Posts

Mt. Williamson, peak

The Happy Hill

The Happy Hill.Halfway down Mt. Williamson I passed a little kid hiking up with his family."Is the hill happy or painful?" asked the little kid as I ran by. "Happy!" I told him.Thank you, little kid, for making my day, a day that was already…
Lone tree & storm clouds, top of Baden Powell

Hyena Hundred

I wanted old school ideas. A couple of years ago I asked Larry Gassan for training suggestions. I wanted old school ideas, nothing new fangled involving cross fit or GPS or anything other than straight up suggestions on how he trained for AC100…
Pacific Crest Trail heading down to Sulpher Springs Road

Triple Digits Lonely

Pacific Crest Trail heading down to Sulphur Springs Road 3 PTS TO MT. HILLYER. 6.36 miles, from mile 42.72 to 49.08, elevation just below 6,000 feet. The middle of the AC100 race, and the last section of heat. It starts with 4 miles…
Mount Islip

Blue Ridge Weekend

Blue Ridge Campground, 7:15pm. Quiet. There's still a little sun left, but I'm in the shade. It's been a cool week.The sky over Baden Powell was an unusually deep blue for the middle of summer. There were brilliant clouds, too.22 miles,…
Me, Baden Powell

Poodle Dog Bush on Baden Powell

There is Poodle Dog Bush on top of Baden Powell. We smelled it first, thought it must be something else, and then saw the plants. The following day: slow, lazy morning at Blueridge Campground. I woke up at 7am. This is, for me, sleeping in.…
Powerhouse Fire, from Mt. Baden Powell

Cigarette

June 1 2013. I was sitting at Little Jimmy Springs, resting and filling up my water bottles, midway through an out-and-back run from Vincent Gap, up to Baden Powell, and across. I had spotted a couple resting at Windy Gap when I passed. They…
The Scenic Mound

Weekend

Chilao campground, 6:30 am. The sun rising behind me is warm on the back of my neck. I'm drinking coffee.I can see Mt. Wilson in the distance. I'd guess it's a little less than 15 miles away. It looks very far.That 15 miles will be miles…
Rotted Tree on the Silver Moccasin Trail

Silver Moccasin Trail

The Silver Moccasin Trail begins at Chantry and ends at Vincent Gap. Comprised of a series of somewhat distinct trail segments, parts of which are shared by other trails, most of which used to be Native American trails, it's 53 miles long,…
My feet, at Chantry, mile 75

AC100 2012 Race Report

Build upLooking through the last 6 months of entries into this blog, I see that almost all are about the build-up to this race. I'd trained long and hard, and made a lot of great new friends doing it. In the last 2 months, my doubt grew. …
Baden Powell Ridge

Countdown to AC100

The climb up Baden Powell has 41 switchbacks. As you climb, looking forward, you look into nothing but air. The drop-offs are not steep, but until you reach the turns they look like dead ends on a sheer cliff…or at least they do to me, someone…
Branches, Mt. Williamson

Lost

We started at Islip Saddle at about 5:30am, after having stashed water at stops along the way.The run began with a nearly 2 mile climb up Mt. Williamson. It was a beautiful run as the sun was rising. I took the lead, which was probably not…
Branches, Mt. Williamson

Bob Holtel

Maggie and I took a run from Inspiration Point to to top of Mt. Baden Powell and back, part of the AC100 course, a little altitude and hill training for me, taking the opportunity to run and familiarize myself with the entire AC100 course,…