Ski 10 - Saturday Dec 27 - How Do You Rate a Ski Day?

The money shot.

Where: Mill D - Short Swing

With Whom: Jer

Time: 7am to 11:30

Ski Conditions: Excellent.  The snow was not quite as deep as I was expecting, but it was enough to make for some bitchin' skiing.  We were the first to get to the top of the hill this morning, but there were a few to follow.  We took a little different route down the hill and found fresh turns to the bottom.  We were able to get two runs in before we had to be back.

Jer reaches the top

How do you rate a ski day?  This is a problem I have.  I go skiing and people ask, "How was it?"  Do I just say, "Great."?  A day in Mill D or Butler Fork is different from a day in Wolverine, but I enjoy them both.  I think that is one of the best things about skiing in the backcountry.  No two days are alike.  It is a lot like fingerprints... except ski days cannot be burned off when you become a secret agent for the government.

I ski across the few tracks we saw at the top.

Jer sees the light (or, at least, skis out of it).

Ski 9 - Wednesday Dec 24 - Christmas Eve is a Great Day for Telemarking

Where: Snowbird

With Whom: Cole

Time: 8am to 2:30ish

Ski Conditions: Got Cole out on tele gear for his first time today.  We stuck to Gad Zoom and the groomers serviced thereby.  He struggled a bit at first, but as the day went on he began to get the hang of it.  Avy danger is not great out in the backcountry, so it wasn't a bad day to break out the K2s and get some groomers under my belt.  

Ski 8 - Saturday Dec 20 - Huffin and Puffin

Where: Circle Awl 

With Whom: Tom and Nate

Time: 8am to Noon

Ski Conditions: Well, the storm that came in yesterday appeared to be the first big storm of the year.  The only problem is that the snowpack is not terribly stable right now.  So we decided to ski the Butler trees thinking it would be stable.  We were right.  The only problem is that just wasn't enough snow to cover all the small brush in that area.  The top was super nice, but once you got a bit lower it became more of a hunt for your line than it was skiing.  It was fun all the same, though.

Splitboarding through the trees

Randonnee: French for "Can't Tele"

Ski 7 - Monday Dec 15 - Close Encounters of the Moose Kind

Where: Pink Pine

With Whom: Jer

Time: 5am to the 8:55 train

Snow Conditions: Great skiing out there.  We did not notice any stand-out instabilities in the snowpack.  There were a few tracks where we skied, but the area was big enough to offer us great untracked turns for two laps.  

Jer on the first lap (it was still too early to ski without headlamps - yes, that is Jer)

Pink Pine lives up to its name

On the way out I came face to face with a moose.  I bailed off the trail one way and he bailed off the other way.  I then hurriedly got the camera out to get a shot of him.

Ski 6 - Saturday Dec 13 - Powder. Adventure. Snickers

Where: Wolverine, Grizzly Gulch

With Whom: Jer

Time: 7ish to 12:30ish

Snow Conditions: Some spots over the head blower, others less than that but still good.  Some cracking and collapsing in the snowpack.  A little moving snow (on purpose).

Jer dropping into Granny's Chute

Me exiting the chute and entering the bowl (nice shot, Jer)

Jer finishes his line in the Wolverine Cirque

A look at the snow we moved (on purpose)

Ski 5 - Tuesday Dec 9 - So Begins the Real Ski Season

Where: Patsy Marley Ridge

With Whom: Jer, Dave, Has, and Matt

Time: 5ish and to work by 10

Snow Conditions: A foot of new snow on top of crusts and rocks.  But don't be fooled folks, it was great!

I have been hearing people question the validity of this winter.  C'mon, people!  It is only December 9th.  Winter has not begun.  We cannot begin to write it off just yet.  I feel like this happens every year.  We get one or two early storms and people get all excited (myself included) and then it melts away and nothing happens for a while.  This is the point when people start freaking out and thinking it is not going to be a good winter.  Let me point you to what was probably the best winter of my adult life - last year.  Just look back at what was happening at this same time period in 2007... the same thing!  Don't fret, people.  Just be patient and the snow will come.  Oh yes, the snow will come.  

Lucky for me, the snow came yesterday.  I informed my boss that I was feeling something coming on and was not going to be able to make it to work in the morning.  But instead, I would be in around 10.  He agreed.  I met Jer at the LCC park n ride at 5am.  20 minutes later, Dave, Has, and Matt showed up.  I drove the new Suzuki SX4 for its very first ski day and it did great.  They had not been super on top of things with plowing the road and it was nice to have the AWD.  Upon arriving at the upper parking lot, I got a phone call from Has saying his transmission had blown.  I turned around and picked them up.  Then Dave realized he had forgotten his poles.  Needless to say, we got started a little later than I would have liked.  No problem.  We made good time.  We skinned to the top of Patsy Marley peak and arrived just as light was sufficient for some skiing.  We made some turns.  They were great.  As long as you weren't terribly worried about hitting some rocks with your skis, it was really great.  If you found yourself trying to tiptoe around them, then it was too much hassle.  That is why everyone should have a dedicated rock ski.  Now, if you plan it right, you can get several runs down Grizzly Gulch without having to put your skins back on.  You just ski the top bowl, traverse west, ski the center line, traverse west, and ski the opening bowl.  Jer and I did this while the others went to deal with the car issues.  We had some great turns and decided we had time to skin up for another in the lower bowl.  These last two runs were the best I have had so far this season.  I know this may not be saying much, but they were great runs.  My turns felt really good and things seemed to go quite smoothly.  We drove down the canyon with the soothing sounds of Kanye West and called it a quality ski day.  On Ski.

Ski 4 - Friday Nov 28 - Black Friday...For Him

Where: North of Alta

With Whom: CJ

Time: 6:30 - 9:30

Snow Conditions: The snow in the Wasatch is below poor out there.  It came down to whether we wanted to ski two new inches on top of groomers or two new inches on top of wicked crusts.  Neither of these are ideal situations, but we chose the former.  We skinned up the summer road at Alta and skied down the groomers.  It was actually pretty fun.  It is never a bad idea to get out and get some exercise.  It was nice to chat and catch up with CJ (he moved to Sacramento in the spring).  We did two laps and it was fun to be out skiing.

How Cool Are The Japanese?

Looking through my YouTube videos the other day, I found that my tandem telemark video was being linked from a site I did not recognize.  I clicked to find out where it was coming from and found this:

http://kimocap.blog60.fc2.com/blog-entry-49.html

Yes, Jer and I have achieved international fame.  We are just like Spinal Tap - Big in Japan - I just hope this fame does not end with either of us exploding.  Dan Dansie was kind enough to translate the site for us.  Here it is:

Caption: 

"Maybe a team from somewhere else was first . . ." 

Comments:

"This tandem team has the same racing one piece [i.e. one piece suit]."

"I love it. This is a top rate movie. The rear skier has a superb alignment method. [I guess that means you have good form.] The amazing way he is able to work the timing with the front skier is wonderful."

"There's nothing more to say than that this is a great movie. Laugh. Let's start training! I'm talking about success. We've got to hang in there so that we don't lose. Laugh."

Here is the video for those of you who have forgotten:

Ski 3 - Friday Nov 14 - Why Would Anyone Wake Up This Early?

LCC Panorama at Dawn

Where: Grizzly Gulch, Patsy Marley Ridge, LCC (again)

With Whom: Tom and Jason

Time: 5:15am - at work by 9

Snow Conditions: About the same as yesterday.  We were still ab

le to find some good turns in the trees, but the exit was gnarly.  We went a little further up the ridge than yesterday.  The snow was slightly heavier, but mostly the same.  Up to 6" for just one lap.  Even more tracks than yesterday as it did not snow overnight.  It is not supposed to snow now for some time and the weather will get warm.  It may be

 a little

 while before Day #4 is posted.

Skinning by moonlight

Summit by dawn (not to be confused with "Dead by Dawn" - the subtitle of Evil Dead 2)

Alta wants to take all this away?

Ski 2 - Thursday Nov 13 - Jer Wakes Up Early

Moonlit panorama of LCC (yes that is moonlight)

Where: Grizzly Gulch, Patsy Marley Ridge, LCC

With Whom: Jer

Time: 5am to the 8:55 train

Snow conditions: Nice, new snow in the protected trees, but a little more difficult to navigate as more trees and brush are exposed than normal.  Up to 6" for two laps.  Some tracks as this is one of the few places dawn patrollable.  The exit was a bit tough with a breakable crust making for difficult turns.

Jer coming off the top at dawn (lap #2)

Jer pushes through the good stuff with Black Bess watching

Early season isn't all that bad

A New Approach

Due to the fact that at times I just don't have time to fully document each tour, or I just throw some words together that don't even really make sense, I have decided to do small entries for each day with the occasional longer write-up... when I feel like it.

Dig it.

Ski 1 - Friday Nov 7 - It All Begins With A Dawn Patrol

It may have happened a little later than the past two years, but the beginning of this season follows suit and begins with a dawn patrol up the hills of Little Cottonwood.  In 2006, it was October 27.  In 2007, it came early on October 8.  This year is not far behind, but comes packing a punch.  Getting ready for your first dawn patrol of the season is always a bit nerve-racking but very exciting.  I prepared all my gear last night making sure I had every last piece of gear ready to go.  I retired around 9 o'clock (after 30 Rock was over) and slept surprisingly well.  The first tour of the season to me is a lot like Christmas morning was when I was a kid.  I spend the whole night dreaming of how great it is going to be.  I go to sleep early thinking this will bring the morning quicker.  And I always wake up earlier than I had planned.  My alarm was set to go off at 4:15am.  I awoke at 4:00 ready for my day.  I got up without issue and finished my preparation (this is something that will soon change for dawn patrols - when I begin completely regretting my decision at 4:15 when the alarm goes off and I don't want anything more than to stay in my warm bed).  I met my co-workers - Nazz, Jason, and Daniel - at the ShopKo parking lot at 4:45.  We traveled together up to Alta ski resort.  After a small injury in the parking lot (Daniel slipped on the ice and cut his face), we were on our way up the hill.  I felt really good.  Maybe it has something to do with my short daily bike rides to and from the train.  Whatever the source for my fitness is, I was happy to have it.  I tried to take a few photos of the skin up but only got one that turned out.  We skinned up to the top of the Wildcat lift and skied the Northeast face.  This proved to be the best snow on the mountain.  And it was better than any other first day of the season I have previously experienced.  There was about 4 feet of new snow.  We were skiing about 2 feet of fresh stuff on top of the base.  There was not a rock in sight.  I was a little off balance in my first turn, but quickly got back in the groove and had good turns for both my first and second runs.  Again, I tried but failed with the photos of the skiing.  The light was just too low and I am not yet back into the swing of things where I can get everything ready super fast and take the right shots.  We will see how that goes next time.  I stayed to the more Easterly facing stuff all the way down finding good, but tracked snow.  We were able to get to work by 8 o'clock just fine.  I showered there and was ready for my day.  Really, it was a quality morning.  I look forward to many more of these as the season progresses.  On Ski.

Climb 21 - Tuesday Oct 14 - The Egg

It has been cold lately.  So cold that one would think winter was right around the corner.  This assumption, however, would be quickly debunked if you were to go outside this afternoon.  It was sunny and the weather was warm.  I suppose I can wait a little longer for winter... but not much longer.  I had an InDesign class at SLCC this afternoon (as paid for by my office).  This allowed me to be home at an hour more condusive to climbing.  Carvel and I went up Little Cottonwood Canyon to climb the Egg.  I had never climbed there and it had been some time since Carvel had.  There was a nice new trail to follow, but we missed it on the way up.  We followed some old directions and they took us through some interesting terrain.  We eventually made it to where all we had to do was scramble across the rock face to get to the base of the climb.  Why is it that this part is always the scariest to me?  Ugh.  It took me a while, but I made it.  Then Carvel lead the climb.  It was a long one which he lead with two ropes.  He got a little off route on the way up giving us a taste of all the climbs on the Egg.  When he eventually made it to the top I then got things together and followed.  I had no issues in the cracks, but as soon as I got out on the face I just got a little sketched out.  It turns out that face climbing with small holds is not my gig.  I like face climbing with big holds (even if it is overhanging) or crack climbing.  I did make it and then it was time to descend.  It took us a while as there was some problem solving involved in this task.  This is one of the things I like about trad climbing - I like the thinking aspect of it all.  We hiked back down by headlamp and made it to the car around 7:45.  Remember when it didn't get dark until 9:30?  This is only another sign of the impending winter.  I had a good time this afternoon.  I apologize for the lack of photos.  It is just hard to do when there are only two of you.  I plan to take a lot more photos this winter so get excited.  There should be some good ones as I have been learning more and more about photography and how to use my camera.  Until then, On Rock.

Just A Side Note About Bicycle Commuting - Tuesday Oct 14

As of June 2008, I have commuted some distance to work.  This has taken some getting used to.  First, I carpooled with several others from work which meant I only had to drive in once a week.  Then my office got us all train passes.  I have taken the train ever since.  It has been nice.  On ideal days, Stacy drops me at the train station in the morning and picks me up in the evening.  This works out to be a 10 hour day for her and she gets a day off work per week because of it.  Recently, however, due to scheduling difficulties, I have been driving myself to the train station.  Until last week, I had been carrying my road/tri bike with me every day to ride from the train to my office.  This was just more hassle than it was worth - I mean, putting my bike on the car in the morning, then taking it off, then dealing with it on the train (they don't have the best bike racks on there), ... etc, etc, you get the picture.  So two weekends ago I picked up an old bike from my in-laws, fixed it up with fenders, slimed tires, etc. and I have been leaving it at the Clearfield train station locked up.  This has been working out beautifully... until today.  I got off the train this morning all bundled up due to the cold weather we are currently experiencing.  I unlocked my bike and began my ride.  The route includes a small section of gravel.  I was half-way through it when my front tire locked up and I went end-over-end onto the ground below.  I am not the type that gets angry and frustrated over these things (after all, I probably can't count how many times I endoed while on my mission), so I laughed about it and tried to get back on the bike.  This is when I found out that my front fender had been sucked up into the wheel well of the bike.  I spent a few minutes to try to free the different components so I could continue my ride to work, but to no avail.  I then had to carry my bike (or at least the front half since it wouldn't move) and I started walking.  Again, this was not a big deal since I was in no huge hurry.  Soon after I reached the main road, I was picked up by two people I work with and we drove the rest of the way in.  With the help of some tools, I was then able to free my wheel and take care of the bike.  I sent the fender company an email this morning and they were very kind in offering to relace it immediately (not to mention how fast they were with the email response!).  I have discovered that bicycle commuting is not always going to be as smooth as I would like it to be.  There are factors that make it a little more unpredictable - weather, drivers, bike parts, etc.  However, this in no way makes me want to discontinue doing it.  I like it.  I like getting my legs going in the morning and in the afternoon.  I look forward to when this can be done by skiing, but until then (and even after then) a short bicycle commute will continue to do me good.  On Ride.

Climb 20 - Wednesday Oct. 8 - Wait, Shouldn't I Be Skiing Right Now?

As mentioned in the last post, I really wanted to get back up to Sport Utility Wall and knock off that 10a.  Jer and I met after work to do just that.  He was running a little late so we met up there.  I was waiting for him up at the climb as I tried to explain the approach to him over the phone.  Due to either my bad directions or the ambiguity of the turn area from the gully which he climbed up, he got a little lost during the hike and we lost some time.  No big deal, we still had time to both get up this rock before total darkness.  We quickly got our stuff together and I began leading the climb.  The first section is a little tricky, but I had done it before so I knew where the big holds were.  There are plenty of big holds on this climb, you just have to know where they are and maybe reach a little for them.  I got past the first few bolts with ease.  This was feeling good.  Then I came to the first of the two tricky sections.  It took me a minute to remember the move, but I did and it was easier than I thought.  There was one more move keeping me from the top and a true redpoint.  I had plenty of strength left and I just powered through it.  I was stoked to do it.  I just haven't climbed regularly this year and much of it has been with beginners - therefore, at easier areas.  I am not sure how many more times I will get out climbing this year.  Snow fell last weekend and will be falling again this weekend.  It was this day last year that I got my first ski day in.  I am super stoked for the ski season.  If we get any more snow before next weekend I may just have to go walk around and try to make a few turns on Saturday.  We will see.  On Rock.

Climb 19 - Tuesday Sept. 23 - Scouts v3.0

It is the last week of the month and it is time I came up with something to do with just my scouts on our own.  On Sunday we briefly talked about going climbing, but I had not done any follow up.  When I got home from work I texted the boys and found that they were both still into the idea.  We quickly got our stuff together and headed up to Sport Utility Wall.  Time is short nowadays since the sun goes down so early, but I figured we had time for one route each.  When we arrived I was surprised to see some others up there.  There were on the 5.10a, but this wasn't a problem since we wanted to get on the 5.9.  The problem was that they wanted to get on the 5.10c by leading the 5.8 which shares most of the bolts with the 5.9.  The 10c is a completely different climb, but the 5.8 and 5.9 are the same except for the top section.  The 5.9 goes straight whereas the 5.8 heads right to the 10c chains.  So we waited for them to lead that and set up their toprope.  The dudes were nice, but they certainly didn't see the need to hurry as much as I did.  As soon as they were done, I quickly lead the 5.9 and set up our toprope for the boys.  Will followed and climbed it pretty smoothly.  I figure anyone who is athletic can climb 5.9.  He did fall once, but I think that was primarily due to him sticking his hand in a pile of some sort of animal droppings half way up the climb.  Tony climbed last and he seems to be into it.  That's cool.  I wish I had started climbing at a younger age.  I would be a lot further than I am now.  We were able to get down clean up and hike back to the car before the sun went down.  Although it was short, it was a successful evening.  I am hoping to get back up there soon so I can redpoint that 10a before the season is over.  I mean, let's be serious here, I probably won't get any climbing done once the ski season starts.  On Rock.

Climb 18 - Wednesday Sept. 17 - Scouts

I am the venture scout leader in my ward (boys 16-18).  At my first meeting with the stake venture leaders I was asked what I do for a living.  I told them I do marketing for a rock climbing company and their very next question was whether I would be willing to take the boys climbing some time.  I said I would be happy to and we planned it for this evening.  Last week I gave a little presentation on climbing and went of some safety and gear basics.  I tried to stress the importance of coming early tonight since we have very limited daylight at this time of year.  I went up with Stacy, Jer, and Jer's friend, Calvin around 5.  We met up at Dogwood in Big Cottonwood Canyon and began to get ready to have the boys meet us.  I was hoping we were going to be the first after work group up there and we would be able to set up a few ropes and stake out our territory for the evening.  This was not the case.  We arrived to find several other groups and even more on their way.  We were able, however, to still kind of take claim on the far left area of the first section of the wall.  I led three climbs and we set up the top ropes.  They were a 5.7, a 5.8, and a 5.9.  Each were fun climbs and I figured the boys would enjoy them.  We were met by Mike as time went on and we all climbed and waited for the boys.  It wasn't until just before 7 that the first group showed up... and it was only one boy with two leaders.  This boy got the best deal.  He got to climb all three routes and the one leader that wanted to climb got on two routes as well.  The last group of boys didn't stroll in until around 7:30-7:40 making it difficult to get much climbing in since it gets dark at 8.  We were able to get them on rock and each of them got the chance to climb one route.  I suppose they just didn't get the hint when I told them to come early as it gets dark.  Oh, well.  I think they had fun and they may have just got enough that the sport will interest them in the future.  I had a good time since I was able to climb three routes.  I liked the 5.9.  If I make it back to Dogwood anytime soon, I will certainly be climbing that route again.  On Rock.

TRI 4 - Saturday Sept. 6 - Yuba Lake

It has been a good summer.  There has been some training, some racing, a little bit of climbing, some dog training, etc.  Today marked the end of the 2008 triathlon season for Stacy, Ryan, and I.  I feel it ended in a good way.  We left SLC last night as soon as we were all done with work.  In an effort to avoid the traffic in Utah County, we decided we would eat before getting on the road.  We stopped at Johnny Carino's in Sandy for some pasta.  Much like our experience at last year's end of season tri, our night-before dining experience was less than stellar.  Our service was slow, the food was just alright, our server forgot to bring us a few things we asked for, it was loud, and more.  We left as soon as we could to avoid the grumpiness that was overcoming Ryan and Stacy already (just like last year).  We then began the trek to Spring City a little later than we had hoped.  Upon reaching San Pete County, Ryan was pulled over and given a ticket for speeding in Fountain Green.  He was in the process of slowing down from a 60ish speed limit to a quick 45 then quickly again to 35.  He was clocked going 48 just past the 35 sign.  Really?  Give me a break.  He was obviously slowing down.  The speed changed so quickly there that it would be hard not to be speeding at some point.  Whatever.  We then finished the drive into Spring City, greeted Stacy's parents as they were cleaning the place for an upcoming Historical Society visit, then got ready for bed.  It was a little later than we would have liked to be getting to bed since we had to wake up at 4:30 the following morning.  I slept like a log.  After the local kids shut up, it was just silent down there.  We got ready fairly quick upon waking up and got on our way to Yuba.  It was about an hour from Spring City and we wanted to be there by around 6.  We got a little lost on the drive and ended up driving all the way out to I-15 then back in towards the lake.  But we still had plenty of time to prepare for the race.  We set up our transition stations, signed in, and prepared mentally.  The race started at 7:45 (a little later than they were planning).  The water was nice - smooth and a good temperature.  My swims have been getting stronger and stronger as time has gone on.  Today was no exception.  I had the best swim of my career.  I do not have that time as the they had issues with the timing chips, but I can tell you that I honestly know that it was the best swim because of how smooth everything went.  I did run into Ryan about 1/3 of the way through the swim.  He reached forward and have me a little bum squeeze.  I was impressed that he could tell it was me.  I pulled ahead of him not far beyond that.  After a strong swim, I came out of the water ready for a solid bike.  My transition was decent and I was on my way.  It was not far in before I realized that I had a lot of energy and should be pushing myself.  So I did.  I am not the fastest biker in the world, but I am not too bad at climbing hills.  I think it is the skier in me that has built up those muscles.  I passed a few people on the bike and was only passed by those that obviously were super bikers that are poor swimmers.  The first half of the bike never seemed to end.  It was all uphill and every time you would think you were going to turn around soon, you would come upon another long hill to climb.  Eventually we did reach the turn around point and a little while later I saw Ryan headed the other way.  This was the first time I saw how far ahead of him I was.  The competitive side of me just wanted to know what was necessary to beat him - he did beat me in the Half and I had to redeem myself.  Soon after we had our final real climb on the bike followed by a long downhill.  This was a nice break.  I finished the bike strong, made a quick transition to the run, and began on my way.  I was surprised to feel relatively strong at the beginning of the run.  I didn't want to burn myself out, so I paced myself, but at a little faster pace than I had in previous races.  There were two turn around/out-n-back sections on the run at which I saw Ryan.  I never did see Stacy on the run, but that was because she was out on an out-n-back when we would have crossed.  I had just enough left in me at the end of the run to go a little harder for the last half mile.  It was a good race.  Perhaps training is overrated.  Perhaps I do better when I just take the month off and relax before a race.  I doubt that, but it did seem to work for me today.  Ryan finished just minutes behind me and Stacy finished a little while later.  They had difficulties with the timing so I don't know exactly how well I did, but it felt good and it was a good end to the tri season.  It was just enough to get me excited to do it again next year.  But for now I will do some climbing and get ready for the ski season!!!  On Tri.

Climb 17 - Wednesday Aug 28 - Scout(s)

As soon as I was asked by the Stake Venture Scout Director what I do for work, I was promptly asked if I would like to take the boys climbing. I consented and we planned it for September 17. In anticipation for this monumentous event, I asked the boys from my ward if they wanted to climb tonight and give it a shot before there were a bunch of people around. They seemed into the idea. As the day drew closer, we lost a couple of them - they became busy. The problem with this is that there are only three of them total. So if two of them can't come, it is just me and one scout. I was cool with it if he was. He was. Tony and I went up to Iron Curtain Wall in Parley's Canyon. It was a quick trip in the evening so we didn't have time to do a bunch of climbs. The idea was to toprope the 5.9+ then lead the long 5.8 out. People were on the 5.9+ when we arrived. We started to climb another 5.9 on the wall, but cut that short as it was taking me more time than wanted to lead it. We moved our stuff over to the long 5.8 and climbed up and out. We reached the top just as the sun set. It was a very nice evening. Tony totally dug climbing. Perhaps we will get out again sometime. On Rock.

Climb 15/16 - Saturday/Sunday Aug 23/24 - Happy Anniversary

That's right. August 24, 2008 marks the third anniversary of the union of Stacy and I in marriage. To celebrate, we went up to the Uintas this weekend for some climbing, hiking, camping, uno-playing, dog-fun-having, and all-around escaping from the summer heat. We accomplished all these things and more. After a quick breakfast at the house on Saturday morning, we made our way up to the Bald Mountain Trailhead in the Uintas. The hike into Notch Lake is about 2.5 miles. We had to borrow a bunch of camping gear since we just don't have our own yet. The problem with this is that most people don't buy gear that is "light and fast." We each had big packs on our back with a lot of weight. Adding the climbing gear and rope to this did not make this any easier. Luckily, the hike was pretty easy so it was just a matter of dealing with the pack weight. We arrived at the lake around lunch time so we took a few minutes to relax and have our "lunch." We had just packed things like fruit, granola bars, and fruit roll-ups for lunch. After we had just worked super hard on the hike in and we were planning on climbing, this wasn't the most regenerating of lunch options. We then put our camp together in a spot that overlooked the lake, the cliffs, and almost everything else around. It really was a beautiful place. I was a little bummed to see a group headed to the crag just as we were getting ready to go over there, but I figured there were plenty of climbs. Then I saw that they were headed to the exact climb I wanted to get on. Oh, well. I figured. I can go try this 5.10c over here. Due to my lack of energy, the other group's annoying dog, and my fear of heights, I was unable to finish this climb. I was okay with it, though. We spent some time over there then decided to go take a nap. We were in no hurry. We had all night and all day tomorrow. This was supposed to be a relaxing weekend. The nap was nice, although sometimes intermixed with the sounds of the climbers yelling at their dog, and the family on the other side of the lake talking extraordinarily loud. When we awoke we decided to get ready for dinner by starting a fire. This was done with a single successful match which got some kindling to smoke and a whole lot of blowing by myself and Stacy. Eventually, we had a bitchin' fire which led to a bitchin' dinner. Stacy had prepared tinfoil dinners with chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions, etc. They were big and delicious. For dessert we had a myriad of choices consisting of roasted marshmallows and jiffy pop. After dinner the dogs ran around as we read our books. I have decided that I can not be reading such a large book next time I try to go backpacking. Or, at the very least, I should just photocopy the next few chapters so I don't have to carry that textbook sized monstrosity in. Although, I did really enjoy reading it while I was there. As the night began to approach we reeled things in and decided to have a riveting game of Uno. Our first game was over in a matter of minutes with Stacy handily beating me. We both thought that if the game moves that quickly, we can certainly play another hand. So we did. This one took a bit longer. In fact, we had to pause have way through because it had become so dark that we could no longer decipher the colors of the cards, and we had to get the headlamps out. What seemed to be several hours later, Stacy beat me once again only after a healthy exchange of leads back and forth. We retired to the tent for the night and read a bit more before falling asleep. The dogs climbed in the tent with us and just like they are at home, they hogged all the space. This is why we don't let them sleep on the bed with us. Bowie wedged himself between Stacy and I, and then turned perpendicular to our bodies, thus forcing my midsection into the gear at the side of the tent. It was nice to have a pleasant, cool evening. It never did get as cold as I was expecting, but was nice the whole time. In the morning we went back to the crag. We got on the climb we had initially intended to do and enjoyed it. We then enjoyed a nice breakfast of oatmeal and hot chocolate. Seriously, are we at the Ritz? What I really wanted to do today was get the dogs swimming in the lake. They have never swam before. They have been in water so many times, but have had no reason to swim. I wanted to change that today. After breakfast I went down to the lakefront with Bowie and Sam. I threw a ball into the lake. They ran up and down the beach trying to figure out how to get it without swimming. This was unsuccessful. They had to swim, but were not determined enough to try it on their own. They needed some coaxing. I got in the frigid water (which was quite refreshing, actually) and began to slowly swim out to the ball. I called to the dogs assuring them that they could do it. It really didn't take much before Bowie was headed right for me. I was so excited. I felt like a proud father. He was swimming! When he caught up with me I greeted him then we swam to the ball. When I looked back I saw Sam right behind us. They both did it! Bowie got the ball, but they were both swimming. We swam back to shore and then did it again. They were doing so great. I was loving it. Stacy snapped a few shots then changed clothes to get in the water, as well. She was a bit surprised at the temperature of the water. I told her it was cold. It was an enjoyable experience for all of us. Eventually, the ball became so water and mud logged that it sank to the bottom of the lake and Bowie was just confused when he swam out to get it. Oh well. We had a good time. We then packed up all out gear and began the hike back to the car. The hike back was slightly harder since it was uphill instead of down, but for some reason it was easier for me. It took us a while, but we eventually made it. It was such a great weekend. A great way to celebrate three years of marraige. We need to do this more often when the mercury in Salt Lake is rising. Thanks for listening. On Rock, Swim, Hike, Camp, Uno, etc.

Climb 14 - Tuesday August 19 - Is Summer Over Yet?

Don't get me wrong. I love summer. I love tri season and the long days. But does it have to be so long? It just seems like it has been super hot outside for the past several years (although, I could be exagerrating that just a bit). I have been okay until this week when I got hit hard with the winter bug. I couldn't help but check telemarktips.com a few times this week as well as watch some ski movie trailers. I am just over the heat. I am happy to have fall right around the corner so I can really do some climbing, but in all seriousness, I would be totally okay with it if we just skipped fall altogether and went right to winter. I love to ski.

Tonight I was reminded of how much I love to climb. Blake and I went up to Narcolepsy Wall in Big Cottonwood Canyon. This wall sits across the street from the Salt Lake Slips. It was the first time either of us had been to this wall so it was our best guess as to how to get there. We arrived at the first few climbs and decided to climb a 5.9 trad route. I have attempted several 5.9 trad routes in the past and have never once made it all the way through on the first try. I just don't have the staying power in my arm strength. I have not climbed trad enough to be super efficient when placing gear so it takes time and energy just to get my protection in. I usually run out of gas pretty quick. The story tonight was no different. I first gave leading a shot. I didn't make it. Blake then gave it a shot. He made it only one placement further. I then tried again and through a series of climbing, taking, and placing gear, I did finally make it to the top. It was a really fun climb and not terribly difficult once we had a toprope fixed. It makes such a difference to have to place gear. Especially since we just haven't done it a ton, yet. By the time Blake climbed it and cleaned the gear, it was beginning to get dark and we had time only to clean up and get out of there. I really enjoyed myself this evening. I love climbing. I love trad climbing. I love the aspect of adventure that trad brings to the table. I can climb 5.9 sport without a hitch, but the problem solving and added stamina necessary in trad climbing is just so much fun. I really want to talk someone into training with me to climb El Capitan in Yosemite. It is over 31 pitches climbed over a matter of 3-5 days (while sleeping out on the rock overnight). This is the ultimate in climbing. You can all look forward to that blog post a couple years down the road. On Rock.

TRI 3 - Saturday August 9 - The Utah Half Ironman

I had been on the bike for about 1.5 hours when I thought to myself, "I still have to run 13 miles after this. This could be the worst decision I have ever made in my life."

Ryan, Stacy, and I rushed after work on Friday night to make it to Provo in time for the "mandatory" packet pick-up that ended at 8:00. We arrived at 8:10 only to find that they were nearly finished cleaning everything up. We were told that we could no longer sign in tonight and we should simply do so in the morning. Why did they call it a "mandatory" packet pick-up again? We treated ourselves to a quick carbo-loading pasta dinner at Guru's, then to the grocery store to pick up a few last minute items, and finally to Stacy's mom, Deena's, Provo apartment. It didn't take me long to get to sleep. I knew what was ahead in the morning.

We awoke at 4:30am, quickly packed up our gear, ate breakfast, then made our way to Utah Lake. As we pulled up, I was delighted to have "Damn, It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta" come up on Ryan's iPod. We cranked it up and got out of the car. Immediately we were overrun by swarms of mosquitos. In the midst of fighting them off, Stacy decided we should change songs as this one may be a bit too offensive for those around us. Whatever. We got our gear together, borrowed some bug spray from the nice women next to us, then headed for the check-in/transition area. It seemed as if there were even more bugs over here. At times, they almost rendered our headlamps useless as there were so many it was difficult to see. We quickly signed in, got our bodies marked, and put our wetsuits on so as to help protect ourselves from the bloodsucking monsters.

The swim was our first obstacle. 1.2 miles in Utah Lake with 397 others thrashing around us. The gun fired at about 6:50am. The course consisted of two loops within a harbor cove of Utah Lake. It was not the most well-planned out course and proved difficult to navigate (we also later were informed by the race directors that it was 200 meters too long). I had a good swim, but had a couple issues. One: I had put some gummy snacks in the pocket of my shirt before I put my wetsuit on so I could have them during the bike. Underneath the wetsuit, the package came out of my pocket and slowly made its way up to my armpit. I had to continually push it back down thus losing momentum and speed. I also had issues of my goggles leaking. These are supposed to be guaranteed not to leak! There is a slight irregularity in the left eye that allows it to leak just a little over time. However, it was just enough to make me keep taking time to eliminate the excess water. The course took us through weeds, moss, sticks, etc., and it was impossible to see anything underwater since Utah Lake is absolutely disgusting. I still had a decent swim time - 44:41. I was hoping to have it under 40 minutes, but what can you do?

Ryan - 41:50

Stacy - 59:36

Jer - 52:02

Mallory - 34:12

The transition from swim to bike was a little slower than normal as I wanted to have everything just right knowing that I had 56 miles to go before I would have a chance to adjust anything. I got off to a good start. I was feeling good. I was feeling strong. I had seen that Ryan's bike was already gone back at the transition station, but at this point I felt like I could catch him. I was passing people at this point in the race and was only being passed by people who were obviously strong bikers and probably not terribly strong swimmers. I bought a bike computer super cheap off the internet a little while ago and, big surprise, it now doesn't work. It does tell time. I tried to come up with a general timeline of where I should be at certain times, but the bike course was not well marked so I couldn't really gage my progress. I did reach the turn around a little earlier than I was thinking. This was positive for me to see. However, I really began to tire soon thereafter. Even on the flats, I was having difficulty really pushing it. More and more racers began passing me. I wasn't going super slow, but definitely not as fast as I would have liked to. Jer passed me up around this time. Due to my fatigue and his speed, I kind of figured I had no chance of catching him... or Ryan for that matter. I had been on the bike for about 1.5 hours when I thought to myself, "I still have to run 13 miles after this. This could be the worst decision I have ever made in my life." I did my best to eradicate these thoughts from my mind and focus on the task at hand. I finished the bike as strong as I could in 2:57:09.

Ryan - 2:48:05
Stacy - 3:16:08

Jer - 2:33:51
Mallory - 3:15:34

The run consisted of 3 out-n-back sections, the first of which taking us a total of 4 miles in the sun out by the Provo airport. The benefit of the out-n-back legs was that I continually got to see how far others were ahead of me or I was of others. It wasn't until I had gone the first couple of miles that I began to realize that I was running way too slow and that my body could handle a faster pace. So I picked it up. Upon doing so I would find that I was fine cardiovascularly, but my legs just got super heavy and it became a matter of strength to keep picking them up. I did so the best I could. I did not see Stacy during my entire first 4 miles. I was really hoping she was close and that nothing had gone wrong. The second out-n-back was a shorter one taking us a total of 2 miles mostly in the shade. When I passed Jer he said he just saw Stacy and he was confused as to how she got ahead of me. I told him he must be mistaken as I hadn't yet seen Stacy. Soon after, I passed Ryan who said Stacy was just in front of me and he guessed that she had started the run in the wrong direction. He was right. I caught up to her and she was, indeed, on her first out-n-back. We finished that leg together then took a second to talk to the dude at the aid station who informed her that she could just run that same leg twice more to catch up in distance with the rest of us. We parted ways and I wished her good luck. The last leg was deceiving. The race volunteers told us as we started up that we had 3 miles each way. They neglected to mention they were the longest six miles on earth. I was tired, hungry, and not having the best of times at this point. Upon turning around, I knew how long I had left... and I knew it was a long way. I slowed down at the aid station at mile 11 and had a fig newton. I don't even like those things, but it was the one thing on the table that looked the closest to real food. I never thought I would say this, but that particular fig newton could very well have been the best tasting thing I have ever had in my entire life. Maybe it was the fact that I had only consumed Gu, Gatorade, Heed, and water for the preceding 6 hours. Maybe it was delerium brought on by the race. Or maybe, just maybe, it actually was the best tasting food ever made by the hand of man. I suppose we will never know. This gave me a bit of a boost going into the last couple of miles. When I reached the next and final aid station I though I would have two more fig newtons since I had received such a positive experience the last time. This was a mistake. They were gross. Just like fig newtons are supposed to taste. Evidently, I had eaten the one magical fig newton on the earth. I ran the last bit with a woman who had crashed pretty big on the bike section of the course, but continued the race. Once I could see the finish I ramped things up a bit and tried to finish the race strong. I felt like I was sprinting, but I am sure it looked more like a brisk walk to those watching. After all that, the run took me 2:36:57. Between this and the bike, there is definitely room for improvement.

Ryan - 2:36:56
Stacy - 3:27:45

Jer - 2:31:16

Mallory - 2:56:19

Jer and Ryan were there to cheer me on as I passed the finish line. It seemed like I had been out there forever. All I wanted was to eat some food and sit down... so I did. The slice of pizza I ate was not worth it, but the fruit was. Mallory came in a shortly thereafter followed by Stacy a little later. I finished in 6:21:38.

Ryan - 6:10:28
Stacy - 7:49:02

Jer - 6:01:15
Mallory - 6:50:36

It was a hard race. I am writing this a few days later and it is a good thing. Had I tried to write this the day of it would have all be very negative. But now I can look back and not focus on the difficulty, the poor race design, the exhaustion, the hunger, etc. Instead, I look back and see something that was really hard and challenging... that we accomplished. I could have been quoted on the way to the car to say that it would take a lot to get me to do that again. Now, I am considering looking into a full Ironman. Oh, how a couple days will change your perspective. I am so stoked we did it. We did something that very few people have done. I pushed myself beyond anything I have done before. And I feel good about that. On Tri.