So as you may be aware, I am prepping for my first 100 mile
race in the fall: The Bear 100,
described as 36 hours of Indian Summer.
I have had this course on my radar since I first started ultra running,
as quite a few of my friends from UT had run it and raved about it. It was only fitting that I do it as my
first. The course is a one way trip from
Logan, UT to Fish Haven, ID. The timing should be perfect for the fall
colors to be popping. The only concern
is the weather, as it is unpredictable in the mountains at that time of the
year. It could be hot during the day and below freezing at night, or even a blizzard like last year (keeping my fingers crossed not to see snow this year)
As soon as I signed up for the race, I planned a recon trip
to get some familiarization with the course, as well as seeing how I would
react to altitude. My plan was to fly
N28GM to UT approximately 8 weeks prior, run for a few days on the Bear Course,
then do a race at the end of the week. Originally
that race was Kat’cina Mosa 100k. That
plan, like most, was flexible.
First to change was my 'training' race plans. One of my favorite podcasts is Trailmanners,
out of Ogden UT. They decided to do a
meet-up at El Vaqero Loco 50k, in Afton WY.
Listening to them describe the course and the area, it became apparent
that I needed to do do that race instead of the 100k. It was one of the best decisions I made on
this trip. It was spectacular and meeting
them as well as some other great UT runners made the race. My race report and pictures are located at: https://flyingdownthetrails.blogspot.com/2017/08/el-vaquero-loco-50k.html for your reading pleasure.
The next change was to my method of travel. We noted earlier this summer that N28GM was burning a bit more oil than normal. That's not a good thing in any engine, let alone an airplane. So it was time for a new engine. Luckily, I was able to cash in some frequent flyer miles and get good flights to Salt Lake City on Delta. Even better, it added a few bonus days to my itinerary. The bad news was now I needed to figure out how I was camping. Luckily, Ken came through and loaned me some essentials that I couldn't pack.
This was a crazy trip. I didn't exactly do a good job of planning for it. Thankfully Corrine had my back as my coach and made some recommendations on the runs. Also, thankfully, Steve was willing to put up with me for a few days and help so I could do one-way runs (vice the out/back). This allowed me to get more miles on the trail than otherwise possible solo.
So enough of me babbling and on to the pictures and the course. My impressions are wow, this is going to be one tough and beautiful course. It was a lot more technical than I had thought it would be. Lots of river crossings and for now wildflowers (at race time, they should be replaced by colored leaves...)
On the first day, I did an out/back up Dry Canyon near Logan Peak. The first 3 miles is all climbing on some pretty rocky trails. It is going to be a fun conga line up the mountain before sunrise! (this picture doesn't do the steepness justice)
Looking back over Logan during the climb:
About 3 miles up the canyon, we take a side trail and eventually end up skirting the side of Logan Peak. The wildflowers were beautiful!
On the Monday, I had to depart Logan pretty early to avoid the pro bicycle race that was going on. I did get caught in it in the afternoon, but by then I had completed my run, so was more mellow. This was a combo of a few trails. I parked at Middle Fork, then ran/hikes up Rick's Canyon for a few miles. I returned and continued down Willow Creek to get an idea of what it would be like. Rick's was very runnable, but Willow Creek was exposed. Given that I expect to be there later afternoon, that is something to pay attention to.
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