Great time had with WA (awesome pics), PG, KM, SB and small group of (fast) locals from Carbondale.  Now on with the pics that do little justice of a loop that every trail runner should complete at least once in their life.   

(Top of Buckskin with Pyramid & North Maroon)

(Top of Trail Rider looking down the Lead King Basin)

(Looking back up towards Trail Rider)

(GP, KM & WA nearing the Geneva Lake/Fravert Basin Intersection)

(KM & GL approaching climb #1 on the way to Frigid Air)

(Looking West from Fridig Air - All that green was littered with vibrant colors)

(The last, LONG & ROCKY at times descent back home.  Maroon to the left)

Mt. Elbert & Mt. Massive - with heaps of fog

Tagging both Elbert and Massive in one outing has always been on my radar.  With the trailheads a short distance away from each other, it made logistical sense.  However tackling the distance and suffering thru the end wasn't something I never wanted to deal with.  Nor has the out and back trail options been of much appeal. 

Being in pretty strong running shape and finding a route in which I could figure 8 the two peaks, I made a run at the peaks.  Peaks I had never set foot on.

Of course I left the house a good 10 minutes later then I wanted too.  The down pour on the drive up slowed my drive down by a good 15 minutes.  Before I even started my run, I was already some 30 minutes behind schedule.  It was 6am and I was finally heading out of the Mt Elbert parking lot with the goal of summiting Massive first via the Standard Route up.

From the start, the bad weather looked like it was going to let up with hints of sun breaking thru the diminishing fog.  The rained had stopped making for a very humid start and very comfortable temps which allowed for me to sport a short sleeve with my running shorts.  Jacket, gloves all tied to the Nathan pack. 

(Early mile looking SE of the CO Trail)

(non-dusty CO Trail)

I found it really odd that the first 3 1/2ish miles along the Colorado Trail to the Massive turn off were dead.  I passed a total of 9 other hikers.  I passed no one else all the way to the top.  Had the peak to myself.  From a running perspective, my pace was extremely easy.  When running alone, I get motivated when passing other hikers.  Especially on 14ers.  Not the case this morning on Massive.  I caught myself just stopping and absorbing the enormous mountain Massive is.  So many high points, so many saddles, so much above tree terrain.

(Leadville with the fog pretending to go away)

Around roughly 12,000 feet, the fog was starting to build.  Started out slow but by the time I was getting close to 14,000 feet it was flowing in quickly.  It was cold at top and the wind pretty tame.  Views towards the east were non-existent.  Towards the west I could see pretty far out but the fog was already making its way to the summit. 

(Massive false summit, Elbert behind, Fog dominating)

(Looking west towards Aspen.  Below, Halfmoon Lakes)

I spent maybe a minute up top and headed down the SW Ridge trail.  This trail was brutal.  Steep, technical and slow.  Rarely was I able to see more then 10 feet in front of me so I never had a clue where I was.  It wasn't till the bottom that the fog magically stopped.  Total distance back to the car was maybe 2/10ths of a mile shorter then the standard route and easily 20 plus minutes slower. 

A not so quick 10 minute stop at the car to reload, refuel, etc...and I was off to tackle Mt. Elbert.  Mentally, I was excited about continuing on.  I felt strong even after 14 miles and some 4,500 of climbing.  The climb up Elbert is relentless and steep.  I ran most of the CO Trail to the Elbert turnoff (2 miles) and then worked it from there on. 

The crowds were still minimal on Elbert.  I was expecting huge crowds with it being the tail end of the 4th of July weekend.  Was the weather driving folks away?  No clue but it was nice to not have to weave in and out of groups of folks. 

I'd say around 13,000 feet I was moving the slowest of the day.  Finally hitting the summit was rather eventful.  Fog that barely revealed the ridge I just climbed.  I had planned on descending down the East Ridge and heading back to the car that way but by now, I was a good hour behind my self imposed time frame. 

Whatever fatigue I was feeling on the climb must have been due to the elevation because I felt great on the descent.  While my interaction with others on the way up was minimal, I was a chatting it up with many on the down.  Just having a good time with so many kind people.  Those last 2 miles on the CO Trail were easily the fastest and I felt the best I had all day during this stretch.  Always great to end on a fast note. 

(Fog finally giving way on the descent off Elbert)



Some brief stats on the day:

Total Time: 6 Hours 40 Mins (Roughly 20 minutes of not moving)

Miles: 23.4

Elevation: 9,200

Round Trip Massive: 3:40

Round Trip Elbert: 2:50

 

2012 SJS50 - Strained DNF

Still not sure what to make of my race this past weekend in Lake City.

You see, 4 days before the race, I went for an easy 9 mile run around the hood. 9 miles at a very relaxed effort with the goal of mixing in a few sprints around mile 4&5 just to remind the legs I hadn’t forgotten about them. All was going great till mile 8 when my right quad got tight. I was running a 8:15 pace by then. Didn’t think much of it till I was done during my post run stretch & cool down. A simple right knee lift to the chest to stretch out the glutes and hip flexor revealed a badly strained quad muscle.

Right then and there I knew I was screwed. A strained muscle would need a good week to heal up. I had 3 days before trying to run 50 miles. Common sense would suggest to not even start the race. The day before the race, many asked me my goals. I responded by saying I either drop at Williams (mile 15.7) or run a hell of race. Deep down inside, I had my money on dropping at Williams.

Race morning couldn’t have been any nicer and at 5am we were off. About 4 miles in I felt the quad tighten up pretty bad and restrict my muscle & running movement. The only thing in my mind was the inevitable drop at Williams. I was starting to get all pissy and negative. After 5 minutes of this I just had to check myself. Put this issue out of my mind and not think about it till Williams. The next 12 miles into Williams were awesome and I enjoyed every second of my run.

About a ½ mile before Williams I was reminded of my quad again. It literally painfully locked up and forced me to walk for a few seconds. Right then and there I was at peace with a DNF at Williams.

But a funny thing happened. I got into Williams, reloaded my Nathan pack and headed out. See the way I looked at it is not much running was going to be had on the way to Carson or the Divide. Or at least I thought. I had also exerted very little effort since the start. So I ran every pretty much every step between Williams and the Carson turn off strong. I crushed the climb up to Carson and up to Coney (high point). The miles up high went by way fast. I ran pissed this whole time. Running pissed is a good thing as it’s an indication that I’m focused with the task at hand, that I’m extremely competitive and that time just seems to go by quickly.

A mile plus from Divide (mile 31) my quad gave out badly again. I still ran hoping for the best. Upon leaving the Divide Aid Station, I caught 2 folks I had been giving hell to catch for a few miles. At one point around mile 28, there were 5 plus minutes in front of me. Specks dotted along the alpine far ahead of me. Well, one of the folks I was passing was WA. Over the past 15 miles I didn’t acknowledged much less notice any other runner. But WA is a friend who I was so pumped to see and am always rooting for during his races. As I passed him our interaction was minimal but I was still rooting for him to crush it. Passed the next guy a minute or so later and I was officially in 18^th place overall.

We had a bit of a climb left around mile 33 and outside of the quad I was feeling beyond fantastic. So I ran the last ¼ mile to the top of a hill. Just to let the runner I passed know he didn’t have a chance to keep up. Then absolute pain in the quad forced me to walk 20 steps into my run. We crested the hill together and I ran with him downhill for maybe a minute. In my mind I was cursing him. “You SOB, this downhill pace is pathetic and you are so lucky my quad is seconds away from blowing up”. These thoughts were nothing personal. Far from it. Simply my competitive nature. I just knew it was a matter of time.

Right foot plant followed by a hearty stumble. My right leg was officially done. A minute or so later WA came by. He knew I was done. I was pissed he wasn’t running and leaving me in his dust.

I tried to run again a few minutes later. But I fell to the ground as the leg was having none of this running stuff anymore. So I walked the next 7 miles into Slum Aid (mile 40). I ran for 7 hours and 30 minutes then finished up with a 2 hour “cool down” gimp walk to Slum.

Split Comparisons (2010 vs 2012): *Splits for 2012 not yet published

Williams (mile 15.7) – 2010 3hrs 58min & 107^thPlace vs 2012 3hrs 27mins
Carson (mile 21.5) – 2010 5hrs 32min & 86^thPlace vs 2012 4hrs 50mins
Divide (mile 31) – 2010 8hrs 21min & 73^rdPlace vs 2012 7hrs 02mins
Slum (mile 40) – 2010 10hrs 20min & 78^thPlace vs 2012 9hrs 30mins
Finish (mile 50) – 2010 13hrs 35min & 90^thPlace vs 2012 DNF. All together now, DNF!

The Negatives:
I had no business being out here on a gimpy right leg.
I never got a chance to push the effort due to the gimpy right leg.
Never had a chance to see how the body would react beyond mile 40. How it would react after 10 hours of running.
Need to rely on more then my homemade calorie water cause it won’t always be available to me.

The Positives:
Aid Stations – I spent no more then a minute at each of the stations.
Hydration – I drank 4 to 5 ounces every 10 minutes for 7 hours and 30 minutes straight.
Fuel – I took in an average of 200 to 300 calories an hour for 7 hours and 30 minutes.
S Caps – I consumed 10 S Caps during the 7 hours and 30 minutes of running.
Physically – I felt awesome the whole time. Reassured my training since I started focusing on Leadville this past November is paying off.
No bonk. No stomach issue.
Other then 5 minutes of frustrations early on, I loved every second I was out there.

Conclusion:
Like I said at the start of this post, still not sure what to make of my race this past weekend in Lake City.

Congrats to TG for his first place masters finish. Congrats to LD for starting out Dead F’ing Last and still coming in 2^nd Women Overall. Congrats to WA for yet another outstanding race. Can wait to see you hammer it home in Leadville. Oh, and WA, thank you and your amazing family for everything this past weekend.

It was a fantastic weekend with the family and outside of this little DNF, the trip couldn’t have gone better!

The San Juan Solstice 50 Miler is my favorite race I’ve ever been a part of. Do yourself a favor and run it. Hell make a long weekend out of it. The race is top notch in every category! I plan to make it part of my race schedule and a family vacation for years to come. And if you go, the Elkhorn RV Resort and Cabins is the place to stay. Just don’t book a spot before me cause I’d hate to miss out.

Torreys & Greys (via Kelso Ridge)

I'm not going to lie, during one section of the climb, I was pretty scared.

Had this been a standard run up and down Greys & Torreys, I wouldn't have wasted my time blogging about a route that's been tackled thousands of times by runners.  However, with our climb going up Kelso Ridge, I felt that alone would be of interest. 

Start time was at 5:10am from the I-70 / Bakersville exit.  Along side me was the now veteran Soccer Coach himself.  3 miles of slow grind up to the trailhead followed by a quick stop at the nasty ass toilet facilities and finally we were off for some real fun. 

I had suggest running this route as I thought it would be a great training week for the upcoming SJS50 in 2 weeks.  WA thought adding in Kelso would make for a more interesting run.  And boy he wasn't kidding.

We made quick work of the mile plus to the turn off to the Kelso Ridge.  For some reason, I had envisioned the climb up to the ridge being this huge bitch of a climb straight up a scree field.  It was more like 200 or so feet up to the saddle. 

(WA racing the morning sunrise)

(Top of the saddle with the Grey's route not far below)

 

Once on the saddle, the long climb began.  The route is steep and has some pretty impressive exposure.  Majority of the route was Class 2 with probably three Class 3 sections. 

Above was the first of the Class 3 sections.  A 15-20 foot wall with one pretty tough spot.  The picture above does it no justice.  What you don't see below me is a sheer 500+ foot drop.  About half way up, I realized I needed to re-adjust my position.  It was at this point I looked straight down and oh shit was I scared for a second.  A quick regrip here and foot plant there and I was out of the tough section.  Took me a good minute to regather myself and off we went with another 1,500 feet of climbing left. 

Again, the pics above do the route no justice but hopefully gives one an idea of what we dealt with.  On a side note, the last picture is of the "Knife Edge" the last Class 3 section.  Apparently the cool thing was to climb to the top of it.  Yeah, f**k that.  You're above 14,000 at this point and it's a long way down on both sides.  Not much room for error. 

(WA near the top of Torreys with my car way down there by I-70)

(WA finishing off Grey's in style)

 

Once on Torreys safely, the rest of the route was pretty straight forward.  Only issue of the day was the strong wind blowing east to west.  Other then that, all was great.  Temps were warm and I felt fantastic the whole day out.  

The descent of Greys was a blast.  The crowds of folks hiking was shockingly minimal.  All those we encountered couldn't have been nicer.  I even saw JV on the way down and exchanged a quick hello as we moved on.  JV did mention he was running with another guy who looked like Anton Krupicka.  Never saw an Anton look alike but did see a Johnny Damon circa Boston Red Sox's look alike.   

 (Wrapping up Greys)

Stats were 13.75 miles for the day.  Slightly shorter then the normal route up Greys/Torreys.  A shade over 5,000 feet of climbing.  Slightly higher (by feet) then the normal route.  Time running was around 3:55 and total time was 4:17.  

Most impressive stat was our time on Kelso Ridge.  Something like 0.98 miles in 79 minutes.  Boom!  Out of here!