2012 Cascade Crest 100

Wow.  I finally put one together.  18:31 for a race that was much tougher than I thought it would be.  What a course!  Huge thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.  My man Matt Tock put down almost 50 miles with me- rock solid.  My crew- Brandi, Katie, Henry and Naomi were amazing.  In the end, vandalism forced us to run an extra 2+ miles, missing the course record by a mere 4 minutes.  I finished with 6:40 miles on the road after running all night.  Can't believe we did it without the wheels coming off.

A full race report to come.

IMTUF 100 Recon, Trail Work and more...

Peak conditions in the McCall high country now.  This is why we put up with all the hardships of the McCall winter.  Just 14 days until the Cascade Crest 100.    Taper mode is on- lots of hiking and a little speed work is all that remains.

Brandi climbs Snowslide Summit.  This is perhaps the roughest climb of the IMTUF 100 course- 2000' feet of rough trail over just 2 miles.  You get a small break along the shores of Snowslide Lake (seen in the background), then more hands of knees chugging to the amazing high pass- see image below.

Brandi atop Snowslide Pass (approx. 7900').  The beautiful and remote Fitsum Peak can be seen to the left in the background.  From here, one can take an un-maintained trail to the gorgeous Maki Lake, or follow the East Fork Lake Fork Trail into the deep canyon below.  The IMTUF 100 course goes into the East Fork Lake Fork drainage and re-emerges from the wilds at Lake Fork Trailhead on Lick Creek Road.

Brandi with trail working implements on the East Fork Lake Fork Trail, just below Snowslide Summit.

B descends toward Snowslide Lake.

Looking East at the Salmon River Mountains from near Campbell's Cow Camp, north of Pollock Mountain.

Looking West at the Seven Devils Mountains from Pollock Mtn.

Pollock Mountain basalt talus cone with the Lookout visible on top.

Katie scrambles up the Jughandle Mountain talus with water bottles in Ba-Donk-A-Donk  position.

It's time!  Location?...a McCall resident never tells.

Training Daze

A few more big days in the hills before shutting it down and the taper.  Lots of focus on the MTC40 and IMTUF100 courses.

Jughandle Mountain scramble.  Lots of laps on this thing lately.  A nice, steep summit climb with lots of scrambling.

Halstead Fire and its massive pyro-cumulous cloud over the Sawtooths to the east.

The Boulder Mountain "Open Range" section from the MTC 40.

Louie Lake self portrait.

Pollock Mountain from the approach near Cold Springs.  A 4+ mile, 3500' foot run to the Lookout on top (seen just left of the basalt cone).  A magnificent peak just north of McCall, near New Meadows that for some reason I had never done prior to this summer.    It is now a training staple.

Pollock Mountain from the Rapid River Ridge Trail north of the peak.  Big views to the west of the Seven Devils and Rapid River drainage.

Brandi runs through endless Lupine flowers- Louie Lake Loop (MTC 20 and 40).

Brandi and Katie almost figuring out how to work the new camera's countdown timer- Jughandle Summit.