Avenue of the Giants - Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California - Marathon and Camping

Keith, Melissa, and I arrived in Eureka, California on Saturday evening after driving down the coast from Crater Lake National Park.  We planned to camp at Humboldt Redwoods State Park on Sunday night, so our first stop was a grocery store to pick up some food and supplies.  After dinner at the Lost Coast Brewery with many fellow runners, we headed back to our hotel for a few more beers and a good night's sleep.

The Avenue of the Giants Marathon was my first race in nearly two years, and due to the last minute decision to run, my training really wasn't up to marathon standards.  It sounded like a beautiful race, and trips with Keith and Melissa are always awesome, so I decided I'd run the race with no expectations aside from having fun.

I awoke on Sunday morning with the usual pre-race butterflies in my stomach as I tried to eat something substantial for breakfast.  It was cool and sunny as we jumped in the car around 6am and made the one hour drive to Humboldt Redwoods State Park.  Fog replaced sunshine as we approached the park, alleviating my fear that it was going to be a hot race.  Parking and packet pickup was quick and efficient, and we still had plenty of time before my race began at 7:45am.  Keith and Melissa were running the half marathon and that race started about an hour after me, so I was able to keep my jacket on until the last minute before giving it to them and walking down to the start line.  I ended up farther back in the pack than I was hoping and the starting area was too narrow and crowded to move up very much.  There was some music and a quick announcement, and then we were off!  I always wonder how I am going to run 26.2 miles as I am crossing the start line.  It always seems ridiculous to me, until I get moving.

The marathon course is an out and back on one of the smaller park roads, and then a second out and back on the main Avenue of the Giants road.  I really liked this setup; it broke the race up into four manageable parts.  It also meant I passed a lot of people along the way, from the first place runner to the walkers in the back of the pack.  Everyone was enthusiastic and encouraging, and it was a lot of fun to pass so many friendly faces along the way.

The first six miles were slightly uphill, but with fresh legs, the hills were barely noticeable.  Despite starting in the middle of the pack, I was able to move up to the front with little difficulty after the start .  By the second mile, the race was already spread out.  The road was a little rough with potholes, so I kept my eyes looking down as much as possible to avoid a twisted ankle.  That was difficult, however,  because every time I looked up my eyes were met with the most incredible views of towering redwoods shrouded in fog and mist.  It was absolutely breathtaking.  The road was so narrow that it felt like I was running through a tunnel of trees.

Avenue of the Giants

I expected to see the leaders of the race pass me on their way back from the first turnaround by mile 4 or 5, but I made it to the turnaround point not long after seeing the first several runners.  I was feeling good and running faster than expected, and I got to experience all the cheers and encouragement from the runners behind me as I made my way back down the road.  The return was also slightly downhill, so this was a really fun segment of the marathon.  I was back at the start, 13 miles into the marathon, before I knew it.

Around mile 14 at Avenue of the Giants Marathon

The second half of the race was on smooth pavement, so I was able to look around and enjoy the views a little more.  I felt like the first half was more spectacular and peaceful, but the trees were still inspiring and beautiful on the second half.  It wasn't long before the leaders of the other races started passing me in the opposite direction.  Shortly after, I began to encounter the walkers and slower runners from the other races going in the same direction as me.  I was worried that it was going to get congested and I would need to do a lot of weaving around people, but it never got too difficult to pass.  Everything seemed to flow fairly smoothly.  It was a big running party with people heading in opposite directions and running at different paces.  It became difficult to figure out who was running the full, half, 10K, or 5K.  Everyone was just out running and having an amazing time.

I reached the second turnaround point, around mile 20, feeling good and running strong.  The last six miles are always mentally exhausting, anxiously anticipating each new mile marker long before they make their appearance.  Despite being tired, I never felt drained and I was still enjoying the race.  Passing people is always a mental boost, even if they aren't running the same race as you.  At that point, I had no idea who was running the marathon vs. the 5K.

I don't wear a GPS watch during races and there were no pace groups or clocks along the course, so I had no idea how fast I was running, but I knew I was having a good race.  It's an awesome feeling to feel strong for the last mile of a marathon - you can celebrate and enjoy the moment instead of just running to get it over with.  There were lots of people lining the course for the last half mile and the cheering was welcomed after a quiet run through the redwoods.  With a final burst of energy, I run up the small hill to the finish, with a time of 3:15:53 for a new marathon PR.  That was a pretty awesome way to finish  an amazingly beautiful run through the redwoods.

Keith and Melissa met me at the finish, and we headed back to the car for food and refreshments.  There wasn't much in the way of food or beer at the finish line, so we were glad we had brought our own.  We headed down to the banks of the Eel river on the sand bar that we had parked, and enjoyed beers, sunshine, and relaxation for the rest of the afternoon.  I was in heaven!

Cheers to a great race!

Eel River at the Dyerville Sand Bar

We camped in the Burlington Campground in Humboldt Redwoods State Park on Sunday night, celebrating our races and enjoying great food and drinks.  The campground was beautiful and surrounded by majestic redwood trees.  We all ended up in our tents fairly early, exhausted from a great day of running.

Camping at the Burlington Campground in Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Melissa celebrating a great day of running

We were all a little sore from running the next morning, but we decided to do some short walks around the redwoods in Humboldt Redwoods State Park before heading up the coast.  We spent a few hours at the Founders' Grove, walking the interpretative trails and enjoying the peaceful beauty of the redwood forest.  It was a great way to say goodbye to this spectacular redwood forest before continuing our trip up the Oregon Coast.

Clover

Founders' Grove in Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Melissa

Keith and Melissa walking through the Founders' Grove

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Ouray, Colorado - Hiking

After leaving Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on Thursday morning, we made the drive south through the towns of Montrose and Ridgway on the way to Ouray.  I've enjoyed blog postings on boxcanyonblog.blogspot.com about the town of Ouray and the beautiful surroundings, and it seemed liked the perfect destination to end our Colorado trip and enjoy an epic 4th of July celebration.

Ouray, Colorado

We arrived before our room was ready at the Hot Springs Inn, so we decided to check out two waterfalls in close proximity to the town.  The short hike into Box Canyon Waterfall was incredible - the thunderous roar of the partially hidden waterfall shook the entire canyon.  A trail leading across the "high bridge" over Box Canyon provides spectacular views and a case of vertigo for anyone uneasy with heights.  The hike to Cascade Falls, visible from Main Street, was also quick and provided access to the base of the falls.

Box Canyon Waterfall

View from the bridge over Box Canyon

Cascade Falls

We planned Friday to be our hiking day and we were overwhelmed with the choices available in the Ouray area.  Mt. Sneffels, a famous 14er near Ouray, seemed particularly awesome, but we figured it was too early in the season and we weren't equipped with good snow climbing gear.  Roger picked the hike to Ice Lake and we headed south on Friday morning to the trailhead near South Mineral Campground between Ouray and Silverton.  We were greeted with low clouds and rain as we began the hike, but no lightning to turn us back.  The trail emerged from the pine forest into a grassy meadow filled with flowers, waterfalls, and patches of snow.

Rainy hike to Ice Lake

Waterfalls in every direction on the way to Ice Lake

Columbines on the way to Ice Lake

As we reached Ice Lake, just under 4 miles from the trailhead, the skies began to clear.  The scenery was quintessential Colorado - absolutely spectacular.  We spent quite a bit of time at the lake enjoying the sunshine and the spectacular views before heading back down the trail.  Along the way, we were passed by a parade a backpackers heading up to the lake.  I imagine it was quite a crowd up at Ice Lake for the 4th of July weekend, and the campgrounds around the trailhead were overflowing when we returned.

Approaching Ice Lake

Approaching Ice Lake

We made it to Ice Lake

Ice Lake - full of ice

Views around Ice Lake

River crossing on the Ice Lake Trail

We had a good dinner at one of the livelier places on Main Street, the Ouray Brewery, and I was particularly excited about the quart sized beer cans available for purchase - the perfect size for post-adventure refreshment.  Wholesome Roger is not interested in beer, but he could not resist the sweet temptations of Mouse's Chocolates across the street!

Hiking reward

The 4th of July is a big deal in Ouray, like Christmas Day in Whoville.  The day started with a fundraising pancake breakfast and the Ourayce 10K, followed by a parade and water fights in the street, music in the park, and a great fireworks display to finish off the evening.  It was a fun way to celebrate the 4th of July and a fantastic finish to our trip through Colorado.

Finishing the Ourayce 10K

Happy Birthday America and Roger!

Ouray 4th of July parade

Ouray 4th of July parade

Ouray water fights

Ouray water fights

Ouray water fights

Stanley and Ketchum, Idaho - Sawtooth Relay

One of my favorite places in Idaho is the Sawtooth National Forest between Stanley and Ketchum, where the Salmon River flows through peaceful, rolling farm fields and the jagged Sawtooth Mountains pierce the sky to the west.  Despite the incredible beauty of the area with its snow capped peaks and alpine lakes, it retains a quiet, relaxed atmosphere free of the crowds that can be found in nearby places like the Tetons and Yellowstone.

Sawtooth Mountains near Stanley, Idaho

Keith suggested that we run the Sawtooth Relay on June 14 and despite having only four interested runners instead of the typical six for the relay, we entered the race and decided to spend a few extra days in the area to camp and hike.  Keith, Melissa, and I headed up to Ketchum on Friday afternoon and set up camp for the first two nights at North Fork along the banks of the Big Wood River.  Our fourth teammate, Lindsay, met up with us later on Friday evening.

Melissa and Keith

Sunset at camp

On Saturday morning, we drove north to Stanley for the start of the relay race.  The race traveled along Highway 75 for 62 miles and finished in Ketchum, not far from our camp site.  Our team was assigned a very late start time and we passed dozens of runners along the way to Stanley.  We began to worry that we'd be the very last team on the course but were relieved the find several teams starting with us and after us at the start line.  While most teams had six runners to cover the 62 miles, we only had four and this meant we'd each run three legs of several miles each.

Sawtooth Relay start line in Stanley, Idaho

Our Team - "Stoli Would Not Be Pleased"!

The scenery along the course the absolutely spectacular and the weather was perfect with a few clouds, no rain or snow, and comfortable running temperatures.  The other teams and volunteers were a lot of fun and everyone was nice and friendly.  It felt like the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back, without the overnight runs and the excessively long periods of time sitting in a van.  The miles passed by and we had a blast cheering each other on, running hard but not taking anything too seriously and enjoying a few beers along the way. Eventually we reached Ketchum and the fun after-party where lots of food and beer were waiting for us.  We were shocked to learn that our team came in 20th overall and 5th in the coed division with a total time of just under 8 hours.

Keith

Melissa

Me

Lindsay

Celebrating back at camp

On Sunday, we packed up camp and headed north to Stanley where we planned to camp for a couple more nights and do some hikes in the Sawtooths.  After setting up camp, we did a short hike around Redfish Lake before heading to the lodge for an outdoor concert.  Unfortunately, the weather went downhill and a torrential rainstorm hit, forcing us indoors to the bar which offered spectacular views of the storm and the lake.  Eventually the storm cleared and the sun came out, making for some great views of the Sawtooths.

Keith and Melissa at Redfish Lake

Redfish Lake Lodge

 At Redfish Lake

 Keith at Redfish Lake

 Redfish Lake

Sawtooths after the storm

We awoke on Monday morning to the sound of rain on the tent, and the downpour continued throughout the morning with colder temperatures and fog.  It became apparent that we weren't going to be able to hike, even if the weather cleared, because the snow level had come down to the valley floor.  We headed over to Stanley and had a wonderful breakfast with hot coffee at the Stanley Baking Company before packing up camp and heading back to Salt Lake a day early.  The mountain pass that we had run over a couple days earlier was covered with snow and we were thankful we had such a great day for running the Sawtooth Relay!

Arches National Park, Utah - Hiking and Running

There are five national parks in Utah and I usually make my way through most of them over the course of a year.  Each park offers something unique in terms of scenery and adventure, but I tend the favor the parks that offer the greatest amount of solitude and backcountry opportunity.  Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah, is probably the park I visit the least because of its limited backcountry and the large crowds due to its immense popularity.

Arches National Park

Roger planned to join a group from western Colorado that was climbing and rappelling at a couple of sites within the park on Sunday.  I don't climb, but I definitely didn't want to miss an opportunity to spend some time in southern Utah.  The weather was looking a bit stormy in Salt Lake for the weekend and I needed to do a 20 mile long run for my upcoming marathon, so I decided to join Roger and do my long run in the park and enjoy a little hiking and camping.

Some early hints of spring

We arrived in Arches National Park on Saturday afternoon and set up camp at the Devil's Garden Campground.  Normally this campground is booked solid from spring until fall, but we were visiting just before the start of the tourist season and found plenty of spots available for our one night stay.  The surrounding scenery and access to popular hikes was perfect.

Camping at Devil's Garden Campground

We did a quick hike past the popular Landscape Arch to an arch I had never seen before, Double O arch.  The combination of storm clouds and the sunlight on the red rock made for some spectacular views.  The arch was also very impressive and fun to climb around.  After the hike, we ate a quick dinner in Moab and spent the rest of the evening enjoying the campfire and thinking about spring adventure.

Landscape Arch

Hike to Double O Arch

Double O Arch

View through Double O Arch

Camping at Devil's Garden Campground

On Sunday, while Roger went climbing, I did a 20 mile out-and-back run through Salt Valley.  The long dirt road was excellent for running with minimal traffic and nice scenery.  It wasn't until I got near the 10 mile turn-around point that the scenery became more beautiful, but i didn't have energy or the water to make the run any longer than I had planned.  Running through this portion of the park was much like a backcountry experience.  After the long run, I spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying some well earned rest in the sunshine amongst the beautiful red sandstone spires.

Roger getting ready to climb

20 mile out-and-back run through Salt Valley