GET UP TO GET DOWN - Trailer

Been working long hours in my spare time on a film of Team Krud Monkey's adventure on the Grand Enchantment Trail this past spring.  The name of the film is GET UP TO GET DOWN!  I have put up a trailer of the film above to stoke the fire on this one.  I have over 6 hrs of footage to sift through... so consider the trailer the tip of the iceberg.  Who knows when I will get the film completed, I still need to get up the rest of my journal entries from the trip.  You can see what I have completed of the journal here.  Definitely turn this one up.  You can watch it in full screen mode at home, I recommend opening the film and letting it set until it completely loads on YouTube.  Then you can let it rip without any hiccups!  It also looks good in the normal size, but since it is HD you might still benefit from letting it load completely then watching it.  Make sure and turn it up, bang it!  That second song wasn't as loud as I hoped.

We got scorpions, cowboy music, elk, incredible scenery, old rust, antelope, fox, rattlesnakes, javelina, bear, desert bighorn, raptors, hummingbirds and much more...get your GET on!  Special thanks to my sponsors for supporting this film!  Also special thanks to Brett Tucker of Simblissity for putting together this excellent route!  By the way Brett makes the lightest wallets for fastpacking on the market, dig those here (go to travel wallets and click on Litefold T Line).  I have been rocking the same bright pink one since 2006.  I get plenty of comments on it.

Oh and by the way I put up a new FKT enroute... more on that later after I get all the journals up.

Echo Summit Challenge 2011

Long over due I have two trail running race reports to share here at FSTPKR.  The first race, the Echo Summit Challenge went well minus the fact that most of the entrants didn’t show due to a little rain in the forecast.  That is their loss as the rain made the running much cooler and it kept the dust down as well.  Ended up being a really pretty race course and one I would hope to run again if the field is a little deeper than just me.

Micro Monkey and I went up and checked out the course and aid stations a few weeks prior to the race and a write up of that is here.  I was glad we did this as it gave me an excellent idea of how to pace myself for this course.  It also gave me a good battle plan of how to break up the race and how to best make use of Micro Monkey who was kind enough to support me in this race.

Micro and I headed up to South Lake Tahoe the night before the race and shacked up in a Motel 6 there.  We where able to get off work early Friday night which allowed us to get settled in at the motel well before bed time.  Micro had found a really cool little pasta place that was a couple blocks away from our motel.  I have done really well recently getting a nice pasta dinner in me as a pre race meal.  We walked it back to our motel room and feasted on the excellent made to order pasta dinner.

After dinner I got on the roller and worked out some kinks in my back from the ride up in the car.  I had also taken my melatonin with dinner so my lids where feeling heavy as I worked my body over good for an hour with the roller.  I crawled into bed at 9:PM and it was lights out.

The next morning @ 5:AM I was up and getting my pre race meal together.  I like to get that meal in me a good 2.5-3hrs before lift off.  My pre race meal consists of a rice cake with almond butter spread on it and Hammer Caffe Latte Perpetuem mixed with soy milk (about a 16 oz drink).  I love the taste of the Caffe Latte flavor and it mixes well with soy milk.  After this quick breakfast it was back onto the roller for 45 minutes to work out any kinks I had developed sleeping on the soft motel bed.  I also did a little bit of stretching too.  Then it was time to get dressed for battle.  I couldn’t believe it but outside it actually looked like it was trying to rain a little.  I was unsure of what running gear I would need as Echo Summit is a little higher in elevation than South Lake.  I stuck with what had been working for me recently though and got on my spit shorts, Hammer Nutrition singlet, Hammer Nutrition brim and my trusty NB 101’s.  I wore some track pants over the tops of my shorts and a windbreaker over my singlet for warmth pre race.  I also dusted off my cojones and the inside of my thighs with Zeasorb powder.  I had been finding recently that the powder helped with chafe on the longer runs.

Out in the parking lot Micro and I where a well oiled machine.  We where packed and in the car in minutes.  I was amazed that it was actually looking pretty rainy up higher and it was attempting to drizzle as we left South Lake to drive up to Echo Summit.  I was thinking this would be to my advantage though as the temperature would be much cooler and the light rain would keep the dust down.

Up at Echo Lake Summit though, most of the entrants had second thoughts about racing in the rain.  I ended up being the only guy running the 20 mile distance and only 2 women where running the same race distance.  At first I started to have flashbacks of my first half marathon trail race where I was passed by the first place womens runner with only a couple miles to go to the finish line.  Women runners are definitely badasses, it just hurts Kruds delicate ego to keep getting beaten by them!  Since I was the only guy toeing the line at this race the women where joking with me that I would most certainly win.  I let them know that my race history was quite the opposite and we all got a good laugh out of that.  We waited a little past the start time to see if any stragglers might show up.  I quickly switched in to racing mode ditching the track pants and windbreaker.  I would toe the line in shorts and singlet today with my trusty Hammer Nutrition visor ready for sun or rain.  I took a quick lap out of the parking lot and up to the single track just to get a feel for the start of the race.  When I returned the race was ready to start.  It was an informal start, but I was racing against the clock as no one showed up to race against me in the mens field.

the start finish line is the crack

Once the RD said go I leaned into it and basically sprinted out of the parking lot.  I immediately opened up a gap on the field and everyone was laughing as I bounded up the first hill onto the single track.  I used to race mountain bikes (the cross country being my specialty) and the entire raced really came down to getting the hole shot in the first few seconds of the race.  The “hole shot” is when the race course narrows down to single track.  In mountain bike racing the first 10 people to get the hole shot are really the contenders in the race.  It is just too hard to pass 50 people to catch a person off the front who is cruising at full tilt unhindered.  I am approaching trail running with the same mindset.  Plus to me it is a huge mental advantage on a course I already know to be running off the front.

Now Micro and I had a battle plan for this race and it was in effect since the start.  Micro was going to hand off a water bottle to me at aid station 2 which is approximately 10 miles into the race.  This freed me up to run without anything in my hands.  It was working excellent as I went as hard as I could.  I honestly felt great from the start like I was floating up the first climb.  Knowing the course was a huge advantage too as I knew where I could really open it up and where to conserve energy for climbs on the return trip.  Once I crested the first climb up to Echo Summit Pass I put a match to it on the first downhills which where on old 2 track.  I bottomed out on the downhill and began a series of climbs and back onto single track.  This next segment of singletrack is some of the prettiest of the race course as it was so lush and green.  Lots of flowers blooming and a little foot bridge to run across a tiny creek.

I made it to the base of a decent climb and switched into low gear grinding up it.  I was so happy that the sun was hiding behind the clouds now as it was much cooler then when I had pre run it a few weekends ago.  I made much quicker work of this climb today and dug in as I crested the climb and back into some nice technical descent.  I recognized that I was coming into the 2^nd aid station ( I blew right through the first not even breaking stride) and let out a war whoop to Micro to let her know I was coming full steam.  She whooped back and I was happy to know she was in position.  I had to descend down into a ditch and climb back up the other side, which worked good as I climbed up onto the road not moving fast.  Micro got to running slightly in front of me and handed off my small handheld bottle perfectly.  I hardly had to slow up!  She yelled at me that I was looking good and to keep it up.  The volunteers at the aid station seemed a little thrown by me blowing through the aids like this and shouted at me down the trail asking if I was running the 20 miler.  Fortunately Micro answered this question for me as I was trying to get my first Hammer Gels into me and my first Endurolytes all sloshed down with Heed from my handheld.  I was able to do this with only needing to slow a little on a run.

kept on top of my hydration with my amphipod handhelds

After I got my hydration and fueling squared away it was time to dig in again.  The single track popped out onto a graveled road and I let it fly down a long downhill.  This was actually one of the sections of the race I knew to make time on.  As I approached the 3rd aid station I again surprised the volunteers manning it by blowing right through.  There was a short climb up to it then the course dumped back onto single track which was steep and overgrown.  Instead of breaking stride I was on top of my hydration and just blasted through.

I made it down to the base of Lovers Leap (a climbing area) and picked my way through the roughest tread of the trail.  I was able to dance a little further down than my training run, but finally I was reduced to a fast walk.  This section of trail looks like the bottom of a dry river, stone cobbles everywhere.  I had planned accordingly to push hard so that I would have time to descend this section safely.  There where a ton of climbers approaching the base of the climb and they all looked at me oddly as I went down the trail.  When I hit the campground I was on pavement for a brief moment and I opened it up again barreling down the road.

The RD (race director) mentioned a small re route over here in the summer home community of Strawberry.  He was worried that the race would be dangerous running into on coming traffic around blind corners.  Fine by me as it shortened the course slightly and made use of more single track vs. road running.  I had actually got lost over here when I was pre running the course so I knew exactly where this little re route was.  As I topped the climb up out of the summer homes I let out another one of my war whoops.  Micro answered me so again I had the confidence she was in place as I came into the aid station.  I quickly chucked my small handheld and again Micro was jogging out in front of me for the hand off of a larger handheld with a mix of Perpetuem and Heed with 2 more Hammer Gels in the pocket and some more Endurolytes too!  Again Micro kept me moving forward and I didn’t even need to break stride.

Right after this aid station the course grinds back up single track behind Lovers Leap.  I was already aware of the fact that this would be my second walk up of the race.  I switched into low gear and managed to get some more Hammer Gels in me and to start sipping on the Perpetuem/ Heed blend.  The climb actually went much faster than my pre run and when I topped out on the first leg of the climb I just switched into low gear and ran the last bit to the top.  As I topped out behind Lovers Leap I took in the view briefly and then descended carefully down the backside.

Once I got off the rocky outcrop behind Lovers Leap I opened it up again.  Unfortunately I almost blew out of an important turn in the trail.  I am glad I caught this as I was going so fast I actually went down the incorrect trail several steps before I could stop and make the necessary correction.  I definitely had to earn my win on the return trip back up to Echo Summit as I was generally climbing all the way back.  I wasn’t even feeling any fatigue yet (the Race Day Boost working wonders again) so I just dug in and kept up the full tilt pace.  I blasted through the 3^rd aid station again on the return and met Micro at the 2^nd aid station for my final hand off.  I had now switched back to my small handheld with Perpetuem/ Heed blend and got some more Hammer Gel in me and my last Endurolyte.  Micro was impressed at the pace I was moving and said she would see me at the finish.
 

climbing back up to Echo Summit

I did grab a small cup of water at the 1^st aid station on my way through.  Sometimes I just want water to balance out all the Heed and Perpetuem I was consuming.  What I can’t sip I just pour the rest over my head.  I was now beginning the last of the big climbs up to Echo Summit.  I switched into low gear for these, but in no means was I even near bottoming out energy wise.  Once I topped the last climb to the summit I let it rip one last time down the small descent into the parking area.  I looked at my watch and it looked like I might go under 3 hours on the course, but that wasn’t in the cards for me.  I definitely gave it my all though and the proximity to the 3 hour mark spurred me on all the way to the finish.

still sprinted to the crack (finish line)

The RD was definitely very supportive of my run even though I had no competition.  I appreciated that.  He was asking why I ran so fast, was I trying to go under 3 hours?  He also asked why I ran through all the aid stations too.  I explained this was all part of the game plan.  No awards or anything at this race, but I was satisfied with the excellent course, excellent showing, excellent weather and the satisfaction of a race ran well.  I will be that much more prepared to go under 3 hours when I find myself running this race again.  This was also the first time I have had dedicated support at a race and Micro Monkey did an excellent job.  I am actually pretty dead on with my splits at the aid stations so she has an idea of when I am coming through, and visiting all of the aid stations in advance helps too.  She saves me time, effort and distraction filling bottles coming into the aid stations.  Not breaking stride and being able to stay in a rythym works well for me too.  This gives team Krud Monkey a good idea of how to execute the Lake of the Sky Trail Run a few weeks after this race.  Huge shout to my sponsor Hammer Nutrition for helping me fuel properly for the race!  I don’t think I have ever felt better during competition in my entire life!  I also ran to the finish savoring my victory drink (Strawberry Recoverite), which helped me recover properly post race.  The race results may be viewed here.  By default I hold the course record at 3:04:59.

Recap on the gear worn and the fueling:

Clothing

Hammer Nutrition brim

Hammer Nutrition Singlet

Pear Izumi Infinity Split Shorts

Amphipod Race Lite Number Belt

New Balance MT 101’s

Anklet running socks

Hydraform Handheld Lite

Hydraform Handheld

Fueling

Hammer Perpetuem Latte and Orange Vanilla

Hammer Heed

Hammer Gel

Hammer Endurolytes

Hammer Race Day Boost

Black Panther Cubs on the FT with Tatu!

Suwanee River

12/19 7:AM

Tatu is busting miles out to get to St. Marks where he has his last resupply.  He has new shoes and pack in this next resupply which is good as he has a giant rip in his pack that he has been sewing and taping with duct tape.  He has really enjoyed walking along the Suwanee River.  His last few days have been monotonous walking through tree farms and rails to trails segments.  He had to walk a rail to trail segment to get around a recently closed section of trail.  He is trying to keep his mileage in the high 30’s.  He hasn’t had a 40 since early on in the trip walking in the Keyes, his highest mileage day being a 39.  He has been trying daily to get a 40, but some obstacle comes up every day that eats up time.  On top of that he only has 11 hours of day light to work with.  When he gets to St. Marks he has to flag down a boat to get across the river.  Problem is his schedule will put him at the river Friday night the 23^rd.  He might just try to get across the river Saturday morning.  He also only has a few hours to get his package Saturday at the Post Office.  This is shaping up to be tight time wise coming into St. Marks.  He was going to try to get there earlier, but the mileage isn’t working with him.  He is looking forward to walking through the St. Marks Refuge which he has heard good things about.  He will also be crossing the I-10 Freeway north of St. Marks (probably means more to thru hikers as several long distance trails cross the I-10 corridor: PCT, CDT and AZT to name a few).  He is looking at turning around on 12/3-12/4.  This would be a 33 day trip which puts him about 3 days behind schedule.  He does have a large storm rolling in though.  Depending on how bad the storm hits him this will affect his time turning around.  He is still having issues following blazes which are hard to see and when he does see them they are misleading.  The worst blazing is on roads.  If you aren’t on top of the map and FT paperwork you might lose a lot of time.  He is finding it hard to make time on the trail.

this bastard is about 2 1/2 inches wide and was all over it 2 minutes after I crawled inside

12/?

Tatu is almost at the end of his north bound journey on the FT.  He got a 43 mile day yesterday which is his first 40 since the Keys.  Today he is up 22 miles by noon.  He is finding he can put in better mileage days if he is up early while his eyes are fresh and he can make the blazes out better.  He is having a little bit of a shin issue for the last 300 miles, but nothing a little Advil and caffeine pills can’t fix.  He has been hiking as late as he can, which involves him walking until he is only making 2 MPH and it becomes monotonous before he looks for a camp.  Water has been a big issue in this section.  He has been walking a bunch of backcountry roads.  He hasn’t seen anyone navigating the roads though.  Tatu is finding that if he doesn’t pay close attention to the blazes on the roads though he is screwed.  He is pretty set on finishing 12/2-12/3.  He has gotten lucky with storm as it only brought a little mist.  It did get colder though.  One night he woke up freezing.  He ended up having to bail off the trail to hitch into town and pick up some thermals.  He felt stupid for having bounced his home earlier in the trip.  On top of that the only thermals available where cheap cotton ones.  He is also finding due to the recession many of his resupplies have been closed.  He was bummed the 1^st time he had to get into a car (as he hoped to do this trip without any mechanical advantage).  He ended up walking 3.5 miles into town and picking up a hitch back out.  Another issue is that he doesn’t have some of his resupply phone numbers and he can’t call them to verify hours or if they are even open or not.

a crystal clear lake in the middle of a limestone quarry

12/23

Tatu went through an 80 mile stretch with the worst water.  The water sources where basically just mud holes filled with filth.  Even the clear water tastes horrible.  He isn’t even sure you can filter these water sources.  Strangers really helped him out though.  Tree planters, hunters and power guys all gave him bottled water.  On top of that he lucked out and found a little tiny bottle of water un opened.  The last few days he has laid out some big miles: 41, 43 and today a 45.  He started today at 3:30 AM from a hunters tree stand.  He was worried the hunters may return and that he would freak them out.  At 5:AM he ended up getting on the wrong road.  Now he is 17 miles outside St. Marks.  He is actually looking good time wise to get into St. Marks in time to get his resupply.  He really needs this resupply as his pack is falling apart with a huge rip in it he has been milking for several miles now.  He worked really hard to make it to St. Marks at a good time as he has to take a ferry across the river.  He is exactly 1.5 days behind schedule now and doesn’t see pulling any more time of the NOBO leg of his journey to the rough trail north of St. Marks.  The hardest part of the FT is coming up which is Bradwell Swamp.

walking through marshes on Christmas Eve

12/24

Tatu called as he was leaving St. Marks his last resupply.  He has new shoes, shorts and pack!  He feels great!  He saw the most wildlife so far this morning.  He was seeing a ton of alligators and videoing them.  The all of a sudden right next to him the bushes started going crazy.  Two black panther babies came out looking for their mom and crying a bunch.  Tatu kept spinning in circles as he was concerned where the mom was.  Still 1.5 – 2 days behind schedule.  He is planning on ending his north bound journey of the trip on December 3^rd.  He has a really bad stretch coming up though, which is the trail around Bradwell Bay.

Merry Christmas from bone dry Bradwell Bay

12/25

Tatu wished everyone a Merry Christmas!  Unfortunately the phone cut in and out repeatedly.  What I could pick up though was that even though this section of trail was rough, he was digging it.

Updates from Tatu on the FT

Southern Terminus of Tatu's FT adventure

11/30 @ 3:30PM

The Florida Trail Databook is wrong and has put Tatu back 10 miles.  The databook follows the road mileage which is incorrect.  This mix up has caused Tatu to miss his first mail drop.  It is his last resupply before he starts the Florida Trail proper.  He is currently about 35 miles out from the beginning of the FT.  He thinks he will hit the FT @ noon on 12/2 to start his record attempt.

Tatu has enjoyed the first leg of the walk.  He is looking forward to walking this section through the Florida Keys on the return leg of his journey and hopes to see a bunch of the NOBO’s ( north bound FT hikers).  The pavement walking was brutal though.  First day he laid out a 43, then 42 miles day 2.  Day 2 though he started feeling sore from walking the pavement.  He then laid out a 38 mile day on day 3, but he was definitely hurting at the end of the day.  His fourth day on trail he was able to walk on the shoulder some which helped.

Good night from the Everglades

12/4 9:AM

12/2 12:35 Started the Florida Trail.  He has made it through the worst of the swamps in a day and a half.  He then picked up some more roadwalking.  He had an excellent walk through the swamps and shared them with many snakes.  Coming from the coast of California it was definitely a first for him.  Trudging 9 miles through waist deep water.  Tatu is an older guy and his eyesight isn’t the best any longer.  The orange blazes of the FT aren’t always that visible.  He finds himself hoping he sees the next blaze.  In a old burn he got lost off trail for about 3 hours.  He has been relying on his map and compass a ton.  It has been some of the roughest trail he has ever walked so far.  He said that Survivor guy Bear Grylls doesn’t have shit on him!  Now he is doing dirt road and had recently walked a section with a nice mix of pines and palms.  He is actually on the Miami Canal now and hopes to be at Lake Okeechobee tomorrow.  He is hoping over the next 4-5 days to pull at least a half day ahead of his itinerary.

Tatu went to take a dip this evening and a decent sized alligator popped up

12/10 10:AM

I was actually home this time Tatu called.  He sounds like he is definitely having an excellent time on trail.  He mentioned it is more of an adventure then a race track.  He has to constantly navigate via map and compass.  At one point he spent 3.5 hours just to go 5 miles.  If he was doing the trail again he would definitely do a southbound trip.  Today he was skirting Orlando on the trail.  He is doing the eastern alternate here instead of going to the west.  Tatu told me the eastern route is longer too.  Tatu is staying on the true FT the entire way.  The biggest issue affecting his mileage is the short days.  There is about a 12 hour window of daylight he has to work with.  From what Tatu was able to research before beginning his trip the FKT is between 40-45 days.  He shouldn’t have any issues coming in well under that.  Water has been an issue too.  He is using a straw to filter the water he is drinking.  He also saw his first boar yesterday!

if it wasn't for the cobwebs Tatu would swear he is walking in circles

12/?

Tatu is pulling in on his miles a little, but he definitely has to give it his all to get a 38 mile day in.  Main factor working against him is the short days.  He definitely has to stay on top of keeping his gear dry from the condensation.  He is usually walking in the morning with tons of gear hanging off the pack so that it dries.  The thorns have been really bad, and the thorns on are on the grass that he has been walking through daily.  He has a tiny blister on the back of his heel about the size of a dime.  He hacked part of the inside of the heel out of the shoe.  He is wearing gators on this trip and glad to have them for all the thorns and weeds.  Yesterday he walked in weeds past his knees all day.  The stems were bad where they had recently mowed for 12 miles which slowed him down.  He is happy to be getting his first new pair of shoes in his next resupply.  3 more days to those new kicks.  So far things are going good for him, he is staying relaxed and saving his energy so he has enough to turn around.  He really doesn’t have any ones time to beat so it isn’t weighing heavy on him currently.  The bugs have been bad lately, it sounds like a war going on constantly.  They are around his head going “WHHHHRRRRR RRRRR RRRRR RROWWWW” non stop going through the swamps.  The sierra have nothing on Florida as far as bugs go.  It has been wearing on him mentally having to deal with them non stop.  Even the locals say it is bad this year.

12/?

Tatu has now dropped 17-25 miles behind his itinerary.  Nothing bad, but he can’t navigate at night in the rough terrain.  Going in and out of the woods, then swamps, then grasslands.  Very little tread and very little trail work.  The only nights he can make up some time are nights where he ends on a road.  Still hoping to post a low 30 record, and not worried since the record he is attempting to beat is 45 days.  He just hopes he can keep the NOBO leg of his yo yo under 35 days so he has enough time to turn around.  He has a job opportunity he doesn’t want to miss.  He is still having fun though and highly recommends the trail.  It is definitely worthwhile for all the wildlife he has been seeing: armadillos, snakes, skunks, boar, alligators and tons of birds.  More wildlife than on any other trail he has walked so far.  Some of the birds are huge, the size of pterodactyls.  He has also seen a ton of carnage.  Today he saw 3 dead hawks.  He has been video taping the wildlife encounters.  So far he has seen every critter except the puma or the bear.  He has seen a ton of bear scat, but no bears yet.  He is amazed that bears live in the swamps.  This evening he is in a really cool camp in Hickory Hammock.  This area is his favorite so far on trail.  This stretch is about 100 miles long with only 8 miles of road walking.  The vegetation goes from pines to palms to hickory stands to swamp to grassland with just enough swamp to soak your feet and piss you off.  Going through the swamps have been some of the biggest adventures of his life.  Where he is tonight the area is about half underwater most of the year.

12/?

Tatu is now in a section where there is finally some decent tread and he has been able to put in some good miles, many 38’s.  It is good and has put him back in a good mindset.  (Unfortunately much of this message Tatu’s phone was cutting in and out)

12/?

Crazy people out on the trail!  He stumbled into some raccoon hunters who started yelling at him, “Hey boy! You boy with the light! Come here!”  They ended up following Tatu by parrelling him on a road while he walked the single track.  They kept yelling at him while he darted down the trail while holding his handheld light low so as not to be detected easily.  He has a new Coleman flood lamp he has been using at night and that has definitely helped increase his daily mileage recently.  It really lights up the trail good at night and he doesn’t mind how much battery it eats up as long as he can navigate at night.  Killer!  He is definitely looking at a 33-35 day NOBO on the trail.  The last few nights have been really cold on trail with dew.  The days have been hot so a extreme difference between the night time lows and the day time highs.  He is now traveling without a foam matt and he is relying on raking up thick beds of duff to sleep on to stay warm.  He has also been setting up both his bug shelter and his tarp for warmth at night.  He is now entering the northern part of Florida and he expects it to get colder as he continues north.  Tatu is now thinking he will finish the NOBO leg of his FT yo yo on or around 12/1 (New Years) or 12/2.

Rails to Trails segment around Lake Butler

FKT action on the FT with TATU JOE!!!

Florida Trail route

FKT action in winter? Yeah, why not. This November/ December finds Tatu Joe on the Florida Trail attempting a yo-yo of the trail and a new Unsupported Speed Record as well. Some folks who follow FSTPKR may not be aware of Joe Kisner/ “Tatu Joe”.  I first met Tatu Joe in 2006 on the PCT which was my first thru hike of the trail or of any magnitude for that matter. I had already become aware of Scott Williamson through one of his slide shows here in Truckee, CA. 2006 was to be Binks (Scott Williamson) 2^nd successful yo yo of the PCT. A yo yo by the way is to walk a trail from its beginning to end, then turn around and return to your starting point. This time though Scott was to hike with a friend of his, Tatu Joe. Tatu Joe lives in Huntington Beach, CA and is a surfer and ultra runner to boot. I will never forget this first encounter with Tatu and Bink as it has had a direct impact on where I would take my long distance hiking.

Tatu Joe and Bink PCT 2006

I remember I was camped just north of Cajon Pass, CA and had already broke camp and was walking when I heard folks talking below me on trail. Tatu up and moving before Bink had passed my buddy Stormin' Norman behind me on trail. I had a feeling this was Tatu as I was acutely aware of his and Bink's yo yo attempt and their start date. I had a hunch they would be catching up to me in this section. Sure enough it was Joe, but he was ahead of Bink. I ended up hanging with Joe for a while and hearing about his adventure so far. Bink caught up with us near a side trail down to a spring house. I ended up walking with Bink and Tatu after this and they encouraged me to hike and camp with them. I was blown away at the end of the day when Bink took over the lead and surged ahead on the climb over Baden Powell. There is a ton of short steep climbs in this section causing me to slow my pace. Finally I caught back up to Bink after he had long since stopped and was in camp for the night.

Tatu Joe charging off the front PCT 2006

Next morning before dawn, in the dark I heard Tatu rustling in his campsite. I was kind of taken back a few minutes later to see him taking off in the dark. Later once the sun had come up Bink came by my camp asking if I had seen Joe take off earlier. I mentioned I had, but now looking at the trail realized that he had gone on a side trail, possibly mistaking it for the PCT. In the end that was what happened.

That was 2006. In 2007 Tatu would return to the PCT to claim the unsupported speed record. Tatu put up a time of 79 days 21 hours and 42 minutes. Tatu kept a detailed account of this trip here. 2008 Tatu was back out on the PCT again and he was walking with Bink too. Tatu and Bink put up a strong time of 71 days 2hrs 41 minutes. I hadn't looked at these numbers recently, but they are distinctive in that this is the first big jump for the hikers.

Tatu Joe @ the Lost Boys 50 Miler

Since 2008 Tatu has run several ultra races and has continued to long distance hike. Most recently he walked the Appalachian Trail in 2010. This winter Tatu has a break between jobs and he has decided to put up the first unsupported speed record on the trail and hopefully to do it fast enough he has time to turn around and walk back south.

Tatu and the Big K!

Tatu will be the first to yo yo the Florida Trail and also the first to put up a unsupported speed record if all goes well. Tatu details some info on his 2,585 mile journey here on his blog. His time frame for this trip is to start in Key West on 11/26 and arriving at the northern terminus on New Years Eve. He plans to be back in Key West on the 1^st of February.

Tatus Jammy Pack for the FT

There is also a detailed discussion of the gear he is using for this record attempt here. I will have live updates from Tatu shortly and will post those as they come in. I am looking forward to following Tatus adventure while at work during the crazy retail holiday season. At least Tatu will help me keep the fire going through the holidays!

Some of Tatus gear

Hanging in Virginia City

Hanging in Virginia City,and trying to catch my breath after climbing up Six Mile Canyon. Decided to short cut this way as I got tired of bucking the headwind. One more climb to the top of Geiger Summit then downhill into Reno.

That was hands down the steepest grade I climbed on the entire route!  I survived it though.  I pedaled over to a gas station and got a bottle of water just so I would have enough to get me down into Reno.  Crazy to think after 1,300 miles I am now just an hour or so away from home.  I have gone nearly full circle.

V is for Virginia City

After the brief break in VC to catch my breath it was time to pedal the rest of the way to the top of the climb up Gieger Grade.  Tons of traffic out it being a weekend and all, and of course people driving like idiots.  This road has plenty of shoulder on it, but people still need to come as close to me as possible without yielding any road.

fun bombing down Geiger Grade

Fortunately on the top I timed it good to bomb down the west side without a bunch of traffic around me.  I descended confidently spinning out my highest gear.  Again it was time to play the game of descending all the way to the bottom without using my breaks.  This time I succeeded.  I leaned the bike hard into several of the tight turns.  Good fun bombing down this steep section.

I stayed to the East of HWY 395 here following Veterans Parkway

Down at the bottom of the climb I made my way onto familiar roads that I trained on all summer.  I had a decent bike lane to follow here which was nice as it was overwhelming riding with city folks all of a sudden.  I decided to take another short cut off McCarran onto Lakeside vs climbing to the top of McCarran and bombing down Skyline back to my home.  I was feeling like I had covered plenty of miles and didn't need to throw in one additional climb.

bagged the last climb up McCarran to Skyline and took Lakeside all the way home instead

As I rolled into my driveway at home I thought back on the 1,300 miles I had just covered point to point from my front door.  Pretty crazy and I definitely know the road better than I would having drove the same route.

elevation profile for return leg from Nampa to Reno

Couldn't believe it was actually trying to rain

the ride near Stagecoach, NV

Couldn't believe it was actually trying to rain this morning in Fallon. I made the correct choice getting a room as I didn't have to break camp in the rain. I was able to wait out the rain in my motel room. I enjoyed the shade though this morning. I am now in Stagecoach, but heading into a pretty solid headwind. Got about another 30 miles to go to Carson City. Looking forward to rounding the bend. Might make it home tonight.

This morning in Fallon it was trying to rain out.  I decided to stay put and drink hot tea and eat danishes.  Around 9AM it started to clear up to the west as the storm moved east.  It was a good call to get a room as it meant I could leave town dry for the possible final push home to Reno.

good shoulder finally on the west side of Fallon

Fortunately the shoulder on HWY 50 finally widened quite a bit to the point where I had an entire lane all to myself.  Traffic was pretty light on HWY 50, but I was pedalling into a stiff headwind.  I decided to take my helmet off which I can clip just so on top of my handle bar bag.  It rides really nice here and I found myself doing this on steep climbs or lonely sections of roads where my speed was quite low.

pedaled near the shore of Lahontan Reservoir

I saw a new store in Stagecoach, NV that had a nice front porch on it with tables out front.  I pedaled over to here and purchased some ice tea to go with my left over pizza.  The folks who ran the store where quite nice and definitely interested in where I had been riding.

Stagecoach, NV

Out front I enjoyed my left over pizza in the shade and sucked down plenty of iced tea.  The wind was still pretty stiff out of the west and I started to think about branching off my intended route into Carson City and head up to Virginia City instead.

shortly after Dayton I turned onto Six Mile Canyon Road

Back out on HWY 50 the wind made up my mind for me.  I could see the large V for Virginia City up on the east side of the Virginia Range.  I had an option of continuing on from this point into Carson City, then back to Reno on old HWY 395.  Or I could head up Six Mile Canyon the back way into Virginia City from Dayton, then down off the front of Geiger Grade into Reno.  I decided to do the Six Mile Canyon alternate as it would cut off some miles, save me bucking a headwind and allow me to explore another road I have been eye balling for a while.

climbed up to Virginia City via Sixmile Canyon Road

The climb up Six Mile was a good choice.  It was quite scenic pedaling along the canyon bottom with the cottonwoods providing ample shade.  There where some of the steepest short climbs of the entire trip on this road and I was just hoping I could keep the momentum going.  Surprisingly enough I made it all the way up the canyon with out stopping, although my chain was starting to skip near the top.  I am sure it is stretched pretty good after about 2,000 miles riding on the same chain.  Near the top I saw a heard of wild horses lumbering through the neighborhoods.