Steamboat Run Rabbit Run 100 Finish

Getting closer and moving along....

Mike, with his pacer Jill, rolled into Steamboat high around 3:20am. Doing well, feeling great and onto the final stretch of 32 miles with pacer Alex. Time for bed, crew is sleepy... : )

Doing great and looking good!

We met up with Mike at Steamboat High at mile 20.4. Mike was feeling great and in good spirits! He is ~75 minutes behind due to being misguided by some course markings (we worded this kindly!). He is back on course, stay tuned!

Steamboat Run Rabbit Run 100 Tracking

Track my race here (bib #240, Tortoise), starting at 8AM MDT Sep 14th:

http://www.ultralive.net/rrr100/webcast.php

The 100 Mile "Hares" start at 1PM and are tracked separately -- see (by checkpoint) how many I can stay in front of with a 5 hour head start!

http://www.ultralive.net/rrre100/webcast.php

And the 50M race:

http://www.ultralive.net/rrr50/

Catching Up...

Since I spent most of the last couple days sitting around inside, I finally got caught up on posting some pics, reports, and videos from the last month or so, but I backdated the posts to keep them in some sort of rough order.

A Lucky Fall from Horsetooth

I fell off the Rock on Saturday.
I'm fine, just scrapes and bruises. Considering....everything...could've been much worse.

Here are small pics to spare you if you're squeamish about blood, but clicking on them yields the larger ones:





It wasn't a random accident, it was a preventable incident. I overstepped my capabilities and slipped, end of story. Broke the rule -- no, Commandment, really -- about having solid points of contact with the rock. I was lucky to learn my lesson, I'm not laughing it off, I have no excuses, and if anything I hope someone else learns something (or reiterates something they already knew).

***

24 Hours of Towers was today, so many FCTR folk are heading up and down the iconic, hilly testpiece in a gorgeous September Day. I'm tapering for a race -- remember that? -- so I was looking to join for the premiere lap at 7AM, jog over to the Rock for a weekly summit, and then call it a day.

We had a great group for the morning, alternating between good conversation at a steady pace and Slush and I push each other a bit. At the top, we hung out and cheered on a few more runners, took some pictures, and then Slush, Nick, and I took the Secret Trail over to the Rock. On the way over, Nick and I talked about investigating some Rock options, as we've been excited (spurred by his ideas a few weeks ago) about different climbing routes up the Rock. As you'll recall, there's a South, Middle, and North summit, with the North summit having a trail and light scrambling to the top, while other Class 4 and higher options abound.

We decided to explore the South Rock. Knowing that there are several easy options on the South end, we decided to investigate the North "gap" a bit more, and after sighting a line from the ground and watching Nick lead, it became apparent that it wasn't going to go easily. I wrapped around to the West side of the Rock and it was even more vertical. Cautiously, we abandoned this effort, and made our way to a chimney that Scott had pointed out.

That was a good salvage, as the chimney provided easy and clean passage to the top. It was easier than the Middle Rock is, so it's good, fun practice for that little bit of climbing.

We headed down and decided to explore the south gap of the North tooth a bit further. Nick had done a route recently and was eager to show it. But as we were over there, I tried going a bit further East. It looked like a viable option, except for a tricky move or two near the top, but then it would be home free. But I didn't like the look of it, so I headed down after I wasn't happy with the next move.

Then, unfortunately, I took another glance from below, and convinced myself to give it another try.

I made my way up and was plastered to the side of the rock, but ended up vertical and one good foothold, an OK hand, and the rock bulging slightly towards me. I needed a better 2nd foothold, but it looked like if I pressed myself against the rock and pushed up, I could get a better handhold and then a knee. I got the first hold and moved up, and now I was committed -- I pushed up further with a knee, and then as I tried to bring my foot up, I lost my other foot. I tried lowering myself to regain a foothold and scuttled my feet some more. The rest happened both instantaneously and very drawn-out, but at some point I knew I was going to fall and prepared myself more for that rather than trying to swipe at the rock for more grip.

I kind of fell and slid against the rock. I didn't have time to think or react or shout, but the most distinct sensation was that of incredible speed (mixed with disbelief). I couldn't believe I was moving that fast down rock. I don't know how far I fell or slid, but I was at the incredible mercy of the terrain. I didn't feel like I was at a fatal height, but I didn't spin or flip, and I didn't hit my head, and I didn't break any bones. I didn't twist awkwardly and pull any ligaments. And immediately, I didn't every really hurt.

I shouted to Nick but also myself that "I'm alright" and took more inventory -- scrapes and some blood. I couldn't believe my fortune. I stood up and still felt OK.

Then I noticed a deep gash in my outer thigh -- that one was going to need some attention. It was all the way through the outer layer of skin, revealing gristle underneath like cutting into a piece of chicken, but luckily hadn't penetrated any further. It was only superficial blood vessels that had been affected, so I wasn't bleeding too much.

I tied my shirt around my leg to try to hold the wound closed, and Nick made his way down.

I was OK.

***

We got off the Rock and headed down. Nick was kind enough to stay with me and made various offers about either getting help or getting the car, which I appreciated, but no other options really seemed to be more expedient than just making our way down on foot, which was unfortunately down to the farther Soderberg TH. I alternated swearing at myself, apologizing to Nick (who saw me fall, which is a painful thing to witness as well) and my wife (who wasn't there but deserved the apology) but otherwise was able to jog back down.
Until today, I had never gotten stitches before, but it was clear to me that would be the preferred treatment. I called J and explained, and I thought the Urgent Care (right by our house) should be sufficient, as I downplayed the fact of it being an emergency. Suspecting that it would be harder to do later and that there wasn't other imminent risk, I took a quick shower to get rid of anything sitting on my skin. I didn't want to get too much water in the wound but the little bit that I did stung like hell, probably worse than anything else.

After the typical American administration portion of the visit (standing in a line, dripping blood, getting my insurance card ready), the rest of the visit was great. The nurse was great and helpful, and a PA stitched me up, kindly engaging me in conversation and answering my questions and describing things to me, along with some comical discussion about the health industry. I was also overdue for a tetanus shot, so that seemed like a good idea.

18 stitches later, and the leg is holding up pretty well. The rest of my body, now that the adrenaline is wearing off, is starting to feel like I went through a wash machine.

Stitched up:



***

Ironically, I've been pushing myself toward climbing a bit more, and though am very far from competent or talented at it, I've enjoyed being challenged a bit more than the past. However, the lessons here were clear: I stepped too far and "hoped" to make a few moves quickly that took too much of my weight off the rock, rather than sticking to more assured moves that could be reasonably undone. I also ignored my initial instinct to back off -- several times in the last month or so, I've contemplated something a bit more committing, and then backed off to find a better way. I have to remember that, at this point for me, assessing and re-assessing are invaluable. A 3rd point is the fact that I overclimbed my ability because of the presence of another person and my perceived familiarity with the Rock -- a potentially bad fall is still bad when you're with a partner, so it's irrational to risk otherwise. Finally, I was wearing a brand new pair of Cascadia running shoes -- literally the first mile in them started at 7am that morning -- but they are consistently crappy for me in gripping rock, even when new. I had switched to Peregrine Falcons last month and they've made a huge difference, and that's what I've been playing around with in climbing recently, but was only wearing the Cascadias to break them in for running. Shoes aren't an excuse, but the amount of grip you have on the rock (whether from shoes, the composition of the rock, how wet it is, etc.) is part of the larger equation.

Anyway, I'm very lucky, sorry, and humbled.

***

Steamboat? Who knows. I'm in no shape to assess that. This was a stupid thing to do before a big race. Jogging down was encouraging, but I expect to hurt for the next few days, and can't really think about it until then. Medical-wise, I did get the approval, which came in waves: first, I asked about activity level (keep weight-bearing and water off of the stitches for a day); then I mentioned wanting to run in a week (she said I'd probably and hopefully heal up quickly). Then my wife blurted out something about "100 miles" and the PA didn't flinch, but basically said avoid re-injuring the same area.

If I'm still hurting in a week, then the whole thing is a sunk cost and we'll go up anyway on vacation. Pain will dictate if I run, and if I can't then I have nothing to prove. Typing this will be a helpful reminder in a few days, but the relief at not being injured worse still exceeds me disappointment at being injured at all. But there's also hope that several days of total and complete rest will heal my body up.

A Circle Tour of the Circle Peaks in RMNP

Peaks shown from Trail Ridge, picture from Summitpost.

Mt. Ida
Chief Cheley
Pt. 12820
Cracktop
Mt. Julian
Terra Tomah Mountain (12718')
~14.5M, 6000' gain, 8 hours

When recently visiting the high point of Trail Ridge Road, our view was drawn to some of the peaks just off of the Continental Divide, especially Mt. Julian (the most visually prominent of the peaks). It was apparent that these peaks can be connected for a nice long ridge run, and internet research suggested that the route would be fairly easy, with a combination of Class 1 runnable trail, much Class 2, and a bit of Class 3, with the bulk of the route above treeline. When we factored in another pleasant weather forecast, Nick, Steph, and I were up for a Rocky Mountain adventure.

Our goal included 6 peaks, and is described as the "Circle Peaks" and "Gorge Lakes Peaks" for the respective cirque formed by the mountains around Gorge Lakes. Our proposed route involved a fairly straightforward ascent of Mt. Ida, followed by a ridge run all the way out to Terra Tomah, followed by backtracking and some possibly different descent options once in the field. All 3 of us had the Trails Illustrated RMNP with us, but we could just has easily brought postage stamps with us instead.


Indeed, these peaks are so visually stunning, they were an inspiration for a USPS "Alpine Tundra" stamp.

By first light, we had crossed the high points of Trail Ridge on Iceberg and Milner Passes, descending to Poudre Lake, where we started our journey.
The first peak was Mt. Ida, a flat summit that slopes gently toward the divide. In that respect, and more, there are similarities between Ida and Flat Top mountain in RMNP, as both have runnable trails over 4 miles each way to the summit. The trail to Ida isn't marked on all maps, but is definitely a pleasure to hike or run.

I am unsure of Ida's naming, although that mountain name is prominent in Greek mythology.

We gained Ida with steady hiking in just over 80 minutes, and now had view towards Chief Cheley Peak, which had a more satisfying and accessible summit. (For anyone considering a hike of Mt. Ida, it's definitely worth it to add on a summit of Chief Cheley).

Pics courtesy of Steph and Nick

In the short approach to Chief Cheley, we had enough time to ponder the naming of the peak. We guessed a Native American heritage, but looks like we missed on that one. Instead, Chief Cheley Peak is named after Frank H. Cheley, who was known for directing a boy's camp in Michigan, Camp Eberhardt, in the 1910's. He authored several books based on these experiences, and in "The Three Rivers Kids", he included himself as a character known as "The Chief." He soon established himself in Colorado by opening the Bear Lake Trail School in 1921, an outdoor school for boys, and then later expanding to inclusion of a girl's camp as well. The Cheley Colorado Camps exist today. I am curious for further explanation and clarification, especially to know if the actual naming of the peak was based on exploration or honorifics, as the founding of the park predates Cheley's founding of the school in 1921.

After Chief Cheley, there's a ridge with a highpoint of 12820', rolling along directly to Cracktop. Both names are obvious, with Cracktop being named by a vertical slit directly at the summit.

The ridge between Cracktop and Julian is the slowest-going because of more technical terrain, but still remains Class 3 with easy routefinding.

Afterward, we headed to the more prominent summit of Julian, our penultimate named summit, to be followed by Terra Tomah. I've since learned the explanations for these mountain names (as well as reaching the same conclusions on Ida and Cheley) from "Best Summit Hikes in Colorado", with Julian being named after civil engineer and surveyor Julian Hayden. It appears he did some exploration around the area, but other information about Mr. Hayden is scant. It is likely that official Larimer County surveyor Abner Sprague named it simply in Julian's honour, but I am unaware if the imposing nearby Hayden Spire is named after Julian or more famous surveyor F.V. Hayden.

Terra Tomah's explanation is a double misnomer, as it appears to be a mondegreen from a Cohuila ghost dance...but the name was intended for the lake instead, and was mistakenly applied to the mountain.

(In any case, it's a fun name to play with: it also anagrams to "A Rat Mother..." whatever that means).

Mt. Terra Tomah (left) and Mt. Julian (right)

Julian went quickly enough, and was the only summit with a register, and soon enough we were exploring Terra Tomah's flat summit (with a few candidate high points).

Now we were ready for a decision: most routes involve backtracking the way we came. Doable, but loops are always more satisfying. We had another option of backtracking about halfway before descending to trails parallel to Trail Ridge. But, as we stood on Terra Tomah (and having seen it earlier), we thought that descending off of it would be a fun way to explore the lower lakes and benches above them, and lead to a satisfying loop. But would a Terra Tomah face descent go?

We could see parts of the route, and we were aware of some towers, but it looked like we could descend safely, both in terms of the terrain we could see, and by having ramps leading in either direction at the points we could not. We gambled, fully prepared to reclimb and count our losses, and although it was slow and loose (with occasional slabs of granite, sometimes helpful and sometimes too smooth and vertical) I'd say it was a fun descent that kept our attention. Although there was occasional backtracking,we fanned out and took slightly different routes down, suggesting that there were options.

Our descent off of Terra Tomah's East Face, roughly in the middle

Looking back gave us a new appreciation for the mountain, for what appeared to be a non-descript flat summit from the ridge ended up having a quite impressive face. Going down this face added legimitacy to this mountain, in this author's opinion. In hindsight, an easier but longer option would have been to drop off the more gentle South slopes. Also, photographs show that the lower reaches of Terra Tomah often hold snow in the area we traversed, but was dry on the August day in a very dry snow year of 2012.

Now our technical difficulties were over, and we needed to regain elevation as we explored the lakes below. We gained the bench between Arrowhead and Love lakes on solid rock, as we approached an outlet cascade. This is indeed the source of the Big Thompson, a powerful river that has carved out the canyon all the way from Estes to Loveland.

At this point, though, 'twas but a trickle and a jump:

After a brief blitz through willows, we had straightforward options of regaining the ridge to complete the loop. It was a breathless, Euro-hiking grunt, we made it back out of the cirque. Except, there was more elevation to gain as we traced back along the ridge to the Ida trail, which added to the grind.

Finally, we were back to the trail, and it was a fun, clean descent back to the car. In all, I think the Circle Tour of the Circle Peaks was a great route, and it was great to enjoy it with fun and capable friends.