Washington: A Most Excellent Adventure

I tore myself away from work while on a business trip to Seattle and struck out for a long weekend of adventure...

I finished working on Thursday night, went out with a few co-workers and then got a little sleep, despite being really excited about a new adventure about to begin.

At the crack of pre-dawn, I left my luggage with the bellhop and jumped on a ferry to Bremerton. A very kind and charitable friend picked me up there and drove me to the Big Quilcene Trailhead 833.1, with an intended destination of Camp Mystery at Marmot Pass.

We had a chance to catch up on things during the long ride up and it was nice to be in good company with good coffee in a warm vehicle and listening to NPR on the radio before heading into relative isolation for three days.

The trail up to Camp Mystery and Marmot Pass starts uphill at about 2500 feet above sea level and remains uphill for another 2900 feet, initially through old growth forests and past nicely roiling little streams which empty into the Big Quilcene river.


I passed one small group camp then noticed a sign that said "STOVES ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT." 3,500 feet above sea level...Onto the mountains!

I hiked up and up, playing leapfrog with a couple that started behind me. I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't a race! To slow down and enjoy the views.

And there was plenty to see. Wildflowers, the peaks of mountains breaking the cloudline, the intricate construction of weathered trees clinging to the sides of the mountains. It was truly stunning. The scale of it made me feel very small. Looking straight up at mountains is always very stunning and awe-inspiring.


It seemed like it took forever to climb the five and a half miles to Camp Mystery. By the time I arrived at my campsite, I decided I had done enough for one day, and that I would be extra attentive at setting up my campsite, as it was to be my home for the next couple days.

I picked a spot by a stream, just because I liked the way it sounded. I knew I would pay in terms of temperature, but I thought I could handle the tradeoff.


I laid down a bed of evergreen boughs underneath my tent for a little fragrant cushioning and insulation, strung a clothes line and hung my bear canister up about fifty yards away from camp over a log that was propped A-frame style between two trees.

I wandered down to the stream and noticed that there were animal prints that were decidedly not dog prints in the mud. There are no claws at the tops of the toes like there would be if they were dog prints, and the top pad of the foot is dimpled - just like the picture of a mountain lion track I pulled up on google. I decide to call the stream "Cougar Lick Creek," because it appears it is a watering hole for mountain lions. We will share this wilderness, I decided...

After camp was set up and the chills went away from thinking that mountain lions regularly drink out of the stream mere yards away from my camp, I took a quick mile long barefoot hike. Even in the VFF's, my feet get hot sometimes and long for the dew and the feel of soil beneath them...

Light began to fade, so I prepared dinner, inhaled it and bundled up for the night ahead. Needless to say, I slept like a rock.

The next morning I hatched a game plan. I would do a 14 mile round trip hike out to Tubal Cain Mine via Marmot Pass and back. I wrestled with just gearing up in running shorts and a tee shirt as it was beautiful out, but I also wanted pictures and the weather seemed to have the ability to change on a dime up in the pass. For imstance, I went to bed pretty comfortable but froze my ass off that first night. It was tough to get out of my warm sleeping bag to go wash up in the creek, that's for sure.

I started hiking up to the pass with a low fog surrounding me. By the time I arrived at Marmot Pass, the clouds were rolling around the peaks. giddy.


From there, I hiked towards Tubal Cain Mine, further into the Buckhorn Wilderness. The terrain ranged from scree fields to even more stunning vistas at around 6,200 feet and then tumbled back into old growth forest. A couple that I was hiking near stopped me to ask about the VFF's, how I liked them, how long have I been running in them...what's an ultramarathon?

Actually, I got a lot of comments on them from a lot of folks I saw in the mountains. I could always hear the hikers in their big hiking boots on the trail past my camp...CLUMP CLUMP CLUMP CLUMP. I don't know how people walk in those things! I'll take the VFF's any day.




I had lunch near a stream, hiked up the Copper Creek a ways and then decided that due to a lack of water and sustenance, turning back for camp was a prudent idea. I tried to fast hike it as best I could, fog was setting in, so I ran sections of the trail and made it in about half the time it took me to walk out there.

I chatted with a couple other hikers back at Marmot Pass then descended towards camp.

I ate heartily then retired. That night, something large brushed past my backside that was against the wall of my tent. Needless to say, I did not sleep well that night.

The next morning the skies were perfectly clear, treating me to grand views on my way back down to the trailhead.


From there, I got a ride back to civilization on Bainbridge Island. My friend took me kayaking in Poulsbo with her son, where we saw harbor seals come right up to our boats. I made three new seal friends that day...I spent the night at a state park there and had a great fire, good dinner and a decent night's sleep.


From there, I made my way back into civilization, hiking 6 miles to the ferry and then back into Seattle to work, then sleep in a bed and flush toilets and turn lights on and off.

The next morning I got to meet my barefoot running idol, A very fit, very awesome Barefoot Ted. He lives about 2 miles away from the hotel I was staying at, so I ran out to visit with him and his dog Edgar.

Ted just finished the Leadville 100 mile race wearing the new Vibram FiveFingers Trek in just over 25 hours. Amazing! We visited his Huarache workshop and his training grounds in Volunteer Park, where he teaches classes and coaches athletes to become fitter, faster and free-er.





I love listening to his theories about running and left there quite inspired to carry the "less is more" message to as many folks as I could. Just like Ted was doing when I left him. Two prospective students were there, Ted introduced me to them as a "fellow minimalist runner" and then he hipped me to a great little trail to run on...after I thanked him profusely for his time and inspiration and took off I heard him begin his lesson with "Okay, boys and girls!..."

I really do love the Washington area. It's so full of a diverse array of life and stone's throws to entirely different climates and experiences. This was truly an epic and memorable weekend!

An Avid User of the Vibram FiveFingers Line Answers Questions

I try to get to all of my email personally, I really do. Sometimes, that's just not possible. So...I'll go ahead and answer some questions about the Vibram FiveFingers that have been sent my way since writing about my experiences with them.

Note that these are merely the opinions of one user and are not designed to sway your opinion one way or the other -- this is only to serve as an "Answers to FAQ's," if you will.

So let's get started, shall we?

Question 1: Can you really wear them anywhere? Job interviews? Weddings? Nudist camps?

Answer: Yes, why not? They are an interesting conversation piece for any job interview -- and it would show the interviewer that you're not just some drone who'll march to the beat of everyone else's drum. Weddings? Heck yeah! You can really chicken dance in them. Nudist camps? The VFF's might not be for purist nudists, but they'd look cooler on a naked person than say, penny loafers.

Question 2: Seems like I always end up with expensive running shoes that I can't wear anywhere else, and they're usually worn out before I'm ready to drop $130 on a new pair. How long do the VFF's last?

Answer: First of all, the "foam breakdown" experienced in regular shoes is a sham. That one inch of foam is doing very little to cushion your feet and legs from "impact." In fact, you'd probably do well to let the foam in your shoes break down to the point where they're barely hanging on anymore, then chuck those things and start running barefoot. Secondly, I just retired a pair of VFF's with over 2,000 miles on them, including ultra runs on some of the bitchenist terrain in the upper midwest. They're plenty rugged, and relatively cheap to replace.

Question: Where can I get a KSO in Singapore (Frankfurt, Afghanistan, Brussels, Nice, Texas...)?

Answer: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

Question: If you were shelling out the cash would you buy the KSOs over say the classics? Purely for vanity the KSOs are limited in their colours...

Answer: I guess there are merits to both models, but for my money I like the KSO's the best so far out of the entire lineup of Vibram FiveFingers products, vanity notwithstanding.

Question: I have measured my shoe size and the approximate equivalent to it in european sizing leads to a too small/big FiveFingers. Help!

Answer: There is a great sizing chart and more answers to FAQ's on the website. Many retailers of the VFF have a handy dandy sizing device that works specifically with the VFF sizing.

Question: What kind of support do they have for my arches?

Answer: Your arches.

Question: Your feet are freakishly muscular. How can I avoid that?

Answer: Wear more shoe, do less exercise.

Question: What kind of traction do they get?

Answer: Most of your traction comes from being able to better sense yourself in relation to the surface you are on, rather than relying on tread or spikes or what have you.

Question: Are the KSO's waterproof?

Answer: No.

Question: Can you run in them in the snow?

Answer: Yes. And it's cold. Just like snow is meant to be.

They're meant to allow you to reconnect with surfaces and situations you're told over and over again that bare feet or less shod feet aren't supposed to go. SO get out there and have fun! Get muddy! Get wet! Get cold! Get HOT! Step on rocks. Step on logs. Climb trees in them. See how it all feels and teach yourself to run quickly and easily over all of it, just like we're designed to do! Sneak up on animals in them. Allow yourself to be snuck up on by animals in them. Run through dandelion patches and get salad in between your toes in them. Jump off of things and land on your feet in them. Do yoga in them. Go to church in them. Run a marathon in them. Run an ultramarathon in them. Wear them on airplanes...Discover all the ways that being barefoot is so much more fun than wearing shoes!

Afton & Other Items

I can't believe it's already July!

I have been on the road for about a month and a week now. I just finished my last trip out East for a while, and hope to get in something that resembles a consistent schedule for at least the next few weeks.

Of course, I know what lays ahead schedule wise, so we'll just see how things stack up.

I have decided NOT to run the Superior 100 Mile in September. I shaved my "100 mile beard" because I know it's just not in the cards this year. Giving this event anything less than my full attention in the months leading up to it just didn't feel like I was giving it the respect it deserved. I have no desire to do something just to say I've done it without giving it 100%, so I'm shelving this goal for a year.

Of course, I feel like a loudmouth braggart for ever announcing that I was planning on doing this event, but oh well. I think I had planned too much and very unrealistically, too soon. Lesson learned.

I will instead either run the 50 mile or the marathon up there this fall. I've been enjoying short, intense runs lately, but nothing longer than 15 miles for the last few weeks, so I feel like I could actually crack off a decent marathon, if I have the right kinds of runs in the next few weeks.

On my last trip to Westchester, I got out a couple times on a trail between my Tarrytown hotel and Irvington, a lovely town on the Hudson river, a couple miles down the trail. One morning I made the trip out and back in just under 40 minutes, the next day I had only 25 minutes to run, so I decided to see if I could get there and back in that time. 28 minutes later a panting, sweaty, gnat covered me ran into the hotel lobby and back to my room for a quick cold shower before dinner.

I ran the Afton 25K over the 4th of July weekend, and as usual, it rocked. It was a little cooler than usual, which was fantastic! I ran it several minutes slower this year than last year. Not a big surprise, considering.

So the plan is to get some runs in after work or maybe before work if time allows, long runs on weekends, back into the dungeon of a weight room I have set up in the studio and enter the late summer strong-ish if not back to where I was a year ago, but also kind of balance some things out and still maintain my career commitments at the level I have been...

I did get out for a great 25K run at Afton this morning. There was no water to be found on the course, so I had a 20 minute detour getting up to the first fountains to drink like a camel before hitting the long flat stretch to the meatgrinder -- but still had a great run.

I am breaking in a brand new pair of Vibram FiveFingers -- I love it when the rubber on them is still sticky. Way better traction.

Hopefully you are all having a great summer!!

I'm Still Standin'

Yes...Still here.

Just into a busy summer. Have a bunch of stuff to do well into July, but...after that, it's on again. I've managed some decent runs, but I am going to have to see about how well-trained I will be by September for a 100 mile run.

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far...Any Atlanta or L.A. runners reading this blog? I could use some suggestions on where to run!

Superior 50K - No More Snow Until October, Please!

Well that was fun.

But before a brief recap of the fun, thank you to all of the volunteers who cleared a previously barely passable Superior Hiking Trail of the blowdown from the ice storm. Thank you to the volunteers who braved nasty, bitter cold wind and all sorts of precipitation to put on a finely organized and memorable event. Thank you to my two fine travel companions, Kate Havelin and Alicia Gordon who kept the driver alert and entertained for hundreds of miles in the car. Thank you to Jefferey and Lynette for their warm and fun presence at the condo (especially thanks to Lynette for the post-race acupuncture). Thanks to JoAnn for setting up a great place to stay and for her laugh. What a fun weekend!

Got to see many new and old faces in a place that has become one of my favorite places over the past couple years. This spring's trip with Kate and Alicia to Lutsen for the Superior 50K sealed the deal...All time favorite trail: Superior Hiking Trail.

Alicia and Kate and I drove up through some windy, rainy stuff to get to Lutsen and then hunkered down in our cozy condo for the night.

After a full day of some pretty intense rain and a forecast of low 30's for the start - it was tough to get up out of my cozy little bed - hearing that wind howling against the condo all night. The sun was rising, coffee was on and it. was. snowing! The roof in the condos adjacent to ours was coated in a dusting, as were the cars and grass.

We all got ready and had breakfast...I have to remember: oatmeal, salad, protein drink, banana. That is apparently the recipe for a good day.

I milled around at the start with a bunch of other runners, it was so cool to meet folks that only knew about me from this blog! Of course, I was getting tons of questions about the FiveFingers, and I heard through the grapevine that someone else was wearing them as well...I never did find out who that was.

We lined up at the start, the wind drowned out everything the race director Mike was saying. In the famously informal fashion of most ultras, there was the beginning of a countdown, someone said "WAIT!" as they synchronized their timepiece, the countdown resumed and we were all off down the road in front of Caribou Highlands lodge and on our way to the Superior Hiking Trail, Moose Mountain and 31 miles of FUN!

I decided I was just going to run whatever pace felt like good, clean work. Not push it and not sandbag it. Kate had graciously lent me her gloves, since I did not pack any warm things, thinking that this year would be like last year's race and be a little warmer than...wind driven sleet!

The puddles started early and often. I sidestepped exactly two before I started going straight up the gut. Here's why going through mud puddles is fun (for those that need reminding):

1. It feels great.
2. It makes you look like you're really battling out there.
3. It sounds cool.

I ran with Steve Quick for about as long as I could keep up...he's running strong after five ultras in six weeks. Unbelievable. I also ran with Zach Pierce a ways, who PR'd the 50K distance in this race! Not an easy feat considering how muddy it was!

I got to talk to a lot of folks I haven't seen since my last ultra and it's always fun to see everyone and catch up on the run! I especially enjoyed watching Jason Husveth and Kevin Martin hammer through many of the sections (and pass me). Boy they were tough to catch once they went flying by. Looks like they're both having a great year!

The running seemed to come easily and with great joy. It was almost like a dream. The trail seemed to float underneath me for the first ten miles or so. I wasn't even breathing hard. Got to the Oberg aid station and filled up everything and took off again.

I was having a blast splashing through the mud. My FiveFingers were squishing with every step. I had leaves and mud caked on my lower legs...a recipe for happiness.

Shortly before the second A.S., I was running through one of said mud puddles and caught the top of my foot on a submerged root. I was almost relishing falling into the cool mud, braced myself and then as my knee sunk into the mud it met the edge of a rock with a resounding crack.

I was on my hands and knees in the mud, my long sleeved shirt that I was wearing up around my neck was around my head and I was in paiiiin. A nice dude stopped and asked me if I was ok. I waved him on, but he wouldn't leave. Which was nice of him. I pulled my shirt down, let my glasses unfog and breathed in some cool, crisp air.

I got up and shook it out, then began running. More often than not, if I walk immediately after something like that it sets a bad precedence (unless I'm really injured). So I got to the Sawbill Trail A.S., looked down at the horror show that was my knee and started eating peanut butter sandwiches like they were going out of style.

The volunteers washed me up as best they could and then it was a race against Jason to the turnaround (Jennifer Pierce has a picture of me running out of this A.S. *gasp* heel-striking!). I left my jacket and shirt there and decided to brave the elements. Thanks again, Kate for the gloves!

My knee opened up again and I decided to just let it bleed. After that, I had the Rolling Stones stuck in my head for the rest of the run.

I saw a few more runners coming back up the mountain towards the turnaround, and I was taking it pretty easy on the rocks because I didn't want to go tumbling over the edge.

Before I knew it it was back through Sawbill and then on to Oberg again! I stubbed my pinky toe a few times through this area, it doesn't like me today, but it's no worse off than its neighboring toe who met the ugly side of a leaf-buried stump last weekend at Afton. It's all part of the fun! My mind kind of stopped keeping up with the blur of rocks and roots going underfoot and I had to slow way down to process everything so I wouldn't trip.

The puddles all felt so nice to get the feet cooled off in. I really love mud.

The last section of the race came up fast...even though it had already been five hours, time flies when you're having fun! I passed a few folks up Moose Mountain, gave a war whoop at the top of Moose Mountain, ran into some hikers...took in the view...and then I was flying down the valley and soundly hit my wall.

No amount of gel or S! Caps or water was going to make me start running any faster or heal my fried quads, so I just accepted it and pushed as hard as I could to the river and then to the finishing chute. Nobody was hanging out there except for the volunteers because it was blowing like mad and freezing outside.

It was a really great run!

After finishing I went in for some chow, talked to a bunch of people and then hit the showers and a catnap before our crew joined Maria and Doug Barton and their kids in Grand Marais for some kick ass fajitas.

Then it was back to the condo in time for a fire, SNL and Lynette gave us acupuncture (in our happy places {the top of your head, apparently}). I have to say it must've worked! I haven't felt quite so deeply happy in a while on that couch next to my running friends all warm and toasty (with two needles in my head and about five in my foot), sitting on the accomplishment of finishing 31 miles on the SHT. It was so nice!

Sunday we hiked around Gooseberry Falls and I enjoyed massive quantities of food on the way back into town. I wish I could've stay up there...for the rest of my life.

Thanks to all the well wishers! See you on the next trail!

Superior 50K or bust!

It's been a while since I've run 50K, and at this point in the year I can hardly say I am ready for it. Had a very zero week due to a car accident on Monday, decided to stretch and ice/heat all week and see if I am limber enough to go the distance Saturday. Ah well...it will still be a fun road trip.

See you there!

5/04 - 5/10

Monday, 5/04 - Even God rested. So today after 7 days of non-stop action, I did, too.

Tuesday, 5/05 - 75 min. chest, back and abs. Bolder Options graduation. If you have the time to commit, I highly recommend looking into this program.

Wednesday, 5/06 - 40 min., PM Hyland. Great, low-key run.

Thursday, 5/07 - 75 min. shoulders, arms & abs.

Friday, 5/08 - 50 min., up Dodd and back hard.

Saturday, 5/09 - 240 min., AM Afton. Saw a bunch of folks I love seeing out at Afton. Was a great run. Total nature walk, easy for first 15 miles then a hard effort for last 5 miles with a sprint up Campground Hill thrown in on dead legs at the end of it. Fantastic.

Sunday, 5/10 - Took ma out for dinner.

Spent rest of day reading "Born to Run." This is my new favorite book about running. I recommend everyone check this out...Then I wish everyone who ever questioned anyone about how they could possibly spend hours running every day would read it as well. Oh, we are meant to run! Oh, running is meant to be exuberant and joyous! Oh, it is also an expression of our love for others and the spirit of humanity which we all share. Not drugery. Not agony. But a free expression of humanity of which we (99.9% of the HUMAN RACE) are borne from.

Too bad we have all but forgotten that in this day and age of convenience and 'advances,' where exercise is viewed as some kind of necessary evil in order to fit into pants. Gah! People! Run for your lives!