Dealing with the Unexpected...

Sorry folks, no pictures here...

Of all the things I thought we'd encounter on the trail that would make us have to call it quits, like a broken bone, horrendous weather, lightning strike, lost or broken gear, or chance encounter with a Sasquatch, I never expected knee pain to be in that category.

We made it 230 miles in 11 days, over 40,000 feet of elevation gained and even more lost, arriving at Mt. Princeton Hot Springs on Sat. 8/9/14. We started from Waterton Canyon in the pouring rain, pitched our tent that night in the rain, and at least woke up the next morning to no rain, but heavy clouds. For the next 4 days we were inundated with daily rain showers, keeping us constantly clammy and damp. Not to mention the trench foot...!

One of the coolest animal encounters I've ever had happened on the third day, when Hal stopped mid-trail to avoid kicking a small baby owl! It was sitting in the middle of the trail, and we were worried that someone would step on it, so I put my gloved hands down by it and it hopped into my hands! It was amazing. I was able to gently deposit the owl a few feet off the trail, hopefully not too far for its mom to miss it. It didn't even want to leave my hands, putting its head back and closing its eyes for a little nap! Sad to leave it, we had to continue so Hal built it a small ground shelter, just in case...We think now that it was a young burrowing owl...

We posted earlier about arriving in Breck and at Mt. Princeton, and have now healed for 4 days and feel ready to tackle another 6 sections of the trail. We are hoping to complete the trail up to Segment 20 on this trip.
During that time, I did get my knee worked on by the best massage therapist ever, Matthew Gibble (Raining Faith Massage). I highly highly recommend him for any sports massage or injury and recovery issues. Turns out my knee is an over-use injury (big surprise!) combined with soft tissue damage. Basically doing our typical thing of going too hard, too fast, too soon.
When we return to the trail, we will be shooting for 20-22 miles a day, instead of 30.

Okay, thanks to everyone for following and for all the support! We didn't make it for our thru-hiking goal, but have learned a ton in the process and are still going to finish the whole Colorado Trail, hopefully by September!

Happy trails,
~Kasey~

Arrived at Mt. Princeton Hot Springs!

Just sitting here in the lobby of the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort and Spa, enjoying their brownie sundaes and wi-fi!

We got here this afternoon and restocked our food supply, soaked in the healing waters, and did some laundry. 

Getting ready to head out and camp for the night, so we can get an early start tomorrow. Our packs are dishearteningly heavy with 6 days + of food!

We have been lucky enough to have mostly sunny days since our night in Copper, have seen some amazing mountain valleys and passes and been amazed by the kindness of both friends and strangers!

Heading from here to Lake Molas and then hopefully onto Durango...

Aches and pains are quite prevalent for both of us, so we are pairing down the mileage and daily speed. The descents have proven most difficult on my knees, but a combination of Hal taking some of my pack weight plus multiple ibuprofen doses a day is keeping the pain and swelling down...

Good night for now!!!

The Colorado Trail-made it to Breck!

We are sitting here at the Red, White, and Blue Fire Station 6 in downtown Breckenridge, enjoying a much-needed trail break! The guys at the firehouse have been nothing short of fantastic, letting us sprawl all over with our wet and smelly camping gear!

And why were we all wet and smelly?! 

Because in delaying our start time a day and trying to avoid the low pressure storm system we actually managed to walk for 13 hours in pouring rain, only to have to set up camp in the rain, only to have it rain all night, and then wake up to put on all our wet gear again!

Thankfully our first few days on the trail were the hardest-when we finally had sun on Saturday we were ecstatic!

Thus far all our gear is holding up great, our minds are fresh, our bodies have consistent but different aches every day...

We are managing almost 25 miles a day, hoping to bump it up to 30 when we get a bit further along.

Otherwise, we have seen some amazing wildlife and have met about 5 other enthusiastic and friendly thru-hikers!

Can't wait to start out again tomorrow morning, bright and early from Breckenridge. 

We will try to check in again at the Mt. Princeton hot springs where we hope to soak in the healing waters and rest again for an afternoon...

Thanks to all our friends and family for supporting us on this big adventure!

Less than 400 miles to go!!!

Waiting to leave...

Backpacking the 50 mile Gore Range Trail...Gear testing for the upcoming Colorado Trail...

For all the preparation we've done for the Colorado Trail this year, we had yet to actually backpack and camp with our gear.

So we picked a 45 mile (turned out to be a 50 mile) trail close to Summit County to test our packs and to have a fun mini-trip before the 500 mile Colorado Trail.

Since the Gore Range Trail is a point-to-point hike, leaving from Green Mtn. Reservoir outside of Silverthorne and going to Copper, we were very happy to have Mom and Dad join us for the beginning of our trip, thus removing one leg of a car shuttle!
We got off to a not-so-early start of 10:45am last Thursday, because Hal had just come from a shift at work. We hiked in from the Surprise Lake Trailhead, thus removing unnecessary driving on a dirt road and cutting out maybe a mile or two of the actual Gore Range Trail. The two trails joined up later on and then we were on the Gore Range Trail for the remainder of the hike.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Mom and Dad left us at Surprise Lake and then we were on our own for the rest of our 15 mile, 9 and a half hour day.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that we also got lost on Day 1, adding about 1,000 ft. elevation gain and a few miles to our total. Calling the Gore Range Trail a 'trail' is a stretch. Here's a picture of Hal looking out over said 'trail'... Tell me if you can see anything that looks even remotely like a path...!!!



The trail is where, exactly?!


The horrific mosquitoes and dead-fall all attributed to this being about the hardest trail I have ever done. The first day alone we did over 3,300 feet of climbing!


Deadfall and Delta!





And we brought Delta! Our little Chihuahua is such a trooper! She was right at home in the middle of the wilderness. We found a campsite that first night around dusk and were able to rinse off in a nearby creek and be in bed by dark.

 

After Day 1, we assessed all our gear and food and decided that everything was working perfectly, we had plenty of food, and water was never far from the trail, which was a nice commodity. 

Our packs weren't giving us too many hot spots, trail running shoes were light and comfortable, sleeping bags and tent were warm enough and dry, and mosquito headnets were the best Walmart purchase ever!

Fashionable mosquito head gear...





 Day 2 consisted of more varied terrain, more climbing, and the most amazing high alpine meadows and views I have ever seen. We were surprisingly fresh in the morning, considering all the bushwhacking we had done the day before. We kept up a smoking pace of about 2 miles per hour, including all our stops. I think this is about what we will be capable of on the Colorado Trail. We may be able to average 3 mph on the CT because the trail is well marked and there is actually less climbing. My Garmin watch showed our average moving speed to be a tiny bit higher than 3 mph, but all the stops slowed us down to 2 mph.

Delta and I trekking-the hiking poles were AMAZING!

But the stops were also probably what kept us going all day. We tried to stop for roughly 10 minutes every hour, with longer stops at lunch and dinner. 

Great dinner stop!

By the end of Day 2 we had gone another 12 hours, 21 miles, and 5,500 ft. of elevation gain. Whew! This trail was steep! We had the best campsite that night, on a bed of soft pine needles in a little clearing of pine trees. We found that camping on pretty much anything other than grass keeps you much warmer and drier. Plus I like to think that a bobcat/lynx led us to our campsite that second night....We were coming down from the last pass at dusk and looking around for a good place to pitch the tent when I saw a small, tan/brownish colored animal with a short bobbed tail close to the ground off to our left. I went 'quietly' running after it, proving that I clearly had more energy even though a few minutes before I was trying to pretend like I was exhausted ;)  I never saw the animal again but that led us to our sweet camp spot!

 

We hiked out on Day 3, which was supposed to be roughly 8 miles, based on our map, but which turned into 13 miles and 6 hours of hiking. We kept thinking we were 'almost there' and so we made dumb mistakes like not stopping to completely fill our water reservoirs and not taking the time to stop and have a real lunch. This made for a harder finish than was necessary, but it proved to me, yet again, that I learn something each time we go out!

 

Hal and Delta...



The last part of the trail was an unceremonious hike in the exposed sun right next to I-70. The trail comes down by Copper and then turns left, toward the actual Gore Range TH. It was nice to have our car waiting there, and not have to drive back up to Green Mtn Reservoir. Thanks again Mom and Dad!

 

Are we done yet?!

It was a successful hike and a good confidence booster for the CT. Never mind the fact that I still feel like I am recovering from the effort, some 3 days later...I will just try not to think about how 18+ days of 25+ miles will feel...Everyone says that after the 3rd or 4th day you forget about being tired...We'll see if that's the case!

Either way we are excited for the Colorado Trail!
Stay tuned for brief trail updates. We will try to blog when we refuel in towns and have service!

Thanks for reading!

Colorado Trail Gear List

This is our partial gear list for the Colorado Trail. It is composed of gear that we think is the best for the budget we had made. This is not a no expense spared list but it is also not the most frugal gear list. I will mention with each piece, a less expensive or free item that would have worked in place of the more expensive item and vice versa, an item that is better, lighter or smaller but will cost more.

This is Kasey and her Osprey Talon 33 liter Pack.

 

This is a fully loaded pack. It is capable of carrying four days of food consisting of 3700 calories per day in addition to what is shown in the picture. She chose this pack mostly for comfort and took into account the weight. It weighs in at about 1lb and 7oz. She will carry roughly 18lbs with 3.5 days of food.

 

Here is a list of the stuff we are taking with a small explanation.

 

Pack:  Hal Osprey Exos 48 2lb 7oz. It is a wee heavy but is very comfortable. I have tried some of the others like Go Lite Jam Pack etc. There are a few more ultra light companies like (Z packs) that make packs in the 14oz range that I did not want to try, mostly because they are made to order and it seems the lighter they are the more uncomfortable they are. I have not tried most of them but I may in the future. Imagine losing 1lb 5oz on just the pack! WOW! My pack cost about $175 on sale - too much.

 

Shelter: 2 person fully enclosed tent by Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2, 2lbs and 4oz ish. We chose to use this tent because Kasey is afraid of bugs at night and would rather be fully enclosed. I am secretly happy with this choice also. This tent was not cheap but it is one of the lightest Free Standing tents around, roughly $300.00  We have a 1lb tent tarp option from Go Lite that we may try when we want to lose another pound.

 

 Ground pad: Therma Rest Neo Air X Lite. 12oz or 14oz with sack and repair kit. Noisy for others in the area, but it is air and about 2.5 inches thick. Makes for a great night of rest. Another option would be the Ridge Rest 3/4 length which weighs in at about 8-10oz and is a hell of a lot less cash. $35 vs. $129. This could also be used to give some rigidity to a lighter pack without an internal frame.

 

Cooking and drinking: Jet Boil Sol $120. This will boil enough water to just fill a dehydrated backpacking meal for two. A 110g canister of isobutene fuel should boil 10 liters of water. You can stretch that by not bringing the water to a complete boil and waiting a little while longer for your food to come back to life. I have also built a small cat food can stove that costs almost nothing using fuel that is about half the cost of the canister fuel. Write me and I will give you directions to build it. It is very simple and uses fuel found most places which makes it great. It has cost savings but minimal weight savings after getting pots and all the other parts. Jet Boil is fast, safe, easy, and packs well.

 

 

My pack fully loaded minus food. It weighs in at about 11 lbs. My pack will weigh in at about 21 lbs with 5 days of food.

 

Sleeping Bags: Go Lite 1 season 30 degree. These are 850 fill down with Pertex Quantam fabric that is water resistant yet breathable. We will supplement these bags with very light down jackets if needed. They weigh in at 1 lb 9oz each and pack to about 8"X 5" compressed in a Sea To Summit 1.3oz compression sack. Western Mountaineering makes very good bags that last for a decade if you treat them right. The equivalent to ours weigh 1 lb 3oz. They cost about $450 vs. Go Lite costs us $260 and $290.  

 

These items will put Kasey and I at just under 6lbs each for the BIG FOUR:  Sleeping, Shelter, Cooking and Pack. This is a respectable weight that could be much lighter.  

 

We have used big box manufacturers, like REI, because they carry most of these things along with the ability to return anything if it sucks or we just don't like it. That is a great benefit to us. It is also difficult to acquire small suppliers goods and make sure they will work for us. Although the smaller suppliers offer the very best in light weight, reasonable prices that would make your trip very enjoyable, it will take some time to research. Most of the big manufacturers build packs and other items that will last under heavy abuse making them bulky, heavy and overkill for the most part. There are tons of products that are crazy light that will stand the test of time. Take the time to find these and you will not be sorry! 

 

We will post more details later. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have other questions or ideas.

Thanks again!

 

 

 

 





Adventures over 14,000 feet...

Enough of the winter snowpack has finally melted in the high-country, enabling us to grab our hiking shoes instead of snowshoes and start back on conquering the 14ers. There are about 54 of these 14,000+ ft. peaks in Colorado, give or take a few, depending on whom you talk to.

After this week, we've got 18 of them under our belt. 18 sounds like a good number, until I realize that we still have 36 to go-yikes!
We took HAM down to Poncha Springs on Wednesday night, and camped out on a Forest Service road, about 5 miles from the trail head for Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache.
Every time we're in HAM, I realize why a truck camper is SO much better than a tent...For example, an epic thunderstorm rolled through about an hour after we got there. In a tent, miserable. In HAM, we cooked dinner and played cards!

We got up at 5am to start our bid for Shavano and Tabeguache. These peaks are typically linked together, if you have the time and energy for a double summit. The fog was thick in the morning, but it lifted as we got above 13,000 feet and the view was amazing. I haven't seen anything like it, except when I've been in an airplane...

Worth getting up at 5am for!

 

We reached the saddle and actually had to consult the map to see which way the summit of Shavano was! The trail was not especially well marked...At 14,229 ft. we were on the top! One down, one to go...

Hal on Shavano, with Tabeguache in the background



Once we snapped the photo on Shavano, we headed down a ridge, roughly 500 feet, before climbing back up to reach Tabeguache. This peak had a bit more snow, and I followed closely as Hal cut in footholds for us in the wet spring snow. At 14,155 feet we were on top of Tabeguache.

 

Sometimes being above 14,000 ft. makes your face look funny!

Though the views were stunning, we quickly headed back the way we came, worried that Miss Delta Rose wouldn't make it over eight hours of being left in the camper!

All told, the two summits took us seven and a half hours to complete, covering a little over 11 miles and totaling 5,287 ft. of elevation gain. Another reason it's great to have a truck camper is that you can shower and collapse after a hard day!

 

After resting for a few hours, we packed up camp and drove north to Nathrop, CO. We drove down the Mt. Princeton road and made camp roughly seven miles from our next goal, Mt. Antero.

This peak was supposed to be easier, because it was just one summit and it was on the second day....

Well, the 4WD road to the trail head was so beat up that we had to walk an extra 5 miles round trip just to get to the start of the hike! I would highly recommend either using a motorcycle to get to the trail head or walking, because it's going to take as long in your truck, and your insides will be so jostled that you'll be too beat to do the hike!

 

Mt. Antero is completely different from Shavano and Tabeguache, even though they are close together and in the same mountain range. Antero has been and still is being mined for aquamarine (my birthstone) and topaz, and possibly other minerals as well. I know it seems strange to personify a mountain, but Antero just seemed tired. Tired of being mined and dug into, tired of having countless jeeps and motorcycles drive up its slopes....

 

Even though there is a 'road' going up to almost the summit, it made the hike no easier. The spring run-off was so high that it was pouring down the road, making it difficult to stay dry. And the road itself was so rough and covered in rocks that walking was downright dangerous. My neck was sore at the end of the day because I spent so much time looking down and watching my footing!

 

We decided to bring Delta with us on this hike, and she enjoyed the outing! Instead of following the road the whole way up, we decided to take a 'short-cut' straight uphill, mostly on some leftover snow.

 

Looking down on what we just came up!



Turns out old crusty snow is no good for little Chihuahua feet, so this is how Delta handled the remainder of the day...

Getting a ride!



The road stops above 13,000 ft. and you have to take a rocky, exposed ridge line the rest of the way to the summit. I don't know if I was tired, or because it was so windy, or because there was a lot of exposure, but I was a bit nervous on the final climb. We made it safe and without incident, but I was happy to be coming back down. Our 'easy' day turned into an eight and a half hour, 14 mile adventure, with about 5,000 feet of elevation gain.

 

Possibly the Clark Family Christmas photo?!



 



It never ceases to amaze me how different each peak can be. The previous day, on Shavano & Tabeguache, I felt like a million bucks! Life was awesome, climbing 14ers was awesome!

Then on Antero, the return hike seemed to take forever and I swear the truck moved itself further down the trail and away from us. Always fun to look back on my emotions/experiences a few days later...

 

So now we have 36 to go, not to mention planning and preparing for our biggest event of the summer-the Colorado Trail! We will be leaving in late July, stay tuned for updates!

Running the White Rim-Day 4...Airport to Shafer Trail and Done!

Day 4 started earlier than any other day, seeing us up and out of camp by 7am. We had a wonderful crew to send us off!

The wonderful Marc and Judi!

Mom and Dad!

After three full days of running side by side, Hal and I took a bit of a break, while he ran ahead just enough to create some space. This meant that we played the 'Quiet Game' for almost an hour, which is almost impossible for me, as anyone who's ever been around me for even a little bit knows ;)

 

Solitude (or the illusion of it!)



 A few hours into our run, Marc and Judi passed us in the Jeep, prompting us to make a last minute food stop before the final push up Shafer Trail.

Too much food...ugh!

Turns out our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, leaving us with bellyaches as we trudged back to the trail!
Since it was the final day of our big run, we chose to implement a system that had previously worked well for Hal on the Kokopelli Trail-run a set distance, then take a short break and bend down to stretch or walk for a set distance. We decided on running 2.5 miles and walking 0.5 miles, giving us 3 mile segments. Before we knew it, we were looking up at the ascent up Shafer Trail!
 

Marc's shot looking down Shafer-we ran/hiked up this!



Breaking our day into smaller, bite sized chunks was mentally refreshing and much less monotonous than trying to think about the whole 16 miles in one piece. By the time we were ascending our final climb, we had a renewed spring in our step and were feeling almost as good as Day 1.

It's amazing to experience the ups and downs, highs and lows, as you put your body through something like this. Sometimes it varies day by day, other times my mood would swing minute by minute. Quite the roller-coaster! I'm told by those more experienced (mainly Hal) that it gets easier the more we do. Goodie... :)

Crazy viewpoint of Shafer Trail!

Marc and Judi were cheering for us the entire way up Shafer, making it that much more fun and exciting! It also renewed my theory that having people there to support and cheer you on makes anything easier, whether it's your own crazy run or a race.

Final seconds of running-note that Hal is already unbuckling his pack!

We completed our final stretch of the White Rim Trail in four hours, covering 16.5 miles and 2,857 feet of climbing.
Of course, any good Moab adventure must end at Milt's Diner, where Marc and Judi graciously treated us to burgers and root beer floats-yum yum!

It was a wonderful adventure, thanks to all who helped us out there, we could not have done it without your support-Mom and Dad and Marc and Judi!

And thanks for reading, it was fun to re-live it in the comfort of our home :)
Our next epic escapade will be thru-hiking the Colorado Trail sometime late summer.
Let us know if you're in the area for some fun between now and then!


Running the White Rim-Day 3...Murphy's Hogback to Airport...

Day 3 was a personal best for me. Believe it or not, I had never before run 26 miles. I hiked with Hal for 40 miles on the Kokopelli Trail last year, but this day was my first time running the full marathon distance, after two back-to-back 20 mile days! And we wonder why people call us crazy!?
26.4 miles, and six hours after we left Murphy's Hogback, we arrived at our Airport campsite.


The start of the day...

Fortunately the terrain was mostly flat and rolling, only gaining 1,600 feet of elevation over 26 miles. Miraculously our legs felt better, and descending and squatting down weren't as painful.
All was well as we ran along for the first half of the day. We even passed by numerous of my new favorite flowers, sego lilies.


Sego lilies... The Utah State Flower!

As the clouds melted away and the sun came out, my high spirits began to evaporate. Negative little demon thoughts began infiltrating my previously positive outlook.
"My legs ache, it's so hot out here, my hydration pack is heavy and hurting my shoulders, my feet are sore, the desert looks the same, I'm hungry..." and on and on.
Hal tried to lighten my mood by pointing out that we could be inside a cubicle, behind a desk, but that sounded better than running. Actually, anything sounded better than running!

I sometimes wonder if people assume that these adventures of ours are easy for us, because we do them so often. Well, this one sure pushed my limits. At the time, when it's happening, it's uncomfortable and seems as if the pain will never end. But now, I'm so glad we did it. I guess that's why we keep doing it, because the sense of accomplishment when we're back on the other side is so gratifying. But this run put me on my knees.

When we rolled into camp that night, I had to excuse my cranky self from setting up tents and go and sulk in Judi's Jeep while the wind roared outside. Emerging almost two hours later, I felt rested enough to be civil. Thanks to everyone at camp for letting me be and not hassling me!
And thanks to Hal for being the super trooper by running with me the whole way, smiling the entire time, and then helping everyone else set up camp when we finished the 26 miles!!!

After our cold solar shower, I pulled off my socks to find these beauties...

Note the big blister forming on the right side of my big toe!

The 'pearl onion' looking blister on my middle toe!

Funny thing was, I didn't even know I had blisters at all until I took my socks off! Ignorance is bliss...Of course, once I was barefoot, all I could do was think about how uncomfortable the blisters made me-ha!

Once again, the wind died down around 8pm and we were able to have dessert and watch the stars come out. Sleep was fast coming as we lay down in the tent, only one day away from the finish...

Running the White Rim-Day 2...Potato Bottom to Murphy's Hogback...

Day 2...
I don't think my liver could have taken any more Advil, and yet I still could not bear to squat down on the ground to get in and out of the tent, much less to go the bathroom...
All the fun and easy running of Day 1 were long behind us. My fresh mental state had fogged as I forced myself out of the tent on Day 2. Today's run would total 21.3 miles and take us from Potato Bottom to our campsite at the top of Murphy's Hogback. 2,098 ft. total elevation gain for the day, which meant that we walked uphill a lot!  Since my mood was less than positive as we struck out from camp, Hal kept reminding me to look around at the amazing view, and what great scenery we had!

 

Another fun break in the monotony of running was our lunch break at the Holeman Slot canyon. Mom ventured into the canyon with us, trusting that her son-in-law Hal wouldn't leave her stuck down there, having to pull an Aron Ralston and cut off her arm to get out! The canyon got pretty narrow, but was beautiful and a great distraction.

 

Note the camo piece of webbing in Hal's hand for emergency use...!





The great thing about running the White Rim as opposed to riding it in one day is that we got to see all these amazing sites that we had previously pedaled right on by.
Marc was the master tour guide and facilitated all of our non-running day events!

Mom and Daughter...

We left the slot canyon feeling full and slightly more rested, only to have me wither in the hot afternoon sun. We started walking the descents as well as the ascents, as my poor quads couldn't take anything other than perfectly flat terrain. Judi and Marc pulled up in the Jeep right before we had to climb up Murphy's Hogback, making it the perfect time for a break.

Thank goodness for our support crew :)

 

We trudged up the final miles to camp, having spent another 5 hours out on the trail, not including our slot canyon deviation.  Upon arriving at camp, I had to take some 'me' time to sort out how I felt during the run, and the emotional roller-coaster that I went through. My mental highs and lows were as frequent and fluctuating as the trail, and I thank everyone for helping me through the dark spots and putting up with my moodiness. Little did I know that Day 3 would be the toughest, and longest, for me...

 

Stay tuned for Days 3 and 4...!