Saturday, September 29, 2007
Not Motivated?
So I tried to go for a short road ride (45 miles or so) to get ready for the Seagull 100 next week. After a few miles decided I wasn't having fun, it was windy, too many cars (get the point) and I just went home. 10 miles total... Got the mountain bike out and headed over to Schaeffer, still wasn't motivated but at least I had fun. I haven't really done any training since the SM100... Seagull will be interesting if it is windy. Oh well...
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Dolly Sods Hike - Day 3
The fun hike back, its always good to get back to the car have some real food and take a shower. This year we were smarter and planned a return trip that was downhill instead of all uphill death march like last year. The scenery was nice and it was a pretty easy 4+ mile hike.
There was suppose to be a river we would have to ford, but luckily the water was down it was no big issue. I can't imagine how you get across this river if the water was really flowing.
Got back to the parking spot, the car was there which is always a good thing and did the 3+ hour drive home. All in all a great trip.
There was suppose to be a river we would have to ford, but luckily the water was down it was no big issue. I can't imagine how you get across this river if the water was really flowing.
Got back to the parking spot, the car was there which is always a good thing and did the 3+ hour drive home. All in all a great trip.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Dolly Sods Hike - Day 2
Woke up at 7am or so, slept ok. Its hard to sleep well in a small tent on the ground. Sleeping bag was too warm again. I really thought my warm sleeping bag would be in its element in September at this elevation, but I guess it was only in the low 50s at night. Not exactly the types of temperatures you need for a 20 degree bag. Oh well.
We made breakfast and packed everything up and were on the trail by 9am. We wanted to get up to the top before the heat started picking up. Had to start by going up the mountain, probably gaining 600-700 feet. Not too bad when you were fresh. The top was really cool, just plains of blueberries.
The one thing we did notice about this area was the amount of "wetness". Everything was damp it seemed and even though its been a largely drought like summer there was still mud and marsh like areas. I can't even begin to imagine what this place must be like if it was really wet. It must have some natural springs that feed it I would assume. Here is a sinkhole we had to cross...
Got to the second camp shortly after noon, not as nice as the previous site but it would due. Got everything setup and took an hour long nap. After that we headed out to Lions Head which is a rocky outlook a mile away. Some good views, but no pictures right now. Only took my brother's camera. Heading back down Scott fell when he leaned against a rotted tree. Ended up getting himself pinned between two trees and stuck. I thought it was funny as hell, he ended up with a few scratches.
We also caught some crayfish for an appetizer... yum! A little small but tasty.
Scott of course had his one match test that he was determined to pass. He spent a long time getting this ready
And how did it go? Well he says it was one match, I say it went out. You make the decision... (sorry its a little dark but the audio is worth it).
We made breakfast and packed everything up and were on the trail by 9am. We wanted to get up to the top before the heat started picking up. Had to start by going up the mountain, probably gaining 600-700 feet. Not too bad when you were fresh. The top was really cool, just plains of blueberries.
The one thing we did notice about this area was the amount of "wetness". Everything was damp it seemed and even though its been a largely drought like summer there was still mud and marsh like areas. I can't even begin to imagine what this place must be like if it was really wet. It must have some natural springs that feed it I would assume. Here is a sinkhole we had to cross...
Got to the second camp shortly after noon, not as nice as the previous site but it would due. Got everything setup and took an hour long nap. After that we headed out to Lions Head which is a rocky outlook a mile away. Some good views, but no pictures right now. Only took my brother's camera. Heading back down Scott fell when he leaned against a rotted tree. Ended up getting himself pinned between two trees and stuck. I thought it was funny as hell, he ended up with a few scratches.
We also caught some crayfish for an appetizer... yum! A little small but tasty.
Scott of course had his one match test that he was determined to pass. He spent a long time getting this ready
And how did it go? Well he says it was one match, I say it went out. You make the decision... (sorry its a little dark but the audio is worth it).
Dolly Sods Hike - Day 1
Scott (my brother) and I drove out to the Dolly Sods Wilderness area on Friday and got there around 12:03pm. We were greeted by a new "Bear Alert" sign on the main signpost.
Once I convinced Scott that it was only "recommended" to not tent camp we head on our way. To be fair, Scott fears bears like I fear sharks and vice versa. If there was a shark warning sign in water you couldn't drag me into it where Scott would be swimming w/o thinking about it.
It was pretty warm for being September in the mountains and both of us were feeling the heat and the 40+ pound bags we were carrying around with us. Scott's bag especially felt heavy, not sure how those rocks got there.
The trail was easy to follow and where it got rocky and the trail was less obvious plenty of cairns were created to help out.
We decided to go an extra 1 1/2 miles to the further campsites to make Saturday a little shorter. We found a campsite at the forks shortly before 5pm. It was a great camp site right on the water with a fire ring, chair furniture and a table.
Had dinner and did some exploring before the sun started to go down and it got a little chilly. Time for some lemonade and whiskey... Scott got the one match challenge of trying to light the fire with one match. The first night didn't go real well since he couldn't light a match... I found it absolutely hilarious.
He finally got a match lit, but failed the test. Retry on Saturday.
Hung around the fire for a few hours and enjoyed the area. The moon was out so it was pretty light but it did make it so the stars couldn't be seen as well. No bear today or this night.
Day 2 later...
Once I convinced Scott that it was only "recommended" to not tent camp we head on our way. To be fair, Scott fears bears like I fear sharks and vice versa. If there was a shark warning sign in water you couldn't drag me into it where Scott would be swimming w/o thinking about it.
It was pretty warm for being September in the mountains and both of us were feeling the heat and the 40+ pound bags we were carrying around with us. Scott's bag especially felt heavy, not sure how those rocks got there.
The trail was easy to follow and where it got rocky and the trail was less obvious plenty of cairns were created to help out.
We decided to go an extra 1 1/2 miles to the further campsites to make Saturday a little shorter. We found a campsite at the forks shortly before 5pm. It was a great camp site right on the water with a fire ring, chair furniture and a table.
Had dinner and did some exploring before the sun started to go down and it got a little chilly. Time for some lemonade and whiskey... Scott got the one match challenge of trying to light the fire with one match. The first night didn't go real well since he couldn't light a match... I found it absolutely hilarious.
He finally got a match lit, but failed the test. Retry on Saturday.
Hung around the fire for a few hours and enjoyed the area. The moon was out so it was pretty light but it did make it so the stars couldn't be seen as well. No bear today or this night.
Day 2 later...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Sugarloaf with the kids
This past weekend the family went hiking on Sugarloaf Mountain. I always like to go there, nice and rocky close to home and the kids have a blast. It's no Old Rag or other popular hiking spots but being 20 minutes away is hard to beat. This year the place was loaded with acorns, it was kind of funny since Nick wanted to pick each one up and hand it to me. Couldn't explain to him that there were millions of them!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Back on the saddle
Yesterday was the first day I was back on a bike since the SM100. Not really planned, but between running around, the weather and being at the beach all weekend there really was no time. Did my normal commute, 18 miles on the Redline 925 and it felt good. Tonight I'm hoping to do the MORE Thursday night Schaeffer ride. Busy few weeks coming up...
Next weekend - back country hiking with my brother at the Mon
First weekend in October - the Seagull Century. I keep thinking this is going to be really easy, I might pay for that... :)
Next weekend - back country hiking with my brother at the Mon
First weekend in October - the Seagull Century. I keep thinking this is going to be really easy, I might pay for that... :)
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
11 months 25 days 19 hours...
That's right, I'm doing it again and this time I will finish. No car waiting for me at CP4.
Monday, September 3, 2007
SM100 Recap
Short story, I decided to stop at 4 based on the lack of strength in the legs and an aching knee. Starting to second guess that decision some, but overall I really did meet my goal that I set out at the beginning of the year (50 miles, be ready for the SM100 in 2008).
Lessons learned:
- You can't quit ever, its too easy
- Don't have a nice comfortable car waiting for you at stop 4
- Stop thinking (well, I don't think I learned this one)
Long story...
Start to Check point 1
This was a fairly easy trek of 11 or so miles. I was going at a pretty steady but slow pace to make sure that I didn't start too fast. Lots of flat tires and mechanicals. Must of been 3 broken chains in the first five miles. Got to checkpoint one at 7:52am. Right on plan. Stopped for a minute to get some water and then off I went.
Check point 1 to Check point 2
The next checkpoint was at 31 miles so I knew I just had to take it easy. A good portion of the beginning was road even though about 1/2 was uphill before we went to the singletrack up Lynn. Ouch, not having pre-rode the course I didn't realize how steep it was. Walked alot of it and towards the top I got a really bad cramp in both hamstrings. GREAT! All I need this early (17 miles) into the race. Started popping endurolytes like candy and taking it real easy and managed to make them disappear. The wolf down hill was pretty fun although not worth the climb up Lynn. The rest of the way was road to #2. At 2 I refilled my sustained energy bottle got some water and took off again. It was 10:30am and I was 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
Check point 2 to Check point 3
This was the Hanky climb that I was not looking forward to. Luckily the climb that we rode before was not that difficult and I did rather well, what I didn't expect is how much was left to the top once we took the right. Walked a good bit of it and started noticing my knee was hurting pretty good. Popped some advil at the top to see if it would go away. The downhill after Hanky was a blast especially towards the bottom. The top was pretty beat up from the number of bikes and didn't have much room for error. Drifted in to 3 at around 1:30pm, still 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
Check point 3 to Check point 4
The road to the beginning of the Mountain House trail really pointed out how tired I was. I was having trouble putting any real power down on the road. I was also feeling the knee pretty good now even with the Advil. The Mountain House trail was a good 2 mile hike a bike. Besides a few places I walked most of it. The downhill into 4 was pretty sweet though. Pulled into 4 at 2:30pm, 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
The end...
Well I was going to quit at 4, but I managed to get ready and headed out to 5. Got about a mile on the road when I realized I just don't have the legs to make it to 5 and even if I did, I don't think I could drag my ass back. Not wanting to have another biker stuck at the most remote stop I decided to pack it in. I'm still good with that decision, but I wonder what would of happened if I went on. There were plenty of people that tired it after me looking much worse than I did, some made it to 5, I didn't see any make it to the end, but I have to suspect a few did.
Anyway, I got a good base for whatever I decide to do next year. To put it in context this was the longest I have ever been on a bike and the longest mountain bike ride I have ever done.
Route I did:
Lessons learned:
- You can't quit ever, its too easy
- Don't have a nice comfortable car waiting for you at stop 4
- Stop thinking (well, I don't think I learned this one)
Long story...
Start to Check point 1
This was a fairly easy trek of 11 or so miles. I was going at a pretty steady but slow pace to make sure that I didn't start too fast. Lots of flat tires and mechanicals. Must of been 3 broken chains in the first five miles. Got to checkpoint one at 7:52am. Right on plan. Stopped for a minute to get some water and then off I went.
Check point 1 to Check point 2
The next checkpoint was at 31 miles so I knew I just had to take it easy. A good portion of the beginning was road even though about 1/2 was uphill before we went to the singletrack up Lynn. Ouch, not having pre-rode the course I didn't realize how steep it was. Walked alot of it and towards the top I got a really bad cramp in both hamstrings. GREAT! All I need this early (17 miles) into the race. Started popping endurolytes like candy and taking it real easy and managed to make them disappear. The wolf down hill was pretty fun although not worth the climb up Lynn. The rest of the way was road to #2. At 2 I refilled my sustained energy bottle got some water and took off again. It was 10:30am and I was 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
Check point 2 to Check point 3
This was the Hanky climb that I was not looking forward to. Luckily the climb that we rode before was not that difficult and I did rather well, what I didn't expect is how much was left to the top once we took the right. Walked a good bit of it and started noticing my knee was hurting pretty good. Popped some advil at the top to see if it would go away. The downhill after Hanky was a blast especially towards the bottom. The top was pretty beat up from the number of bikes and didn't have much room for error. Drifted in to 3 at around 1:30pm, still 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
Check point 3 to Check point 4
The road to the beginning of the Mountain House trail really pointed out how tired I was. I was having trouble putting any real power down on the road. I was also feeling the knee pretty good now even with the Advil. The Mountain House trail was a good 2 mile hike a bike. Besides a few places I walked most of it. The downhill into 4 was pretty sweet though. Pulled into 4 at 2:30pm, 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
The end...
Well I was going to quit at 4, but I managed to get ready and headed out to 5. Got about a mile on the road when I realized I just don't have the legs to make it to 5 and even if I did, I don't think I could drag my ass back. Not wanting to have another biker stuck at the most remote stop I decided to pack it in. I'm still good with that decision, but I wonder what would of happened if I went on. There were plenty of people that tired it after me looking much worse than I did, some made it to 5, I didn't see any make it to the end, but I have to suspect a few did.
Anyway, I got a good base for whatever I decide to do next year. To put it in context this was the longest I have ever been on a bike and the longest mountain bike ride I have ever done.
Route I did:
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