07/10/2011: Actually stayed on the Hardrock race course though I didn't know it! I ran along the lower trail to Arrastra Gulch, then turned the sharp right onto the climbing road. After a short steep climb one passes the first old steel tower holding up an old mining tram system. <100' feet after the tower I went straight. It started to go downhill then slowly up to the crossing of Arrastra Creek (there were pieces of piping around like the description said). I was not sure this was the race course so I turned around. I was right though and should have crossed! I went back to the tower and continued up the road (marked as a pack trail on the quads) to the Legal Tender Mine, then turned around. Forgot to mention that I started at OB's trailer. 0:33 total to sharp right and ascent to Arrastra Basin but 0:26 probably from Hardrock start. 1:34, 7.3 miles, 900' vert
Kamm Traverse. Looking toward Porcupine Creek and Putnam.
Looking up toward Grant-Swamp Pass from Island Lake Basin.
Joel Zucker's Memorial on Grant-Swamp Pass.
Island Lake from Grant-Swamp.
Looking down Swamp Creek to Chapman and up to Oscar's Pass on the Ridgeline.
07/12/2011: Ran the section of the Hardrock Hundred race route including the Kamm Traverse to a short section of Ice Lake Trail, then up to Island Lake Basin and topping out at Grant-Swamp Pass. This was another beautiful section of the run with a very dramatic pass to ascend. At the top was Joel Zucker's plaque, a nice place to stop, take in the views and take some pictures. I could see all the way down to the Chapman AS site and up to Oscar's Pass. Many of the sections I walked because they were too steep to efficiently run. Near the top of the pass the trail went straight up loose 35 degree scree with mud in it. I ran up from the start of Kamm Traverse where it intersects with the South Mineral Creek Road to the top of Grant-Swamp in 1:20. I ran back in 0:47. For future reference the HRH route continues on the S. Mineral Creek road for 0.2 miles or so before descending down to the Mineral Creek Crossing and ascending up Porcupine Creek. The cruxes of this section that I ran will be in catching the junctions with the Ice Lake Trail. One is only on the Ice Lake Trail for one real switchback and one broad corner traversing around a hump. 2:07, 6.5 miles, 2,000' vert.
Looking up toward Red Mountain Pass.
The ledge running.
Beautiful singletrack up Bear Creek Canyon.
07/14/2011: Today was another Hardrock recon day. Started by running down to the green gate in the Hardrock course description from the tunnel on 550. Then I ran the meat of the run up the Bear Creek Trail to trail 242, then up to Oh Point on Engineer. From the course description it appears to be 7.7 miles one-way but I probably got a little extra. The Bear Creek Trail will go into my list of best quality runs! What made it so classic was that there were four distinct sections on this run: The lower switchbacks, the ledge running, the meadow traversing, and the wide open basin running. These sections together made for a run with lots of character.
Stream crossing up South Fork Bear Creek.
South Fork Bear Creek Basin. Trail 242 runs up to Engineer Pass and Oh Point.
The things to take note of for future attempts at Hardrock:
The trail description should read like this for the section between the tunnel and the gate: descend from the parking lot down to the old Mears grade. Take a right onto this (there really isn't any other choice). Stay on it for several hundred feet then drop right down a steep singletrack trail to the river's edge. Contour the river for several hundred feet then climb up a steep, faint singletrack trail to the Mears grade again. Stay on this for a several hundred feet and drop right down another steep trail to the dam road. Take a right and head past the Ice Park Trail about a half mile to the green gate.
So far the other sections have been more accurate.
Splits to remember 0:19 from tunnel to green gate (with routefinding), 0:16 back to tunnel, 1:40 from tunnel to 242, 0:44 on 242 to Oh Point, 0:43 from Oh to 242, 0:54 from 242 to tunnel again. 4:48 total elapsed time, 15.4 miles, 5,000' vert.
07/16/2011: Ran the Turquoise Lake Trail from the dam to the pavement of May Queen and back. A good run! 2:17, 12.0+ miles, 400' vert maybe. Hard to tell.
Weekly Summary: 41.2 miles, 9,400' vert. Hardrock Course Reconned: 17%
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