Ultraworm 50k...

ok, not really official or a race, but i thought Ultraworm had a nice ring to it and though the map says otherwise, i can guarantee that it will be at least 31 miles.


it is a rough route, much of which i have run before, just not all at once or strung together in this order. their are two sections of the route that i haven't been on. one, top of near point to Williwaw Lake via Long Lake and two, the Middle Forks trail from it's intersection with the Williwaw lakes trail to the Wolverine Trail. i'm not too concerned about this b/c there is plenty of info out there about these sections.

looking at the route one will notice that the only bail out options would be very early on (Hilltop) or very late (Glen Alps or Hilltop again). i'm pretty pumped on this route. would like to do it as soon as most of the snow is melted up high (early June?). hopefully there will be a gang of us. wanna come?

the hill behind Dave's?

was invited last minute for a sunset snowshoe hike up into the Chugach behind Dave K's house. Dave lives up on Basher drive and Chugach State Park starts right outside of his back door. He, Trevor, and I set out on a snowshoe packed trail i presume put in by Dave himself. we wove through the trees, climbing higher and higher into the beautiful early evening light. the further we went, the better the views were.
when we reached our turn around, within striking distance of Near Point, the sunset was in full effect. the lighting was beautiful. we could see all of Anchorage, the volcanos Mount Redoubt and Spur, Susitna, Foraker and the Great One, Denali. all were bathed in a warm orange glow, with the best light reserved for Denali. it looked like it was on fire as it glowed with a phosphorous pink hue.
as we ran back it just kept getting better. in the photo above you can see Mount Redoubt on the right. the small cloud to the right of the summit is actually a little bit of volcanic activity. our God is Awesome and i'm thankful he blessed us with an amazing jaunt up the 'hill behind Dave's house.'

quickie

peak 1 and 2 can make for a quick workout on a Sunday afternoon, but this time was super quick. snow conditions were great on the way up, only needing my running shoes to propel me the 1500 ft./.6 mile up the back of Flat Top. the inversion layer meant the 9˚ at my house turned into 27˚ up high. perfect weather for a run.
after tagging the top of 1 i hustled on up to 2 passing a would be paraglider near the top of one. thought i might get the chance to see him take off but i was up 2 and barreling down before he even got his chute out. their was a great glissade trough coming right off the top of peak 2. i jumped right in, tested the snow conditions to make sure i would be able to stop, and let 'er rip! it was a blast sliding about 80% of the 1500' back to the trailhead. the dogs were 'swimming' though the snow at top speed. it was our new dog O'Malley's first experience on a peak.
the glissade made the down portion so quick that we were up and down in about 54 minutes of total movin' time. wow. boy are my dogs tired, literally...

PDX

spent the last weekend in Portland with the Alaska Northstars at the Portland FC Winter College Showcase. i was coaching the 92 boys. we did pretty well beating the best team we played, tying twice, and losing once.

it was rainy most of the time we were there but not too cold so it was ok. the weather cleared up yesterday for our last game.

went for a 4.72 mile run with Brian, another coach and good friend, while we were down there. just good to get out even if it was on pavement and in the rain. we ran along the Rock Creek Trail (paved path) for most of the run. no soreness pain or anything the next day. good to see that i've been able to maintain fitness with just a run or so a week. i'm hoping that this keeps up as i start preparing for races this summer. there are a few i would like to do if i can stay injury free. the more minimal approach to my footwear choices seems to be working.

can't wait to hang out with the little guy this afternoon. i really miss my family when i'm away...can't imagine my life without them.

Pedestrian Commute

The pedestrian commuter awakens to a fresh blanket of snow. He prepares himself for the commute, accounting for the still falling snow and chilly temps. He knows if he wears too much he will overheat during his human powered endeavor. However, if he wears too little the blowing snow and cold will work its way in.

He sets off and everything is new. The blanket of white refreshes the path he has covered countless times before. It is a joy to propel oneself through this renewed winter landscape.
The commuter often sets out earlier than most and finds his path trackless, unhindered by ice, punchy holes, or vehicular commuters.

If the commuter is lucky, a portion of his route may be on trails that wind through the city, or at least multi-use paths leading to businesses or bus stops. Arriving to work energized, the commuter smiles internally at the amount he has accomplished while many of his co-workers slept, or mindlessly drove to work in their isolation capsules. The pedestrian commuter has already embraced the day and the world he lives in, and feels better for it.

After work he prepares again for the homeward journey, looking forward to his built in decompression period. As he makes his way he is soon reminded that the pedestrian commute is an afterthought of city planners and road maintenance crews. The fluffy, pleasant path he travelled on the way in is now covered with several extra inches of dense, plowed road snow. On foot, the commuter soon encounters numb feet, tired legs, and degenerating morale. If he has travelled by bike he is now forced with a decision, trudge through on the now unrideable paths, or risk his life by riding on the freshly plowed street with traffic.

The human powered pedestrian commuter knows that he will face this same dilemma for the next several days. His route will be slow going and difficult until snow removal crews finally clear his paths. The isolationist commuter, wrapped by several thousand pounds of climate controlled steel, glass, and plastic will blissfully travel to work, blinded by his own convenience. The paths have been made clear for him, without regard to the expense of his pedestrian brother.

Are there accommodations that could be made to encourage the pedestrian commuter? Are there compromises to snow removal that would not hinder his progress though the urban landscape? He hopes that someday there will be, but today he just continues down the path he's chosen.

peak 2: first tracks

went out today for some backcountry snowboarding. not too far backcountry; frontcountry is how i typically refer to it as it is the front range of the Chugach that frames the Anchorage bowl. we finally got snow in town this past weekend, Sunday night specifically, even though the mountains have been covered for a week now. snow in town means more up high and with what promised to be better coverage i figured that i could get some first tracks in at best, at worst do some conditioning for getting first tracks later in the season.

looking up from the pullout it didn't look super promising. decent drifts on the lower part of the slope but up high i could see a lot of exposed rocks. i started up in snowshoes anyway hoping for the best. as i climbed i watched for a line that would allow me to ride from the top of the peak. at about the 2/3 point though i considered ditching the board as all i could see on the top third of the peak were rocks. a little more climbing and i realized that i could connect the upper part of the peak two bowl with the deeper drifts i had been hiking up through, but the peak itself had little snow. i decided to tag the top anyway.
the view from the top of peak two looking south into the powerline valley is one of my favs. from left to right you can see The Ramp, The Wedge, Avalanche Peak, and Ptarmigan Peak. i had to downclimb from this point to connect to the open snow a little lower in the bowl.

Jackson (the dog) wasn't sure what was up as i unloaded my board and strapped in. he whined and paced nervously. i assured him everything would be fine, just not to run in front of me. we had an almost unfortunate event 2 winters ago the first time i took him backcountry riding. he had his paws almost sliced off when he abruptly stopped in front of me as i was going full throttle downhill. i ended up completely yard-saleing in an attempt to avoid him that time. this time however he heeded my warning and kept a good distance to one side or the other, only once cutting in front of me on a slower section.

the ride down was decent, not great for snow conditions but great to be getting a first run of the season in. as i picked my way down i attempted to connect the deeper drifted areas to make a continuous downhill run. it worked for the most part, i only heard my snowboard base scrape rocks a handful of times.
nothing like an early season run to get your blood pumping, legs aching, and beard freezing. made me appreciative of the mess of wiry hair matter blanketing my baby face. i would've had some serious wind/snow burn otherwise. thank heavens for no-shave November, and thank God for SNOW!

a winter affair

it started innocently enough, just a casual visit to see what it was like. but i keep coming back. i'm drawn in by the beauty and just that it's different. i'm talking about the Wolverine Bowl.

my first couple runs after my recent injury were too familiar, a couple loops in the BLM, backside of Flat Top...say i'm taking it for granted but it's the same ol' thing. so last Tuesday when the snow hit the front range of the Chugach i hit the Prospect Heights trailhead.

it was so new and fresh. the combination of running again, new snow, and the non-familiar drew me back up on Saturday. i had searched online for new trails in the bowl, i found one and ran it with eager excitement. the Wolverine Bowl loop has become my new favorite quick run.

i was back for more today, tackling Wolverine Peak. i've been up before in the summer but it's a different world in the snow. i was making good time till i hit the spine that leads to the ridge. the higher i climbed, the more the wind howled. it got so bad that when a gust tore through i would put my back to it and hunker down. Jackson, who is always bounding ahead would cower behind me and whine when the gusts hit. i'm no expert on guaging wind but i would guess 60-70 mph easy. it got so bad that i had to turn around right below the main ridge, about 1 mile and 1000 feet shy of the summit.

when i made the turn Jackson took off down the spine like, "finally, Dad got some sense blown into him." it was funny to see him bound away through the snow. running down i felt like i was floating most of the way. i took short steps with rapid turnover, which is completely opposite of how i ran before the injury. what had taken 1:22 to get up took only :47 to get down.

great outing with no wind burn or frozen digits. i'm already planning my next rendezvous.