Climbing Gear and Fin

This is the gear I am currently using which includes the climbing harness, several lanyards, figure 8 device, auto locking carabiners, two Prussic loops with fisherman's knot, ascenders, leather palm gloves and foot stirrups. Note also the Rip Force Fin with Bat Wing attachment.

Half Marathon

It was an incredible day for a run. We started at the Superdome and ran down Bourbon and up Royal Street. It's amazing that people are still drinking alcohol at 7 am. At least they came out the bars to cheer us on. It was very tight and slow on the narrow streets. Things didn't open up at all until we were a good ways down St. Charles avenue and we started running on the Neutral Ground (Median) between the street car tracks. I imagine the elite runners and people trying to qualify for Boston start the race up front and don't experience the log jam we encountered. Elvis is alive and well, running the half with a guitar???? Lots of things to see. Unfortunately my running partner became very ill after the run and I am hoping it was just an allergic reaction to a new energy drink with Gobi berries.
Afterwards I met a training partner at the Spillway to kayak and we had a really great training session and enjoyed the afternoon on the water.

BAAR Brawl

This weekend I "competed" as a solo in the BAAR Brawl - a local club training event that is not a race because we don't get permits or anything for it. It has consistently been one of the most difficult 24hr races in California for several years now. The incredibly low finishing rate is usually due to weather as the race is held during the coldest and rainiest time of year. This year was a big break as weather conditions were ideal. The race distance totaled 72 miles, according to the director, with extreme elevation gain and loss.

Even the kayak had "elevation gain" - the race started at high tide (7:00 am) with a short paddle to a mini-golf course where everybody played 18 holes. After that there was a FAST paddle with the current out into the bay. I paddled much of the way with Rick Baraff, formerly of the Silly Rabbits. On the way back the current was so strong it felt like I was paddling in a toilet that was being flushed. The paddle section was over just in time for the tide to go slack.

After that there was a bike section that included China Camp state park and Camp Tamarancho - a local Boy Scout reservation. We had the option of getting the CPs in any order. Rick warned me that Tamarancho was more technical so I went for those CPs first and got them all in daylight. My navigation was very clean for the bike section and I didn't make any major mistakes. I was in first place by the end of it.

The final section was a difficult trek with a lot of travel on obscure unmarked trails and cross-country. The area we were in had many unofficial trails that the race organizer did not plot on the map. I hesitated on my route choice for the first CP and then did an unnecessary bushwhack in a creek bed when the trail was just a few feet above. Rick got ahead of me there. Yet another mistake caused me to fall behind Rich Brazeau and Scott Porter (who were racing together, don't know their team name).

Luckily Rich and Scott had a CP they left behind that I had already nabbed. I passed them on the final stretch to the finish. I got there around 1:30 am. Rick beat me in by 30 minutes, but he missed one of the bike CPs. Because of the various time bonuses available and the fact that the clock was stopped during the mini golf, I'm not sure who "won". Doesn't really matter to me, it was a good effort and a fun race.

Elkhorn Slough

Busy - I am very busy. Just now finding the time to post my weekend activities.

The BAAR BRAWL (a local underground race/training event) is on next weekend. So I toned it down a bit and went for a short bike on Saturday and a paddle on Sunday.

The paddle was at Elkhorn Slough, halfway between Santa Cruz and Monterey. Super nice weather, no fog, tides working in my favor. Lots of Sea Otters and birds to check out. Too bad I FORGOT MY CAMERA.

The Saturday bike ride was on some local trails at Fremont Older Open Space. Too crowded - I think I angered some hikers. I like doing this ride for training on weekday mornings sometimes. Much better.

Mardi Gras

A group of 14 took off from the Lake at 7:30 am to scope the parade routes ahead of the crews and floats. The pace was slow as I suspect that some of the H2O bottles were filled with Mimosas and Bloody Marys. Below is a picture of Pete Fountain's "Half Fast" Walking Club of Jazz Musicians



They gave my friend a boa and me a mask.



A tree along the parade route


We travelled down Canal Street to Audubon Park then down St. Charles Avenue to the French Quarter and the Marigny then to Metairie.

Ohlone Trail, Part 3

This weekend I finshed my series of runs on the Ohlone Trail. The third section, Del Valle to Rose Peak, is the most demanding. 20 miles, 6600 ft elevation gain. To top it off, I got a fair amount of rain and snow while I was up there. Of course, today it was beautiful and I was stuck at work instead.

I tried out a new gadget - a SPOT sattelite messenger. It works ok, but is probably best for not so real-time tracking. A bit heavy too. I got it as a means to relay my current status and wherabouts to my wife, and as an emergency device. It would work well for that.

I have some pictures but no energy to post them right now. I need to find an easier way to get the pictures from my camera to here.

Oak Mountain State Park

We went to Oak Mountain this weekend which is just south of Birmingham Alabama. It is a great park for Mountain biking and trekking. http://www.bump.org
It is several hours from New Orleans and we were only able to get one lap on the trails before dark. The batteries in the GPS only lasted 1.5 hours but the 2.5 mile fire road climb is on there. http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4905350
It was extremely cold (low of 29F and stayed below freezing as long as the sun was down). I had to pass on the sub freezing night training and decided to guard the gear with Terry while the others took off. There was a small heater in the bathroom and this is what they looked like at 4am when they returned from a 2.5 hour spin on the bikes...(Shame on me).

After the cozy nap at the Shang-ri-la we went for a long trek and another spin on the trails before packing up and heading home. It was a lot of fun and well worth the drive. The latex glove idea did not work in the freezing temperature but ski gloves kept my hands warm and I could still manage to shift gears on the bike.