Doublecrossed!

Note: This draft has been in my blogger for almost two full months. I guess I better publish it. Pics to come when I get around to it. Which probably means in 2 more months. Maybe I'll finish the rest of the entry someday too.

Saturday 4/21/2012 Keith, Steve, Jeff, Greg, Ryan and myself all went to “run” the doublecross of the grand canyon. With the north rim closed until 5/15, we were forced to add a couple hundred miles onto our drive to the south rim of the grand canyon. The drive was not without excitement. A bad crash had closed the highway in both directions just past Page, AZ, and it was obvious that it would be a while before they opened the road again, so we decided to take a bypass road which really was just a maintenance road for the powerlines that ran parallel to the highway. A whole convoy of cars decided to take the same dirt road and we were all hoping the van would make it because having to salmon the little dirt road back to the highway would have been a major time killer.

Road trips with a car full of excited people makes any outing fun. Our attempt to do the doublecross was no exception. At long last we made it to the south rim and were able to set up the tent, get some burritos and check out the trailhead before the sun went down. We were all tucked in bed with an ambient assist at 8pm in anticipation of our long run the next day.

Saturday, the day of our run was Jeff’s birthday. On the way to the trailhead, we sang to him and gave him a pop tart with a candle in it in lieu of cake. We started running @4:30a to beat the burros on the way down. As the sun started to paint the eastern sky a faint shade of color, the darkness lifted and we were able to get our first views of the canyon. The relief is impressive and the canyon so vast! Pictures really don’t do it justice.  I was going at a fun run pace all day which included a mix of running and walking in an effort to make it fun and not too soul crushing of a day. Somewhere near cottonwood I looked at my watch and being 3:20 into it, I let the group know that Jason Dorais would be on the north rim already. We all laughed. At ourselves.

Just getting started.

Bridge across the Colorado.

Jeff came straight from a tailgate party to meet us for the run.

I picked up my skimo suit from Jared before heading down. I had to try it on when we were stopped
for an accident. 

Down down down.

Cell service again! Nerds.

The GC is stunning.

Mission accomplished. I think it took us around 15ish hours but I'm not sure. My watch died on me. Who cares anyway?

I felt really good all day even on the last climb up the Bright Angel trail.

A couple notes about nutrition: I get really sick of gels, bars, etc. on a long day like that. The best thing I had all day was a small stick of beef jerky. Ryan had boiled potatoes, Jeff had a Lynn Wilson burrito (he let it thaw in his pack)

Davis County MTB Tour 4/7/12

A couple of friends of mine were were planning a big day planning on skiing coalpit, the hypodermic needle and the Y couloir. Certainly an awesome day to link those 3 lines--I wanted in. The only problem was the start time of 1:00a for me to meet the fellas on time. I wasn't feeling it--My body needed just a bit more sleep than that. With the little dusting of snow and the hard freeze we had a couple days ago an alternative popped into my mind. My "alternative" was to MTB up to the ranger cabin in Farmington Canyon and lap some Mud and Rice that I've skied several times over the last few years. The Farmington Canyon road has been closed for over a year due to some rockfall, so the only way to get there was by foot or by bike. By foot would take forever, so bike it is. 11ish miles from my house to the skis transition.

Great reflection of the full moon on the GSL this morning.

I quickly figured out a way to lash my skis and boots to my bike and set the alarm for 4:15a. I was skeptical of what the skiing would be like, but sometimes you never know until you go. Anyway, it was cold on the ride up and the ride felt much longer in the dark. My toes were numb basically the whole day. As I type they are sore from the cold ski boots they were stuffed in all morning. I breakfasted  on some spinach and sweet potato pizza leftover as I watched the sunrise. A beautiful clear windless morning, I could look south and see the Wasatch range all the way to Timp. Looking east I could see the high peaks of the Uintas. Looking south was Francis Peak and the Farmington ridge. It was going to be a memorable day.

Owen's skintrack from the week prior? He's the only other person (that I know of) to ski this area this year so it had to be him. 

I was psyched on the view.

Type 1 fun.

Little 80s turns!

My transportation for the day. Not a drop of gas used to ski today. Not 85 octane anyways.

The skiing was fantastic. Really really fun stuff. About 6" of new which this season classifies as a powder day. I was home by noon to start easter-egg hunts, do some honey-dos and spend time with the family.

Stats for the day:

Miles on bike: 22.
Miles on skis: 8-10ish?
Fuel: My spinach and sweet potato basil pizza.
Time: 7.5 hours home to home.

2012 Powderkeg Recap

                                         

I don't know what it is with the Powderkeg. In 2010 I could barely walk due to a bad ski crash a couple weeks before the race. I did the rec division on heavy gear. In 2011 I had race gear, but also had bronchitis. A heavy, productive cough at altitude saw me to a miserable day out on the course. In 2012, I was hopeful that it would all come together for me. I felt encouraged by my fitness from the citizen series races. Work was starting to get busy for me (CPA--I know, the worst job ever for a skier). I've had a lingering cold since the beginning of March, but no big deal right? Wrong. Train wreck!



 Right from the le mans start I knew it was going to be a long day. I had no energy and just felt drained even on the first climb. While doing long events like White Rim in a day etc. it's not uncommon for me to have "dark moments" when everything seems dire. Then something happens like a bend in the road providing a good vista, seeing some columbines in bloom, hearing birdsong, or some other trigger that will make it fun again. The 2012 Powderkeg was one big dark moment. I wanted to drop out so bad but eventually I kinda stopped racing and just tried to finish. It is such a shame too because it was such a beautiful day, but I just couldn't get the negative chatter of "I'm hurting so bad" and "Dude, just drop out" out of my head all day. Grrr.

Chad put on a great event that was well attended, had great volunteers, and reserved some beautiful weather for the race. Really, one of the best events I've participated in. The sprint race afterwards was really fun too with 6 teams of 6 racers completing a lap consisting of a short skinner, a booter, short skinner, then ski through some gates back down to the start.

Dissapointed, but finally finished.

Lining up for the spring. Somehow I had to race against the A team.

Finishing the sprint race.

Jeffy in the sprint race.

In the couple of days since the race I realized that the Pkeg didn't reflect my overall ability or fitness--I'm capable of a lot more. Physically and mentally, I had a terrible day. Next year I'm using Purell and I'm going to stop shaking hands in February.

Citizen Series/Mueller Park pipeline

The last citizen series race of the year was Thurs. 3/1. As usual, it was awesome. This really has been a fun series. I'm going to miss not having Thursday night skimo the rest of the winter. 

Hi Jon!

Andy, you're the man.

Directions. Wait, where does it go?

Courtney kicked my butt all winter. He was always just a little faster than me and is a great skier too.

Jeff just after his yardsale to finish the race.

Team exchange.

Mueller Park Reconnaisance

We were short on time Saturday because of family commitments, but still wanted to get out and have a little adventure. The plan was to hike up the pipeline scar that Kern River made this summer in Mueller Park. We made it most of the way up before we had to turn around. 

The scar ranged from mostly flat to 30ish degrees to flatish and went for a long way. There was enough coverage to have some fun turns. I think that scar will provide access to some great options up on the ridge. Gotta get up there again.

(Jeff Caldwell collection)

(Jeff Caldwell collection)

(Jeff Caldwell collection)

Jackson guys trip (with my wife too)

Sometime in late November we put a trip to Jackson on the calendar with me, my three brothers, and my dad. The plan was to stay and ski for a couple days and hang out. Well, as the time got closer, some people couldn't make it, so Jami came instead. I've skied at Jackson 2x previously, both for the Jackson Rando Race.

I was super impressed by that mountain and how steep it is! I loved it-That would be a really great home mountain to have. Friday was pretty bluebird. I don't really have alpine skis anymore, so I was on a bluehouse ski with dynafits. A couple of the holes had been reused from a previous mount. Anyway, I was skiing some moguls and crashed. I think what happened is the toepiece ripped out and I tipped. I looked down and the toepiece was still fixed in my boots! I had an interested ski the rest of the way down and had to swap skis for a snowboard for the rest of the trip.

With all of my ski focus being on touring the last couple years, it was fun to ride lifts, chill, hand out with my old lady and goof off with my kid brother.

Jeff is a pretty rad skier. Like Bode.

My Dad still gets after it in his late 60s.

Flagstaff>Oingo Boingo(Days)>Hallway>Pole Line

Last Saturday (Feb 18) was one of those days you just wish you could bottle and take a little with you for the rest of your life. 

Beautiful Days.

Days.

Hallway-upper entrance. We passed and skied in from the lower entrance.

Hallway-Trent Duncan shredding.

Cardiac Ridge had tons of tracks. Is it considered Alta sidecountry?

I took this on my way out. Superior would have been great today.

Weekend Ski/BMX

Got out the other day with Greg and my brother Boog. I love the Wasatch. 

Nice day to be out!

Per the avalanche forecast, we stayed off of anything smooth, white and steep. Really tempting to look at a nice untracked slope like that. Patience is the name of the game right now.

Boot top pow! Dr. Boog throwing some low angle dust around.

After skiing I hadn't had enough fun, so I went and raced BMX bikes with my friend Logan.