September 27/28

I've got Academy stuff on Saturday and won't be hitting the hills - besides, we've got rain in the forecast for the end of the week. Sunday may be a little damp, but at this point it's looking like it'll be the better of the two days.

Nothing in mind, and may even do house chores ... but it's also tempting to get in the first long run of the 2008 foliage season.

Hmmmm....

[Update 9/26, 5pm] Forget it. Heavy rain all weekend. I'm getting indoor chores done. See you next weekend.

[Update 9/28, 6am] tMail, Riley and the PM wrestled Moosilauke on Friday, before the heavy rains. The pics from both featured new foot covers, stalking fog and socks made for sexy parties. Mutha meanwhile is doing house chores and discovered yet another beaver dam in a section of growth-chocked backyard Danville that had been overlooked.... and possibly a bear print.

Moosilauke: tMail Pics, PM Pics

Franconia Ridge Loop: 2:30

Today, in perfect conditions, I not only broke through the 2:45 glass floor, but I nailed 2:30 on the dot. It was huge for me because I thought the loop couldn't be done in under 2:45 (by me). Part of the success was getting from the Parking Lot to Haystack in 0:58. I never believed it could be done in under an hour (3,000ft, 3.1 miles).

Working In My Favor:

• I drove blind. Instead of using my stopwatch, I used the altimeter 'logbook' function with Elevation vs. Time
  60sec sampling interval. I didn't note the time when I stepped off the parking lot onto the sidewalk so I never knew my progress until I got back to the car. And my actual time could have been anywhere from 2:29:30 to 2:30:30, but when my foot hit the parking lot I stopped the logbook and the time indicated 1:00pm on the dot from a 10:30am start.
  
• Pristine Weather Conditions: low 70's in the parking lot, low 60's on the ridge. bright blue skies and no wind.
• Excellent Trail Conditions: Very little water on the trail, exposed rock was all dry.
• Drank 24oz of water the entire event and sucked down one Hammer Gel (Espresso) on Lincoln. I used my lumbar Camelback.
• I'm a little more daring on the ascents. Not quite in the same league as you other yahoos, but I'm getting closer.
  

Working Against Me:

• Remnants of a cold
• One of the busiest days on the trails. I couldn't find a parking space (at 10:30am on a great Saturday) at the campground parking aread, or on the east side of 93. I eventually parked by popping the Impreza up over the curb and parking on some grass on the east-side lot.
• Crowds: I had to battle MANY hikers. On the trail up Falling Waters I passed over 100 hikers - many in groups of 6 or more. It was a constant "excuse me", "on your left", "thank you", etc. On the way down the OBP it wasn't as bad, but there were a LOT of people. I feel obliged to obey the "yield to ascending hikers" rule, but there weren't that many - maybe 20 or thereabouts.
• The deciduous trees are starting to lose their leaves and it made the footing a little sketchy in parts - but it wasn't that bad.
  

The new target is sub-2:30.

Slow Friday Night

Things have been really busy this last week, and chances are my adventures this weekend (in spite of the glorious weather) will probably be limited to a quick hike on saturday morning and that's about it. I've got tons of things to do this weekend.

tMail has been coaching me in swimming and at this point I feel like I've found the missing link: an activity that I should have been doing all along. Better late than never. Under tMails mentoring, I went from thrashing around like a drowning lunatic to swimming pretty smoothly. I've got a lot of kinks to work out of course - but after 5, half-hour sessions so far I feel really comfortable in the water even if I'm not the greatest swimmer.

The best part of this story is that he did all his coaching while we hiked Kinsman Ridge. He showed the motions while standing vertically and we discussed the techniques, principles and points to remember. He even emailed me a training plan! I call the method iSwim.

Go Coach tMail!

Kinsman Ridge

tMail and I cranked through all 18 (or is it 16) miles (Update: 16.9 miles, 5,750ft) of Kinsman Ridge, from the Cannon Mtn trailhead at the Tram parking lot to the Cannon Balls to the Kinsmans to Mt. Wolf to the Kanc. Highlights included:

mutha'z trip report:

1. tMail is very fast on the ascent and in the trail trot. very fast.
2. I love/hate the Cannon Balls
3. Time flies when you are being instructed in the nuances of swimming. Who knew tMail knew so much?? But I was asking for it.
4. Quebecers in the parking lot are worth almost an hour of chit-chat.
5. See pic at right for elevation vs. time graph (click to zoom)
   

tMail's Trip Report:

What a day we had...it was great to get out for some good amount of time...

1. Vasque Trail Runners still perform great.
2. MZ great to get back on the long adventures again.
3. Conversation was great from "Rockets to Green Hornet Lunch Boxes"
4. Canadians...EY
5. I wish I was back and school and had Mutha for a teacher.
6. I can't wait for my Muthaville getaway in October and November (stay tuned for details)

Pre-PuppetMaster-Presi Preparations

Things are looking pretty stormy this weekend and I'm reluctant to get hit by lightning. I don't mind rain, drizzle or snow, but stormy weather is best left to others.

From the looks of the image to the right (archived from about 8:30 this morning) there may be a gap in the weather between late morning and early evening so I may head down to Franconia Notch for a quickie.

In the meantime, the PM's Presi Project next weekend may run headlong into plans by Hurricane Ike - although at this point Ike probably won't make landfall until very late in the week.

At this point we don't have the PM's specifics (is he still in Maine?) but we do know he either wants to go North->South or South->North. Anything else would be sheer folly and could result in aimless wandering around New Brunswick.

Weekend Plans: Race To The Top Of Vermont

Last I heard tMail, MD & Westie were heading over the falls and into the Great Gulf on Saturday; I'm doing the "Race To The Top Of Vermont" fundraiser for the Catamount Trail on Sunday; the MPM (& Mrs.) are heading out to Maine; Lisa's tonsils are coming out.

Happy labor day everyone.

[Update:] See below for tMail's trip report. See graph at right for my ascent of Mt. Mansfield. I don't know my exact finishing time yet because I didn't stick around for them to post the results. When active.com posts the results I'll know for sure. In the meantime, I think it was around 46 minutes based on the data my watch logged.

mutha's Race Report (details that are hard to read without a shot of espresso):

• I was able to maintain a pretty steady 10.4 min pace and, if you look at the graph, a very steady 54ft/min ascent rate. It's graphs like this that made me understand that given a choice of route, steep doesn't matter unless it gets technically challenging
• I'll find out actual time, ranking and number of runners when active.com posts the results [Update: time was 47:11, 7 out of 29 in the 40-50 male category, 45 out of 270 overall]. Race results are posted HERE.
  
• The race was pretty well attended for a first-time event. The mountain bikers had a 10 min head start - it looked like there were around 50-60 bikers. There seemed to be more runners, but all-in-all there were probably not more than 300 attendees. As suspected, there was a lot of high-end muscle as well as some out-for-fun folk (like the biker who had his little kid in a baby seat on the back of his bike and the lady who brought her two little girls (ages 8-10-ish) with her.
• I passed about a dozen bikers, including the guy w/ the little kid and three unicyclists. I actually sprinted at the finish line to beat/tie a guy on a bike, which got approving laughs from the crowd since we were technically in different races.
• Asthma was much better since I treated my gastric reflux. I held back a little, keeping my breaths at every third step, going to every other step on the steep turns and steepest stretches. The air was clear and dry (with a little dust from the dirt road) which aggravated the situation, but aside from some regular hacking, just basic labored, wheezy breathing.
• Sue and Spanky came along and walked partway up the road to meet me (I ran down after a 45second look around the top). No photos - I didn't bring the camera.
  
• Lunch was included in the registration price: pasta w/ two types of seasonings, excellent pizza, salad, etc. at the Matterhorn Restaurant down the road.

tMail's Trip Report:

Yesterday's outing covered roughly 14 miles that includes the walking around wondering where is 6 Husbands...where are we...what should we do? I swear to God Edmunds Col is a like a big hole that sucks you in and then doesn't tell you where your...but I did figure out exactly where Mutha and I were 2 years ago...

All and all great day out despite visibility:

1. Vasque trail runners are the best never going to another brand again.
2. EMS poles suck
3. EMS sucks
4. I lost feeling in both hands in August.
5. Trail conditions dictate pace, distance that can be traveled as well as visibility.
6. We ran into a nice family from Cooperstown, NY
7. How come people ask how far to Madison Hut when the F'n sign 100 yards earlier said 3.9 miles???
8. Westie is improving as a hiker and coming along nicely.
9. I am looking forward to the Presi
10. Vote Obama!!!
    

Lonesome Lake Canoe Trip

The d.o.c. sent along this pic from the summit of the bad boy after the Dartmouth Outing Club hauled a canoe up and paddled around Lonesome Lake, then hauled the canoe to the summit and had it driven down in a truck.

If they'd done it in winter they could've done a canoe glissade.

Sub 15:00 Straight Pemi Is Possible...

...in fact so is a sub 14h and a sub 13h. Specifically, 12:55, starting at 3:30am and Route Map
ending at 4:25pm. I'm trashed, so I'll post more details and photos tomorrow. Here are a few facts to chew on in the meantime:

• I did it g-$$$-wise (counter-clockwise). I think it may be a little faster, but it seemed to be a lot harder. I hit Galehead Hut in 9 hours and then had Garfield, Lafayette, etc. and that goddamned Garfield Ridge Trail. By the time I hit Liberty I was dragging and I barely made it up Flume.
• In order to come in under 13h I had to run (not trot) roughly Sunrise From Bondcliff
  the last 2 miles of the Osseo Trail and the Wilderness Trail back to the car - about four miles of running after 26 miles of hiking/running. I was trashed. I hit 12:55 about 15 feet from the car.
  
• I consumed:
  - 5L of water
  - 1.5 flasks of Perpetuem/Gel paste
  - 8-12oz of my homemade granola
• Some milestones:
  - parking lot to Bondcliff, 2.5hrs (just in time for sunrise)
  - parking lot to Galehead Hut, 9hrs
  - parking lot to Lafayette, 12hrs
• Some pain:
  - I crashed to my right knee on a slippery rock and felt the kneecap jump two feet to the right. I almost cried.
  - The biting insects were really bad, especially on the summits (not really in the woods). Elevation vs. Time
  
  - Between Lafayette and Flume I saw more hikers that the entire total number of hikers I've ever seen in my entire life, excluding today.

[Update 8/24 - Pics are posted]:
-- Mutha's Pemi Loop Pics
-- Mr. & Mrs. PM were on the Bad Boy at the same time. The PM's Mt. Washington Pics
-- And finally, tMail's excursion w/ Westie to the 'Dacks

Saturday Adventure

I'm thinking of doing a big speed-hike on Saturday, possibly a pemi (short 30 mile version) avoiding Galehead, North Twin and West Bond. I realize it's late notice, but I'd like to do it in under 15 hours, which means going g-$$$-wise (counter clockwise, trotting the wilderness trail first and coming down the Osseo from flume, possibly in the dark). I'd rather trot the Wilderness Trail in the dark so I'm planning on sleeping in my car and starting out by 3am.

Then of course I may wait until some other day this fall and do it with the group. I'm a little concerned about my schedule this fall so I may have to be aggressive and take weekend trips when I can.

If anyone is interested, it'll be fine weather. I'm taking NO extra clothing and I'm bringing the MSR water filter to keep my water load to 2L at a time. Just water and food and the filter.

Mushroom Hunter 90 minute challenge

The 90min challenge: today i took the dogs for a walk and in 90 minutes tried to photograph as many different mushrooms as possible. clearly i have a lot of duplicates, but in most cases can't tell for sure.

[Link to photo gallery]

There is also at least one non-mushroom (the indian-pipes are chlorophyl-less flowers that grow in deep shade on decaying plant stuff).

Sue got me a gorilla-pod last weekend but I FORGOT IT at home and used a broken stick for stability. I didn't want to use the flash and in some cases the scene was so dark that I just couldn't get the camera still, even resting it on the ground.