Just One More ...

48!

Just one more peak to finish Monica's 4000'ers.  As most people near the end of their list they start evaluating the remaining mountains to choose the right one for the final peak.  The three remaining candidates for Monica were Carrigain, Cabot, and Isolation, and she chose Isolation for a few reasons.  I think being a long hike worked a bit against it, but it's much better than Cabot for the view, and the road walk for Carrigain (Sawyer River road was closed until this weekend) dampened that choice.  She's been working on the list for 2 years as she got the hiking bug just before we met.  Until we started hiking she didn't really know about the 4000'ers and this became a serious goal for her.  The past two summers we dedicated a chunk of time to knocking off mountains on the list, including some ambitious weekends.  She and her sister did a two night Presidential Traverse saying at Madison and Lakes last year, and this year we did a Bonds Traverse on a gorgeous day to pick off a bunch more, followed five days later by Owls Head.  As the summer ended and fall started we were determined to finish up this year.

Just one more mountain to finish my 3rd round of the 4000'ers.  For years I only needed two peaks to finish my 3rd round; Owlshead and Isolation. I hiked them the first time as part of my 4000'ers.  The second round I was accompanying others on their peaks and it was the same for the third round.  Well, that's not fair to Isolation, which has a fantastic view and is wonderfully remote.  Owlshead is just a too long walk in the woods to a cairn in the trees.  Sorry everyone who loves Owlshead, but it will never be a favorite of mine.  At this point, if I do Isolation and Owlshead again I think I'll complete my 4th round, but I think I'll stop counting at this point.

Just one more weekend dedicated to finishing the list. Hiking is a great joy for both of us, and the 4000'ers list is a great way to explore and track your accomplishments.  And it is a big accomplishment; it represents a commitment of time and energy over an extended time period to achieve an end.  There are (literally) high points and low points along the way; spectacular views and knee deep mud.  But with the end in sight it sometimes feels like a chore to knock off another peak on the list each weekend.  Fortunately there always seems to be at least one memorable view, animal sighting, conversation, or just mind clearing moment of Zen along the way.  Still, not having to plan your weekends around a list is extremely liberating and we're both looking forward to having no constraints.

Just one more day, the forecast on Saturday was for rain all afternoon.  I don't know if it really fell up there since we drove up that afternoon but the Sunday forecast looked good and we woke up to a beautiful sunrise in Jackson.  I'm not really good at delaying plans but I finished my first round of the 4000'ers on Isolation, alone and in the rain, and I didn't want Monica's finish to suffer a similar fate.  It would be colder on Sunday, but had the right gear and we could sense the start of Fall with some possible snow in the forecast for the next day.

Just one more mile from the junction of the Isolation (East) trail and the Davis Path to the summit.  We've been rock hopping, negotiating waterlogged trails, and leaping across stream crossings for 3.5 hours and the end is in sight.  It's a simple goal, but it also represents the end of a major goal and the two thoughts are intertwined.  Of course, the trail along the ridge is a muddy mess (how does this happen on a ridgetop?) and we navigate with care.  I knew that the sign to the summit spur trail was gone, but the two other signs remained on the Davis Path so finding the way wasn't difficult.  Just a few more steps and there we were!  Oops, the true summit is 20 feet further over the scrub; OK, now we're really there!


Just one more stream crossing, one more mile of mud, one more encounter with hikers headed in, one more stumble on a rock hidden under a pile of colorful fallen leaves.  After feeling a bit grumbly on the way in the return trip was surprising quick and painless.  Yes, it went on for a while but the rock hopping and mud were a minor inconvenience rather than the mind numbing chore we thought it would be.  Hiking out is always easier than the trip in and with the realization that this goal had been completed we started discussing other hiking goals, like a one day Presidential Traverse, backpacking the Adirondacks, some longer dayhikes next summer and the upcoming ski season.  But no new lists for a bit.

Just one more person accompanied me on this trip up Isolation than did on my first time; but if it's the right person one is enough.

First run of Autumn

It was a weekend full of activity, a perfect way to Fall Back.  It started with a mountain bike ride down in Wompatuck State Park with Jeff on a somewhat drizzly Saturday morning.  Unknown to us there was a road cycling fundraising ride being run out of the park so we had to park at some random side area but it was a small detour.  We road a good chunk of the course Monica and I road a few weeks ago, and explored a few new areas as well.  Both of us had our share of falls; I managed to pull a muscle in my chest and get scrapes all up my left arm, but it was worth it.  After watching Jeff trying to handle some of the rockier sections on his hardtail, I'm happier than ever with my full suspension 29'er.

Sunday we met a few friends for Dim Sum in the morning, then did a bunch of housework before heading to the Fells to take advantage of this great Fall weather.  This was the first run in my Brooks Cascadia 6 trail shoes and they worked great.  No foot pain, great traction, and they go really well with my Lime Gatorade Hurl Dirty Girl gaiters.  It was Monica's first real trail run.  We had done running as part of some long hikes along the Wilderness Trail but this was the first time we set out for the purpose of running.  She used her Camelback pack with mixed success; I used my Nathan belt.

Fortunately, my sore ribs really didn't bother me much.  I felt pain when I needed to take a jarring step or twisting motion, and when I tripped and went down it wasn't an entirely pleasurable experience, but for the most part I was fine.  On the easy footing flats especially things felt pretty close to normal so that bodes well for some runs this week.  We did a modified Reservoir Loop of about 5.75 miles, which is a great way to end the weekend and start the Fall.

Garmin Track of the run - Ignore the elevation numbers, at one point it had us at 184 feet below sea level

Oh, so that's what improvement feels like

I'm not a fast runner.  Other runners seem to have a gear that they can shift into when they want to pour it on; not me.  I have one gear - plodding.  Don't get me wrong; it's a good gear.  I like plodding.  It's a fairly efficient pace, with some variety between slowly jogging and rapidly ambulating.  My pace got me through a marathon and I'm pretty pleased with that.  My schedule this summer hasn't allowed for too many long runs, so Monica and I signed up for a series of Thursday night 5Ks along the Charles River.

I have never placed in the top 10 for my age group and unless I find a race with fewer than 50 participants I probably never will.  But I like racing because it gives me an objective measurement to gauge my progress.  Training runs, no matter how well intentioned or rigorously run don't put you in the same frame of mind.  In the minutes before the starting gun you anticipate, concentrate, and fully invest.  No matter how important the training is, it never puts me the same frame of mind.

Last Thursday was the final 5K of the summer.  Monica couldn't make it so I was running solo for the first time this year.  On a whim I decided to run with my MP3 player, something I've never done in a race before except for the first Jingle Bell Run 4 years ago.  I usually like paying attention to the sights and sounds around me, especially when running with someone else but this was an unusual solo run so all bets were off.  The start was delayed by reasons unknown for 15-20 minutes so we all had extra time to mill about and get a little extra anxiety.

I moved a bit further up in the queue than usual as the crowd was a little lighter than the previous races in the series; perhaps the earlier start and the impending darkness played into it.  As the crowd surged forward I felt surprisingly good. The hip problems and general lethargy of the past month weren't present so this was a pleasant surprise for me.  I started scanning the runners ahead of me and thinking "I should be faster than him or her."  It's not pretty, but it often works for me.  Granted, some of those people I think I should be faster then just pull away and I never see them again, but such is life.

At the one mile mark my pace was 8:11, faster than any other race we've done this summer.  So, naturally I slowed down a bit but nothing was hurting and my stride was easy so I crept the pace back up. After the first mile and the out-and-back most folks settle out into a steady stream of about the same pace.  I passed a few people, a few people passed me.  I was tempted by the water station but decided I was going to push it a bit so I sped (ha!) by the folks getting water, crossed the bridge, and entered the home stretch.

Except it's still 1.1 miles to the finish and that section seems to go on forever.  With .5 miles to go I attempted to increase my pace but that elusive gear remained elusive.  Looking the data from the watch I guess I sped up a bit but just barely until the last .2 miles.  Lots of folks passed me in this section, including several that I had passed between miles 1 and 2; that hurt.  But with the end literally in sight and the smell of BBQ in the air I pulled it together and crossed the finish with my pride intact.  My time was 25:40, around 30 seconds faster than my previous PR.  It's not a huge improvement but 10 secs/mile is nothing to sneeze at.  I finished 300/807 overall, 202/347 males.

Pushing 50 it's nice to see that I can still improve.  There's hope for me yet, still trying to work the clutch and get the shifter into that elusive higher gear. 

Garmin Track of the race

Taken for a ride

I had my gym bag with me at work on Friday, getting ready for a post work run that I wasn't really looking forward to.  I'd had a few mediocre runs recently and this seemed (at least in my head) to be shaping up for another.  At 2:00 PM Monica texted me that she would throw the bikes on the car and meet me at Great Brook Farms if I wanted to go for a mountain bike ride instead. That sounded better for my disposition and my legs, so we agreed to meet there around 5:45 for some playing in the mud.

Aside from both of us making wrong turns on our way to place we'd been to many times we arrived without major incident.  Monica brought all my biking clothes I changed in the restrooms and we started riding.  After a quick loop to warm up we headed to our favorite single track loop.  This was my first time at Great Brook on my new bike and the difference was pretty significant.  I'm finally beginning to let the bike do it's job, and concentrate on doing my job.  I can pedal just fine, keep the bike pointed in the right direction, and trust that the suspension will absorb the impacts. The best example was the narrow bridges on the Tophet Loop.  In the past I was constantly adjusting the steering, worried about dropping off the side into the mud.  Now, the bridges just seemed wider.  I could look ahead and plan for the dismount and keep my speed up.

Over a rock wall

After the Tophet Loop we did the more technical Keyes Loop which has a few rock walls to scale.  I gave up on the first one, and after making it over the later ones on the trail I really wish I had tried it again.  Next time.  Then we explored a new area, trying to follow the map and find more single track.  Aside from a lot of dogs barking at us and getting turned around once we found some good terrain that we'll return to.  It was getting a bit dark as we finished that loop so we decided to head back to the cars rather than fight the dusk.  There's one section that we rode a long time ago where we both had to walk and even carry the bikes that I'd like to try again.

A great Friday alternative to heading to Applebee's for a beer and potato skins. Can't wait to explore some more.

GPS track of the ride 

Owl's Head dayhike

Another of the long hikes remaining for Monica's 48 was Owl's Head, the much maligned and often lamented walk in the woods.  We had just done a 20 miler 5 days ago but the weather was too good to pass up and, frankly, we were in a groove.  I was a bit worried about the blister on my heel, but I had run the day before and it survived so we decided to go for it.

Early morning start

Owl's Head, by the standard route, is 8 miles of flat, 1 mile up, 1 miles down, and 8 more miles of flat.  Unless you miss the turnoff to the slide path, but more on that later.  We left Boston early and managed to arrive at the trail head and get on the trail before 8:00 AM.  We decided to start off by running the Wilderness Trail and get some miles under our belt quickly.  After a few minutes finding the start of the Franconia Brook trail (don't ask) we alternated running/walking until we got to the Lincoln Brook trail junction.  Aside from a few muddy sections the footing was fine and the ground level.

On the slide

The Lincoln Brook trail isn't as easy to run so we hiked along at a good pace until we reached the first stream crossing.  It's the biggest one of the trip and we spend a good 15 minutes scouting out the best crossing point.  Even with that Monica slipped on a wet rock and got her shoes and socks wet.  We dried them as best we could and kept an eye on any potential blisters but it wasn't going to change our plans.  We ran into our first other hikers of the day, coming out from 13 Falls, as they were crossing the opposite direction by wading across.  The second crossing is short way away, and we made it across this one after another 15 minutes of searching but without significant incident.

On the summit

There are two more stream crossings along the way but they're a bit smaller so we didn't spend any time scouting those. After the 4th crossing the Owl's Head slide path takes off to the right, but we managed to walk right past it.  I got a feeling that we had done so but we wanted to make sure before reversing course so we went 25 minutes past the crossing before deciding to turn around and look again.  Sure enough we spotted the path easily on the way back and only lost 45 minutes or so.  Up we went, picking our path through the rocks and scree.  We got some nice view from the slide and tried to keep a steady pace while climbing.

The next step wasn't a good one

Once at the top of the slide followed the well worn but too long trail to the old summit, where a rock arrow pointed us to the new summit.  I'd never been there before, my previous two trips were to the old summit so this was new terrain for me.  There are several herd paths but they all generally lead to the right place.  We had a nice lunch of prosciutto and provolone wraps and a well earned apple and a bit of a rest before heading back down.  The slide wasn't bad on the way down, and we ran into a guy with two big loveable black labs heading up for the night.

Once down we filled up water at the first stream crossing and added iodine purifier.  The trip out was pretty uneventful except for me falling off a rock on the third crossing and getting a wet foot.  We both used our water shoes for the final crossing and the cold water on our feet and legs felt great.  From the Franconia Brook trail junction we ran most of the way, walking a few times but keeping up a good pace. The last 2 miles on the Wilderness trail always suck, but knowing there was a cold beer in the car waiting for us helped.  The trip took just under 10 hours, surprisingly a few minutes longer than the Bonds traverse but I think a lot of that was the water crossings.  Only 5 left for Monica's 48; only 1 left for my 3rd round.

Bonding

Monica is working on her 4000'ers and a Bonds traverse would give her 4 peaks in one big day hike.  We've been working on longer hikes and this trip is close to 20 miles so it would be a great test of our stamina and fitness. The forecast looked OK, with some possible thunderstorms in the afternoon that we'd have to look out for.  On the drive up Friday night we witnessed a car right in front of us veer off the left lane, hit the end of the guardrail, and explode in a fluffy of car parts before coming to halt on the shoulder.  As we approached the car to render aid a second car pulled up with an EMT and a nurse so we backed out and continued on our way as the police arrived.  Good way to start the weekend.

Tracy, Randy, and Quinn at Zealand Hut

Our plan was to get an early start so we could avoid the heat of the day for our climb.  We parked at the Zealand trailhead and were on the trail by 6:20 AM.  There was another group heading for the Bonds as well, and we quickly caught up with them and left them as we started to mix some easy jogging on the flat sections before the hut.  When we arrived we ran into Randy and Tracy (with Quinn) who were also headed for the Bonds.  Quinn was so happy to see us he followed us right into the hut, leading Randy where he wasn't headed.  Sorry about that. :)  We each drank two large glasses of water because water was going to be a concern all day and continued on.

Monica on Zeacliff

Up the Twinway towards Zeacliff in the cool of the morning.  We didn't see anyone  the whole way up, and had the views to ourselves.  I'd forgotten how flat the terrain is above the cliffs and we had some great discussions and enjoyed the quiet as well. Fairly quickly we found ourselves at the spur trail to Zealand, and then at the summit, our first of 4 for the day.  We took a break, had a snack, applied sunscreen, and got ready for the climb down and up to Guyot.  There were a few other hikers coming through now, either from the shelter or Galehead hut and it was beginning to get warm.

Crossing Guyot

At treeline by the summit of North Guyot we spotted a large group on South Guyot so we gave them a few minutes to pack up and move on.  They were a camp group that had stayed at Guyot Shelter and were headed for Ethan Pond, part of a large crowd (over 60 people) at the shelter/campsite Friday night.  We paused again briefly at the summit of South Guyot, pointed out our next destination of West Bond, and talked about whether we wanted to drop down to the water source.  We elected to conserve water and save the elevation and headed to West Bond.  We had the peak to ourselves again and took a well deserved rest.  The views were spectacular and the breeze felt great.  After a few minutes and some photos we headed back to the ridge.

Blueberries!

The trip up to Bond went quicker then we expected and we had another time to rest and take a bunch more photos of Bondcliff, and then the final push of the day.  The trip down to the col is the roughest rock of the trip, but the reward was lots and lots of blueberries along the way.  Monica went into summit fever mode and I followed along eventually, my hands stained blue.  After the full set of photos from Bondcliff we attempted to eat our very unappetizing lunch and failed.  We weren't very hungry but knew we needed some food so we ate what we could and finally packed up for the trip out.

The classic pose

From Bondcliff it's 9 miles out, mostly easy downhill and flat but 9 miles is still 9 miles.  There was no water at the first two stream crossings as expected, and we filled the extra bottle we had at the third crossing, but our purification tablets were the wrong ones that take 4 hours.  Oh well.  We ran the bottom of the Bondcliff trail, then started running out the Wilderness trail.  After the crossing at Franconia Brook Monica decided to run the rest of the way, I alternated walking and running due to a blister on my left heel.  About a mile remaining I ran out of water but grunted it out, arriving at the parking lot about 5 minutes behind Monica.

Running out on the Wilderness trail

After a wait for our car we hitched into Lincoln and grabbed a booth at the Common Man for beer, bad food, and good company.  It was a big successful day, setting the tone for future big trips.

Racing in a Sauna

Monica and I run in a once-a-month musically themed Thursday night series along the Charles River, a 5K that ends with a BBQ, band, and beer.  This month was the Jerry Garcia Memorial Run.  The start/finish for this series is close to the house so it's easy logistically.  Monica parked a car in the lot across the street earlier in the day and we road our bikes to the start.  It didn't seems so hot at first, but as we arrived at the car it was clear that it was going to be a tough night.  The humidity and lack of wind gave the scene a rather drastic feel.

First, we changed into running shoes and pinned our bibs on, then headed over to pick up the t-shirt Monica had ordered.  Runners were beginning to gather in greater numbers, so we walked around the tents to see what was there and dropped the shirt off back at the car.  In just a quick jog across the road I could feel my hip bothering me, and I knew it wasn't going to be an easy race.  At the starting line we stretched and did a quick warmup run to get the muscles moving.  At 7:28 the massed runners surged toward the tunnel under the bridge and at 7:30 the race started right on time.

This time the start was much more organized and orderly than the first race in the series.  There was no mud, and less chaos so we were able to settle into a full speed pace quickly.  As we made the turn at the sign and headed back to the tunnel everyone was already starting to sweat.  Monica was running with her GPS watch and she said that it seemed to take forever to get to the first mile beep, but in fact we were well under 9:00 pace.  This was the first 5K I've ever stopped to get water, it was just brutal.

We crossed the bridge which is right around 2 miles and were headed back towards the finish line now, my hip wasn't bothering me as much as I expected and we kept up the sub-9:00 pace.  We actually passed a few folks that had been ahead of us the whole way.  At the turn into the finish line we handed our tickets to the collector, I said "Hi" to Jackie who I haven't seen in a long time, and we quickly headed for some water, food, and beer, in that order.

On the beer line I kept feeling someone spilling what I thought was beer on my shoes.  It was my own sweat dripping off my elbows. Yuk.  The beer tasted great but it was really too hot to enjoy the food.  The band was fine and I got to quickly catch up with Jackie and Christopher but we were both ready to head home.  We were drenched with sweat even 45 minutes after we finished; thankfully Monica has waterproof seat covers in her car.  Our time was great, around 26:15 which was about 3 minutes faster than last time.  If the weather is cooler for the next two races it will be interesting to see our times improve.