"First Annual" South Pole Ultramarathon

South Pole Ultra Completed

Before writing up my annual year-in-review entry, I thought I'd post something light before the Holidays. I was going through a stack of old papers and came across a folder from early 2016 that contained all of my paperwork related to my Antarctic deployment from Dec. 2015 through Jan 2016. That year I was lucky enough to have been asked to participate in the South Pole Ice coring project, and managed to finally achieve a 39-year goal of mine: To stand on the very bottom of the world, and have every other human being stand North of me. I've written about this deployment on many occasions and wont focus on that in this short post.

1. http://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2015/12/safely-at-south-pole.html
2. http://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2016/01/2015-year-of-reflection-and-anticipation.html
3. http://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2018/11/worsley.html

This post instead will focus on a rather ridiculous idea I had while sitting in the cafeteria one day before my ice-coring shift started. The idea was very simple: To run an actual ultramarathon at the South Pole. I had spent about an hour on station surfing the internet during the short window that the satellite was up...and was unable to find a single instance of someone actually running an ultra at Pole. Sure, there were many who have traversed the entirety of Antarctica, or skied thousands of miles to the Pole...and even those every year that run the South Pole Marathon. But in all my searching, I could not find a record of someone setting out to run an actual ultra distance at Pole and then documenting it. With this said, there are several ultras that are run in Antarctica, just not at Pole. 

An interesting side story: In 2011, I was stationed at a tourist camp in Antarctica called Union Glacier. While there, I was actually invited to run the 100k event that was being put on there. Dozens of tourists from around the world had flown to the station to run this event, and I was simply there to work on some remote seismic stations related to an NSF project. But I gladly accepted and was eager to take a stab at the 100k. Unfortunately, the plane bringing my group back to McMurdo station came the next morning (a day early) and I missed the race. I do still have my bib number though, as well as the official race shirt.

In late December of 2015, I arrived at South Pole for a month long deployment. I would be working long shifts, 6 days a week...drilling and logging cores related to the "Spicecore" project. We were drilling to a depth of 1750 meters below the surface.  

Christmas came just a few days after arriving, and a tradition at pole is that the entire station does a "run around the world". This "race" constitutes the majority of personnel on station dressing up in silly costumes, and then running/walking a ~2 mile loop around the station. This loop circumnavigates the geographical pole, so everyone who completes the run, does in fact run "around the world", and  through every line of longitude (and every time zone). It's a silly tradition, but a lot of fun. Most who run, go very slowly...but there are a few that race it hard. That year, we had three very fast runners in camp. One of the carpenters, Curtis, was a 2:40 marathoner. I did my best to race as hard as I could, but with the 10,000 foot altitude, cold temps, and heavy layers, I managed to only place 5th. Still, I had a blast.

The Ice Core Team Runners for Christmas Round-the-World Run

(I'm on the far left)

All of the Round-the-world runners

A week later, I was in much better shape. I had acclimated to the cold and altitude, and had been running regularly on the station treadmill. I had known for years that there was an annual sanctioned Marathon that took place in McMurdo Station. On any given year, there could be up to 50 runners attempting this. I had always wanted to participate, but every time I had ever been through McMurdo, it was never during New Years Day when the race actually occurs. BUT...what I came to learn at South Pole, was despite the much lower number of residents (~150 total), and the MUCH colder temps, there are those on station at Pole that always miss this marathon as well. So some years back, a few of the workers at Pole decided to run their own Marathon at the same time as the McMurdo marathon. Ever since then, it has become an annual event. Generally at Pole, there are roughly 3-5 finishers per year (although some people will ski the course as well). Once I heard about this, I knew I had to do it. 

The weather forecast for the marathon was absolute crap. Blistering temps (-40C), and horrible winds. The wind chill was in the -50's. This meant, even with all of my protective layers, I would have to stop in the stationed "warming huts" periodically to warm up. I knew any finish would be slow. I didn't care about time honestly though, and simply wanted to complete a marathon in Antarctica. So, on New Years holiday, I went out with about 15 others and started the marathon. It was a slow slog, often directly into the wind, and involved completing several loops. I was in 2nd place for most of the event (behind Curtis), but in the last 5 miles fell back to 4th. I finished in a smidge over 5 hours, but with almost an hour of warming breaks (about 4hrs 30 mins of actual running time). It was actually a lot more fun that I thought it would be....which is how I thought up the idea of the ultra.

Finishing the South Pole Marathon!

Crossing the finish line!

Completed South Pole Marathoner.

As the thrill of the Marathon wore off, and we all went back to normal work shifts the next day, I started thinking about a South Pole Ultra. Was one ever completed before? Had anyone ever attempted one? All of my research led me to dead ends. I was not able to find any solid evidence of a successful South Pole Ultramarathon attempt or completion.

So....knowing this might be my only time ever at South Pole Station....I knew it would be my only chance to set the bar. I started my planning a few nights later after my work shift. I went out for a short run down and back on the station skiway (the "runway" for the plane) and realized that if a made a loop out of it, I could make it exactly 5 miles. This also meant I could attempt a 50-miler by doing 10 laps.  I figured to be a truly legitimate "Ultra", I had to at least attempt 50 miles, if not 100k. My declared goal was actually to do a 100k comprised of 12 full loops, and a small 2-mile short loop to finish it off. I planned out my list with 13 check-boxes to use as a tally between loops. The beauty of the 5 mile loop down the skiway, was that I could use one of the station huts on the loop every 5 miles to warm up. This hut, known as the "chapel", was actually a small workshop that the fuelies use...so it did stink of jet fuel though.

A bonus of using the skiway was that the surface was more groomed, meaning better footing. It would still be crunchy and difficult, but not like running on fresh Antarctic snow. The down side, is that the skiway is active. I had to do this attempt on a day with no flights scheduled. The only day that this is the case, are the Sundays...which also happens to be our day off. So...if I were to attempt this, I would be using my one off-shift, to run for what would likely be at least 12 hours. This wasn't an issue for me, as I had convinced myself that I had to go for it. What I came to learn during my attempt was that while Sundays are off days for the larger LC130 flights, the small Twin Otter planes do still fly. So during my 7th loop, I was forced to run a single alternate 5-mile out-n-back out the ice-coring site while Twin Otter was taking off. 

I had thought about spelling out the entire experience in a text run report in this entry, but I realized that I recorded videos of myself during warm up breaks. So, instead of boring text, I'm just going to post the video detailing the entire experience. It's almost all talking from the warming hut as my camera wouldn't stay charged in the cold.

The end result? I completed the 50 miles and decided that was enough. I was indeed the first to complete an official ultramarathon at South Pole Station. The Station Manger even printed up an official signed certificate which I now have framed. Maybe I should have contacted Guinness ;-)

I heard a rumor that the following year, a fellow runner attempted to run the "2nd annual South Pole Ultra", but I don't know if he was actually successful in his attempt.

Total time 13hrs 30 mins

Total moving time 11hrs 11 mins

Some Links:

South Pole Marathon Strava: 

https://www.strava.com/activities/517425781

South Pole Marathon Garmin:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1000249377

South Pole Ultra 50 Strava: 

https://www.strava.com/activities/879707230

South Pole Ultra 50 Garmin: 

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1010405183

At any rate, here are a few final pics and the videos of my entire experience.  

The 5 mile skiway loop.

My actual route shown on the station map

(9 loops on skiway)

(1 loop out to ice core site)

Log sheet showing my times, and that I stopped after 10 loops. 

Just finished!

Think I'll go warm up now.

Official Certificate

VIDEO:

Around the World...and Back to Hardrock?

Taking my first step on the Appalachian Trail (2007)

On May 1st, 2007, two very specific things happened in my life. At exactly 4 PM EDT, I set my right foot down on the start of the Appalachian Trail for what would eventually become my first of many new adventures. It was with this step that I began my first thru-hike, a 2175 mile jaunt down the AT, as well as my renewed life as an explorer. 

But something else happened on that day. After having completed the ~8 mile approach trail hike up to the Southern Terminus and true start of the AT, I decided to start "keeping track of my miles". To get in shape for the AT, I had started to pick up running again the few weeks leading up to my start...something I hadn't really done since high school some 10 years earlier. For basically 10 years, I had done very little athletically, and let myself go quite a bit. Being a numbers guy, I thought what better way to keep myself motivated both during and after my thru-hike, than to keep track of my total "lifetime" miles. Now obviously starting "lifetime" miles at 30 years old, isn't very accurate. But since I had no way to truly gauge my miles up to that point, I figured why not start with this first step on the AT. 

The Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail

I gave myself one "rule" regarding the logging of miles: Only running, and purposeful hiking would be log-able. Basically, if I considered my activity to be "athletic", and purposeful forward motion, it counted. My true passion-of-motion is fast hiking anyway, so I certainly considered those type of miles worthy. In retrospect, when I think of all the miles I've hiked during ultramarathons, this certainly holds as well. What I wouldn't log, would be any normal day-to-day walking that wasn't notably separate as its own activity. In other words, walking around downtown, or through the grocery store....doesn't count. I suppose what some today would consider "steps".

During my hike, I logged miles using the official AT data book. Obviously there's some uncertainty in those numbers, and I never logged miles I hiked on side (or blue-blaze) trails. But, I treated the numbers I did log as a sort of "gospel". If the book said I did 26 trail miles, I logged 26 trail miles.  When I got home, I searched the web for a program that I could use to log my miles. I stumbled across a program called "Runningahead" and went through the tedious process of transcribing all of my recorded miles from my AT hike over to the log. To this day I still use this website.

Following my hike, I began to pick up running again in earnest. Every time I went for a run, I logged it. In early 2008 when I began training for my first marathon....I logged it. Later that summer when I thru-hiked the Colorado Trail....I logged it. in September of 2008 when I ran my first 50-miler at the VT 50, I logged it. in 2009 when I ran my first 100 at the VT 100....I logged that too. Every training run, every training hike, every thru-hike, and every race. Every mile...was logged.

And then one day, while I was deployed to Antarctica for my third season I noticed something. It was the 1 hour in the day that the internet satellite was up and I was logging my miles for a short run I had just done out on the skiway. I entered in those miles and realized my total logged miles were just a few under 10,000 total!. I couldn't believe that number was real. Had I really run 10,000 total miles since my first day on the AT?

I decided to celebrate with a fun run out into the void of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. I even wrote about it on a blog post here:

10,000 Miles from Antarctica

Running my 10,000th mile at WAIS Divide Antarctica.

10,000th mile at WAIS Divide

The years marched on, as did my running. I began running and racing a lot. My yearly totals were consistently topping 2000, or even 2500 total. It was just a couple of years ago when I noticed that I had surpassed 20,000 total miles....and again celebrated.

Hold that thought while I switch gears for a moment.... 

This past weekend was another quite memorable one for me. Like last year, I had again placed my name in both the Western States and Hardrock Lotteries. Having just run both events (WS in 2017, and HR this past year), I had no expectations whatsoever that I'd be chosen for either. My odds for Western States were about 3%, and with my Hardrock entry now going through the "Else" lottery, my odds were about 15%. Both were low enough that I had assumed and expected to not hear any news. I was just hoping to "bank some tickets" as it were.

Like last year, I was registered for a local 50k run in a nearby rocky/rooty park in Boston called the Middlesex Fells. This year I had actually planned to cancel the event as I was supposed to travel to visit family. Due to many project deadlines at my lab, I just wasn't able to get out of town in time to start the long drive though, so decided to just stay home, rest, and visit in a couple weeks instead. But...I forgot to actually cancel my run registration. That night as I was falling asleep, upset that I had become so stressed, and ultimately not able to visit family, I remembered the run. I decided I needed nothing more than some therapy time on the trails. I set my alarm for 6 am, and decided to just go and play at the 50k. This particularly 50k run has marked the "end" of my ultra season three different years, so it holds somewhat of a special place in my heart too. It also always seems to happen on "Lottery Day". Last year, I turned my phone off as I ran the 50k, and didn't check it until I got home. I wanted to enjoy the day before learning if I had been drawn in the lotteries. Thankfully, after 8 years of applications, last year I was finally drawn to run Hardrock. It was quite an emotional day.

I wrote about it here: Hardrock Bound

But this year, knowing my odds were so low, and being so bummed about the canceled family trip, I just wanted a day in the woods and on the trails to clear my head. The forecast was calling for sunny and cool weather. Perfect for a day on the trails. From the moment I started the race, to the moment I finished, I was happy. It was a perfect day, and I felt at peace out there. It felt like a nice way to close my 2018 ultrarunning chapter.

Enjoying the perfect day at the TARC Fells 50k

When I got back to my car, I had a smile on my face. I had seen friends, enjoyed the trails on a perfect day, pain-free. I had completely forgotten about the lotteries.

I sat down in the drivers seat of my car and picked up my phone. There was a text message from a number that I didn't recognize. I opened the text and immediately saw a picture I had sent to some friends I visited back in Durango CO a few months ago. Incidentally, I had met these friends on the AT back in 2007. My thought was, "I wonder why 'Stitch' (aka Ben) is texting me?".

Then I saw the text. It said simply, "Woohoo! Congrats"

Congrats for what? And then it hit me. Ben is also an ultrarunner. Ben came to see my finish at Hardrock last year and lives in the San Juans. Ben has been entering the Hardrock lottery for the past couple years.

No...Effing....Way.  There is no way I got into Hardrock again. Not in my first year since running, and only with 15% odds. Ben must have mis-read.

I opened twitter and saw my name drawn 10th in the "Else" Lottery. My heart started racing. This cannot be real. And then it hit me like a wave. No, not a wave of excitement like last year, but a wave of something different. 

Guilt.

There is a large part of the ultrarunning community that is, shall we say,  less-than-thrilled with the way the Hardrock Lottery is configured. The race, by design, does favor veterans, and makes it incredibly hard for virgins to get into the run for their first time. Heck it took me 8 years. But once in, you are moved to a different lottery, and immediately your odds go up. With a single finish, my odds this year were ~15%....or about the same as someone with 6 years of tickets in the "Never" Lottery. I will not comment on the lottery configuration in this post, but needless to say, I felt an immediate and horrifying sense of guilt when I saw that I was drawn. People are gonna be pissed at me I thought. I was just hoping to bank some tickets and after a few years, maybe get selected again. But here I was, selected again, my very next year applying. 

The tweet showing my lottery draw

The text I got from Ben

The drive home was very contemplative. I wasn't sure how to feel. Should I be happy that for once the luck fell my way and that I'd get to run the Hardrock....AGAIN....AND in the opposite direction!? Awesome right!? Or...should I feel like I am part of the veteran problem at Hardrock? This same feeling is what ultimately led me to stop applying to Barkley. I felt like after 4 years of running it, that I was taking a spot away from someone else who should have a chance at giving it a go. But with Hardrock, even if I gave up my spot, it would just go to another person on the "Else" list...not a Virgin.

What made the guilt worse was that I found out two additional pieces of information. I found out that there was one Virgin applicant who had 512 tickets in the Never lottery....and was NOT drawn. My heart absolutely sank when I thought of him. I remember how bummed I was when I didn't get in with 64 tickets. I couldn't imagine not getting in with 512. Then I see this article published over at MassUltra (a great website btw), stating that I was the ONLY New England applicant to be selected for Hardrock this year, including 24 applicants from MA. It certainly reinforced just how unlikely my lottery draw was.

Hardrock Lottery in New England

When I got home, I immediately booked a room in Silverton to hold it, to give me time to think about it. I made the mistake last year of waiting a week and everything was sold out in town. We did manage to get a room for the night after the run last year, and we had a camper van for the other nights. This year, I was able to secure a room early...but the motel I went with already was nearly sold out. 

I've talked with friends and family, and all assure me not to feel guilty, and that I just got lucky this year....but it's hard. A very very big part of me wants to be out there in the San Juans, experience that ridiculously beautiful course again...but my heart keeps telling me that in some ways, it feels wrong...and that somehow it would be selfish of me. When I look at my finish picture from last year, the emotions definitely well up. They tug at the very fibers of my soul...somehow whispering to me to, "come back". I recall in vivid detail the shear joy and profundity I experienced out there on that course last summer. Watching the sun rise from atop Handies Peak, was like touching the envelope of the Universe itself. It was magical in all sense of the word. There's also nothing quite like the San Juan mountains. They hold a unique character and splendor unlike any other mountains I've experienced...and I've experienced quite a few. There's a reason I rank them among my favorite mountains in the world (thus far). I suppose in some ways, that by just entering the lottery, that deep down I at least wanted the chance to run again. I had to know that however small my odds, I would still have a chance of being selected. Perhaps my subconscious is just inherently selfish, as much as I like to tell myself that it isn't. What does that say about me? Maybe I'm just over-analyzing all of this and I simply did just get lucky, and should be ecstatic like last year.

So, am I excited? Of course. I genuinely would love to run the Hardrock again, to experience that awe and wonder again. I am  so completely honored and humbled to be invited back. But still.....this unexpected news weighs a bit heavy.

Lots to think about. Lots to ponder.

2018 Hardrock Finish

So....back to the more whimsical story...

After my heavy thoughts of the weekend. I finally went in to log my miles from the TARC Fells 50k race. I noticed my total "lifetime" (since May 1, 2007) miles were now just shy of 25,000. In fact, the mileage was exactly 24,897. Why this specific number caught my immediate attention was because it was only 4 miles short of 24,901 total miles. 24,901 miles also happens to be the circumference of the Earth at the Equator. Of course there are a lot of miles in my logs that probably weren't recorded, or that were rounded, or that my GPS watch calculated wrong....but whatever the case, my published number was most certainly low. As I stated above, putting aside the uncertainty, I like to treat my miles log as truth, so to speak. So to me this meant I was just 4 miles short of being able to say that I've, "Run/Hiked around the World". That is a mind-bending thought considering I have done all of those miles in my 30's and now early 40's. 

So...first thing Monday morning, with still very-sore legs from the 50k, I texted a friend to go out for a short 5 mile run around the neighborhood. We did our usual loop around the Charles River. At 4 miles into the run we stopped at an insignificant traffic light to wait at the corner of River St. and Lexington St. I looked at her and said...

"Well...what do you know. I've now run around the world. Right here at this random intersection"

It was as profound as it was ridiculous. She gave me a high-five, the light turned green, and we continued on running immediately talking about something else. What a bizarre, surreal, and yet memorable morning. I finished the run and my totals now read, "24,902". In a short 98 miles, I'll hit 25,000...another ridiculous number to keep me motivated.

What's remarkable is that I never expected, or anticipated I'd ever hit 25,000 miles. I simply went out, put one foot in front of the other to enjoy a run or hike in the moment. But you see...every one of those single steps will add up, just like seconds in a day. Those runs will add up. Pretty soon those years of running will add up. And one day, just like me, you'll find yourself standing at a random intersection thinking to yourself, 

"Huh...I just ran around the world. Neat. Where to next?"

Where I completed my "Around the World" Run.

A banana-suit version of me, Photoshopped into the exact intersection

My totals so far.

My yearly totals of running

About 2075 miles per year

Nearly 6 miles per day

Never stop exploring and hike (or run) on my friends... 

A San Juan Survey

View of El Diente from Mt. Wilson

This past July I spent over two wonderful weeks in southwestern Colorado. During that time, C and I toured around the San Juans, hiked a few 14ers, and lived out of a camper van. It was a fantastic way to spend a vacation. To top it off, I capped the trip off with a long overdue loop around the Hardrock 100 course. See my posts here for more detail:  

COLORADO: http://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-short-hardrock-preview.html

HARDROCK: http://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2018/08/my-2018-hardrock-odyssey.html

Despite all of this time spent in one of my favorite states, I had the opportunity to return just one month later in order to take care of a few loose ends related to my research projects at work. On this research trip, I had two primary objectives. 

For the first objective, I had to make a quick visit to the National Ice Core Facility outside of Denver in order to cut 53 separate samples of ice from the recent South Pole Ice core. After cutting these samples, I would ship back to my lab for analyses. There is an instrument at my lab called a micro-CT, which can measure the internal structure and properties of various materials. A micro-CT is actually an instrument designed for hospitals in order to scan bone and tissue through the use of high-energy x-rays. Our scanner is this same kind scanner...only we keep it in a freezer, and use it to measure the internals structure ice and snow.

I spent two full days at the Ice Core Facility outside of Denver, working very long hours to pull all 53 ice cores from the archives, and then cut/prep each of my small samples. The dimensions of each sample I prepared were approximately 2cm x 2cm x 8cm...or very roughly about the size of a roll of pennies (only with square edges). After cutting each sample, I then had to carefully pack them all, and ship them back to my lab in special cold containers. This was a lot of work to cram into just two days, but I managed to get it all done thanks to very long hours, and only slightly frost-bitten fingers.

In the Ice Core archives pulling my 53 tubes.

At the Ice Core Facility ready to start cutting

Cutting my "sticks" of ice off of the larger archive piece.

The micro-CT scanner shown with a cylindrical snow sample

3D image showing all bubbles measured in an ice-core sample

The second objective of this trip to Colorado was to collect a series of soil samples related to a dust-transport project. Recently, large dust episodes have been observed within the snowpack in and around the San Juans of Colorado. These dust events have been increasing in frequency in recent years and are starting to have a measurable effect on the snowpack and how fast it melts. The overarching purpose of the project being carried out at my lab (which is all under the greater umbrella of the NASA SnowEx project, is to try to better pin down the provenance, or source, of the dust. 

One way we can do that is to first go back and look at relevant meteorological data from various weather stations in the area. Using those data, we can run trajectory models based on the days the dust appeared, to model where it was most likely to have originated from. Then, identify and select physical sites in those projected areas for sample collection.

It turns out that almost all "dust", has a very unique microbiological signature. Quite simply, different  families of micro-organisms grow in different patches of dirt. So, once we collected our various samples, we can run DNA sequencing on the various micro-organisms in those samples, and compare the results to the actual dust we sampled from the snowpack. Then, if we find a match, we can go back and compare it to what the trajectory model predicted to see if it was accurate. Ultimately we are trying to determine if the increase in dust events is due to environmental changes in the source region of that dust. For example, is a dry/dusty area near the San Juan Mountains...getting dryer and dustier? And if so, why?

We were able to definitively identify and sample 3 specific dust layers within the snow pack,  at multiple sites around the Senator Beck Basin area of the San Juan Mountains. Senator Beck Basin is actually just up the road from Silverton near Red Mountain Pass. These collected snow-dust samples had already been sent back to the lab and tested several months ago. My job on this trip after leaving the Ice Core Facility, was to run the trajectory models, and then determine probable candidate source sites from which to collect soil samples. I analyzed the three dust events, and based on the days they appeared on the snow surface, I was able to run back-trajectories and determine two very-likely source areas:

1. Southwest of the San Juan Mountains, right over the "4-Corners" area of CO/NM/AZ/UT

2. South of the San Juan Mountains, along the CO/NM border near the town of Redmesa

I pulled up satellite imagery for Southwest Colorado, and created a candidate source map for collection based on apparent "dusty" areas, as well as where public land was available. Much of the land in that part of the 4-corners region is also on Indian Reservation land, so also requires written permission for sample collection.

A cut snow-pit wall exposing two prominent dust layers

Trajectory probability model showing both the Silverton area (upper red dot),

 as well as the likely dust source area over 4-Corners (central red star)

Trajectory probability model showing both the Silverton area (upper red dot),

 as well as the likely dust source area over 4-Corners (central red star)

Trajectory probability model showing both the Silverton area (upper red dot),

 as well as the likely dust source area over CO/NM border (central red star)

Map showing the sites I collected samples from

Dusty/dry sampling area near the iconic "Shiprock"

Sampling near a prominent volcanic rock dyke 

Another large dusty/dry area for sampling

Once back in Silverton, I had one more official task to complete before I could sneak away for some play time. Three of the weather stations we used for meteorological data collection related to the dust project are located near Red Mountain Pass. I was tasked with hiking in to these stations in order to perform some basic maintenance on them. One of the stations was right up from the highway, but the other two required significant off=trail hiking. I had an absolute blast free hiking with just my GPS to guide me.

I managed to locate all stations without any trouble, and was able to service them all before the nasty weather came in. I also took some additional soil samples at the base of each station.

Track showing hike up to stations 1 and 2.

Station #1 - "Swamp Angel"

Soil temperature probe station

Swapping out the data card

The second station after a several mile hike up to the Senator Beck basin

Station 2

Hike up to Station 3, "Putney"

Station #3, "Putney"

Having completed my primary objectives in the San Juans, I still had a couple days to kill. Let me back up for a second....

Back in July during my vacation and Hardrock preparation, I managed to knock out several more 14ers in my quest to summit all 58. Prior to this second trip, I had 11 remaining peaks to bag before I could declare my quest completed. One of my last climbs I had a rather unpleasant scare in the Chicago Basin as I took a nasty fall on my descent from Sunlight Peak. It spooked me quite a bit and I wasn't sure when I'd be comfortable attempting my next climb. I spent quite a bit of time debating whether or not to attempt another hike on this trip, and ultimately decided I'd at least start at a trail head to see how I felt. If I wasn't ready, I would simply turn around. 

Of the 11 peaks still to summit on my 14er list, 7 are in the Elk Range. I wasn't anywhere near that range so those were out of the question. 2 other peaks are over in the Crestone range in the Sangre de Cristos; also really far out of the way. The last 2 though, were in the San Juans. These were also the only two that I still had to do in that grouping. These two peaks were Mt. Wilson, and El Diente. I had previously done the nearby Wilson Peak, back in 2017, but never did get these other two done.  With time to kill on this trip, and the proximity to the peaks, I decided to head to the Kilpacker trailhead and give it a whirl. If successful, I could finish out the San Juan 14ers completely.

To save time, I had this grand plan of driving up and over Ophir pass in my rental SUV, rather than driving all the way around via Ouray, Ridgway, and Placerville. I had driven up to the pass the previous evening to scope it out, and had no trouble, so figured going down the other side wouldn't be a big deal. I googled a bit about it and it seemed like the general consensus was that it wasn't too bad. I figured even if it was slow, it would still be way faster than driving all the way around. Well...I was in for a really big shock the next morning when I started descending from the pass in the wee hours of the morning.  Thankfully my little rental SUV had moderate clearance because there is no way I would have ever made the descent in a car. The descent was terrifying and extremely narrow and loose. I honestly feared that I was going to careen off of the mountain side. It was absolutely nerve wracking and I descended very gingerly, holding the steering wheel with a death grip the entire time. I thought for sure, even if I did make the descent, that I would most certainly damage the undercarriage of the car or get a flat tire. Somehow though, I managed to navigate all of the tricky spots good enough to make it through. I definitely bottomed out several times though and only hope that the rental company never figured it out. For anyone reading this, please take notice. The Ophir pass road is really only suited for high-clearance 4x4's.  Anything less, and you are in for some stressful miles without any real options for turning around.

Here's a video of someone driving UP the bad side of Ophir Pass that I went down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yfadVJTGrE

The long (safe) way around from Silverton

The Ophir Pass (stressful) route

Once down on the other side I was over to the Kilpacker trailhead in under 30 minutes. I started my hike at about 5:30 am and was making quick work of the easier trail section down low. In just over an hour, I had already made it past 3 miles and was beginning the more technical climbing above tree line. I was still fine to continue, so happily pushed on. At 2 hours exactly, I made it into the upper basin and the primary decision point turn off. At this spot the trail splits, with one trail going up to Mt. Wilson, and the other turning left and going up to El Diente. It's possible to go up to either and then traverse across the ridgeline to the other, but I was not going to attempt this class 5 maneuver. If I were going to do both summits, it would mean summiting one, and then dropping back down to the junction, and summiting the second peak separately. I opted to shoot for Mt. Wilson first as it was the longer climb, and higher summit. I figured if I had to come back and just do El Diente on a different day, then it would be quicker overall.

The climb up after the junction began to get very loose and scrambly. My pace reduced notably, but I was still feeling great and was not spooked at all. I could tell I was moving very slowly, but pushed on. My goal was to summit in under 3 hours. The last pitch is the crux of the route, and does have some exposure. I took it very slowly and had no trouble. At this point I just had one final short pitch to the summit, so continued up. I hit the top in just under 3 hours and felt great. The actual summit was quite small and was fairly exposed. I took a few quick pictures of the El Diente traverse as well as views over to Gladstone and Wilson Peaks, before quickly descending back down.

I purposely descended a bit slower than usual because I was still a little shaken from my fall coming down Sunlight the previous month. After about 10 minutes of descent, I looked up towards El Diente and realized that if I started contouring around, I could meet the El Diente trail part-way up, and would save myself several hundred feet of descent/climb. I peeled off of the route I was on and began to contour over on an open off-trail route. It was slow going, but effective. at 3hrs 15minutes clock time, I was already over to the El Diente trail. I figured from here, it would be a super quick up and down, and I'd be back to the car in no time. 

But...things never work out just the way you want in the mountains. My pace was slowing considerably, and the weather was starting to turn. I was only a few hundred feet below the summit, but didn't want to turn back. I kept pushing up to the ridgeline, and just before topping out, it started sleeting. I was only a few minutes from the summit, but the rocks were getting extremely slippery. I took a long look at the sky and opted to just quickly go for it. I hustled over to the summit in the freezing rain, tagged it quickly, took a couple photos, and immediately began descending. I was slipping on a lot on the rocks, but was making progress. I made it down from the ridge line and began spotting cairns for the trail. I hit the main trail junction in just under 4 hours total time, and felt relieved to be nearly back on soft trail. I just had to hike about a mile on rocky exposed trail before hitting treeline, so figured I was in the clear. I sauntered along without a care, when about 5 minutes later I was greeted with a sky crushing boom of thunder and lightning. It was close! I quite literally began running as fast as I could along the trail, just praying to make it to treeline in time. I didn't even  stop to put on my rain gear. I just ran. The lightning was getting closer, and what's worse, was that I wasn't alone on the trail. I passed a few others also trying to descend. Everyone was running scared.

I did make it to tree line safely, albeit with soaked clothes. By the time I was deep into the woods at lower altitude, the rains had stopped and the thunder and lightning seemed to be isolated near the peaks. Looks like I would live to hike another day. The trail down low had turned into a river so when I did make it back to my car, I was caked in mud up to my knees. Somehow, my car still had four full tires as well, so my little adventure over Ophir pass didn't seem to damage anything. I called it a successful, although lucky, day.

With this little adventure, I was able to complete the San Juan 14ers, leaving me with just 9 peaks remaining: The Elks, and the two primary Crestone Peaks.

Strava track for Wilson and El Diente:

https://www.strava.com/activities/1779277527

Route showing my full hike.

Mt. Wilson summit

El Diente seen from Mt. Wilson (and the class 5 ridge traverse)

Wilson Peak (left) and Gladstone Peak (right)

Mt. Wilson summit shot with El Diente in background

El Diente summit, looking east to Mt. Wilson summit

On El Diente, with the sleet falling

El Diente Summit with Wilson Peak (left), Gladstone (center), and Mt. Wilson (right) in view

Looking along the class 5 traverse to Mt. Wilson

Back near my car at the end of the hike. El Diente is visible (left rear peak)

After my fun hike, I drove down to Durango so that I could catch my flight out the following day. While there I had the incredible good fortune to catch up with some very old friends.

Quick rewind....

Back in 2007 during my Appalachian Trail thru-hike, I met and hiked with quite a few people. With that said though, there weren't too many that I stayed in contact with following the hike. There was one couple I met on my third night just before hitting the North Carolina border with trailnames: Stitch and Figgy. Apparently Stitch liked to sew his own hiking gear, and Figgy really liked figs. I remember really hitting it off with these two, but the next morning I hiked on ahead, and never saw them again.  Months after finishing my thru-hike, Stitch found me on-line and reached out. We've been internet corresponding on and off ever since. They live in Durango now with their three kids, and in July, during my running at Hardrock, they had both driven up to Silverton hoping to see my finish. I was not aware of this and only found out because they had left me a note on the public message board. Ultimately, they had to leave before my finish, but I did manage to write their phone number down just in case I was ever in the area again.

Well....after my Wilson/El Diente hike, I was headed for Durango. I sent a quick text to Stitch, and just like that I was at their house just a short bit later, enjoying some great company and stories. One of the things I love about thru-hiking, is that you can spend an evening talking with friends that you met on your third day of hiking....that you haven’t seen in 11 years....and it feels like you just saw them yesterday. 

Thanks for a fun evening in Durango, Stitch and Figgy. -Lakewood

Stitch and Figgy in 2007 on the AT

Stitch and Figgy in 2018 in Durango