Sun., 8/3 – Dawn brought a beautiful sunrise on Cirque Peak at 6:00 a.m. (We had missed this spectacular treat Saturday by sleeping too late). Water again was heated for cooking and beverages. The muesli was delicious once again, but also very filling so we ate little else. As we ate and began to pack up our gear, a mother duck escorted five really large ducklings along the edge of the meadow right in front of our camp until they all were out of sight, unconcerned by our presence. Packing continued. It seemed like we had more stuff to take home than we brought with us. Marvin did pack out a branch, the head of which looked a lot like a duck. We departed precisely at 8:37.
Our trail climbed briefly out of the lake basin, then we began the relatively slow, approximately five-mile descent to the cars. Occasionally, we recognized some features from Friday’s hike, but the meadows seemed greener and the wildflowers more vivid today. Two fat marmots (“fat” is sort of redundant) were stretched out in the sun on a huge boulder, with another marmot on the next boulder. We met a lot of hikers on their way up, and some passing us as we headed for home. For example, there were 14 Sierra Club members in one group and about 20 Scouts, formerly called Explorers, on a work party. Some in these two groups were without backpacks. We met their two pack trains later. They certainly were going to eat well. At another rest stop and stream crossing, a big family with two young goats and an adult billygoat in training to be pack animals came by us. They had trouble coaxing the young goats across the log bridge. They weren’t helped by a blond lab that was loving the water and three young boys who were totally at home in the wilderness. (We had trouble getting Marvin to try the log, too. He selected the rock-to-rock alternative.) Just before we got to the car, and after a long walk through an area with very few features we remembered from Friday, a young man passed us wearing zoris and carrying an empty ice cream freezer. He was from Thatcher School’s (Ojai) Golden Trout Wilderness Camp. We had seen a lot of their tents and some of their Outward Bound campers earlier. We got to the cars at exactly 2:00 p.m. and tanked up on cold water from a unique pump faucet. The gear was packed away and we began the drive down the switchbacks to Hwy 395.
Once down the mountain, we headed south about 10 miles to Olancha’s Ranch House Cafe. There seemed to be a lot of locals there, and we were disappointed to see that the Mason jars which always had been used for drinking water had been replaced by plastic tumblers. Progress. Three of us had big salads. Mark ordered Indian fry bread with butter and honey. He got an Indian fry bread burrito. He enjoyed it nonetheless. We said our goodbyes to Matt and all headed for home. Marvin drove from Olancha to Lost Hills where we again filled the tank, stopping on the north side of Hwy 46 this time. Odometer: 443.0.
Interestingly enough, we got 29.9 mpg for the trip. I drove the last segment from Paso Robles to Cambria, arriving in Cambria at 9:30 (539) to complete an outstanding trip. (My new hip had made getting into the mountains possible once again).
Sat., 8/2 – We really slept in, rising only about 8:00. Water was heated for coffee, cocoa, tea, and especially a delicious muesli which Marvin had made from a Sunset cookbook recipe. Dried milk added to the cereal made it very creamy. My stove died after about 30 years’ use, but Matt’s worked perfectly. The campsite we had selected turned out to be the only one large enough for four hikers. It also gave us a marvelous view of Cirque Peak which I had climbed in 1971 (12,900 feet). We took all day to explore the area, hike to Cirque Lake, wade and swim (Matt), and take the sun, enjoying our surroundings. A few parties passed by on the trail in each direction, mostly day trippers. We watched a number of small clouds form high above in the eastern sky and be blown gently to the north. The blue sky was incredibly blue. Lunch was pretty much a repeat of yesterday’s menu. A light wind developed during the afternoon and was quite persistent, but not bothersome.
In the afternoon, Mark suggested that we carry all of our dinner items, cooking gear, utensils, etc., to the other side of the lake to get out of the wind and enjoy a different view. A Clark’s nutcracker announced his presence just after the quarter-mile hike. We prepared the cook water for Thai beef with peanuts, couscous, and the second half of the navy bean soup which was better tonight, less crunchy. We also drank the rest of the cabernet and probably finished off with dark chocolate. We trudged back to our campsite after the sun had set and enjoyed a memorable, classic camping experience during which we visited, told war stories and eventually got into our sacks. While Mark and Matt were cleaning up the area, Mark observed a huge meteorite come down from a high angle and explode into hundreds of glowing fragments. Matt was facing away from it, but saw the flash of light. The afternoon wind continued for much of the night with occasional gusts that rustled the tent fabrics. Still, it was another mild night and again, the stars were magnificent.
The next morning after breakfast, we packed our day packs with lunch and fishing gear for the hike to Mott Lake. We proceeded north on the JMT up thru Pocket Mdws. with many campers to the signed trail that climbs to Mott Lake. We left the JMT [8,900'] and started the 2.3 miles to Mott Lk. [10,048,] The trail follows to the south side of the stream coming down from the cirque holding Mott Lk. We climbed up past many meadows filled with wildflowers and evidence of glacial activity, in many places the trail was overgrown by thickets of willows. After passing a sign attached to a tree announcing that fires were not allowed above this point. We were at 10,000′ and soon we were looking down into the cirque containing the beautiful Mott Lake. We dropped our packets and rigged up to fish. Bryan, the fisherman of the group, soon landed a beautiful rainbow. Howie and Hal both landed some beautiful fish, both rainbow and a rainbow/golden hybrid. We kept three for dinner and released the others. Later in the afternoon several other hikers arrived that we had seen on the trail yesterday. After lunch we packed up and retraced our tracks back to camp. We picked some wild onions which were to be used in the preparation of the trout tonight.
Back at camp we washed off some of the trail dust and Howie provided Meyers rum and Tang cocktails to take the edge off the aches and pains of todays labors. Bryan only had straight Tang for his drink! Hal prepared dinner w/ Diane’s sweet and sour hamburger over rice recipe. We cooked the fish wrapped in foil garnished with pepper, lime juice and the sierra onion we had picked. The fish wraps were buried in the coals and were delicious. Star gazing was great again before bedtime and another mild night.
Up this am and Howie proposed that he pack up and charge down the trail in order to meet the 9:30 boat at Edison Lake to request that the boat return later to pick up the three of us. The next boat, if he missed the 9:30, one the next one would be at 4:30 pm. Unless some arrangement was made. Howie and Bryan packed and left first and Hal followed. Hal caught up with Bryan at the bottom of the first switchbacks and we pushed on. Bryan stated that Howie was long gone trying to meet the boat. Hal and Bryan pushed on as fast as they could and amazingly they made it to the Edison Lake boat dock at exactly 9:30 as the ferry boats were arriving. Hamburgers and fries were enjoyed at the Resort. Howie and Bryan left for their long drive to San Diego and Hal back to Coarsegold. Great trip and hope we can do it again next year. Berg Heil!!!
(8/21/08 to 8/23/08)
We left Hal’s house in Coarsegold at 5:45 am for the 90+ miles drive to Edison Lake to start the backpack. On the way, Hal stopped by the Forest Service Office in Prather to pick up the Wilderness permit in the night box. Our destination was to head to the Vermillon Valley Resort on the western shore of Edison Lake.[7,550'} At the resort, we each paid $18 fare rt. to ride the ferry across the lake to the trail head on the eastern shore of the lake. The dock is normally about 2 miles from the junction with the John Muir Trail [JMT]. Usually you would walk a short distance to the boat landing but since this was a drought year the lake was very low and we had to drive about a mile to reach the lake and the boat. Previously Hal had used this ferry service which we learned, due to the low water level, we would be ferried in two aluminum fishing boats. We were joined by three others for the trip and two boats would be used. We were told that the usual pontoon boat was out of service and the lake was too shallow to use it anyway. The drop off point at the eastern end of the lake was about a mile short of the usual drop off spot which made the distance about 3 miles to the junction with the JMT. We had to walk about a half a mile on the sandy beach to reach the trail. Once on the Edison Lake Trail, we passed up to the north side of Mono Creek in the shade of aspen and pine trees. This was a very lush area and many small streams were crossed. We arrived at the junction of the JMT at the bridge that crosses Mono Creek to the south. We now headed north on the JMT and soon forded the North Fork of Mono Creek, which can be a problem early in the year. The crossing was easy on the well placed stepping stones. The JMT now climbs up a series of switchbacks to meet the junction with the Mono Ck. Trail. Heavy packs and warm weather started to take its toll and we took a rest break at this point. Since joining the JMT we were now seeing the usual crowd of hikers some carrying only day packs. A pack train passed going south on the JMT that was support for the day pack group. It was here that we decided to camp at Pocket Meadow rather than Mott Lake. We were concerned that with the number of packers on the trail and that we might find suitable camp spots hard to find. We decided that Hal should go ahead a see if he could find a spot while Howie helped Bryan get his pack up the trail. Hal took off and played leapfrog with several parties that were also heading for Pocket Mdws. Hal pushed up the trail as much as he could and found a great site at the southern edge of Pocket Mdw. Hal dropped his pack and went back down the trail to where he found Bryan and his pack. Howie had gone down the trail to retrieve his pack. Hal and Bryan finally reached camp and Howie arrived shortly. Our camp had level tent sites, a fire pit, some wood and a flowing stream nearby. Howie prepared a dinner of macaroni and hot dogs. We had a nice and welcome campfire and went out to a wonderful granite slab for star gazing before hitting the sleeping bags. The night was very mild and calm. (8/21/08 to 8/23/08)
Which is a better workout? Which shows more gains physiologically? Well that depends on what your training for. If your training for a 10k or a half marathon then yes Lactate Threshold Runs are more important than Tempo Runs. Why? Well it is because in both of those races, more so in the 10k, you experience a build up of lactate acid in the body and that acid when converted to energy creates a by-product of H+ ions, which makes the blood acidic and the body feel crappy. So by doing a lactate threshold run you allow your body to cope with the excess lactate acid in your system.
One of the concepts that this article focuses on is the importance of recovery. If you aren’t recovering well after each workout you won’t ultimately be able to achieve your training goals. For the last year I’ve been using recovery products from Fluid Recovery. Their team has created a product that combines incredible taste with actual results.
If you’re tried different recovery drinks in the past but haven’t enjoyed them I would recommend giving Fluid a try.
Eco-Sportfest ’08 5k Cross Run Series begins 11/2 in Ventura
2008 SoCalCross Prestige Series is proud to introduce ECO-SPORTFEST ’08: Each event will take place in a scenic park or lake front setting – making it a welcoming atmosphere for the entire family and begins at 8am with a 5k ‘Cross Trail Run on the cyclocross course followed up by a full day of cyclocross racing action!
-Read more: Eco Sports Fest Press Release
To accommodate an ever-growing interest in the half marathon distance, organizers of the Big Sur Half Marathon increased the field by 1,000 runners for the 2008 event. Capped and already sold out at 5,800 registrants, the race will institute “wave starts” to prevent course crowding along with a slightly revised course that includes a new start line and additional mileage along Del Monte Avenue. This year’s event will also feature the largest number of elite runners for the Big Sur Half and may see new course records set.
The race organization’s move towards sustainability will be evident on the course with recycle containers and a special aid station that allows runners to fill their own bottles. “It’s BYOB – Bring Your Own Bottle,” stated Brian Robinson, aid station coordinator and Big Sur Marathon board member. “We’re the first half marathon that I know of that offers this.” Robinson is an ultra-marathoner who borrowed the concept from several 50+ mile races that he has completed.
In addition, the Big Sur organization encourages online registration and has eliminated some of its printed products, including the race results book, since runners can now retrieve their times online race day afternoon. With many of the runners residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, the organization is also offering a new online carpooling system, PickUpPal, through its website.
Runners will notice a difference in the timing system used — no longer will they need to scan and attach a plastic chip to their shoe. The new ChronoTrack system offers a disposable, lighter, less intrusive tag that is easier to attach and offers accurate timing as well as split timing. There are no fees for lost or unreturned chips. The ChronoTrack system was introduced at the Los Angeles Marathon in March and used successfully at the recent San Francisco and Portland Marathons.
A new race weekend schedule has been implemented this year. The Big Sur Half Marathon Health & Fitness Expo will be held on two days, November 7 and 8, and two family-oriented runs will take place on Saturday morning. The JUST RUN! ® Just Kids 3K will begin at 8 a.m. followed by the Run Forrest Run 5K at 9 a.m. Both races begin and end on Cannery Row, with a new race course run along the Pacific Grove shoreline on Saturday morning. Finish line food will be provided by Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and post-race entertainment provided by the Cannery Row Company.
The Big Sur Half Marathon has long been known for its contributions to local charities, but this year is serving as a goal race for one local group, Pancreatica. Headquartered in Pacific Grove, where runners enjoy nearly eight miles of scenic coastal views, this non-profit organization is focused on raising awareness and funding for Pancreatic Cancer. Additional charities are on board for the Half Marathon as well.
I’ve heard that Sellers did all of the stunts for Drew Jones. The 70′s treated Greg really well, he was a super strong rider back then. Or as he would call them, “the glory days”!
