The Cloudsplitter 50K

 
Location: Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail, Elkhorn City, KY
Date Run: 10/3/2015, 0800 start
Duration: 5:38:50
Place: 1 out of 50
Average Pace: 10:54
Elevation: 800' to 3042'
Weather: 50-60F, rain and fog
Race Website: http://www.cloudsplitter100.com/CSHome.shtml

Elkhorn City lies in the far southeast of Kentucky right along the border with Virginia deep in the heart of the Appalachians. The Russell Fork of the Big Sandy River provides class IV rapids running right through town in a beautiful rural mountain setting. Think Deliverance. A ten minute drive up the hill from Elkhorn City leads to Breaks Interstate Park and the home of the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi River. Often referred to as "The Grand Canyon of the South", The Breaks provides breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and the Russell Fork 1000' below. 

The Race

Breaks is also the northeastern terminus of Pine Mountain, a 125 mile long ridge along which the Cloudsplitter 50K, 100K, and 100 miler run. The course starts in Elkhorn City climbing continuously for the first 8 miles along a broad rocky trail up to the ridge line.

Historically, October is the driest month in eastern Kentucky. The incessant rain did not care. The rain started about 20 minutes into the race and did not stop for about 3 hours. One particular section of the trail 8 miles into the race was in the process of being logged. As a result there was an enormous unavoidable half foot deep mud pit. Beyond the speed trap, the race really started living up to the name. Whereas in town it was cloudy, atop the ridge runners entered the clouds. There were several exposed slab crossings providing open views of the surrounding mountains along the fault line. 

But these views were completely obscured for most of the race. 

Along the ridge, the trail undulated from these exposed rock crossings to dipping a couple hundred feet below into the woods. 

All races were out and back courses. For the 50K, the midpoint of the course was the Birch Knob tower. Two miles from the turn around at the Birch Knob aid station I was the first runner to go through. Climbing a gentle incline with my head angled down I suddenly heard a low growl. By the time I lifted my head all I observed was a big furry butt 50 yards ahead disappearing into the woods on the right side of the trail. Smoky sent my heart rate through the roof. I cruised into the aid station and maintained the momentum through the rest of the race to come in first and set the course record in the second year of the Cloudsplitter 50K. 

It took the race organizers a moment to realize I had finished though. The finish through town was not very well marked. I navigated to the finish line simply by knowing the location of the park. Upon arriving at a locked gate on the opposite side of the ball field holding the finish line, I navigate through another gate that was not the intended course. I think a lot of the people there hardly noticed I finished. After about 30 seconds someone said, "Oh, wow... that's the first 50K finisher!" before giving me the hardware. The finish line had delicious pulled pork sandwiches on hand and plenty of pop. In the future some fruit and gatorade... and beer would be nice additions (although Elkhorn City seems to be a dry town). 

Ratings

Race Organization (5=phenomenal, 1=atrocious): 3/5
Some runners felt the course was poorly marked but I think it just required careful attention. Without the rain, it would have been much easier to navigate. The aid stations were generally well stocked with Hammer gels, water, HEED, and fruit although one aid station ran out of water on the return trip through. And the marking for the end of the race through town left something to be desired. I imagine the rough edges will be ironed out in future years.

Course Difficulty (5=Pikes Peak Ascent, 1=a flat dirt road): 4/5
 The rain made everything a little bit slick. The 8000+' of total climbing was difficult, but being at such low altitude made it completely manageable.

Course Scenery (5=engagement proposal backdrop, 1=concrete walls): 5/5
 The ridge line unleashed gorgeous gorges through the brief breaks in the fog. The vegetation was lush and diverse. I saw a frickin' bear.

Schwag (5=a tech T, embroidered towel & warmup pants, 1=a cotton shirt): 3/5
Got a long sleeved tech tee and some decent coffee. Impressive medal.

Overall: 4/5
Despite the rain and the views obscured by an eerie white, I really loved this race. An agonizing relentless climb to start with,  exposed slab crossing, and fast technical single track really made it enjoyable.  The course had a unique character of its own. This race is worth the trip to the Kentucky-Virginia border.

Keller Mountain East Ridge

Access: Rock Creek TH
Start: 0930, 7/11/2015
Climb Rating: 3+
Duration: 4.5 hours
Total Distance ~10 mi R/T
Vertical: ~3500'
Summit: 13,085'
Weather: 45-65F/mostly cloudy

Despite being only 1.5 hours east of Denver, the Gore Range remains one of the most isolated mountain ranges in Colorado. No 14ers. No roads traversing it. Rugged. Scarcely mined. And extending over 40 mi from I-70 at Frisco to Rabbit Ears Pass on Rt. 9. The range was formed by a thrust fault of the same type found in the famous Tetons resulting in steep spires bridged by serrated ridge lines. Glacial erosion carved out narrow valleys thousands of feet below. Eastern Gore Range valleys are teeming with lush foliage, big game, and they're peppered with tarns, lakes, and waterfalls. But all this drainage also yields some of the wettest valley floors imaginable saturated with mosquitos.

Keller lies east of the main ridge crest of the Gore Range. It is one of the few summits easily accessible from the Summit County side. The Rock Creek TH is accessed on your standard pock marked dirt road with ample backcountry camping all along it. But on peak summer days expect the lot to be overfilled by 11. The trail head provides access to the Gore Range Trail and by extension many of the eastern drainages that the it intersects.

"In the spirit of exploration and discovery of the eastern Gore", I will not go into a whole lot of detail about this climb. From the Rock Creek TH, continue a few miles past the intersection with the Gore Range Trail along a well trodden trail that climbs gradually to one of the few abandoned mines in the Gore - the Boss Mine.

Valhalla's east ridge from Boss Mine

Along the base of the mine tailings there is a small line of rocks overlying the trail marking a STOP. From here a faint trail forks right, climbing over and around the mine tailings. The trail fades in and out but the route is obvious.

Typical trail segment above the tailings

Occasionally a small cairn may be seen near treeline in a vast meadow devoid of any other signs that a human has ever been there.

Continue upward and onward to the east ridge line. Above treeline, with the first false summit in sight the fun part of the climb begins.

The first false summit from treeline

A class 2 talus field serves as a warmup for the class 3 climbing ahead.

From left to right - 1st false summit, 2nd FS, true summit dressed in white

From the top of the first false summit, the second false summit looms directly ahead with the true summit of Keller lying innocently behind it. To keep the climbing at class 3, carefully consider the route and do not be afraid to drop left or right off the main ridge.

Holy Cross in the distance from the 2nd FS with North Traverse on the left

The down climb from the top of the second summit can be tricky. It can be made easier by climbing left and hugging the ridge. Once the ridge line is regained the summit is a brief class 2/3 climb away.

For a variation on the descent, an old trail not shown on most maps can be accessed by staying along the ridge line past the Boss Mine. The trail eventually intersects the Gore Range Trail.

Left to right: Valhalla, Grand Traverse, North Traverse, and Keller

Boulder Creek drainage from the summit, the XYZ ridge in view

Peak Z

Looking SE into the Rock Creek drainage from the east ridge

The Rock Creek drainage with Valhalla on the right

 

Cadillac (Tiptop Peak)

Access: Montezuma (summer road 264)
Start: 1000, 1/4/2015
Total Distance ~3.5 mi R/T with a car shuttle from the Peru Creek TH
Duration: 3 hours
Vertical: ~1700'
Aspect: N
Weather: 20F/mostly cloudy, 30 mph NW gusts above TL
Conditions: powder

Tiptop Peak is a low 12000' peak just north of the booming metropolis of Montezuma in Summit County. Cadillac is a north facing avalanche path that runs into the Peru Creek drainage.

The Approach:
The skin track generally follows a summer road that switchbacks on the SW ridge.   At tree line, leave the summer road and cut across the western flank of Tiptop to the first avalanche path facing north with views of Lenawee (i.e. backside of A Basin), Grays, Torreys and Grizzly Peaks across the Peru Creek drainage.

Looking south with Santa Fe Peak in the background

The Line:
There are a few different options to drop into the path. If the avalanche hazard is considerable it's advisable to avoid the above tree line northern face of Tiptop, as it has a 35+ degree pitch that flushes into Cadillac. The skier's left, western edge of the slide path is a safer option to avoid undercutting the section that is more prone to sliding. An alternative is to skin above the steep section and drop in skier's right. This side of the gully has thicker trees.

Top of Cadillac looking north with Lenawee, Grizzly, Torreys and Grays Peaks across the Peru Creek drainage

Regardless of entry point, the terrain naturally funnels into the gully below tree line with sparse young trees scarred by flagging.

The incline is a consistent 30 to 35 degrees until the bottom of the line where the trees thicken and the gully flattens. Skier's left through the thick section leads to a sub-gully with sparse trees and a slope of similar incline - this gully descends to the valley floor and the Peru Creek Trail.

The exit is west along the well-traveled Peru Creek Trail for ~1 mi to the Peru Creek TH where you should have your shuttle parked.

Although Cadillac can and does slide, it is not as likely to avalanche as some of the other lines in the area (e.g. Corkscrew). With careful consideration of conditions, it offers a reasonably safe option for mid-winter skiing.

Mad Dog (Ice Age Trail) Marathon

 
 Location: Sunburst Ski Area/Kettle Moraine State Forest, Kewaskum, WI
Date Run: 7/19/2014, 0720 start
Place: 2 out of 20
Duration: 4:55:37
Average Pace: 11:15
Elevation: ~1000'
Weather: 60-80F, mostly sunny, humid
Race Website: http://www.traildogrunning.com/2014_races/race_information_luna-tic_race_series

Every year we visit my wife's family in Michigan. This year she flew with my daughter and I drove the 20 hrs with our dog making for a good excuse to break up the drive with a marathon in a new state. A few years back I ran the Old Farts Marathon in Lowell, MI along the North Country Trail and liked it so this year I decided to sign up for the inaugural Trail Dog Marathon along the Ice Age Trail (IAT) on the other side of Lake Michigan.

As a small first time event, there were no race reports leaving me no idea what to expect with this race. Packet pickup was in the back of a bar in the small town of West Bend a few miles south of Kewaskum. There was no pre-race meal but they did provide you a free beer for carbo loading.

Race Route

The Race

As alluded to by the race logo above, the race distances offered were a 50K, marathon, half, and a 13K. Each start was spread out by 20 minutes with the 50K first. This is one of the smallest races I've ever been in. It was easy to find parking and know exactly where to go. The one drawback was only one (1) portapotty available at the start. No matter how small the race, just about everyone running tries to do some offloading before go-time. I was standing in the john line 7 people back when the race organizers announced (without requiring the use of a bullhorn) 5 minutes until the start. Fortunately the non-marathon runners let me cut to the front.

Just after the start of the 50K

Instead of a whistle, gun, or ceremonial song and dance, the race organizer simply explained, "when the race clock hits 20:00 [from the time the 50K began], start running..." There was not much jockeying for position with only 20 of us taking off at the same time and no real start signal. I tried to find a pacesetter but nobody volunteered so I just started running at a comfortable pace in the front. About 2 miles in, I realized one of the other marathoners was pacing off me. We got to talking and it turned out Josh was also from Colorado.

Josh and I crossing the road after completing the first 3 mi loop

The race had a short 3 mi loop west of the start and then turned north past the start entering the Kettle Moraine State Forest section of the IAT. It was mostly single track through thick trees and brush accentuated by grassy farm trails devoid of shade. The IAT runs along the terminal moraine of the last ice age (hence the name) so it was hillier than I was expecting. There were aid stations at miles 4 and 6 but the next one was not until mile 13. This would later become a mental hurdle following the turnaround.

Grassy farm trail

More typical section of the course

I made the mistake of not bringing a watch and having no idea what pace I was running. Josh took over setting the pace about 3 miles in. Despite being able to talk, after about 10mi into the race --when the sun and the temperature slowly started rising-- I realized we had gone out too fast. I suggested slowing down and we coasted comfortably into the turnaround aid station together but the damage had already been done. By mile 15 I felt the wheels coming loose and I slowed way down to try to keep them on, letting Josh to go ahead. Around mile 18 I caught up to him --he was hurting worse than I was. Both of us were questioning the location of the next aid station because it was warming up considerably. The 7 mi gap between aid stations was dreadful on the return. Unfortunately Josh had to pull out of the race after finally reaching that aid station at mile 21. Right around that point I bonked too. My glycogen stores were completely depleted so I did more walking than running for the last 5 miles. Amazingly I was not passed by another marathoner until mile 23. By this point it was in the high 70s, and the gently sloping open cornfields I had cruised down going out were a blazing torture to climb coming back.

Sunny open section

I finally entered a clearing with the Sunburst Ski Area visible in the distance. I felt like I had less than a mile left but in reality, there were still over 2 miles from this point. Upon crossing a road and entering a parking lot near the base of the ski area, the race turned right and ran a mile long loop along the edge of the Sunburst property before circling back to the finish. During this mile long loop I could see some of the other marathoners gaining on me. I increased the tempo of my old man shuffle, managing to hold them off to come in second overall.

I managed this race terribly. I need to take temperatures over 65 more into consideration.

Ratings

Race Organization (5=phenomenal, 1=atrocious): 3/5
The course was pretty well marked. The aid stations were well stocked with food, gels, HEED and water but the 7 mi gap between aid stations in hot humid weather (by my standards) was rough. There were no electrolyte drinks at the finish - only water and beer. The volunteers at the aid stations were friendly and encouraging.

Course Difficulty (5=Pikes Peak Ascent, 1=a flat dirt road): 3/5
The hilly moraines were difficult to navigate after bonking but the single track was not overly difficult to run on. The hills did surprise me. Although I enjoyed the shady hills more than the open cornfields. The weather played more of a factor in difficulty than the terrain itself.

Course Scenery (5=engagement proposal backdrop, 1=concrete walls): 4/5
Everything was incredibly green along this trail. Once again, the open cornfields were the only drawback.

Schwag (5=a tech T, embroidered towel & warmup pants, 1=a cotton shirt): 2/5
Got a tech tee and... not much else.

Overall: 3/5
Well done for a debut race.

Gore Creek Rafting - Poor Man's Aspen (Vail)

Access: Park a shuttle at the Eagle River Water & Sanitation Plant in west Lionshead Village. The put-in is in East Vail just off Exit 180 adjacent to the creek. There's a 3 hr lot on the left side of Big Horn Rd.
Start: 1000, 6/1/2014
Total Distance: ~5mi
Flow: ~1000cfs
Class: 3
Raft Occupants: 3

The fresh deep powder normally associated with Vail yields plenty of runoff into Gore Creek for rafting on big snow years. The creek starts in East Vail running right through the middle of Vail Village with a nice eddy out on the promenade in the Gore Creek Plaza just beyond the Covered Bridge. The put-in is just off the bike path that runs parallel to Big Horn Rd.

East Vail (I-70 Exit 180)

The river width is only 30 to 60 feet through East Vail with small short class 2/3 rapids. The bridge underpasses are more difficult to navigate than the rapids. Anything over 1000cfs and caution must be exercised to avoid decapitation.

Head Ripper Pipe

This section of the river runs through the East Vail golf course offering great views of the spring falls pouring down the mountains and the snow covered peaks of the Gore Range to the east.
Don't forget to bring a couple golf clubs for an impromptu hole from the riverbank.

Looking east on the Gore Range

After a few miles, the river enters Vail Village, where you are met with awestruck tourists snapping pictures from covered bridges. The Gore Creek Plaza makes a great place to stop for a drink before the somewhat larger class 3 rapids of West Vail. There's nothing like the looks you receive from the restaurant clientele sipping chianti on the patios when you pop open a river chilled PBR. Keep it Klassy.

Setting up a PBR bar in the courtyard

The next section through Lionshead has some dodgy spillovers but nothing unavoidable and nothing over class 3. This same section of river is used for the GoPro Games every spring. The takeout before the big boy class 3+ rapids (Dowd Chute) is on the west end of Lionshead Village, north side of the river. There's a bridge for Forest Rd. beyond the takeout. Ascend the short bank to the bike path. The treatment plant is on Forest Rd.

Prom Dress Couloir (Peak 1)

Access: Mt. Royal TH or the bike path in Frisco
Start: 0900, 5/2/2014
Total Distance ~6 mi R/T
Duration: 4 to 5 hours
Vertical: ~2000'
Aspect: NE
Weather: 30F-45F/clear, 10-20 mph winds above TL
Conditions: Wind compacted powder, corn

Peak 1 is the northernmost peak in the Tenmile Range rising prominently to the south of I-70 with Frisco in its shadow - especially in the winter when the sun sets at 1 PM over the western edge of town. The snowy summit stares at me every morning from my front porch so I've been itching to drop the Prom Dress for awhile. Save it for stable conditions with ~45° slopes crossing over cliffs and funneling into a 35° bowl.

The Approach:
There are really two choices. There's the obvious route from the Mt Royal TH that climbs past J-chute over Mt. Victoria with class 3 scrambling on the NE ridge to the summit. The summit often has a cornice that must be navigated to reach the east ridge and the entrance to Prom Dress. The traverse from the summit to the east ridge lies above 200' cliffs.

The other option is to skin from the bike path directly to the east ridge. The bike path option requires careful route finding as the summit is obscured by thick trees most of the way and there are several sub-ridges that can leave you removed from your destination.

Once you reach TL, gain the east ridge and proceed to the entrance on the looker's right of the ridge.

Tenmile Peak to the left

There are several line options along the ridge. Prom Dress is the upper most, roughly 3/4 of the way to the summit.

The Line:
Prom Dress Couloir has a 20' wide entrance. There is a vertical cliff band in front of a cornice of variable size with the entry of the line descending between the cornice and the cliff band.

Skier's right of the cornice is a second cliff band. The couloir extends for a couple hundred yards between the two cliff bands.

Dillon Lake in the distance 

The entrance to the couloir is around 40° and tops out around 45° in the middle. The bottom funnels into the 35° NE bowl of Peak 1.

From the middle of the NE bowl looking up on Prom Dress

The exit is through the trees at the base of the bowl back to Frisco. Route finding is key.

Below TL looking back on Peak 1