Inspiring Effort

I have been following a fantastic blog http://antonkrupicka.blogspot.com/ by an amazing mountain runner, Anton Krupicka, for the last year or so. His effort on the trails has inspired me time and time again to go out and run further, lighter and more remote than I ever thought possible.

Below is a trailer for a movie about Anton Krupicka.

In the last year, I have experienced extreme highs and extreme lows in my running. The extreme low was not finishing the Hole to Hump (bottom of the Grand Canyon to the top of Mt. Humphreys) and the extreme high was finishing the full Wonderland Trail (loop trail around Mt. Rainier).

With all the training it takes and all the effort exerted during ultras, it was difficult for me to deal with my DNF (did not finish) result at Hole to Hump. It became obvious that these events are at the edge and finishing is not a guarantee no matter how hard you train and how well you prepare. In fact, the odds can be very against you if you are really pushing your personal limit. But, knowing that it is on the edge doesn't mean that it is easy to just let go and move on after not finishing!

Anton just completed an extreme training cycle in preparation for the Leadville 100, an extreme ultra in Colorado. He was pushing to beat the record. On race day, he was in some of the best shape of his life and then it all fell apart during the event and he DNF'ed. He posted a thorough account of the breakdown on his blog and it was a great read for me considering all I have been though this year with the ups and downs of my ultra attempts. He continues to be an inspiration and a source of learning for me. Here is the story on his blog http://antonkrupicka.blogspot.com/2009/08/leadville-100-2009-dnf.html.

Below is an interview with Anton before the Leadville 100.

Below is crew footage of Anton winning the Leadville 100 in 2007.

Busy times...

Wow, it has been a busy August! Susan and I have been so busy with work that we haven't climbed in weeks and have gone running only a couple times. We haven't even seen each other much.

Susan has been busy with her NEW TEACHING JOB!!! Congrats to Susan. She was supposed to student teach this fall but was hired on at Mountain School instead.

How can she get a job teaching without student teaching first? Well, Mountain School is a charter school and doesn't have the same rules about student teaching as public schools. At Mountain School, Susan can get her student teaching done at the same time she is getting paid and working as a teacher. Cool for her!

Because of the last minute hire (she was hired only a week before school started), she was very busy with prep work. Even with the late notice, she prepared well and when it was all said and done and class started her room looked great and she was well prepared. Amazing.

At Vertical Relief, the busiest month for me every year is August. This August, I was busy with marketing and membership prep for NAU and Flagstaff schools getting back into session. At the same time, much of our staff were on vacation or guiding outdoors. This left only a few of us to work all the customer service shifts at the climbing gym. Fitting it all in was tricky and I logged a lot of hours but it was all good as I expected it to be busy and was prepared.

We are very glad to have things start to slow down now so we can be more active and balance life out a bit. We need to be active!

Luckily, we were able to get out to "The Peaks" climbing area up on Mt. Humphreys this weekend and finally climb outside. It felt great to be out in a beautiful mountain setting with towering aspens, alpine firs, tall green ferns and excellent routes.

(photo of The San Francisco Peaks from flagstaff.com)

What? The Peaks climbing area? Never heard of it? Not surprised. I stumbled onto the cliff as I was looking for new bouldering to develop on Mt. Humphreys last summer. I did find some great boulders that I spent much of last summer exploring and climbing but the real prize was the cliff! I wasn't in the mood at the time to develop it (at the time, I didn't think it was going to be as high quality as it turned out to be) so I mentioned to some friends that they should check it out. When they did, they freaked out and put up almost 30 excellent sport, mixed and trad routes ranging from 5.7 to 5.13a on the 80 foot tall bulging dacite wall. Later, I added 3 routes ranging from 5.8 to 5.12 to leave my mark.

It was relatively quiet at "The Peaks" climbing area over the winter as it gets covered with a healthy bit of snow every winter, but spring brought more route development...there are almost 40 routes there now and the secret was out.

This summer brought a lot of climbers! On Sunday, I counted 18 cars at the parking lot and all from Flagstaff (info is spreading quickly about the crag but there are only a few people outside of Flagstaff that know where it is).

So...enough with the "history of the crag." We had a great time climbing there. It felt great to be moving over stone again and I realize that I am not in very good climbing shape right now. I was struggling a bit on routes that I feel in more fit times I would cruise. No big deal though, it's all relative and I need to take where I am at right now and go with that. What I use to climb means nothing today. If I want to improve, I know what to do...I have to climb more and that is what I plan to do!

Running the Wonderland Trail: Day Two

Trip report: Day Two

The next morning I woke up a little after 4:30 am, stumbled around a bit, ate some food and was on the trail by 5:30 am. Oh boy, I was definitely tired and sore. In fact, I was about as tired and sore as I had ever felt from an all day run to this point (maybe, except for Hole to Hump). The only thing that got me up and going in the morning was my stubbornness, psych and a bit of stupidity.


(up and ready to go...I think)

I had no prior experience to base a belief in success for this day. I have never tried to travel so many miles in two days. This would be a first for me and what a way to do it...limited support, extremely light and some of the most burly terrain I have ever traveled in a day. Believe it or not...this was just how I need the cards laid out to succeed. This is when I perform at my best, when my back is against the wall in the wilderness. Something deep down inside me knows that I will rise to the occasion in this setting. Wilderness is my home, my inspiration and where I draw much of my energy from.

Where was I...oh yeah...I left Mowich Lake at 5:30 am and I was moving slow. The trail was flat or downhill for the next 8 miles or so to Carbon Glacier but I probably walked more of this section than I ran. I just couldn't get the muscles going yet. I was very, very tired from the day before. Surprise...

When I reached Carbon Glacier, I got a little psyched because it was a powerful sight. There was constant noise from the Carbon River rushing out of the glacier's mouth and never ending rock fall that would tumble down it's towering cliffs of ice and smash into the talus below. All this glacial action, with Mt. Rainier towering above, made for quite the setting.


(Carbon Glacier)

I enjoyed the sights and sounds for about a mile until the Carbon Glacier disappeared below me. From that point, I began my first climb of the day, struggling up steep switchbacks toward high meadows and Mystic Lake.

This first climb of the day was an eye opener. It shocked me back into the reality of what lay ahead of me. I wasn't going to be pampered with flats and downhills the whole day. There was going to be plenty of huge climbs too. In fact, I was in the middle of a 3,200 ft. climb at that moment. It was time to wake up.

When I reached the top of the hill, I was rewarded with some of the best views of the trip and finally some energy. I was able to run on the flats and downhills of this section, enjoying the classic, narrow paths that wandered through marmot filled meadows (classic Wonderland Trail). In fact, I caught one marmot sunning himself right next to the trail on a big flat rock. I was able to sneak within 5 feet of him before he realized I was there and fled to his hole for protection. Pretty cool.


(Alpine meadows before Mystic Lake)

By the time I reached Mystic Lake (awesome place to be) I was feeling pretty good and able to run along at a pretty good pace.

(Mystic Lake)

I enjoying the high of where I was at and what I was doing until I literally ran into some excitement near Winthrop Glacier. I found a couple hikers that were pretty frazzled and they informed me that, moments before, they were charged by a mamma black bear. I guess that when they came across mamma there was also a cub and mamma decided to scare the hikers off. It looks like it worked because they were freaked out! They told me that I probably just missed the bears and that if I see them I should run or climb a tree. Hmmmm....I don't think any of those things would work but I don't think I would look very intimidating if I stood my ground in my withered state either. Best to just not run into them.

After all the bliss of running downhill, I was again reminded of the difficulty of this ordeal when I started another 2,000+ ft. climb up to Sunrise.

All was going well, though, and I was feeling good. I wasn't moving very fast but I felt secure in finishing. My spirits were elevated even more when I crossed over a pass and could see my parents on the trail. This meant that I was near Paradise and making good time. It also meant that my parent would have some water and food that I could definitely use (I was out of water and I figured I had enough food but was concerned with eating pretty much all of it before I would finish)

(Breathtaking pass just before Sunrise)

(meeting my parents near Sunrise)

My parents were rad and they had some food and water. I refilled my water bottles, ate a banana and got a couple more cliff bars from them. Thank you Kim and Dick!!! It was really nice to see them, we got to talk for a few minutes on the trail and then I had to continue.

(near Sunrise)

From Sunrise it was all downhill or flat for the next 5 or 6 miles. I felt pretty good on this section, jogging and fast walking most of it (I was no longer running all flats and downhills, my body wouldn't allow it).

(trail along Fryingpan Creek, right before the climb up to Summerland and the last place I saw my parents before the end)

The last few miles up to Summerland was where things started to get tough again. I wasn't in horrible shape at this point but I wasn't moving fast anymore either. I was starting to feel the immensity of what I was doing and my pace showed it. Slow, slow and slower.

When I reached Summerland (another excellent camping spot, a place you could spend days) I thought that it would be a hop, skip and a jump over to Indian Bar and then I would be cruising downhill to the car. This thought lifted my spirits for a bit.

Boy, was I wrong in the end. The last stretch from here to the car ended up being one of the hardest things I have ever done.

It went well for a few miles until I reached the ridiculously steep steps that lead for miles down to Indian Bar. OMG! This section was hell. It would be a stretch to call what I did down this section of trail walking. It was more like step, groan, try to stay upright, step, wobble, feel extreme pain shoot up my leg, whimper, step, wobble, grab a tree branch, repeat endlessly! It got so bad that I sat down a couple times and put my head between my legs and tried to forget about the pain. My legs just couldn't handle such big, steep, downhill steps at this point in the game.

I did eventually make it down to Indian Bar where I regrouped and for some magical reason started to feel better on the climb out. A big reason I felt better was the realization that Indian Bar was the last big landmark before the car. From Indian bar I had about 7.5 miles to the car. That was nothing compared to the 85 miles I had come so far. Chump change! I could crawl that distance (well...maybe).

The section from Indian Bar to the car ended up being one of the prettiest of the whole trip. Most of this section traveled along the backbone of an awesome ridge. Near the end of the ridge I saw one of the better sunsets of my life with Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens and the rest of the cascades turning purple and pink. Quite memorable.

Believe it or not, I was able to get the energy to run a large portion of the ridge before descending into the trees and the final few miles to the car. I must have been like a horse returning to the barn, nothing could stop me. The coming darkness didn't hurt my urgency either. I really didn't want to spend any more time traveling in the dark then I had to.

Once I reached the trees, I lost my running burst and resorted to walking again. No matter, I was sure to make it to the finish at this point and didn't want to put myself through any more pain then I needed too. Besides, it was dark now and in my state it was probably a lot safer to walk.

After what seemed like forever, I heard my mother cheering for me from the valley below and I knew it was over. I had completed the Wonderland Trail in 2 days! 13 hours on day one and 17 hours on day two!

The next bit was as much a blur as the run was. I met my dad on the trail, we hugged. We met my mom in the parking lot and I hugged her too. We talked about how amazing the adventure was but I didn't really grasp it. It seemed like an impossible blur to me. Had I really done it? My mind wasn't ready to accept it yet. In fact, I felt strangely calm and unemotional, very detached, like I hadn't participated in the last 2 day. Weird, because my body sure felt it. I was completely exhausted.

Two weeks later:

I feel great now, all healed, and what I did on the Wonderland Trail is slowly starting to sink in. I think posting this on my blog helps. It has allowed me to recount the moments, one by one. Everything was such a jumbled together mess of sights, sounds, smells, suffering, elation and then I became detached and there was nothing. From that nothingness, I hope to find something and learn more about my limits and where to push them next. What will be my next moment of intensity so powerful? I look forward to finding out...

(Enjoying a tall can of Rainier Beer in the luxury of my sister's hot tub the day after the run. Thank you Melissa!!!)

For those interested in seeing the elevation changes of the Wonderland Trail, here is a cool graphic from the NPS that shows the Wonderland Trail Profile.

Running the Wonderland Trail: Day One

All I have to say is...holy crap, the Wonderland Trail has got to be one of the most beautiful and burly trails anywhere. What an adventure I had doing the trail in two days!

Here's the trip report for day 1:
Find the map for the Wonderland Trail here.

We camped in Mt. Rainier Park, near Longmire, the night before where I got organized for the run. I was planning on going really light each day because of the abundance of water along the route and the excellent weather. When I was done packing I had 2 water bottles, one fanny pack, one long sleeve shirt, headlamp, watch, 6 shot bloks, 10 Gu's, 6 Nuun electrolyte tabs, 4 cliff bars, 2 small egg, beans, avacado and cheese burritos, a few water purifier tabs, camera and map. Super light for going 47+ miles a day but I wanted to be as light as possible to move my little butt and I really like the idea of the bare minimum. Way more exciting!


Oh yeah, I also had this thing called a "Spot." The Spot allowed me to let Susan and my brother Josh know if I was in trouble. I could send them my GPS coordinates so that I could get rescued if I was in really bad shape or got really injured.

This run is way out there and remote. At certain points on the trail I could be 15-20 miles from the nearest access point by road.


(the "Spot")

I started moving on the trail at 5:30 am, right at dawn.



All was well as I dropped down to Stevens Creek and then slowly climbed back up to Reflection Lakes, all the while remembering to try and keep a slow and steady pace. Moving too fast at this point in the game could lead to some serious pain at the end (not like I'm going to feel all that good anyway!) or not finishing (not an option!).

I guess, somewhere just before Reflection Lakes, I spooked an elk that was in the brush above me. The elk ran up the hill and onto the road that my parents were driving on to meet me at Reflection Lakes. I wish I would have been able to see the elk but at least I gave my parents a show! That will be $5 please.


(Reflection Lakes)



(Popping out on the road, just past Reflection Lakes)

I took a little massage break here because my right butt muscle was having a hard time warming up. It was big time tight, and thankfully, my dad worked it out with a little thumb to butt cheek action! I really didn't have trouble with it again the rest of the two days. Good thing, it was way to early to be having issues at just over 10 miles.


(Nisqually River)

Things went smoothly for me through Longmire (although I heard the crazy news there that someone had moments earlier driven their car off the side of the road along one of the steeper sections of the highway near Longmire. That's a whole other story.) and I got my first really big climb leading up to Indian Henry's. Now I was really warmed up!

When I got to Indian Henry's, it was spectacular. Flowers were everywhere and the views were outstanding...the only problem was the bugs! Oh my god, the bugs were way bad there. I really wanted to stop and absorb the view but I got the super swarm every time I stopped. It was nasty! I just had to get out of there and down to Tahoma Creek where there would be less bugs.



(Indian Henry's)


(Suspension bridge over Tahoma Creek. I wouldn't advise trying to run across this bridge!)

I got my first bits of fatigue on the climb up to Emerald Ridge. The big reason I was having some trouble was because of water. I missed a crucial fill up spot before the suspension bridge and I ended up drinking all my water before I got to Emerald Ridge. It was really hot in this section and it would have been a really good idea to fill up with water before hand. Oh well...I just had to deal with it. The awesome views on Emerald Ridge helped me forget about the lack of water. It was fantastic up there! No bugs because of a nice breeze and plenty to look at. A shame to not stay a while but I had to keep moving. No choice.

I only had to travel downhill for a couple miles before I found another good creek and topped off my water bottles. Yippy.


(Emerald Ridge)

After dropping down to the S. Puyallup River I made another big climb up to Klapatche Park and I was rewarded with more impressive views and amazing meadows. In my opinion, the lakes make Klapatche Park so wonderful. My favorite lake being St. Andrews Lake. It would be an excellent place to camp!




(St. Andrews Lake)

The next section was one of my favorites of the run and one of the worst. After dropping in and out of the N. Puyallup River drainage I was rewarded with a nice burst of energy and flat to downhill trail for almost 10 miles. I felt great through this section, floating along on a perfect trail and generally feeling great despite the 30+ miles I had already logged that day and around 10,000 feet of elevation gain and loss so far. I was experiencing an extreme runners high that I could only get from this kind of extreme effort. It was one of those moments that don't last forever...

It all came to a crashing halt near the S. Mowich River. I started bonking a bit and bliss turned into dizzy with tingly arms and staggering down the last bit of trail to the river. I needed food and water (I was out of water for the last couple miles).

I decided to slam a couple gu's and some shot bloks and then I picked up some silty water at the S. Mowich River and drank some of that.

Silty water. too much sugar to fast, stomach all messed up...I wasn't sure what the reason was but I started to feel like I was going to throw up. Great. I was super nauseous for the next hour. I didn't throw up but I sure thought I was going to a couple times. That was definitely a tough couple of miles.



(Mowich River crossing. This is what a typical river crossing was like every time I dropped into a mountain valley.)

Luckily, I started to feel better during the last few miles of uphill to Mowich Lake (my end point for day one and camp for the night). I was able to get some better water, part way up the hill, which helped and I was able to eat a cliff bar which ended up settling my stomach.

When I got to Mowich Lake, saw my parents and heard their yells of encouragement, I felt almost every emotion I know. I had waves of extreme happiness, fear, worry, calm, relaxation, excitement but I mostly felt haggard and ready for bed.

I finished at 7:30 pm, about 47 miles and 13 hours from when I started at Box Canyon.

One day down and one to go...who's idea was this anyway!



(The last few steps to Mowich Lake. Whew!)


(Mowich Lake)

Special Thanks to my parents for some serious driving, hiking, prepping, stressing and encouraging. Without their effor I couldn't have completed this adventure.



(My father, Dick Henrie)

(My mother, Kim Henrie)

Check back for day two and the completion of the Wonderland Trail in two days.