Cop Out

Operation Seat Bag Construction is in full swing and I will have pictures of the undertaking up soon. I am being slapped in the face with the fact that my domestic (sewing) skills just do not exist, but I think its going to turn out well anyway.

In the meantime, I am pulling a huge cop out today and throwing some vids on here. Hope you enjoy them.

The first one is a short one of my constant companion for the last ten years.

The second one goes waaaaaaay back to when I was really young growing up in eastern Oregon. I originally made it for my mom when she lost her dog this summer, but as I watched it again a few minutes ago, it made me smile to think of how different my world was back then. Hopefully it is not too boring.

Pretty good cannonball, eh?

Taking Inventory

T minus 19 days until I leave for Tucson and 24OP. I am a bit nervous, but feel good about my training and excited to ride in the desert and for some good times with friends.

The race ends on Sunday, February 20th, but I am not coming back to Denver until the 24th. I don't have to work again until Friday and the Arizona Trail, (literally a hop, skip and a jump away) is calling. Its time for a test run, thus explaining the recent acceleration of gear planning and accumulation.

I am still working on the plan for the sections of trail I want to ride and the logistics of pick up/dropoff. Much of this has to do with my brother being able to stay the week. It's still a bit up in the air, but I am really hoping it works out. If not, I won't be able to see as much trail as I would like. More on this soon...

Upon taking inventory on what I have/need still, I was pretty happy to learn I am NOT going to have to buy the newest generation SPOT in order to activate Track Progress. In case you are not familiar with SPOT, here is a link to the one I got when they first came out a few years ago. Its heavier than the newest version and doesn't have all the features, but still fully functional and reliable, so I am going to forego the purchase of a new one (YES!!).

SPOT

Ok, so here is the rundown of what I have:

 2010 Gary Fisher Superfly 100
 --The back tire (currently a 1.9) has got to go. I will most likely put the same one as I have on the front.

Epic Designs Frame Bag, used but modified to fit my frame.

GPS--just got the handlebar mount yesterday, never have had it on a bike before, just in a backpack :)

Sleeping Bag--I debated for a few weeks over which bag to buy, but went with this one, due to dimensions, weight and warmth. I teetered back and forth between this and a 40 degree bag, but came to the realization that I am a pansy. I am definitely willing to take on a few extra ounces for the added warmth. Even though I will be sleeping fully-clothed, I hate being cold. Hate it...haha!

First Aid Kit- this one is easy since I already have a super lightweight kit I made and take on hikes.

Water Filter- have had this for a couple of years and love it. Need to change the filter though.

Food--From many hiking trips and 14er trips, I have been able to figure out what works for me. I can't eat a huge burrito and then try to exert a huge physical effort. Powerbars, protein bars, custom trail mix, dried fruit (mmmmm, mango and raisins), jerkey, chocolate-covered espresso beans, fruit strips (high in potassium), sandwiches, pita pockets filled with almond butter and agave nectar...Basically high energy food is what I will carry and eat more often and on the bike. No doubt I will buy more in the towns I pass through.

I am not going to take my Pocket Rocket stove and lightweight cooking items to cook dehydrated food. It takes up too much space, the de-hy food pouches are bulky and it seems unneccessary when hot food is available in the next town if I really need it.

Backpack--This is a newer version of the same pack I have. Super light, good capacity and accomodates a hydration bladder.

Light--this is my current light. Recharging the battery is the big issue I need to look at and plan accordingly. Thinking about getting this one in addition: Princeton light. I have several Petzl hiking headlamps, but they aren't very bright.

Clothing Layers/Warmth: I feel very prepared in this area, but am looking at a few different layering changes..More on this later...


Here is what I need:

Bike tool/repair kit: HELP! This is by far my biggest weakness. I have many ideas of what to carry from looking at other's blogs, but my problem is that I am so inexperienced in, say, fixing a broken chain, changing brake pads or something along those lines, that I need to seriously get up to speed here. Flats I can handle, but for everything else, I admit I have pulled the "girl card" for too long. And I suck at fixing things..heh...that needs to change. Here is a rough brainstorm of things I need:

Repair kit:

-Multi-tool
-Tire boot
-Tire Levers
-Chain links
-Brake pad set
-Zip ties
-Chain lube
-Two tubes
-Stans
-Small hand pump

COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS for additions??

Other stuff:

-Sunscreen
-Butt'r
-Maps/Que sheets
-Camera
-iPod
-Cell phone


Shoes: My current shoes won't work for hike-a-bike sections. I am looking pretty seriously at the Pearl Izumi X-Alp line and doubting (in my case) the PRO version is really worth dropping two bills on. The Enduros are fitting my budget much better...anyone have any experience with either or other suggestions?

Seat Post Bag/Gas tank pack: Seat post bag under construction currently. Need to pick up a gas tank bag, but am really wondering if I need one since everything I would put in it normally goes in the waist strap pockets on my backpack..Still thinking, but will probably go with one.

Bivy: Going with this one


So this is where I am for AZ...I am anxious to see the desert (well, kind of, anything new is exciting), but more to get out on the trail for some overnights and feel this whole thing out. What I have here will certainly be refined and changed. I urge any comments or things you may have tried that work. Thanks for reading this! I see how it can be a bit of a dry read, so here are some of my favorite pictures taken from the summit of Mt. Sneffels...No doubt I will be missing this after a week of CHOLLA...ha!



A Solid Ride in Jeffco

After a fun day riding up north on Wednesday, I had quite the list of things to do today. REALLY fun stuff like laundry, taxes, trivial errands, etc. The plan was to then jump on my road bike and join in on the Thursday night run with DTR. Ummm, yeah, guess who I spent about 5 hours with today? This guy:

Starting out at my house in Morrison, I tried, yet again, to ride the steps out of my door up to the road. No go again. Ahh well, maybe next time I will make it all the way. I jumped on the Bear Creek path, hit the singletrack and did the obligatory tour of Bear Creek State Park. 14 miles of paved roads and paths later, I was at Deer Creek Park hoping it wasn't a complete ice rink....

WRONG!! About 2 or 3 miles in, there was far more ice than dirt, so I bagged it and turned around.



I tried to get up the hill, but my 1.9 back tire was laughing in my face. (That and the fact I could barely WALK up the hill). So I headed to Waterton--ie..a ton more road to get there...

Stopped for the all-too-familiar bike picture at some gorgeous frozen falls before heading up the Colorado Trail for a while:

The CT was snowpacked but greasy and slick. I did hit some mud about 3 miles in and turned around for a sketchy downhill back to the top of Waterton and back home. Waterton Canyon closes in 3 days, but Centennial Cone opens in 3 days. Awww yeah. Good stuff at the Cone.

More Waterton pics:

And, I ordered my bikepacking sleeping bag today....Just a few things left to get the setup complete!

*Grin*

A Good Morning and Daydreams of Eden at 11K

My dog has no concept of sleeping in. Every morning (no joke) about 3-5 minutes before 7, I can feel two beady eyes staring a hole in me. She is too mellow to be overtly obnoxious, but she definitely is persistent in her mission to get fed and let out pre-7AM. If I am feeling a little lazy (like this morning), the old wet nose in the ear always blasts me out of bed and her goal is accomplished. So, this morning after the usual routine, I started on a mission of my own, Operation Frame Bag Alteration.

It started with this:



Photo Credit: JK

  Looked like this when I first put it on my bike with no alterations:



No bueno

 And with some creative redesigning and the pending addition of one more small strip of velcro on top:

I have now have my frame bag. SWEET! Originally, I planned to alter the lower corner, but it actually fit perfectly and it became apparent that the top was going to be a much better place to make the adjustment. Making a slit the entire length of the bag starting in the top left corner, hemming the frayed edges and with the addition of the previously mentioned velcro...its as good as custom.

Soon after the bag was done, I began daydreaming of one of my favorite hot springs in Colorado--


The hot springs sits in the middle of this valley




 Looking back from the pass on part of the route in



On the Pass



Just after cresting the pass



Some needed trail yoga after hiking 13 miles in





Ahhhhhh, and the long awaited, well-deserved soak in a
  completely undeveloped hole in the earth consisting of rocks,
100 degree water and a view into the valley surrounded by 14K' peaks...truly Eden.


I need to get back in the next month or two. When I can wake up in a tent and walk a quarter of a mile for an early morning soak in this, I can't say that I care what time Wheels wakes me up!

The Call...

"The mountains are calling and I must go..." -John Muir

Me.

Precisely.

The call overtook me once again last Thursday. I headed up to Nederland for a good workout on my snowshoes.

Wheels assumed her normal co-pilot positon:

The plan was ten miles on the shoes, grab some good pictures, a hot cup of coffee and then on to Idaho Springs for a relaxing soak. The snowshoe was a bit harder than I had anticipated due to some forceful wind gusts that caused the snow to blow everywhere. The high peaks were getting it a lot harder, but the winds in Ned were enough to cause some problems seeing the road.

And the high altitude winds taken from the trail:

After I had sufficiently exhausted my desire to shoe through anymore blowing snow, my day ended here:

And for the record, I have no knowledge whatsoever about the Crown Royal....uhhh, ok...well, maybe a little. ;-P

A Mountain Dweller Contemplates 300 Miles of Cholla

My first hike in Colorado, now 5 years ago, left me a bit surprised to see cactus on the forest floor. I was fresh out of the Willamette Valley, Oregon, where non-vascular plants (ferns mainly) graced the sides of the trails. This is a testament to the vast amount of rain that I was happy to escape upon moving to Colorado.

But, I can deal with cactus. I leave it alone and admire it from afar, like most. I have only had one episode of "cact-ass" after a pretty good wreck on the Blue Sky trail last spring. Yes, it had me pulling spines out of my backside with tweezers for days. As a result, I must admit that I don't admire cactus quite so much anymore....

But my upcoming trip(s) to AZ are forcing me to think about this looming monster:

Cholla.   Huh?

Cholla is a type of cactus this mountain girl had to learn about on Wikipedia. I first heard the word from my friend in the midst of a marathon session of questions. This sparked some curiosity, and here is what I found:

Prickly desert stuff that hurts to remove

Sweet. Can't wait ;-)

I think I will grab my snowshoes and go seek out some snow for my workout tomorrow.The Indian Peaks Wilderness, more specifically, Devil's Thumb Lake, sounds like a good place to go for lunch. Wheels is getting ancy from being inside a lot this week and needs to get some miles in anyway.

Looking forward to it. Weather looks cold but clear, probably some wind, but I need some tough girl elements thrown into the mix, right? My iPod is loaded with some new beats and I will have adequate time to go over my bikepacking setup and gear and make a mental list of possible weaknesses/holes in my game.

Ok, enough for now because I am currently engrossed in Mark Twight's book, "Kiss or Kill: Confessions of a Serial Climber" my Rainier partner sent me the other day. Good call, Steve. :)

And this blog

I do love work from those with an insightful and strong voice. Mad respect to these two :-)

Moonlight Ride

I am about a month away from my first-ever trip to Arizona. 24 Hours of Old Pueblo is the race that beckons me to the desert. Training is going well. Mornings on the indoor trainer for an hour or so and outdoor rides in the afternoon or evening. Throw in a fair bit of running, some (not enough) snowshoeing and some significant gym time and you get a good picture of my days.

Knowing I need more night riding, I decided that last night's clear, starry sky, would be the perfect opportunity to get a solid 4 hours in. The near-full moon even allowed me to turn my light off for a while and just enjoy the crisp air and stillness of the night. I hit up some singletrack that was fast and surprisingly still frozen--ie not muddy. The rest was road riding that provided a good mix of hills and fast flats. My legs felt strong and I could've ridden all night. I found that sweet spot that felt almost effortless, yet when I looked down, I was surprised at my pace. I was in the proverbial "zone."

I stayed here for literally three of the four hours. There was an eerie stillness to the night and time barely existed. There was no traffic in the canyon and each hill I climbed put me closer to the starry abyss that seemingly engulfed me. I turned off the road and began climbing up a snowy, frozen trail. Endless switchbacks put me on a wide, grassy bench about 20 minutes later. The trail flowed back and forth across the bench. It was fast, but narrow and tricky. Soon the trail began to wind down a hill and reconnected with the paved road. The slick, icy downhill demanded every ounce of my focus and my back tire was all over the place. I kept going, alert and aware, but never stopping or slowing. Speed was my friend here and allowing myself to think, even for a second about the ice and snow on the trail would be disaterous. Certain carnage....

A couple more hills and about 10 more miles....I was home. A truly surreal experience, to which I can only attempt a description. This was a ride I wished I wasn't solo. I would have loved for someone else to also experience the euphoric freedom of this still, starry night on a bike.

As I think back to about 24 hours ago, Edward Abbey's words ring in my ears:

"So get out there...mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: You will outlive the bastards."

Hmmmmm, time to open the safe deposit box?