The Questions
That begs the question, why don’t we take care of our bodies as well as we should? More specifically, why don’t we take the actions, large and small, that will make us better trail runners? That will have us out on the trails more frequently? That could help keep us as trail runners for additional years? Many of us won’t bat an eye lid at the thought of going out for a 2, 4, or 8 hour run, but then say we “don’t have the time” to stretch was an hour a week or do five minute of Achilles rehab every day!

The Personal
If I’m pointing fingers around here, know that I’m certainly pointing at a mirror. Back in the summer of 2002, I ran through Achilles pain for a month … and eventually needed to take of nearly half a year. If I’d been vigilant in monitoring my body and responsible in taking a few days off, the tendonitis might not have resulted in a chronic injury. As it happens, I ran on that chronic Achilles tendonitis for 6 years without doing a single bit of rehab! Only the thought of running the Marathon des Sables could get me to even consider rehab. It’d been even longer than 6 years since I’d done any thing in the way of consistent core work before I got to work for MdS. Let’s not talk about my diet or the fact that I’d work until the wee hours of every morning if not for caring reminders. I’m also quite inflexible, literally.

Addressing these deficiencies is certainly daunting. However, in the preface to a recent yoga class, the instructor asked folks for guidance in what they wanted to include in the day’s practice. She inquired as to which poses were our favorite and which were our least favorite. We all chuckled at the last bit, simultaneously acknowledging that, perhaps, these least favorite poses were the ones that we should focus on the most. That likely transfers well to most of our self-neglect.

Maybe I can’t correct all these issues at once, but I can make one small change at a time. Once that small change takes hold, once it becomes the new routine, I can go for the next one. Yeah, this will take some prioritizing based on both need, time, and ease of change. I need to find successes if I want to continue down the path to improved healthfulness, to improved trail running.

The Challenge!
Share with us the specific ways you’ve been neglecting your body. If you’re up for it, share what you plan to do about it! Public accountability is a great motivator!

Related posts:

1. Sprained Ankle Rehab: Balance Boards
2. Apathy, Parks, and Trail Running: A Bad Combination
3. Running Log Discussion & Review of The Runner's Diary

[Don't like words or simply want to see some pretty pictures? Check out the Facebook album for the trip!]

The morning of Day 2. Photo by Meghan Hicks.

What Went Wrong
In the week prior to our departure it became clear that the route we had planned to take was far too risky to attempt. The avalanche danger was already “considerable” and two additional storms were forecast to hit during our trip. Rather than risk our lives and the lives of others in pursuit of a dream, we scrambled to come up with an alternate wintry adventure. Meghan suggested a north to south route across Yosemite National Park and that captured our attention. What fools we were!

We began Day 1 at Hetch Hetchy in a rain/mix that quickly turned to powdery snow as we ascended. We loved being out in the moderate snowfall; however, no one had plod through the existing snow and the additional snow further covered the trail. We had some trouble route finding on Day 1 and it was much more difficult after another 8 or 9 inches overnight. Sometimes the trail was obvious. Other times I would route find by feel. We kept our eyes open for rare blazes or more frequent cut blowdowns that would confirm that we were on trail. Treeless spaces and side trails would often require us to canvas an area for the way forward. It was less frustrating than time consuming.

"Navigation could be a problem..." Here's one example of difficult routefinding!

We also failed to consider stream crossings. They are a non-issue on an west-east route, but there are numerous bridgeless stream crossings when moving north-south through Yosemite’s middle elevations. These crossings are a pleasant diversion in the summer, but downright dangerous in the winter. Your choices are (1) to walk across the frigid snowmelt stream that’s flanked by huge snowbanks, (2) to cross om a sketchy snow bridge or downed tree, or (3) to scout the stream for a safe, dry crossing. We ruled out option 1 as we didn’t want to risk hypothermia. After a failed attempt to find a downstream crossingof Cottonwood Creek, we headed upstream to separately cross two, pre-fork branches of the creek. We still ended up crossing the first, smaller fork on a small downed tree bridge. This was super sketchy and took the better part of half an hour to cross once we found it. We spent the next hour following the second branch upstream with no success in finding a safe crossing. At this point that we decided that our secondary objective – making it as far as Yosemite Valley was not going to happen.

The trail was just across the beautiful but dangerous Cottonwood Creek.

What Went Right
For four days, we safely and comfortably (for the most past) explored Yosemite’s breathtaking wintry wilderness without any outside contact. When was the last time you went 72+ hours with no phone calls, no email, no internet, or not even seeing another person aside from those with whom you are traveling? You know what it feels like? Profound. Simple. Wild. It was a treat.

Our second dose of snowshoe trek lemonade was sweet. With reaching Yosemite Valley ruled out, we spent Day 3 tracking the north fork of Cottonwood Creek to Cottonwood Meadow before continuing on to Smith Meadow on the west side of Smith Peak. We set up camp early and took in the setting’s stunning serenity.

A spot that made it worth waking up early on a Saturday morning!

I was surprised by the mountains. I like being surprised by the mountains. What struck me this trip was just how little fauna inhabits even relatively low elevations in Yosemite during the winter. Not once did we see an animal larger than a squirrel or a woodpecker and we saw few of those. Two nights we were treated to a great horned owl concert. The only large animal prints we saw above 5,000 feet were some very old coyote prints. In contrast, in the final 1,000 of descent to our car we saw, sequentially, day old bobcat, coyote, and mountain lion tracks in the fresh snow.

We were also treated to a valley garter snake on the snow!

What else when right? We were safe. Aside from that one slightly sketchy creek crossing that we took one at a time, we played it 100% safe. We took our time to find the correct route or took an improvised route only when it was clear where we were and we had an easy substitute route to follow, such as a creek. We took more than enough clothing. We kept our gear dry or dried it ASAP. We had enough food. We had a backup stove. We purified all our water even though it was all fresh snow smelt. All of this is reassuring in retrospect because our initial trail was snowed over after our first night out and we took an alternate route back. We were alone. We needed to take care of ourselves. We did.

While we should have considered our route more closely, we’d spent months thinking over our gear. It paid off as, for the most part, our gear choices were right on. My biggest failure here was failing to consider the huge volume of gear, which meant I had to bail on my pack choice (Osprey Talon 33) in favor of a huge pack I’d never worn.

What Gear Rocked
I wrote a previous article highlighting the gear I’d be bringing on this trip. Here are some of the standout performers.

• Atlas 12 Series 30″ Snowshoes – These snowshoes continue to be the bomb and bombproof. Even with a 40 pound pack, I never felt like I needed more floatation than these bad boys provided. Meghan loved the Atlas Elektra 12 Series 23″ with their easy on, easy off bindings.
• Big Agnes String Ridge 2 – The String Ridge 2 was a snap to set up in any conditions and didn’t waiver when a foot of snow fell overnight. As we grew to know the tent (neither had used it before), we succeeded reducing overnight condensation throughout the trip.
• La Sportiva Wildcat GTX + OR Verglas Gaiters + Drymax Maximum Protection socks – I couldn’t have been more pleased with how dry this setup kept my feet. After 4-6 hours of snowshoeing, neither the socks nor shoes ever felt more damp than if I’d gone for an hour run on a dry spring day. No blisters. No maceration. My only foot problem was a bit of irritation where the snowshoe binding pushed the gaiter’s metal shoelace clip into the top of my right foot.
• Big Agnes Mountain Booties (with Bridgedale Endurance socks) – After the first night, I “yarded” our campsite, which means I used snowshoes to pack down our tent and cooking areas as well as a few select paths. After yarding, I threw on the booties and freely wandered about camp in warm, blissful comfort.

Me with some favorite gear - Mountain Hardwear Nitrous Jacket, Atlas 12 Series 30" snowshoes, and the Big Agnes String Ridge 2 tent. Photo by Meghan Hicks.

Winter Wildlands Alliance!
After this latest wintry wilderness experience I’m smitten with the idea of exploring the world’s wilds in winter. I’m also stuck by the need to balance protecting these lands with the right to access them. Fortunately, the Winter Wildlands Alliance is out there watching our backs on this issue. The organization’s mission statement reads:

Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization promoting and preserving winter wildlands and a quality human-powered snowsports experience on public lands.

I’ve read a few WWA newsletters and am really impressed with what it does on a local level. Nice work guys n’ gals.

Another thing that stood out for me was how many of WWA’s corporate supporters I do or have relied on. These include Clif Bar, REI (I’m a member), Atlas Snow-Shoe Company (used on the trip), Black Diamond, Patagonia, Outdoor Research (used on the trip), Smartwool, and Osprey (I wish I’d used their pack on the trip)!

Related posts:

1. TransYosemite Snowshoe Trek-Avalanche Edition Preview
2. TransYosemite Snowshoe Trek Gear Preview
3. Trail Running in Nicaragua

As far as events taking place on the weekend of Saturday, March 13 and Sunday, March 14, we have three to take a look at, beginning with the Toughest N Texas Trail Runs in Waco, Texas (50k, 20M and 10M options). The start/finish is at the Redwood Pavilion in Cameron Park. The course is a rocky, rooty, hilly trail (mostly single-track) in the park on the banks of the Brazos and Bosque rivers.

The Delano Park 12 Hour Run will take place on March 13 in Decatur, Alabama on a 1 mile unpaved, flat and fast loop. The men’s course record is held by Jack McDermott (78 miles in 2008), and the women’s by Jamie Donaldson (78 miles in 2009). Donaldson won the 2009 edition outright, topping Matthew Kahrs (75 miles) and Robert Youngren (70 miles).

Last but not least, the sold out 14th annual Way Too Cook 50k kicks off in Cool, California at 8:00 AM on March 13. “This race has become the most sought after 50k in the United States for veterans and novices alike…the breathtaking trails, spirited aid stations, amazing views and pure fun make this an adventure you won’t want to miss.” Better yet, after you are done you can kick back and relax and have a frog cupcake. Leor Pantilat won last year’s event (3:39:51.8) for the men, with Caitlin Smith (4:12:20.9) taking top honors for the women.

[Trail Goat Note: 3 Days of Syllamo will also be run from the 12th to the 14th in Arkansas. We'll have post a report not long after the race.]

Related posts:

1. This Week In Running (Week of 4/11 & 4/12)
2. This Week In Running (Week of March 6 and 7)
3. This Week In Running (Week of 11/29 & 11/30)

Before further discussion, here’s a list of local, state, and federal (any country) issues that threaten trail access, whether generally or for races, in particular. We’ve also decided to post resources to help you take positive action. Please leave a comment with other endangered trails or trail races as well as helpful resources! Let iRunFar.com help get folks engaged!

Park Issues

• Laurel Highlands Ultra – A condemned highway overpass will alter the course of a classic eastern US race. Sign the petition to replace the bridge!
• Mount Diablo 50 Mile – California state budget cuts led to this race’s cancellation  in 2010. Take action with the California State Parks Foundation.
• Idaho State Parks – While we’ve yet to learn of any impacts, Idaho has cut state park funding by 80%!? Follow the news by following Friends of Idaho State Parks on Facebook. [Added 3/16/10]

Trail Runner Resources

• Become a More Useful Trail Runner – Ultrarunner Craig Thornley suggests that you develop the skills to lead trail work outings.

Funding
Recent state fiscal crises have hurt parks across the United States. Presumably, parks in other countries have faced similar problems.

After a year of meeting budgets by deferring maintenance, California state parks have cut back public services in 2010. Even seemingly small budget cuts can curtail trail running. Take, for instance, Mount Diablo State Park. Here, the California Department of Parks and Recreation “merely” cut some camping and day use areas. Those changes were enough cancel this year’s Mount Diablo 50 mile and marathon trail races. With any luck, these races will be back next year with the backing of Pacific Coast Trail Runs, but a year’s lapse might mean the end of other, independently organized trail races. California park lovers must now choose to let their parks operate at diminished capacity, allow them to be funded by offshore drilling, or successfully petition for a ballot initiative to have a license plate fee fully fund the parks. (Read more about the California state park issue and efforts to re-fund the parks.)

Trail runners, let the Mount Diablo 50 be a lesson to fight harder for park funding.

Mount Diablo from Shell Ridge. Photo from PCTR.

The trouble on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail is much smaller in scale, but nonetheless meaningful to trail runners. Sure, the trail is a pleasant place to go for a weekend run, but it’s also home to the 30 year old Laurel Highlands Ultra. In December, transportation authorities condemned the bridge, which spans an otherwise impassable highway, for structural reasons. This left the trail split in two. The bridge will soon be demolished and the race will be rerouted with an additional 6 miles this year. After much pressure from local users groups, transportation officials have at least paid lip services to replacing the span… eventually. In the short term, sign the petition to “save the bridge” and write a letter to politicians to voice your support for a replacement span.

Facilities Maintenance
Let’s face it, it shouldn’t have come petitions and letter writing with the Laurel Highlands bridge… at least not after the fact. This 40 year old bridge has been in visibly bad shape for a decade. Why did no trail runner or race official or hiker or snowmobiler raise a call to action before the bridge needed to be condemned? Has society, including us trail runners, become too complacent? Do we think someone else will tell officials what needs to be fixed? Trail runners, we need to speak up when major resources we use start to fall into disrepair.

A portion of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail. Photo courtesy of Steve Pero.

Trail Maintenance
On a more personal note, I spent two weeks with my parents in New Jersey over the holidays. During high school and college I ran countless miles on the trails that crisscross Washington Crossing State Park behind their house. During this trip, I was appalled at the state of disrepair into which those trails had fallen. As I spent hours during my runs clipping briars and moving logs in the cold rain, I couldn’t help but fume at those trail runners who routinely use the park (and they do), but do nothing to maintain it. Do they feel entitled to good trails? When they see a trail falling into disrepair do they organize a volunteer outing? Do they even notify a park official? Trail runners, if we don’t take care of the trails, who will?

Personal Action
The history of trails and parks is filled, if not dominated, by personal will, by personal passion. These places that were birthed from passion, must be maintained by passion. Your passion. Get out there. Get out there and do something. Open your eyes. Open your mouth. Open your checkbook. Open your hand, pick up a Pulaski, and get to work!

Related posts:

1. Apathy, Your Body, and Trail Running: A Worse Combination!
2. Western States Crisis!?!
3. The Race Is On

• Do you regularly get massage therapy?
• Do you go the acupuncture route?
• When the aches come on do you reach for an herbal salve?
• Do you roll on some tape before your runs?
• Do you get PT that works something seemingly unconnected to the injured spot?
• How about putting magnets in your shoes?
• Does some other drug-free, surgery-free treatment get rid of your pain and back on the trail?
• What about any that you’ve tried that failed epically?

I had intended to publish a discussion piece along these lines in tandem with another story, but the concept has surrounded me of late so I figured it was time. iRunFar contributor Meghan Hicks has been getting chiropractic adjustments to relieve back tightness with success… despite her skepticism. I noticed Anton Krupicka has been getting acupuncture for his knee. I also recently learned that the key to getting rid of my plantar fasciitis long-term might reside with restrengthening the very distant gluteus medius.

What really drove home the possible validity of alternate therapies was my recent experience with KT Tape, a brand of kinesiology therapeutic tape. I’ve been wearing it for two months, but have never been sure whether it was helping my plantar fasciitis… and then I didn’t wear the tape for two and a half days last week. That lapse combined with a few easy miles was enough to irritate the fascia. All it took to end the irritation was to reapply KT Tape. A few hours later the irritation eased and I’ve been better since. (See my handy work to the right.)

Before the PF first came on last autumn I started mixing in some cycling. Oh boy, were did those cycling specific support muscles get sore! I tried Salus Muscle Relief Gel – a blend of arnica, capsaicin, aloe, menthol and essential oils – and was impressed with its light analgesic effect. That effect is not all that surprising considering the product is a “drug” in the US due to the inclusion of menthol and the claims made for the product.

That brings up the interesting point that many “herbal remedies” are drugs by another name. There’s no need to shun the products, but they often contain the same active ingredients or work based on the same biological or physiological principles as pharmaceuticals. Likewise, many “alternative” invasive or manipulative therapies bear likenesses to western therapies or bear similar risks.

As a finale, I feel it prudent to comment that I am neither anti-drug nor anti-surgery. There are surely times when pharmaceuticals (over the counter or prescription) or surgery are the prudent course of action to ease a runner’s pain. I occasionally take a short course of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) to nip the recurrence of an old injury in the bud or to stop a new one in the tracks. I do not and would not recommend chronic use of NSAIDs as a crutch to keep running through pain. If you have a chronic problem, it’s time to treat the cause, not the symptom.

Comments?
Feel free to respond to any of the comments I posed with your own experiences with drug-free, surgery-free running pain treatments? Also, feel free to comment on any of our later thoughts.

[Uuuuuh, I'm not a medical professional of any sort so none of the preceding should or can be perceived as medical advice. I'm just trying to start a conversation. Medical professionals of all sorts should feel free to chime in on their own behalves.]

Related posts:

1. Waiting, Impatiently
2. Ultramarathons and Performing Enhancing Drugs
3. You Can't Chafe There! – A Story of Why I Don't Want to Learn Something New Every Day

If there is a simple explanation for the Coyote Two Moon 100 (there’s also a 100k option) course, it is this, “Nordhoff Ridge behind Ojai serves as the spine off which seven different trails spider. The 100M’ers will do them all, the 100K’ers will avoid two of them. Since we start on the eastward end of the Ridge, you’ll first capture those trails, and work your way back west to finish with Pratt/Cozy Dell and Gridley trails before making your way back across the Ridge and down Horn Canyon to Thacher/Home/Finish.

Still don’t get it, try this :

“By prose, for 100M’ers, Start at Thacher, climb Horn Cyn to Sisar Road; take Sisar Road down to Sisar Cyn A/S; climb back up then access White Ledge trail to Lion Canyon A/S, with short out ‘n back diversion to top of Topa; down Lion Cyn to Rose Valley A/S; climb back up to Lion Cyn A/S; down White Ledge to Sisar Road, then up to Ridge Junction A/S; across Ridge Road then down chip seal road to Rose Valley; back up chip seal to Ridge Road, then down Howard Creek trail to Howard Creek A/S at the road; back up Howard Creek to Ridge then down to Gridley Top A/S; up towards Nordhoff Peak then down Pratt/Cozy Dell trails to Cozy Dell A/S on Hwy 33; back up Cozy Dell/Pratt trails to Gridley Top; down Gridley Trail to Gridley Bottom A/S; back up to Gridley Top; then across the Ridge and down Horn Canyon Trail to the Finish. For 100K’ers, you’ll climb up Horn, then turn left toward Ridge Junction A/S, and now follow the same course as the 100M’ers. Tiring just to read about it, huh?”

Simply put, the courses visit the trails on the Ojai ridge behind Thacher School and the town of Ojai. ”Depending on whom you’ll believe, the 100M course has around 27,000 feet of elevation gain, the 100k about 19,000 feet of gain.” The 100 Mile has a 40 hour limit, while the 100k has a 26 hour limit.

The event has a staggared start – 5 waves/groups for each event, based on antipated finish time. The slowest 100-milers will start at 6 PM on Friday. Not just anyone can come out and play…if you want to run the 100-mile you must have completed another 100-miler with not less than 18,000 feet of elevation gain within 18 months prior to October 31, 2009, or have had an arguably comparable running challenge within the same time frame. Another aspect that is rare to this race is the opportunity to accumulate “Bonus/Boner Minutes“. We think it best that you research that aspect for yourself. Karl Meltzer holds the course record (17:24:00 in 2008). Betsy Nye (25:23:00 in 2008) holds the women’s course record

Sonoita, Arizona will host the Old Pueblo 50 Miler on Saturday. The course is a 50 mile loop on forest service roads and trails through the southeastern part of the Santa Rita Mountains (part of the Arizona Trail). Elevation at the start/finish is about 5,142 feet and ranges between 4,031 and 5,847 feet, with an average grade of 6%. [Check out Bryon's slide show from the 2008 Old Pueblo 50.]

The Caumsett Park 50k, the USA Track and Field 50k National Championships will be held at Caumsett State Historic Park in Lloyd Harbor, New York on Sunday, March 7. The course is a 2.634687 mile loop (11.792125 laps of it) run entirely on a paved path. There are two small inclines per loop. Each loop has two aid stations, one offering water and food, the other with fluids only. Many top national and local ultrarunners are expected to participate, including Scott Dunlap, Mark Godale, Phil McCarthy, and current record holder, Michael Wardian. Wardian is the defending champion, winning the 2009 running with a time of 2:56:36. Kami Semick took first in the women’s category last year (3:29:20).

There are plenty of other ultras taking place this weekend across the USA, including the Green Jewel 50k in Rocky River, Ohio, and the San Juan Trail 50k in Cleveland National Forest, California. Make sure to check out those web-sites for more details, and have a great running weekend.

Related posts:

1. This Week In Running (Week of 3/14 & 3/15)
2. This Week In Running (Week of 3/13 and 3/14)
3. This Week In Running (Weeks of 8/29 + 8/30 and 9/5 + 9/6)

Getting From Here To There Gear

• Atlas 12 Series 30″ snowshoes – These are the snowshoes I’ve been using almost all winter… and I’d like to forget those first two snowshoe treks when I didn’t have my Atlas 12 Series! These are backcountry shoes without unwanted bulk. Plenty of float, great traction, and quite runnable… when I’m not wearing a heavy pack. Meghan will be using Atlas’s new Electra 12 Series 23″ snowshoes.
• La Sportiva Wildcat GTX – I tried a couple other GORE-TEX shoes this winter. These are by far my favorite.
• Arch Flex System medium-height insoles - I picked up a pair of these insoles at OR in January and they’ve seemed to work for my plantar fasciitis. Why change what works?

Gear Gear

• Big Agnes String Ridge 2 – We’ll be tent camping every night of this trip.  I’ve got a great 3-season tent I use for fastpacking (Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2), but I wanted something bombproof for the massive dumps and hurricane besting winds of which the high Sierras are capable. Enter the String Ridge.
• Osprey Talon 33 and another, larger pack – I love my Osprey Talon 22 so much that I borrowed the 33 liter version Talon for this trip. As it turns out we’ll need more space that I though, I’ll use one of Meghan’s even larger pack while she’ll sport the Talon 33. I’ll be jealous!
• Big Agnes Hanh’s Peak SL – This -20F, 800 fill down mountaineering sleeping bag and a Big Agnes 2″ x 20″ x 72″ Two Track mummy sleeping pad will keep me plenty warm. I’ll also bring a Sea to Summit Premium Silk liner to stop drafts if I vent the fiery Hanh’s Peak!
• Jetboil PCS & possibly Bushbuddy Ultra – My trusty Jetboil PCS will be our primary cooking stove and water source (snow melt) when there aren’t any liquid surface water sources. (There were some streams peaking through over 8,000′ two weeks ago.) We may also bring the wood burning Bushbuddy Ultra in case our fuel runs out or we encounter some combination of cold and elevation-based liquid fuel problems.

On-the-Go Clothes

I’ll be going extra light on clothes. I’ll wear one set of high energy output clothes and carry a second set for camp or emergency use. I won’t have much in the way of very warm gear – if need be, I’m sacking out.

• Sugoi Piston 200 tights – These are my favorite pair of tights and will keep my all important legs warm and moving. The tights have my trust, as evidenced by the fact they are the only active bottoms I’ll bring.
• EMS Techwick quarter-zip – I’ve had this light weight quarter-zip for at least half a decade and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t still work. While I hate to put such a thing of beauty to hard labor, I’ll also try out Mountain Hardwear’s Butter Man 1/2 Zip. Yum.
• iRunFar Atayne Grind T short sleeve – It’s likely to be warm enough for short sleeves for some of the trip. (You know you want one… but not quite yet.) I’ll bring my Zensah arm sleeves to broaden this top’s usefulness.
• Mountain Hardwear’s Quark jacket is my choice for upper body weatherproofing. If all I need to do is shed some light rain or snow, I’ll likely pull out Mountain Hardwear’s Geist Vest and rely on its water resistance. As a bonus, there’s a large mesh back panel where my pack will sit!
• Mountain Hardwear Epic Pant – When it gets ugly out there and it will given the forecast for precip and our variable elevations, I’ll throw the waterproof pants on. I’ll also wear the Epics in camp.
• Mountain Hardwear Epic Gloves – I’ll take a second dose of Epic. These OutDry gloves are my warm, waterproof option for foul weather or around camp.
• Mountain Hardwear Momentum Running Glove – I anticipate using these much of the time when we’re moving. They’re quite comfy and I love the nose wipe section on the thumb and forefinger. For maximum hand warmth, these gloves fit inside my MH Epic Gloves.
• Outdoor Research Verglas Gaiters – I’ve quite literally never snowshoed without my Verglas gaiters. I’m not going to mess with a good thing now.
• Drymax Maximum Protection Running socks – My go-to socks for the toughest conditions. I intend to wear one set the whole way.
• iRunFar Headsweats Race hat – Chances are I’ll wear this whenever we’re moving. Check back soon to get one of your own!
• Buff Headband – I like to use this with my Race hat if I’m sweating up want to take the chill off my ears.

Camp/Backup Clothes

• Bridgedale Endurance Summit & Drymax Hot Weather socks – I’ll bring one thicker and one thinner pair of socks. The Bridgedales will be my warm around camp socks and my backup pair for when I’m on the go. I’m bringing thin “hot weather” socks for two reasons. First, they’re my backup if my feet swell. I may also experiment to see if less sock means less shoe moisture.
• Montrail knit hat – I don’t know where I picked this up, but it will be my in-camp hat and what I’ll put on if I start getting chilled.
• Chaos Thermal Regulation Adrenaline2 Multi-Tasker Pro balaclava – I’ve never used this, but I’m bringing this lightweight, dry-release wool balaclava in case things get really ugly.
• Cloudveil Run Don’t Walk Light Top – This Polartec Power Dry half-zip will be my camp baselayer and backup action shirt.
• Mountain Hardwear Nitrous jacket – Ah, what’s better than a warm puffy in camp? That’s right, nothing! Fortunately, this jacket also weighs close to nothing so it won’t add much to my pack when I’m on the go.

Accessories

• Petzl Tikka XP2 – This light is both light and bright as shit. I’ve never had a Petzl light fail. I didn’t think twice about which light to bring.
• Garmin Forerunner 310XT – I’ll admit to having been disappointed with the Forerunner 310 XT from time to time and, in fact, almost always use my Forerunner 305. However, the 8 extra hours of battery life gives the 310 XT the edge on this multi-day trek. We’ll also bring National Geographic Maps printouts of the route kept safe in a Sea to Summit TPU Map Case. Oh, and a compass!
• Highgear Solarpod – A tiny solar charger with a small battery. This is for some emergency juice for my Garmin or iPhone.
• Leki Traveller Poles with snowbasket – I’m still undecided as to whether poles are worth the extra weight while snowshoeing, so they’ll be a last minute decision.
• Little Hotties Hand and Toe Warmers - During TransYellowstone I freaked out a bit when I started loosing feeling in my fingers. Little Hotties Hand Warmers helped me pull things together.
• Big Agnes Mountain Booties – I regretted not having a pair of camp shoes during our recent hut-to-hut trip. These ultralight Primaloft booties will make camp life much more enjoyable.
• Light My Fire Spork – It’s what I eat with in the mountains.
• iPhone – Cell service will be nonexistent during most of the trip, but this is a voice recorder, note taker, and backup camera.
• Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sacks – Extra clothes and a sleeping bag aren’t much good if they’re wet are they?

Safety Gear

• Brooks-Range Sharktooth Compact Mini Pro shovel – I hope I only need to use this lightweight (31 oz) shovel around camp rather than in an emergency. My favorite pre-use aspect of this shovel is that it has avalanche search instructions laser etched into the scoop!
  
• Brooks-Range 240+Carbon Pro Avalanche Probe – Ultralight and ultra easy to put together. In fact, putting it together is fun enough that I may have to “practice” in camp.
  
• Leatherman Micra
• Duck Tape
• Bailing Wire
• Matches
• Common sense

Related posts:

1. “TransYosemite” Snowshoe Trek Report
2. TransYosemite Snowshoe Trek-Avalanche Edition Preview
3. MdS Gear: Pack and Sleep System

Why TransYosemite?

Happy in Yellowstone at -16F!

In January 2009, Meghan and I snowshoed across Yellowstone National Park from West Yellowstone to Mammoth Hot Springs. I’d never even seen someone snowshoe prior to this trip, but still had blast. We traveled 50 miles over groomed snow-covered roads in less than 48 hours. I’ve always intended to recount this story of this amazing trip, but it looks like that day will never come. The fact that it planted the seed for this year’s trip should be evidence enough of how much I enjoyed the experience.

Fast forward to June when I moved to the Sierra foothills an hour west of Yosemite Valley. Both times I drove cross country during the move I made sure to take the slower route that weaves through the park’s Sierra high country. I was struck by its scale. A vast scale that teased an ultrarunner to try and cross it. I’ve still yet to cross the park on foot, but it would be a rather ordinary day-long feat when I’m fit and the trails are clear.

Crossing the park on foot in winter is a whole nother deal. It’s not terribly uncommon for folks to Nordic ski across Yosemite National Park. Maybe 20 or 30 folks do it in an average winter. However, I’ve yet to learn of anyone snowshoeing across the park even though it’s surely been done. Still, even the shortest route I’ve envisioned is over 40 miles and would take 3 days or more. There are no groomed trail. There are no broken paths.

Yeah... there might be wintry conditions in the park.

Truth be told, I didn’t need to be living in the shadow of the Sierras to start emailing my industry contacts about the possible trip. I did that as soon as I knew I was moving out here. The shear challenge of this undertaking was too much for me not to keep daydreaming about snowshoeing across the park. While I certainly talked to folks about the trip over the summer, I was never sure that it was going to happen. In October 2009, I finally went so far as to pitch the idea to some of my friends. Amazingly, a few bit. The trip was on. Sadly, a few last minute commitments came up and those friends can’t join us, but they were key motivation in getting this trip off the ground.

The Preparation
Fortunately, Meghan has been there dreaming the dream with me all along. She’s an educator in the park and may be one of the rare people who dreams of the high country more that I do. As I noted earlier, she and I crossed Yellowstone on snowshoes last winter. Since that trip is off the map, as it were, the least I can do is publish these photos of the TransYellowstone Snowshoe trip.

Meghan snowshoeing on Day 2 of TransYellowstone

Two weeks ago, Meghan and I were joined by our friend Gretchen of Truckee for three days of snowshoeing in Yosemite. This was a good general test for TransYosemite although we were able to pack a bit lighter as our trial trip was hut-to-hut. The first day we traveled from Badger Pass ski area over to the Ostrander ski hut. On day two, we headed north to the Glacier Point ski hut with its awesome view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, and the high country beyond. Day three saw us return to Badger Pass. Each day was a bit over 10 miles. I walked every step and threw in off trail travel from time-to-time for training. Here are some pictures of our hut-to-hut trip.

The view of Half Dome from Glacier Point was worth 20 miles of snowshoeing and a 20 minute wait for the clouds to clear!

The TransYosemite Snowshoe Trek
TransYosemite will not be bound by the strict notion of a full boundary-to-boundary crossing. Our original conceived route was to start in Yosemite Valley, cross the Sierras at Tioga Pass, and end in Lee Vining. Unfortunately, we’re in the midst of receiving a storm with significant high country snow every three days. The avalanche danger is far to high to risk descending Lee Vining Canyon… or really even venturing deep in to Yosemite’s high country. On to Plan B!

Not ones to easily concede defeat, we’ve thrown together a new plan. We’ll cross Yosemite from North to South! We’re now planning on starting in the area of the Hetch Hetchy and the reservoir that took its name. From there we’ll head south-southeast toward Tamarack Flat before descending into Yosemite Valley. We’ll ascend and wrap around the south rim via the Inspiration Point Trail before turning south and crossing Westfall Meadows to the east of Badger Pass. We’ll then make a long slow descent to the town of Wawona. That route comes in at 55 map miles.

We’re considering adding over 10 miles to the start in order to start out side the northwest border and more importantly to pass the supposedly gorgeous Lake Eleanor. In the unlikely event that we’re feeling energetic after the trip, we’ll consider extending our trip a bit further southward to end with a visit to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.

Meghan snowshoeing in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias earlier this winter.

There are certainly disadvantages to this route. First, we don’t get to cross the Sierras. Second, we’ll certainly have to do a significant amount of dry ground hiking. While there are dangerous amounts of snow up high, much of our route will be low enough that it’ll be snow free.

On the other hand, the adventure will be more difficult in many respects. For instance, we’ll have to do a ton of route finding on terrain we’ve never seen. Where there is snow, the trails will be unidentifiable. In addition, we’ll have no choice but to winter tent camp throughout the trip whereas our west to east route had us in huts two nights. Finally, we won’t be foolishly risking our lives or the lives of those who might come look for us. This final point outweighs everything else.

Questions/Comments
So what do you think?

Related posts:

1. “TransYosemite” Snowshoe Trek Report
2. TransYosemite Snowshoe Trek Gear Preview
3. Snowshoe Running Basics: The Why and How

The winners of the Transistors are:

• Eric G., Briarcliff Manor, NY
• Jeremy H., Anchorage, AK
• Professor Schrager, Ivory Tower
• Paul R., Phoenix, AZ
• Kirstin C., Washington, DC

Thanks to everyone who participated. We really enjoyed reading the creative set of comments with which y’all responded. If you did not win, rest assured that there will be many more iRunFar contests in the coming months, so come on back!

Related posts:

1. Vasque FootSync Technology Debuts in the Transistor FS
2. 500th Post Giveway Winners!
3. Vasque Trailrunning Team Arise!

Trail Running in Nicaragua
by Josue Stephens, race director of Ultramaraton Fuego y Agua
While its southern neighbor Costa Rica is exploding in the world of adventure and trail running events, the biodiversity hotspot of Nicaragua remains relatively unknown in adventure travel circles. Although the largest country in Central America, Nicaragua has a population of only 6 million, with over one quarter its population residing in the capital city of Managua.

Visiting Nicaragua
Nicaragua is about the size of Greece or New York state with terrain comparable to Hawaii. The country is dotted with volcanoes, lakes, cloud forests, lowland tropics, mountainous jungles, and gorgeous beaches. The surfing is spectacular and a small, steady stream of surfers is beginning to escape crowded Costa Rican beaches for the peaceful friendly atmosphere Nicaragua offers. Because of the revolution in the 70’s & 80’s, some people are still apprehensive about visiting this beautiful country. However, I have found Nicaragua to be the safest and friendliest country from Mexico to Panama.

The finish of the Ultramaraton Fuego y Agua 50k. Photo by John Frierson.

Running in Nicaragua
Running is almost an unknown concept here, especially on trails. Most locals smile and wave as you run by, but some will stop you and ask why you are running and then insist on giving you a ride. Trails and dirt roads are everywhere, and some areas have almost no paved roads. The diverse terrain will have you running on white sand beaches, trotting past oxcarts on dirt roads, and then climbing rugged trails deep into secluded jungle. Be prepared on mountain trails – Nicaraguans do not believe in switchbacks and their trails go straight up. Some of the trails on the volcanoes are used by guides taking tourists on daily trips. On the volcanoes, it is recommended you take a guide up the first time to learn the trail before running it solo. Not only does it support the local economy, but it establishes knowledge and trust.

This section of the Ultramaraton Fuego y Agua course is aptly named The Jungle Gym. (Look for the blue ribbon that marks the course.) Photo by John Frierson.

Racing in Nicaragua
There are not many running events in Nicaragua, the Peace Corps will hold an occasional marathon or half marathon and a Q50 ultramarathon was held 2007 and 2008 in the northern coffee growing region of Matagalpa. Also, in 2008 a couple from the USA started the Agua for Nicaragua 640km run across the entire country. I am the race director for Ultramaraton Fuego y Agua on Isla de Ometepe, a 25k, 50k and 100k event held in December. We work in humanitarian causes on the island and also direct the Calzado 5k, a race and shoe drive for local children. The response to running on Isla de Ometepe has been spectacular. Several naturally talented locals ran in the 50k and 25k, taking the winning spots in both events. Over 300 island children participated in the Calzado 5k, and I hear they are all training for this coming year.

Barefoot running is reality, not a movement for some of the kids in the Calzado de Omtepe 5k. Photo by John Frierson.

Tips for Visiting Nicaragua
For those planning on visiting Nicaragua, I suggest you visit ViaNica.com information on travel such as hotels and transportation. There are also several tour guide companies that can put packages together for you. You can also visit www.fuegoyagua.org and contact us directly for more information on trail running in Nicaragua. It is hot and humid, but the cloud forest trails can be chilly and muddy, so dress accordingly. If you require any electrolytes or gels, I suggest you bring your own. Otherwise, you can always buy rehydrating salts at the local farmacia.

The Conception volcano on Ometepe Island rises in the distance, as seen from the Mombacho volcano on mainland Nicaragua. Photo by John Frierson.

Questions/Comments
Anyone who has run in Nicaragua, either as a local or as a visitor, please share your thoughts on trail running there.

Likewise, if you’re considering taking a Nicaraguan trip that involves trail running, ask away. Hopefully, someone will be able to answer your questions.

[For more great photos of Nicaragua, check out John Frierson's photo galleries.]

Related posts:

1. Trail Running in Spain
2. Apathy, Parks, and Trail Running: A Bad Combination
3. Trail Running Shoe Highlights from ORWM '10