Nolans 41

It was early February and things seemed honky dory.  We had the perfect season going, zero to 60 and it just kept right on snowing.  350” from November 20^th until February 6^th.  Pow was plentiful, turns were deep, and life was how its suppose to be.  But then I felt it.  A shudder.  A glitch in matrix.  Disturbance in the force.  Well, okay.  I had seen a news report of a “bad virus” wreaking havoc in China and that it was expected to become a pandemic.  And then an atmospheric river hit.  6.5” of water in 60 hours and with a lot of wind.  We were interlodged for 53 hours(not allowed to go outside).  That was bizarre.  But no biggie.  Back to life.  But the snow stopped.  And the rumors grew.  We are a large ski lodge that has guests from all over the world crammed into tight quarters.  I was worried about an outbreak.  Finally, there were rumors of closing, I was relieved.  We were getting derailed in slow motion.  As someone who has struggled with anxiety in the past, I knew I needed to be proactive to ensure I stayed sane.  So it soon became, “this is what it is, this is what I can do _____ ?”     

I realized we were going to shut down, and potentially be locked in the canyon, or worse, out on the streets.  I decided to start planning to hike the Arizona Trail with my girlfriend Kym.  Later that night, the ski resort closed, then the hotel closed.  We were not kicked out, but advised to try to get “home” to family, summer jobs, whatever (most employees are on a break before or after college, or do a seasonal job elsewhere).  But this is my home.  I furiously planned.  Brought the backpack down to the gym, put 40, 50, 60lbs in, and started walking uphill on the treadmill.  Computer out/Phone, planning resupply, downloading maps/guthook, calling businesses to confirm resupply and hours.  It was such a pleasant space, out of the spray zone of the shit flying off the blades of the fan.  I cleared it with my boss, we were close to leaving.  But the situation was getting really bad.  “This isn’t responsible” “We don’t need to do this”  “No need to risk getting stuck” “or risking infecting people in small AZ towns”  …so we stayed.  I started getting down and depressed.  But I had just shown myself the perfect example of how to handle this situation. 

It seemed to finally start snowing again, and so I was going to go all out skiing.  That would be my shit free zone.  One morning, I was breaking trail up the gulch in the peaceful bliss that is the dance of flurries in the headlamp field in the dark.  All of a sudden, my phone was blowing up.  SLC had just had a 5.7mag earthquake.  Boss called worried about the lodge, girlfriend called to make sure I wasn’t buried in an avalanche, amber alerts.  Wow.  “Is the world ending?” Id better hurry up to the top and ski this before the world ends.  Haha.  But seriously.  Life is short.  You might only get this one shot, or not at all.  But you need to do everything all out, be ready for any opportunity that might come your way, and take the leap of faith to grasp the chance.   I’ve always been a hard worker, but it was like a cold plunge waking me up again.

                Eventually, everyone in SLC was laid off, and became a backcountry skier.  There were people everywhere.  I no longer felt safe skiing because of the crowd.  So I shifted to running.  Back when the new year calendar came out, I looked ahead.  The full moon was opposite the summer solstice, and Colorado was having a pretty good snow year.  And so I thought, “not a good year for Nolans” or at least late June idealness.  But it stayed on my list of goals, Nolans <44hours.  See when I set goals, I might look at the record for reference, but I don’t compare myself to others.  I only want to know the best I can do.  And so I went through the route in my head.  I could get 15 minutes here and 20 minutes there.  My final calculation; I thought just under 44 hours was possible for me.  That is how I came up with that number.  I knew this was a big ask.  And so I knew I needed to do everything.  Out touring one day, I had talked to my friend Caroline about her experience using the Hypoxico.  She mentioned I could try it sometime, if I really wanted to.  And I joked, maybe sometime if I only can fly out and do Nolans or something.

                Life was going on in the bizarro coronaverse.  I was training hard, for what? I did not know.  Our Lodge had gone forward and gotten the small business loan(against my advice/wishes).  My head was hurting trying to teach the dishwashers how to sheetrock, mud, paint, chaulk, etc.  We were “stuck” here having to work.  I had wanted to take 5-6 months off this summer, hang out with my girlfriend, and explore around Idaho and Montana.  Now we were confined to a heavenly alternative.  I complain, but it really wasn’t that bad, just not what I wanted.  You know the feeling, like getting Cherry Garcia because they didn’t have Half-Baked.  But I was getting that canyon fever.  I needed to get out.  I needed some fresh beauty.  And so I begged my boss.  I was granted one week.  My opportunity.  I was ready.  I called Caroline, barrowed the Hypoxico for 24 days.  Sleeping at 15K every night, I wasn’t going feel weak running at 14k.  I was training hard, but I stepped that up to another level.  Laps up the Emmas.  A 30 degree loose rock and dirt slope.  Almost a perfect copy of the Nolans terrain.  Nothing like doing 7k vert, stretching in a 180degree sauna, Ice bath, and then going work; digging up the lawn and hauling rocks all day.  Then I would quick shower and jump in the Hypoxico.  Sometimes I would read, but a lot of times I would look through my old photos and compare them to topo’s and routes on Gaia.  Watch peoples youtube videos of nolans, or training, or sometimes just inspiring mountain routes.  I was all in.  Eat Nolans, drink Nolans, breathe Nolans, run Nolans. Nolan Nolans.  It was all I thought about.

                Getting on into June, they had extended the loan.  This meant I might be able to play with my dates more.  I was watching the SNOTEL’s and asking everyone in CO for beta on the Sawatch.  Then they extended the loan again.  Can I maybe just take more time?  Sort of.  I’m not sure if my boss ever said I could, but I mentioned I might not make it back exactly when I said… as I was walking out the door.  My friend Teresa said I could borrow her car for two plus weeks, whatever I need.  So nice.  I couldn’t believe how well the pieces were falling into place.  I left after work on a Thursday and made a beeline for Independence pass.

                                                       Scouting and Training

  

Day 1:  Getting there at midnight and trying to get up by 6 was very tiring.  But I headed up Echo canyon on my way to Bull Hill and then on to Elbert.  But it started snowing hard when I reached 13k and so I bailed back down fast. It was the right move and I know that climb well, not a big deal to do it another time.  Over to La Plata, I wanted to keep the mojo rising.  I ran up and back down with the clouds behaving the entire time.  A successful day one. 

Day 2:  Over to Halfmoon, I ran from camp, 3 extra miles, up NW Elbert, down W Elbert, seeing both options again, then up Massive down to the CT, and back to the car.  30 miles, 10.5k vert. 

Day 3:  I wanted Back to Back big days.  It was up Belford.  Over to Oxford.  Down to Pine creek.  Back up Oxford. Belford.  East ridge of Missouri.  I ran into John D heading up Missouri.  He said it wasn’t bad but as I could see, still a lot of snow up “shit-pile” gully on Huron.  I was feeling pretty content and slightly tired, so I decided to climb up to the upper basin on Huron then bail back down Cloyses.  24 miles 11.5K vert.  Wanted more, but got to be satisfied.

Day 4:  Decided to take an easier day.  I was heading up Columbia when I stumbled upon a woman with a fast looking pack hiking up.  I asked her if she was doing the “nolans alternative to the CDT” as people do(Hannah Green, Sam Carroll)  No, she was just fastpacking Nolans as scouting to do it in a week or so.  Awesome I thought.  Your name? Sarah.  Well Goodluck, I carried on. Columbia, Harvard and down Frenchmens.  But I ran into Sarah again.  I give her my number and we thought maybe we could exchange shuttle rides for our attempts.  It was longer on the CT than I remember and I finished with 22 miles 7.3k Vert.  But I took it easy… That’s a good recovery day to me. 

Day 5:  Had me a good ole struggle bus up Hughes to Yale.  I was stuffed up and tired(didn’t sleep well) so I headed back down to have a true easy day.  9 miles, 4.6K vert. 

Day 6:  The CT section up Maxwell to Princeton, down until I found the trail in Grouse (avy debris changed things and I wanted to see it), back up and down to the car.  20 miles, 9k vert.

Day 7: From Browns, 7 miles on CT, Shavano, Tabeguache, but something wasn’t feeling right.  So I descended down a route I wanted to try and back out Browns skipping Antero.  20 miles, 6.6k vert.  Not ideal, but I can afford a bad day. 

Day 8:  Yale East ridge just to make sure Hughes is the right choice, the airplane descent and back CT.  18 miles, 7.4K vert.  Back on track.  Just waiting on weather. 

Day 9: Up Antero road, over to base of Tabeguache, double checking creek crossing, up towards Antero, but bail because tired and lack of mojo.  I’m done/over scouting and getting anxious. 16 miles, 5.6K vert. 

Day 10:  One more time up the East ridge of Missouri for good measure and up Huron fully this time.  Felt really good about the climb up Huron.  Felt good running down to car.  Lets do this!  No serious, weather, lets do this. 

Day 11:  The forecast looked like it was coming my way for two day (Wednesday and Thursday)  I woke up to confirmation.  Finally.  Easy 3 miles on CT, trigger point, and stretch well.  Mental prep gear/timing.  I’m Ready.

Day 12: Easy four on CT, stretch well, trigger points, and a good stretch.  Lets do this.  Time to pig out and pass out.

                                                     Nolans 41:00:33

First time I did Nolans, I could not stomach anything
So I made sure I had food I could eat easily
Still only ate 5,400 calories

                I’ve done this before, no problem.  All of it.  Eat a big meal around 3pm, pass out food coma, wake up at 11:30pm to start the day early.  There were a lot of people up at the trail head, curious.  I got ready, relieved myself, and one last rehearsal.  “Dude, last time you barely ate anything, you’re carrying too much food” Ditch the gummy worms, a pop tart, and a clif bar.“Yeah, 7200 Kals is way more appropriate” Okay, lets do this.  Shit its 12:01.  Oh well, lets get over there and start fast.  Its 12:02, I’m here at the Shavano Trail 12:03.   Gotdammit.  12:03 at Shavano trailhead, starting at 12:0 shoot my watch gps, better get that ready.  Ah eff it, lets go.  The nice thing about FKT’s is you can start whenever you want.  And if you’re an idiot, you can be late to your own start.  Haha.  Good start.

Pa'lante Joey pack
Puffy, Rain Jacket, Emergency bivy
Headlamp/batteries, power bank
Camelback 3L bladder

             I got into a rhythm on the climb and suddenly, I drifted to the back of my head.  I was on auto pilot, just watching my body go.  FLOW.  Yes, no greater experience in the world, …or human mind?  It is almost effortless.  And you seem to see moves seconds before they happen.  I was in the tunnel of the headlamp.  “I need to turn right in five feet.”  I looked up, and sure enough there was the steep pitch to the summit that I wanted to take.  I wasn’t flying, but I wasn’t trying.  The summit came in 1:36(Elapsed time and going forward).  It was a crisp breeze, and the tip of my nose and cheeks were frozen.  I was wide awake in the middle of the night on a 14,000 ft peak, a strangely normal place for me to be.  2:00 top of Tabeguache.  Oh we’re doing this.  I nailed the line I wanted down Tabeguache.  “WOW, I really know this.  I got this!”  There were a crazy amount of cairns in the pine forest before the creek.  Baffles me.  But I was able to take one out with my pole without skipping a beat.  Then I ninja kicked another in stride.  YeeHaw.  We’re having fun!  Step on a rock, scoop up some water, step on another rock, across the creek and we are on our way up Antero. 

                I was feeling strong and seemingly cruising along.  There was a light flicker.  There’s people on Antero, at 3 in the morning, dafuk?  It was Scott, who I met going up Antero a few days ago.  Crazy place.  I got to the summit, 3:57.  Well I gained a few minutes on Alex Nichols split and I didn’t feel like pushing hard, niiiice.  I was using Nichols splits as reference, because he went the same direction and in a similar time I was hoping for.  I started flying down.  Downhill has always been something I seem pretty good at.  But I was just hauling, no missteps, no mistakes, not always graceful, but forward and fast.  I scooped up water as I crossed the creek.  My left foot slipped off the rock I was standing on and got half wet.  I have debated dipping the right in to even out the weight.  “DUDE, you going to go backwards to get your foot wet? Yeah, you’re right.  JESUS, just run!”  The key to self talk is to kind of be a dick.  I laughed about it.  Down across the bridge in Alpine and headed up the street.  I walked for a second to take my puffy off.  My watch said 5:20.  Wait what?  I looked up the splits on my phone, 5:39 is what Nichols said.  Holy. And we have Princeton now, one of my favorites.  This is awesome. 

                Cruising, but trying to not try to hard.  Water from the creek.  I drink straight for 10 minutes picking my way up the forest.  The water hits me like a cold breeze.  A huge smile on my face as I reach the open treeless climb.  I power up.  I’m doing this!?!  Reach the saddle and the sun warms my front.  This is my day for sure.  Scramble up. Princeton 7:38.  Beautiful view.  I’m whipping out my phone every summit, quick little video, and trying to upload quick on insta.  I find it comical to be looking at phone, trying to upload, and starting to scramble down.  Princeton is one where I immediately start descending, and I backseat driver’ed myself.  Phone still out, I’m getting on a loose side hill, “You might want to buckle up there bud”  I throw the phone in the pocket.  It was game on.  The sloppy loose talus and scree makes for a full on descent.  But I get to the bottom without much of note.  Grassy tundra running leads to a faint trail.  Some more water and I’m just going to enjoy the 6 miles of actual running on the route.  “Yale is the biggest climb you know? Yeah, it’s also my favorite.  You said that about Princeton.  Yeah, I have lots of favorites.  That doesn’t make any sense”   

                Through Avalanche 10:12.  It was cool in the forest.  Grab some water.  I really like Hughes.  I pop out in the upper basin.  Just the steep headwall and the ridge across.  I’m on top 12:32. Damn, I’m flying.  I am now 55 minutes ahead of Nichols split.  “What are you on?  All about that flow, Joe”  I started down and over to the airplane gully.  I started feeling a bit fried in the mid afternoon sun and heat.  Just keep trucking.  But my foot slipped.  I was slow to recover.  Stretch out and down to my knee.  “That didn’t feel good.  Don’t do that again.”  Well not long after it happened again.  “WAKE UP Joe!”  I finally got to the spring.  I knew I needed a slap in the face.  I filled my bladder full and started chugging.  I was getting my edge back as I started up the steep Columbia climb.  I didn’t feel strong, but I felt unstoppable.  I just kept moving.  Just an incredible low gear.  Crawling up the mountain side.  The ridge rolled over and became a much tolerable grade.  After about 2 minutes, I started getting that spring back.  My energy.  It was almost flat and I started running.  “DUDE! This is incredible.”  I hustled to the summit. 16:05.  I was feeling some kind of sumtin.  I recited a Yannis Kouros quote about what an Ultramarathon really is.  “Ultramarathon is not going past 26 miles.  Its going past the physical to the mental.  And then going past the mental to the spiritual” Not sure about my spirit, but I was feeling something. 

                Those last three summits were long.  I skirted over and got on top of Harvard YO.  17:47. Man, this is such a beautiful place.  I’ve gotten to see so much of it today.  Summit seven.  Half way sort of.  Hellz.  Yeah, yeah, keep going.  My gaiters, which, had worked just fine the entire time in CO, were getting trashed.  They were ripped and the Velcro was flopping in the wind.  Oh well.  I cruised the scree.  There were a lot of rocks in my shoes.  But I had an idea.  Ill get to the creek, take my shoes and socks of and walk across bare foot.  Really wasting no extra time, keeping my shoes and socks dry, and washing of my feet.  I sat down on the other side for the first time all day.  Ooooo, sitting feels too nice.  Shoes, socks on, flipped gaiter inside out, seems to work, gotta go.  I had filled my camelback full and here came the strategy.  I know when then sun sets I get sleepy, so I drank all my water, so I had to go pee pee.  Probably drank straight until about two liters were gone.  Then I sipped most of the rest of the way up Oxford.  I felt awake and strong again.  Beautiful sunset from the top 20:33. And I started getting my run on.  I stopped saved Strava on my phone and quick started a new one.  I was terrified I would accidentally close and lose it.  I knew I had good service from Oxford to Missouri, so it would probably upload and people could see my progress thus far.  Plus, phone Strava was just back up for my watch. Speaking of which, I plugged my phone into my power bank.  It was still at 57%, so potentially my phone could have lasted the entire way.  Not worth the gamble though.  I chased some Grouse down the trail for a few minutes.  I figured they wanted to run with me, or they would have just gotten off the trail.  Oh Hey, Belford 21:12.  Ah, what a Rush. 

                Jogging down the trail elated.  “I feel so good.”  One of my favorites ahead, again?  Fully in the dark now.  Time to party yo.  I had done the East ridge of Missouri twice in the last ten days and it wasn’t even a question for me.  Really shortens Belford to Missouri.  And then you get the sweetest scree slide I have ever found.   I picked my way carefully but quickly.  Scramble across to the summit. 22:21. Damn, ten 14ers in under 24 hours.  Ill take it!  Right off the summit through a narrow rocky gully.  The she opens up.  The most beautiful hard dirt with just enough loose on top.  I shove my foot down, slide 20 feet.  As I start to decelerate, I shove the other foot down, another 20 feet.  Oh don’t forget to move five feet over to the left.  And now back. I know this way too well.  I get near the roll at the bottom and pause to look back up.  1,000 feet down in 10 minutes, I’ll take it.  Again, way to comfortable, in the dark, on a 30-35 degree slope, sliding, loosely in control.  I guess I’m crazy.  Gaiters again, empty shoes.  I want Huron.  In reality its not a hard peak.  But it’s the middle of the night.  It’s a loose pile of poo.  But we became friends the other day.  We’ll see. 

                I climbed up pretty fast, but I wanted to eat something and it was too steep to breathe and swallow.  I sat on a log.  Well that was a good minute break.  GO.  In the upper basin, the full moon illuminated everything.  It was so sublime.  I decided to sit on a boulder and eat another clifbar.  I love this shit.  All alone, in the middle of the night, feeling so small and insignificant.  But yet at the same time strong and self-reliant.  You can’t touch me, I’m in my home.   To me, home is a lot more likely a feeling, the space in someone’s arms, an old familiar view, or even just a mood.  I miss Kym.  I love that girl.  She is my rock.  I want to stop right now and drive up to Montana to be with her, asap.  Okay, enough sentimental crap.  I wipe a lone tear from my cheek, and start tearing up the climb.  I get pretty high up easily enough.  But now I can’t seem to find anything that doesn’t slide back downhill when I touch it.  This rock looks good and big.  Nope.  This rock is solid.  Whoa whoa whoa no.  Okay, we got this.  Regrouped.  Make it another ten feet alright.  Nope, nope, shit, fuck. And I’m kneeling on the dirt.  I stopped sliding backwards, but that was way too much energy to go a foot downhill.  Finally, I struggle up and make it.  At the saddle, I let out an all out roar.  Wasn’t pretty, but wasn’t that bad.  Still just “shit pile gully” to me.  Huron 25:34 I just cruised down the trail, it felt effortless and smooth.  Almost like noodling pow.  I started to get hot in the trees, but I hit the road and a cool breeze.  I just kept running.  I didn’t quite realize at the time, but my headlamp started to dim.  But it just decreased my field of vision.  I was watching these legs running down the road.  I didn’t feel anything.  I had become, comfortably numb.  This just went on for the four miles down through Winfield, and up the La Plata road.  Eventually the uphill snapped me out of it and I walked a little bit.   Wow, I just watched myself run four miles? Crazy.  But why is it so difficult to see.  I put my phone flashlight on, its ten times brighter than my headlamp.  Change batteries.  Ah much better. 

Why so serious?  Massive 39:28

I climb up the trail.  Before the ridge, the trail disappeared into a snow field.  So I climb the loose headwall cutting the corner.  Up on the ridge I notice my eye is blurry in the early morning twilight.  I figure my contact is just dry.  I shift it around to see if some tears will clear it.  But that hurts owe. Whats going on.  I pull my contact out.  The eye still hurts.  I look out without my contract and its way more blurry than its suppose to be.  I try to dribble some water in to clean it.  No luck.  Ugh.  I put my contact in before I lose it or it dries out.  It burns.  Suck it up.  Owe.  Contacts in, but its blurry as shit.  I close my right eye.  Vision is fine.  Open right, blurry.  Okay, eye patch.  I skew my headband to cover my right eye.  It actually totally worked.  The right eye wasn’t that painful and I could see.  So I started to walk.  But I kept tripping.   Its like my vision is off by a foot to the right.  I can’t do this.  So blurry we hike on.  I lost my rhythm, but quickly made it to the top because it was cold and I wanted to get warm again after fartin around.  La Plata 30:20.  I had the legs and I wanted to bomb the descent but I kept tripping a little here and there.  The sun was exactly to my side, crossing my already blurry eye and half blinding me.  When I reached the saddle and turned down into the shadow, I could finally see again.  I bombed.  Still missing a foot every now and again.  I ate shit three times.  One of them I fell on my arm pretty bad.  No time for pain, gotta keep moving (It actually still hurts, a week later, with some bruising running the length of my forearm) Through the trailhead and down the road.  Its less than two miles, but it seemed like forever, with cars buzzing me the entire way.  Kind of makes me think of taking the Ellingwood ridge, just to avoid the road… but that would be crazy?  I grab water from the creek and drank way too much right away.  But it woke me up again and I was powering.  Maybe I can go sub 40 hours.  Just keep moving.  “You’re going up one of your favorites!” Don’t step wrong.  Oh what’s that? Crap.  I need to take a crap.  That’s what happens when you drink a whole lot fast.  I throw down my pack, grab TP, and run off the trail.  I might go minimalist, but I still haven’t figured how not to carry TP.  That business done, now for the real business.

I was cooked.  But I look good right?

I get up near Bull Hill and start traversing towards Elbert.  I’ll be there in like 20 minutes.  Crushing.  20 minutes later, ok, now I’ll be there in 20 minutes.  Finally up on the ridge.  Geez, I forgot how long this ridge is.  Another 20 minutes.  “Man, I’m terrible at this.  I shouldn’t even be out here” “WHAT?” Elbert 35:26. “You’re killing it.  You totally belong out here” It’s amazing how quickly your confidence can leave you.  I bomb down.  “One more. Your favorite!  One more? Shit!”  I take an extra 30 seconds crossing the creek, I kneel down and really cool off my legs.  There are so many people.  They are all carrying on their day hike activities.  Everything is just normal.  Meanwhile, over here in my head a rock concerts going on.  A spectacle to behold.  Stop what your doing and come see.  Yeah, no one cares.  Just get this over with.  I felt pretty good, but I was definitely past some threshold.  My lungs ached, it was hard to focus my vision, and my head felt wobbly.  But I just kept going.  One foot in front of the other.  It was probably a fine pace, but my minds clock had slowed down.  It seemed like forever, I looked up.  “What? I’m not even halfway.”  “Just keep going” Another couple hours of mind time passed.  I looked up.  “Still about a quarter left?” “I’m not going to make it” “This is taking forever, I’m going to lose so much time I won’t get the record” “Keep going!” One foot in front the other. “Oh, there’s the ridge” The trail flattens for a second.  Instinctively, I begin to jog.  “Wait, I’m running? Niiice” I couldn’t believe it.  I scrambled across the false summits fairly fast.  I can’t believe I’m the same person who was just crawling up the hill. There it is, Massive.  39:28.  I’m standing in the sun, and I see these like white bugs flying around in the sky.  “What are those?”  Haha, its snow.  You think I’d know what snow is.  So cool.  So so cool.  Photo op over, lets go.  I was terrified about the downhill.  My legs were cooked and so stiff.  But I told myself, just start moving, you’ll start to feel better, and gain momentum from there.  Sure enough, first minute awkward limping down.  Second minute, moving semi freely.  Five minutes and I’m running.  Let finish this.  I find the Highline trail, its easy trail running now.  Flying, I’ll be done in no time.  But the trail seems to get longer every time I do it.  I look at my watch.  I think I hit the CT at 40:33, Just 2.5 miles more I believe.  Okay, just keep it under 10 minute miles and we finish well before 41 hours.  I feel like I’m running five minute miles.  “I got this, piece of cake.”  “Where’s the creek? Gotta hit that before the nature road.”  40:53, “the creek is ways from the road right?” “Shit, I’m not gonna make it.  I mean, just finish as fast as you can, who cares” Finally, creek, road (closer than I thought) 40:58.  “Go, Go, Go” Single track.  I got it.  Sign.  Stop watch.  Empty parking lot(they were doing construction and had it closed off)  I sit on the sign.  I look at my watch, 41:00.  Oh sweet, nice round number.  I pull out my phone, oh shoot, stop strava.  I take a selfy, using the sign as a crutch.  Then I collapse on the grass.  Very awake and half asleep.  I shuffle through my pack.  Fill my bladder, put on my puffy and just drink water while laying there.  Sarah came and picked me up, to take me back to my car.  I wasn’t going to keep going.  Between my eye and absolutely laying it out there, there was no way in hell I was napping and then adding another 35 miles.  We pulled into the Shell to meet up with Andrew Hamilton and Andrea Sansone.  I guess they had been out there the last few days hiking themselves and wanted to say hi.  Andrew was super stoked for me and was asking me questions about the trek.  He probably is one of the few people who can really understand all the things I’m telling him.  I was thinking, “This is the coolest sport!  People are just stoked for others and are curious about the crazy shit.  Phenomenal”       

I get this bacterial eating at my foot if it stays wet/sweaty for more than ~15 hours straight

I slept at the trail head, and was woken up by the hoards of people trying to bag a 14er or two at five in the morning.  Oh yeah, its Friday.  I snoozed.  It took me all day to drive to Leadville.  Id drive for 30 minutes and feel like I was falling asleep.  Pull over and nap.  I eventually got to safeway and grabbed some food I could eat while laying down.  Finally get to pig out.  I didn’t eat anything from the finish until 2pm the next day, guess that’s just normal for me.  But I did not feel hungry either.  I also finished with 1,800 calories still in my pack.  So I ate 5,400 calories for two days. Getting some food in my belly, I felt great.  “Hey Sarah, want to hike Holy Cross tomorrow?”  “I mean, I might not make it more than a mile, but Imma gonna try!”  So we hiked Holy Cross.  Sarah, TJ, and I.  I actually felt really good, like riding a high.  But every now and then I would notice how fatigued I actually was.  We bailed 600 feet from the top because of lightning, but I didn’t care at all.  I was just proud of myself to even be out there trying.  And I got to have a great conversation with two great people.   It continued like that.  I would have a ton of energy and think, “Okay back to normal” then the eyes just got heavy and I needed to lay down.  Took me the better part of two days to drive the eight hours back home.  This week has been very much a similar pattern with the energy periods lasting longer each day and the crashes not so hard.  But finishing this up on Friday, I feel rested enough.  Time to adventure, never stop!

Holy Cross with Sarah and TJ

                                  Appendicitis

I’m not going to go too crazy into details here, maybe another day.  But I figured I would put together somethings I think were absolutely crucial for success.

-Intermittent Fasting:  I’ve been doing this since 2013.  I’ve stepped it up over the years and tweaked it out.  But basically I have a 4-8 hour feeding window in the afternoon and then I don’t eat until the next afternoon.  Which, usually means I run 3,4,5 hours in the AM without food or water.  This helps with fat utilization, comfort in starvation, cellular autophagy, and glycemic variability.

-Mushroom madness:  I’ve struggled with Lyme for the past few years.  Finally, I read a book about fixing Lyme this spring.  It detailed out a bunch of herbs that were suppose to help.  I used Reshi, Cordyceps, Cats Claw, and Hawthorne.  Using these for the last 6 weeks, has made me feel like my old self again.  I can go hard and recover.  No more of those days waking up with all my joints stiff, or a stiff neck.  I really believe this have made a huge diffence.

-Hot/Cold Contrast therapy:  I stretch everyday in the 180degree dry sauna.  I believe I get deeper stretches because of the heat.  I then jump in the 55 degree pool and try to stay in as long as I can.  Sometimes I do two or three reps.  The heat helps activate Heat Shock Proteins.  The cold helps to activate Brown adipose tissue(helps you use more fat in the future), also I think it helps promote relaxation, glycemic control, and accelerates recovery.

-Hypoxico:  Sleeping at 15K for 24 days was enough to make me feel stronger than I ever felt running at 14K.

-Plant based diet:  Everyone has an opinion.  It works for me.  I’m not perfect, I eat ice cream, and eggs whenever I feel like it.  Sometimes, its back to back days.  Other times, not for a month or two.

-Studying the Topo’s and comparing to old photos.  I really felt like I knew which line I wanted to take the entire way.

-Scouting: Seeing each line and knowing exactly where I was the whole time, really eased any stress that might occur when you are wondering if you are in the wrong place/going the wrong way.

-Gaiters: Keep the rocks out, until they rip

-Poles: Wouldn’t do without.  Especially because I have a strong upper body, might as well put it to work.

-Gloves: Made me a lot more confident descending and throwing my hand down in the rocks

-Compression legs and top:  Compression helps with blood flow.  Sun protection.  Bushwack protection.  I like just throwing myself through trees and willows.  It adds enough protection that I am not bleeding everywhere.  Though, branches can still hurt.

Zone 1 &2 Training: I actually always do this, but I barely did any high intensity.  But I did a lot of crawling up steep slopes using poles.  I had this incredible low gear that felt like walking, but was 2,500ft an hour up a steep slope. 

-Power To Weight Ratio:  Everything in training kind of leads to this, but I also thought about it and tried to create it.   I gained some fat for the quarantine fifteen. I was up to 180 from 165-170.  Then I dropped it all through training and got to 160.  It’s a big deal.  And people know this; they say, “you went unsupported? But all that extra weight”  I carried 2-3 pounds… less than the weight I lost.