Does anyone know how to make it so the "blogs I'm following" in my reading list is just posted on the blog? Before realizing that I don't know how to do this I deleted my entire list of links. Dumb! Here are some more pictures from camp. They were taken by Melissa. She's the hot chica in the pink tank top and red shorts. I like how in the first picture I look bright pink in comparison to the tan Californians.

Camp Report

the Devil's Thumb

Leslie and Meghan

WARNING: this blog post is pretty lame and reflects how tired I still am. The formatting is all wonky and there's little content of interest. I'm sorry.

This past weekend I went to California for Western States training camp. I went to camp last year and had a lot of fun. This year was even funner! I had fun hanging out with friends and running and running and eating and all that and a bag of chips.

Leslie on the bus!
I flew into Sacramento Friday night and drove to Auburn where I met a bunch of awesome folks for dinner at Olde Towne Pizza. We shared some pizza and beers before heading to Foresthill where we would camp for the weekend.
Saturday we ran from Robinson Flat to Foresthill, which is roughly miles 30-62 in the race. I volunteered to help "sweep" which meant I had to stay behind the last runner. This was an excellent exercise in patience and time on my feet. I'm slow but this was slow!!! It was pleasant though and I was in good company. Afterwards there were burritos and Gordy Ainsleigh.
The next day we ran from Foresthill to the river, which is the next section of the course, and finally on Monday we ran Green Gate to the finish. It's great training and a great chance to see the course.

Monday night we (me and Leslie) stayed with Jennifer and Travis, who are so awesome and generous hosts, then I flew home early Tuesday. REALLY early. That wasn't so awesome!!!

Frankly, camp was one big blur. Such a great time and difficult to report on since I'm still a bit fatigued. All in all though I highly recommend camp to anyone who enjoys ultrarunning -- it's not just for people running the race!!!

Spring has Sprung!

On Saturday Ted and I enjoyed our first hike in the Park of the season -- a trip up to Apgar Lookout. This hike treated us to views of Lake McDonald and the outer boundary of the Park. The snow was largely melted though the top -- or above 5,000 feet -- was still snowy.

We then bottled our IPA, which will be conveniently ready just in time for Western States, and stuffed our faces. A very pleasant weekend! Now I'm all excited to go to CAMP (!!!) next weekend where I will be joined by all sorts of cool folks including Leslie in Banff and Meghan in Yosimite! I will also be joined by the awesome Leslie Antonis! And there will be many others. I can't wait for camp!!!



A Crossfit workout last week. Deadlifts and then sprints. I'm takin' off in the above photo and deadlifting below.


both photos were lifted from Buf without his permission. Hopefully he won't mind.

MUSIC

A blog I dig (Melissa Byers' Crossfit Blog) asked people to select their one single favorite Crossfit-doing-song and I've been checking out peoples' choices and having a lot of fun doing it but have exhausted the suggestions there. So, stealing from her, if you had to pick one song for running or exercise, you know, a song that picks you up when you need it, what song would it be? Well, ok, pick your top 3. It's probably too hard to pick one.

This blog allows anonymous comments so you can share without identifying yourself if you're embarassed or just don't want me to know that you read my blog. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm begging for more tunes! Think of it as helping me out since I'm working on my Western States playlist. Which is probably just as important as the training really. I promise your choices will go on my playlist. So, if you really just want to torture me, here's your chance.

I'll start. Lately, I've been running to (and enjoying):

1) Let the Drummer Kick -- Citizen Cope

2) Crystal -- New Order

3) Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon

I'm going to be bummed if no one plays along. Just so you know.

I will leave you with Ted Bread. I think he bakes really pretty bread. It's nice to have a husband who bakes from scratch. That's a boy who was raised right!

BEARS!!!

On my long run yesterday I ran into a (black) bear family! A mama and some cubs and I think another bigger adult looking bear. One of the cubs was blonde! My picture isn't very good since I had already begun backing away but you can sort of see the blonde cub - click on the picture to enbiggen it. That was exciting. And my first bear sighting since moving to Montana. Although mama bear started slowly walking towards me, I was able to get out of sight and then sprint down the hill I was on. They didn't follow me and all ended well, other than the fact my planned route had to be changed dramatically, thus resulting in a relatively boring 30 miler.

I had planned to run to Eric and Krista's lake house at Rogers Lake, and I still could have made it, but the mileage was going to be on the long side. Instead, Ted and I met at the Cottage in Kila and he drove me to Rogers Lake. We had a nice evening and burned a cake. It seemed like the thing to do with the rest of the ginormous Costco chocolate cake that we'd pigged out on.

Finally, I wanted to post a picture of the nice present Chris' kids gave me when I left Sacramento after Diablo. Chris' daughter is a duct tape artist and I'm thinking I ought to give it a try myself :-)

The best gift ever. I mean, bright green duct tape. Who knew you could buy so many colors of duct tape! I will treasure it.

Question about race nutrition...

Cheryl, who is pacing/crewing for me at Western States, is in school to be a dietician and will be helping out at WS with the hyponatremia study stuff. She is helping workout what type of information they might be able to get from us guinea pigs, and is wondering:

-- how well do you plan out your race-day (and pre-race) nutrition? Do you specifically plan out how much sodium or sports drink you will take in/how much water/how many calories/what calories?

-- do you keep track of this during the race, and if so, how? Do you think your crew would be willing to track this information in a log? Is this something you already ask them to do? (Rhetorically speaking, even if you're not racing anytime soon, does this sound within the realm of reasonable or not?)

Do you wing it or plan? I'm not a planner and yet I definitely don't wing it. That said, I hadn't planned on preparing a spreadsheet or anything. But I suspect that Cheryl might :-)

So, what is your plan? How have you devised it? Too many questions?

DIABLO 50 -- Race Report
aptly named race!

On Sunday I ran the Diablo 50 which is held on/near/around Mt. Diablo near Clayton, CA (which is somewhere between Oakland and Sacramento). I chose this race due to the timing – far enough in advance of Western States to give me time to fix whatever weaknesses would be highlighted – and due to the fact that it’s a PCTR event – which meant I would get to see RD Sarah Spelt, who is one of those most wonderful people I’ve ever met ever. Some people just radiate enthusiasm, positivity and kindness in a way that sets them above and apart from the rest of us. Sarah is one of those people. Can’t say enough good about Sarah. I also got to visit my friend Chris O’Connor and his family, who are collectively a great group of folks. And, I got to see many other fabulous folks whom it is a rare pleasure to see. As you might be noticing, I was viewing this weekend in California as a vacation and hug-fest more than a race.

(left to right = Chris, Sarah, Keith, Me)

(Chris and green and blue!)

(wild poppies)

(the race start -- Chris pointing out the line of ant-people in the distance)

I knew in my mind that this was a tough course, and that it was going to be a scorcher, but somehow this never concerned me. It probably should have because with more than 13,000 feet of total elevation gain and highs around 90 degrees, that was one tough race! In case you’ve already read enough, I did finish in 15:40. In typical form, I was a back-of-packer. Though I was not DFL, I believe I was the last finisher under 16 hours. That’s my style yo. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it).

(rock city)

A brief description of the race, as best as I can recall: the first 10 miles is a long hard uphill. Up and up and up. This took several hours. No joke. There is lots of beautiful though exposed green hillside with bright wildflowers and some lush green pastures with cows who did not attack me. There is a trip through “Rock City” which features some uber cool rock formations, and a long meander through shady woods, another long climb and an 8 mile downhill featuring some scary loose scree on hairpin turns on what I’m sure were treacherous cliffs (it was dark by that point so I couldn’t see what lay ahead if I slid off the trail. . . I could only assume it was sure death awaiting me).

(cows being friendly)

(heaven after being assaulted by the sun!)

I ran the first 16 or so miles with Keith (Leslie’s husband) and Chris. Chris and I ran the first 25 miles together and some of the remaining miles. He never got too far ahead and during the above scary rocky bits I could see his headlamp looking back to make sure I did not plummet to my death. I think that’s very nice. I ran into a lot of other people on the trail whom I’ve been fortunate enough to meet through running and made some new friends. It’s pretty much a big moving party – the aid stations are stocked with my favorite snacks including cookies, peanut M&Ms and potato chips (Pringles even!). This party though left me with the most wicked hangover ever. [funny – after I wrote this Leslie emailed me to say she feels like she went on a three day bender complete with bar brawl! It’s not just me!] Yesterday I felt pretty good but today I am barely able to walk. I am so beat up! Unfortunately, I did not tape my feet and I wore shoes that were too small (oops, I inadvertently bought the wrong size and didn’t know until during the race since that was the first time I wore them) and wore socks that had not been tested on a long run. Well, they’ve been tested now and while I adore them for shorter runs they will not be my sock of choice in future ultras. Similarly, the shoes will be fine for shorter runs but cannot be worn for Western States. By the way, I wear Mizuno trail shoes but think my heftier Montrail Hardrocks might be better for steep rocky trail – I may wear them for the first half of WS and switch to Mizunos at Foresthill and may even switch to road shoes after the river crossing. I’d be curious to hear what people think about the shoe situation.

(Leslie who ran fast!)

I will say that my Patagonia Wool 1 shirt, which I wore for the first time ever during the race (lots of testing!), was absolutely amazing. The fabric feels like a thin old t-shirt that is just about to fall apart and is a mix of wool and synthetic. It was lighter and cooler than any shirt I’ve ever worn and didn’t give me any problems. Though it got soaked with sweat, it never felt gross on my skin. LOVE the shirt. Huge props to Patagonia, except for the price tag. But what else would you expect for Patagucci.

I also loved my Mountain Hardwear shorts. I don’t remember what they’re called, but they have a stretchy yoga-pant waist and are a really light fabric. After my hydration pack leaked all over my butt I had some concerns but the shorts dried very quickly and remained comfortable throughout the race. The only complaint I have is that they did not magically hide the sausage-look my legs have been sporting lately. But shorts can only be asked to do so much.

I had a great time at Diablo though it kicked me squarely in the butt. I still need some work on my downhill running technique, need to work on my blister issues and need to do some more speedwork to get my speed up. I am really quite slow. It concerns me. I am envisioning myself fighting cut-offs at WS despite feeling pretty decent – and this scares me into wanting to get faster. Might not hurt to drop some fat though this late in the game I don’t know if that would be the most productive endeavor. I should at least try to shed a few pounds though. I keep saying that. . .



There is no question that Crossfit has helped me a lot, especially in terms of core strength which is odd since we don’t do all that much core-specific training. My back never hurt the way it used to during long runs and my muscles (though screaming today) felt pretty good during the race. Could have been the Advil though. Anyhow, if I did Crossfit AND dialed in my nutrition and ran more, I bet I could work my way up to “mid-packer.” But unless and until I do all those things I will be happy (and I am happy) with finishing and having a blast while participating.

Stella picture of the day

My niece was, presumably, willing to get all dolled up with the promise of chocolate after church. I sure hope she was given chocolate anyhow. Well, if she's old enough for chocolate. I don't know these things. Which is probably why it's good I only have dogs. I know that they can't have chocolate.

What is new you didn't ask? Well let me tell you.

The above photo was shamelessly stolen from Leslie's blog. I'm running the Diablo 50 next weekend, which I'm really excited about. The picture is one of Leslie's from last year. Leslie is running again, and Keith is running is first (I think) marathon there. On hard hilly hot trails no less. He's brave! I'm really excited because I'm visiting and staying with the O'Connor family, who are good people. If I finish this race without thinking I might die, I will be cautiously optimistic about my training. If it's a disaster and there are no other obvious reasons for it I will put the pedal to the metal with my training. It's sort of a test race of sorts. And it will be a VERY good training run. Above all, I will get to see a lot of my favorite people, which can't be beat.

In other news, I hiked up the mountain today and skiied down. My quads are on fire. When you're a newbie skiier and rely heavily on your quads to snowplow your turns and snowplow you down, you feel a new world a hurt if you've hiked up. Ouch. I didn't take pictures because I was so wiped the entire time that it wasn't really a stop and smell the roses type endeavor. Just to give you an idea -- usually when I run my heart rate is 125-135. My heart rate averaged around 140 for a good 2.5 hours until the ski down -- which was a lot easier than last week thanks to the slight slush thing going on -- and the perfectly groomed-ish slope that no one else had been on. (The cool kids ski down Toni Matt whereas the newbs still ski Russ' Street).

Good weekend. Yesterday the Crossfit gym moved to a conveniently closer location. I helped move. With 40 people moving it goes fast. We got 'er largely done in just a few hours. Give me coffee and I'll come help with virtually anything!!!

Great day of skiing

On Sunday I went up to the mountain (Big Mountain in Whitefish) and, for the first time ever, took Chair 1 up to the top and skiied down.
My route was blue and then green -- but to get to the blue part I had to go down a pretty sketchy and bumpy (though short) steep bit that had me shaking. Literally. I just stared at it for quite awhile. My friend Jen, who is an instructor, coaxed me down. I was so happy to make it down!

Jen took my camera, hence all the pictures of me. It was a huge day for me in terms of pushing my comfort zone/boundaries and gaining some skills. And, I had a blast.

These pictures are backwards order-wise -- the picture below is me before I became totally gorgonized.

Do you have a favorite food? Canadian Lynx do!!!

Today I did my long run and had an absolutely awesome run. My plan was to return to the road I had to hitch a ride on last summer when I got lost on logging roads and try to run a loop to Kila and back to Kalispell. I believe someone told me at some point that the road isn't plowed and that winter travel is sketchy on the road, but I don't listen to people of course.

I knew the day was going to be awesome when my iPod (on shuffle) treated me to Mehbooba Mehbooba by Rahul Dev Burman as the first song. If that song doesn't make you feel happy and smile, you might be dead. Check it out. It's a happy song!

So, I ran the road I wanted to check out, did some exploring which was fun, and ran up up up up up into the mountains until the road was un-runnable. I turned around and flew dooooowwwwn back to the main road. Exploring is so fun. There are so many forest service roads back there -- I can't wait for the snow to melt so I can check them out. Of course, then I will probably be on trails, but nonetheless I need to get to know that area. It's practically in my back yard!

By the time I got back to the main road (Airport Road/Foys Canyon Rd) I had 19 miles and basically just needed to complete the "canyon loop" and tack on a few extra miles to bring me to 30. It was insane how fast the first 19 miles flew by.

En route, I thought I'd check out some old friends (of the trail variety) and welcome them into spring. They were still snowy but it was nice to just say "hi!"

I saw a snow snail. I think if you're in the backcountry that's an indicator that avalanches could happen. I wasn't too worried. I wasn't really ever in the backcountry! Safe!
AAAAH the sun!!! I LOVE YOU SUN!!! So glorious and majestic and wonderful. I think my day was fabulous, in part, because I just soaked in the sun with a stupid grin on my face all the live long day. Oh joy!

I don't remember having ever run such an effortless 30 miles. I felt fresh and good the whole time. I don't know if it was the weather, last night's pizza binge, or the fact that I ate trail mix and dried pineapple instead of gels? Or maybe I'm in better shape than I tend to assume I am? Whatever it was it was awesome.


Near the end I checked out Lone Pine State Park, and they've totally redone the visitor's center and put some neat signs up to teach me about nature and stuff.


Since I was planning a route that would take me back to where, last summer, I saw a lot of people who looked like they were dressing up as hillbillies for Halloween, I thought I should be modest and wear shorts over my capri tights. I never do this, as it's not a good look and I like to not look really silly. But sometimes looking silly is better than looking cute.

OH I have lots of favorite foods. The Canadian Lynx needs to branch out!!!

A shark in your goldfish bowl does not belong. . . . Noxious weeds like this Dalmation Toadflax do not belong.

I love the piece of wonder bread in front of the squirrel. I am not sure whether the squirrel or the bread = shark in goldfish bowl. Never mind that goldfish probably don't really belong in bowls. Or in Montana. In bowls.

Anyhow, it was a great run, and I hope you've learned something about sharks and wonder bread.

CHEROLA in the news!!!

Check out this article in the Chicago Red Eye about Chicago ultrarunning -- it features none other than Miss Cheryl (friend and WS pacer-to-be), crazy Adrian and my favorite Sports Doc in the world, Dr. Natarajan!

Heck, I think I'll just post the text -- but I'm not spending the time to fix the formatting so you might just want to click on the above link!

Road killers

26.2 miles? Pfft. A growing number of runners are embracing ultramarathons as the ultimate challenge

By Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
RedEye
April 3 2009


Brian Gaines had barely finished his first marathon when he decided to push himself to the next limit.Three weeks after completing the 2006 Chicago Marathon, Gaines nervously lined up for the 50-kilometer (31-mile) Chicago Ultramarathon, hoping merely to finish."I wanted to learn what I was capable of," said Gaines, 36, a senior applications developer who lives in Bartlett.Gaines not only was capable of finishing the 50K (in 5:15:45), but he also said he enjoyed the ultramarathon's more laid-back vibe. Since then, he has run a dozen more ultramarathons--loosely defined as any race more than 26.2 miles--including several 50-milers and a race to see how far he could run in 24 hours.The thought of running one toenail farther than a marathon might strike plenty of people as crazy, as if 26.2 miles isn't hard enough. And, experts warn, such races can take a serious toll on the body without the proper training. But a growing number of runners are embracing ultramarathons as an ultimate challenge--and a way to escape the explosive popularity of marathons in recent decades.About 200 runners have registered for Saturday's Chicago Ultramarathon, a 50K that starts at Foster Avenue Beach and loops three times along the lakefront, race co-director Stuart Schulman said.In 2008, more than 17,000 people in the U.S. finished at least one ultramarathon, a 20 percent jump from 2007, according to Tia Bodington, editor of UltraRunning magazine. Last year, 503 ultra races were held all over North America, the majority in California."It's kind of like the new frontier," Bodington said. "So many people have done a marathon, it is like, what is next?"Gaines said his 24-hour race, held last year on a Wisconsin high school's asphalt parking lot, was his toughest to date. Exhausted and hampered by severe blisters on his feet, Gaines took a couple of 20-minute catnaps at the edge of the track before finishing the race in 72 miles, or 414 laps around the parking lot."What I found is that if I keep moving on, whatever I'm feeling at the moment, I'll get out of," Gaines said.Chicago also hosts lakefront ultramarathons in the fall--both a 50K and a 50-miler. They are popular for beginners because the course is flat, whereas many other trails are on more challenging terrain.Some runners say the slower pace and smaller crowds at ultramarathons make for a more enjoyable, friendlier experience.For Lakeview resident Cheryl Lenard, that camaraderie proved crucial as she struggled through her first 50-mile race last spring, at the Ice Age 50 in Wisconsin.Lenard started to feel dizzy at mile 32 and was stumbling through the woods when another runner stopped to help her. That runner turned out to be avid ultramarathoner and fellow Chicagoan Adrian Belitu, who offered Lenard some sodium pills--the first time Lenard thought it wise to take pills from a stranger--and walked with her to the next aid station. Lenard ate some food and was able to finish the race in 10 hours, 8 minutes."I slept for like a week," said Lenard, 32, who had run 25 traditional marathons before taking on her first ultra.Ultramarathons take a fierce physical toll, even for people accustomed to marathons."Each jump to the next level is more work on the body, and more work on the mind," said Dr. Balu Natarajan, whose sports medicine practice is in Lincoln Park.With so much blood flowing to the muscles, there's less blood going to internal organs, so it's important to train properly so that your body gets used to it and learns to work efficiently, Natarajan said. Inadequate blood flow can lead to dizziness or bloody stool, or in extreme cases can cause part of the intestines to die or kidney failure, he said.Some ultramarathoners don't eat enough to keep up with all the calories they burn, or they drink too much water, which dilutes their blood and leads to electrolyte and sodium imbalances, Natarajan said. Others suffer stress fractures in their feet, tendonitis or knee and hip problems.Ultramarathoners often say that their legs get them through the first half of a long race, and their minds get them through the rest.Belitu, the runner who helped Lenard in the woods, has run several 100-mile races, and recently finished a 48-hour race in 161 miles. He trains at the East Bank Club, where you might find him on the treadmill for four hours, adjusting the incline to simulate mountains, or running 160 laps around the track for a 40-mile training run (it takes about six hours).Belitu, 35, a mortgage banker living in River North, said he has nodded off to sleep while running and has lost nine of his toenails in a single race.Yet his greatest challenges are yet to come. This year, Belitu has been invited to run in Badwater, a grueling, 135-mile race that starts in Death Valley in July, when the temperature can reach up to 130 degrees (he's working the sauna into his training routine).While he's at it, Belitu also hopes to complete Spartathlon, a 152-mile run between Athens and Sparta in Greece, and the Ultra Trail Tour du Mont Blanc, a 103-mile race winding through the Alps in France, Italy and Switzerland.Ultramarathoners are a different breed of people, said Ed Kelly of Evanston.Despite two heart surgeries, Kelly, 56, twice ran the Marathon DuSable, a punishing seven-day, 155-mile run through the Western Sahara Desert in Morocco, where entrants are required to run with their full gear (sleeping bag, food, etc.) through sinking sand dunes and blinding snowstorms.Each time, Kelly has lost 15 pounds, and it takes five to six weeks to recover. Brutal, yes, but he couldn't imagine another way of life."If you have to ask why do you do it," he said, "you don't get it."

Spring is a Tease

I remember this game. Watch the snow melt in town, grow increasingly anxious to run trails and post-hole through mercilessly crusty blood-drawing snow. It seems that the season for good skiing is winding down and the temperatures are now above freezing during the daytime more often than not. Last year we had what seemed like a late melt, so I should be grateful that things seem to be starting a little earlier. On Saturday I set out to run 20 miles in Herron Park. Sure, I knew there was a ton of snow, but for some reason I figured it would work out. Sure enough, the first 6 miles were glorious! I was able to run on top of the deep snow, which was compacted and formed the perfect running surface -- sort of like one of those rubbery tracks. However, as the day wore on (I got a pretty late start) and the temperatures rose, my magical trail turned to slush and soft but sharp and icy knee deep post-holing near-injuries one after another.
Early in the run when I was loving life and feeling cheerful, this is how far my foot sunk into the snow. I didn't even bother with pictures later because I was cranky.

I was reminded of how much I love Herron Park and how it's really my happy place. Nearby, accessisble, early to melt (lower elevation), and grizzly-bear free. It was exciting to be up there running, even if it really isn't "time" yet.

Sonja was driving me nuts with her hardwired trail-following instincts. Closer to the parking area the trail is well used and it was absolutely ankle-break boobietrap city. All holey and awful. It was much better to posthole in the unstomped snow. However, Sonja cannot bear to be off-trail where she perceives that there is a trail. I couldn't understand it because she was visibly frustrated too. Dogs are funny.

I ended up with only 13 miles -- and I was out for 3:45. Oh well. I figure I should be doing 5-7 hour long runs right now. Today I did 14 miles on road with the group, which took us about 2:30. The total for the weekend is not too shabby, though not awesome. Next weekend I will make it a top priority to run 7 hours or 30 miles or so on Saturday, with a mid-long run Sunday. The following weekend I will cutback and then the next weekend is Diablo 50!!! If I survive Diablo I will try to maintain fitness and get a few more long runs in. If I find that I have a lot of work to do to get into shape for WS, I will do a lot of work and probably panic a lot!

Relatedly, I am appreciating the fact that I need to really commit to good nutrition for the next few months before WS. It really makes a tremendous difference and good grief -- if I can't treat my nutrition as a serious component of my training for all of a few months, what chance have I? It's not like I have terrible eating habits but I have been slacking on the veggie intake. I need to work on more veggies less junk. I need to remember to bring good snackage to work -- as Cheryl says, "to fail to plan is to plan to fail." On that note, I'm going to go hard-boil some eggs.

ZION NATIONAL PARK (and Vegas)

This past weekend Ted and I flew to Vegas for a night and then spent a long weekend in Zion National Park in southern Utah. Allegiant flys cheap into Vegas but the flight gets in late, so we figured we may as well stay there for the night. We stayed at the MGM Grand in the "West Wing" which was very modern and hip and all that. It was nice. We stayed up and gambled (losing about $30 I think) until early in the morning.

I purchased and consumed most of a half-yard of weird orange sweet booze drink. Probably 2000 calories in the drink. I brought it into the sushi restaurant with me and sneakily worked on it there. It was a little embarassing but it was also really late and I expected they have probably seen worse than people coming in with their half yards of orange drink.

For the most part I find gambling boring but we found this incredibly cool racehorse game. Everyone sits around the table and bets on the horses. Slowly they run around and you cheer and maybe win your quarter back or more. The horsie game was completely addicting. Ted took a video but I'm not sure you will all be as enthralled as we were. The game took awhile and, if you wanted to, you could easily stretch $20 to last all night. We hung out playing the horsies until 4 a.m. Pacific, which was an absolute feat for me.

Early Saturday morning, despite being up so very late, we drove to Zion which is only a couple hours from Vegas. Ted and I intended to hike the Zion Narrows, which is evidently a spectacular hike down the river through narrow slot canyon type terrain. Unfortunately, for the first day all year, it was closed due to flash flood risk. We were able to hike about a mile up towards the mouth of the canyon, but could not even see the beginning. Oh well.

Saturday night we hiked to Scoggins Wash on the Coalpits Wash trail and camped. It was really cool to be out alone in the desert. The stars at night were incredible, and the perfectly clear morning was breathtaking.

There are many spectacular views in Zion and my pictures hardly do them justice.

Ted and I did one hike that began with this sign. A little ominous. I have a bit of a fear of heights and can be a real wuss when it comes to things like precarious cliffs and exposure. Nonetheless, I went forward boldly. The hike was to Hidden Canyon, which was hidden up high. To get there you had to hug some cliff edges.

Hmmmm. . . I wasn't too sure about going forward on the edge of the cliff. I'm a wimp when it comes to these things. Fear of heights and all.

Although it was totally out of character for me, I went forward on the hike, gripping the chain that is provided for extra safety. Really, it wasn't that bad.

At the end of the traversible part of the Hidden Canyon is this arch. Very cool.

Ted making his way down the cliff ledge, gripping the chain for dear life. Maybe that's an exaggeration.

A little bouldering thrown in for good measure.

It was a great long weekend. I highly recommend it. Thanks Ted for planning it! And I didn't run the whole weekend!