The Pemi Loop

Like most of my long runs I try to schedule them for days with good weather. I check the weather forecast daily until a day with sun and pleasant temps is forecast. As the day approaches I check for updates on the weather almost hourly in anticipation for the optimal time to run.

I like the idea of running the Pemigewasset Loop on my Birthday - June 7th. This would be my 31st birthday and some mileage estimates put the Pemi Loop's mileage at 31. It seemed appropriate. The weather forecast made it look possible right up through the the evening of June 6th. At 5:30am on the anniversary of my birth I woke up, checked the forecast one last time, and was shocked out of bed by possibilities of rain and thundershowers. Just 5 hours earlier it had been sun and nice temperatures for running.

I rushed out of bed and out the door without eating. I felt like grabbing something on the way would be more time efficient as I would need every minute possible of daylight if the weather were to be rainy. Rain makes for slick footing in New England. The algae and moss that grows on rocks making up the trail becomes slippery the second it become wet. It causes a person with a conservative running style to slow down dramatically. I was running alone and needed to be running conservatively.

Running along the Pemigewasset River.

I arrived, clothed and prepped myself, and was on the trail for 8:00am. I had chosen to do the loop the counter-clockwise way, running the 4.7 mile section of abandoned rail first, rather than at the end of a long climbing day. I covered it quickly and was starting the climb up my first climb (Bondcliff 4265') within 49 minutes of departure. I was struck by how nice the Bondcliff trail actually was once it really started to ascend. Below that one steep section the trail was washed out and loose and slow going. It would have been much easier to descend. Probably why many folks do the traverse in the opposite direction.

Looking back at Bondcliff from Bond.

The summit of Bondcliff was pleasantly exposed. I had hiked this peak about a decade ago but could did not remember it. It was probably socked in that day. The run up to Bond (4698') went well. The weather was holding in there and I could see all of the peaks of the loop were not shrouded in clouds at all. Still I quickened my pace. In the mountains sometimes speed is safety.

A nice view from Galehead Hut.

The trail took a lot of concentration to keep up a strong pace. If I let my mind start to zone out into daydream land (a place I usually like to go on trail runs) I would slow my pace to a quick walk. I kept having to remind myself to step it up. The trail junctions came and went and soon I was at the summit of South Twin (4902') looking down the 1,100', 0.8 mile decent to Galehead Hut. The decent went slower than I had imagined. much of the ledge was steep and very slick, causing me to stop often and figure the best moves down to the next island of safety. It was slow going and I arrived at the Galehead Hut at 4:11 elapsed time some 15 miles into the 31.9 mile traverse.

I filled up on the only water that does not need to be treated and hit the trail again, noting the darkening clouds and intermittent sprinkles threatening to ruin my mood. There is one place on the loop I would consider bailing out to avoid a storm. Taking the Franconia Brook Trail would be only slightly shorter than running the remainder of the ridge but it would take me to the valley floor and level out - a much safer place in a thunder storm. By my appointed bail out point I had heard no thunder but the rain had dampened my mood a little. The decision to continue was difficult. If I continued out the Garfield Ridge there was nowhere to go but to the exposed summit of Lafayette (5260') or turn around. The turn around would make my run much longer but easier. I didn't like the thought of having to turn around. Still I made the decision to run the ridge and I am glad I did.

My memory of the Garfield Ridge Trail was that it was a lonely, long and rough stretch of trail. Of these only the rough seemed accurate on this day. Hikers came with great regularity through this section and time passed relatively quickly. Before I knew it I was running up the six false summits of Lafayette. Thank goodness I had remembered the false summits as I would have been mentally drained by the time I had finally gained the summit if I had not.

Looking down at Greenleaf hut (on the left)

and the top of Cannon Cliff to the right of it.

Looking back at Garfield Ridge in the middle of a shower.

Franconia Ridge.

I had one last shower on the flanks of Lafayette and then the sun came out for my cruise of the Franconia Ridge. It couldn't have been better timed. The concentration of people is much higher on the Franconia Ridge and I passed people left and right on my gradual descent by Lincoln (5089'), Liberty (4459'), and Flume (4328'). It was nice seeing people on my Flume as it marked the end of the summits and the start of my final decent. They were doing the Presi Traverse the following week and were out doing a training hike. We had some good laughs over very little and parted.

The decent down the Osseo Trail was painful but I was happy to finally drop out onto the Lincoln Woods trail for the final flat run out to the truck. I ran at a 7:45 pace for the last 1.5 miles to the truck and hit the stop on my stopwatch - 10:26.

Presidential Traverse

I spent last week monitoring several weather forecasts, looking for a day that would have sun and warm temperatures. Being in New England, I really would have just settled for a partial day of sun, but I was indeed rewarded with what would be a beautiful day on Friday, June 1st. I booked a spot on the hiker shuttle, the first day of operation for the 2012 season and was able to wake up at the reasonable time of 5:30 in order to make the shuttle at 9:00am.

The "short bus" used by the Appalachian Mountain Club as the shuttle was full of backpackers heading for various huts  and campsites in the Presidential range. I enjoyed listening to the chatter in the back of the bus filled with hiking oneupsmanship, excessive pride, and the comparison of gear. Pretty sterotypical conversation for Northeasterners in the mountains.

A little after 10:00 am I was dropped off and immediately I started my watch and took off up the Valley Way Trail.

The one-day Presidential Traverse is a rite of passage for me each season. About a decade ago it was the crown jewell of my summer. I would train for it and somewhere in the middle of July I would attempt the hike with a small group of friends. I seem to remember hiking it in times ranging between 14 and 17 hours. Our route always included Mt. Jackson (4052') and Webster (3910') at the end which not all people include in their traverse.

After living the Outward Bound life for several years in Colorado I came back to New Hampshire with a new love of trail running and naturally this led me back to the Presidential Traverse. Last year I ran it for my first time in a time of 9:10 during a return visit from Colorado. My blood was rich and the uphills didn't cause my cardiovascular system much stress. This year my blood was not so thick, but my overall climbing condition was much better. I was interested in seeing how much better.

Looking north along the ridge toward Mt. Clay.

My first indication that things were better was when I hit the lap button at the top of Mt. Madison (5366') at 1:35 taking 17 minutes off my fastest ascent of Madison. I continued to wrack up time a few minutes at a time as I ticked off the summits one by one. Adams (5799'), Jefferson (5716'), and Clay (6288'). I arrived at the high point of the traverse, Mt. Washington (6288'), in 4:24 having completed the longer half of the traverse. I lost a little time on the ascent of Washington having taken a wrong turn next to the cog railway tracks. This added a little mileage to the journey and caused me to lose my mental edge for a bit.

Summit of Mt. Washington.

At Mt. Washington I had traversed 11.6 miles with 7250' of climb over what is essentially just talus. I was looking forward to the next half which was mostly downhill and had greater sections of singletrack trail, much more runnable.

Lakes of the Clouds hut below 

Mt. Washington.

I arrived at Lakes of the Clouds Hut with no water. I wasted no time in filling my bottles and getting back out for the immediate short, steep climb up to the summit of Monroe (5372'). From Monroe it is a long downhill to the col before Eisenhower. The trail was in good condition and I floated along day dreaming all the way to the the push up to Eisenhower (4760').

Looking south from Monroe.

It gave me a chance to think about why I had loved this traverse so much. It does have a variety of terrain: talus in the Northern Presis, Singletrack in the Southern. Much of it is exposed, but some (mainly from Pierce to Webster) is in the trees. There are huts perfectly spaced for water and human interaction. There are just enough people traveling the trails so that one doesn't get lonely - unless it is a busy day when one might be annoyed with the numbers of people. The views are tremendous. The drop off some of the ridges is striking as you run along the top. And last, but not least, the traverse is a great physical challenge. There is something almost spiritual about the Presidential traverse for me. All of the above mention create one holistic experience as I run through the wind and the rock.

But enough of that hippy shit.

The run from Eisenhower to Pierce included more quality singletrack. The trees, their growth stunted to just above head-high, offered some protection from the slight breeze and sun. Come to think of it, I have rarely been above treeline in the Presidentials without it being very windy. It goes to show how unique weather-wise this day was.

The climb up to Pierce (4310') went well, as did the descent to Mizpah Spring Hut. It went very quickly from this point on. I was astounded as to how easy the running was in the southern Presidentials. Maybe it speaks to my condition this year, but the last 6 or so miles went by quickly. It felt like I was arriving at the next summit just as I was leaving the last one. Having the splits helped me in this regard as I could look at my watch and just expect to go about 30 minutes more to the next checkpoint. I wasn't watching my altimeter like usual so I didn't feel as though it was taking forever. Mount Jackson (4052') and Mount Webster (3910') were pleasant runs through the woods. I kept expecting to run into the ass of a moose along the extremely windy trail but, luckily, it never happened. Visibility on this type of trail is generally no more than 20 feet and chugging along at even a fast powerhike can lead to some great surprises.

The descent down Webster is tough only because the footing is strange. The ledges caused me to stop and ponder the best line often. The trail descends quickly until the final 1.4 miles throw in a few "F You" hills. I was expecting them and cruised them with ease. The trail spit me out in Crawford Notch with my overall time being 8:31. I had sprinted to make 8:30 but missed it by 1 minute. Regardless this is my new PR for the Presi Traverse, leverage for my confidence in finishing Hardrock. Bring it on!

By the numbers: 11 peaks (including Clay and Franklin), 9,000' of climb, ~24 miles, 8:31.

Training Log May 13- June 02, 2012

 Standing on bald ol' Moosilauke looking toward the 

heart of the White Mountains

 View from the Beaver Brook Shelter.

May 13-19, 2012 - 35.3 miles in 3 runs. Did a four-day fastpacking trip to the Moosilauke-Kinsman region of the White Mountains (NH). Two of the days of this trip were included in this week's mileage while a rest day and another run were included in next week's. Long run was an 21 mile, 7,000' of climb, 9,000' descent, out and back summiting Moosilauke (4,802') twice and then running out the Kinsman Ridge Trail across route 112. Scared a cub (bear) up a tree while descending the Glencliff Trail. I quickly pulled my camera out, took one step into the woods, and then thought "What am I doing?" I didn't stick around to snap any pictures or find out where momma really was. 10,150' of climb for the week.

Looking down Pillsbury ridge to Lovewell (2,473')

in the upper left.

May 20-26, 2012 - 39.3 miles in 4 runs. Long run was a 21.6 mile run with 5,000' of climb that I have wanted to do for a while. I was dropped off in Washington, NH by my parents on the way to the family cottage. I then ran the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway to its terminus on Mount Sunapee (2,743'), traversing Lovewell Mountain, Pillsbury State Park ridge, and Sunapee State Park ridge. I added a lap on the ski trail Wingding and descended the Goshen Trail, ending at the family cottage and a swim in the pond. It started as a hot steamy day, but the temps, humidity and beautiful breeze on the ridge made for pretty good running. At least until I ran out of food about an hour out. I was in rough shape when I finished. 11,050' of climb for the week.

May 27-June 02, 2012 - 41 miles in 3 runs. Long run was ~24 miles with 9,000' of climb in one of my favorite runs in the Northeast: The Presi Traverse. I'll save the run commentary for a post of its own because I set a new PR in this running. 12,500' of climb for the week.

It has been a wild couple of weeks (in more ways than one). The level of my training has increased and is going really well. My weekly mileages and especially my weekly vertical is much better preparation for Hardrock. The increased mileage has brought me some beautiful runs with phenomenal views and wildlife encounters. My wildlife sightings have included the bear cub listed above, 1 moose on the trail, 2 moose sightings in the car (one of which was with a calf), turkeys, porcupine on the trail during a night run (Wapack Trail several weeks ago), Garter snakes, many wood ticks, black flies, and mosquitoes.

I have to say that I am feeling pretty good about my training for Hardrock. While weekly elevation totals just over 10,000' might not seem like all that much at a glance I am doing the bulk of my elevation on climbs with grades that fall between 750' to 1,600' per mile. Recent notable climbs have been at Sunapee on the front side ski trails and the Beaver Brook Trail on Moosilauke. The Sunapee ski trails offer 1000' of climb in 0.6 miles and I have been averaging 20 minutes per climb and 8 minutes per descent. Four laps the other day gave me a good workout. Climbing the Beaver Brook Trail to the shelter offered 2,000' of climb in 1.5 miles, climbing next to cascades almost the entire way. It took me 0:42 to get to the shelter. I am stoked to have this level of training under me and am looking forward to more gnarly training runs in the next few weeks!