run, bike, paddle

killer year

2009-07-05T05:53:00.000-07:00

The timing of our move could not have been any better. The Southeast had a phenomenal spring, while New England had a mediocre one. It has rained almost every day since we arrived though, and this summer the creeks are going off. I managed to get on the Big Branch at a juicy level (4) on my birthday, July 1st. This year was a big one for me. I hit thirty. The Big Branch is one of New England's finest creeks and it is only about an hour and a half away, in Southern VT. It is reminiscent of the West Prong in Tennessee; continuous bed rock gradient with a few bigger drops thrown in for good measure. These pictures are myself and Nick Gottlieb in Mushroom.

This one is called the Cave Drop. We walked it due to a horrendous hole at the bottom.

I ran the Wells River for the first time a few days before the Big Branch. It is comparable to Wilson's Creek. A great intermediate creek run, the crux is El Salto falls, a nice 12 footer.

These pictures are from the West Branch of the Deerfield, also in Southern VT. I was on my way to the Deerfield Dryway and thought I should check out the WB. It turned out to have enough water to scrape down. It made a good day in combination with the Dryway, an Ocoee-style classic that releases on the weekends.

Bloods Brook is a local park and huck a few minutes from my house. I have not paddled it yet, but it looks good.

The view from Mount Ascutney, home of the Vermont 50, which Alenda and I are training for.

new england rain...and quebec

2009-06-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last few weeks experiencing as much of the Northeast as possible before I go back to work. It takes a lot of rain to get things going this time of year, but the White mountains have had some decently wet weather since we arrived.

Greg Hanlon on the Upper Pemi.

Me on the Pemi (photo: Hanlon).

The Quechee Gorge is 15 minutes away. It features stunning scenery with class II to III whitewater and one bigger rapid.

Even if New England has a dry summer, Quebec is always good. I ran the infamous Taureau section of the Jacques Cartier with a good crew from New Hamsphire and New York. Boyce Greer showed us the way down (it was his 30th trip there). I can't say enough about the Taureau. It is long, big and burly. The put in is at the end of the Earth about 5 hours north of my new location. The river escalates perfectly from moving flatwater that to Class III, then IV and V. The paddle out is several miles class II at the bottom of a rugged gorge with massive domes and boreal forest. I felt small on that river, and I can't wait to go back.

new england update

2009-05-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

After a long, two day drive North we finally arrived at our home in Lebanon, New Hampshire. We held our breath as we opened the apartment door (we found it on Craigslist) and were relieved to find a small but clean abode. The day we got here local guru Greg Hanlon took me to the Big Branch in Vermont. The next day I walked five minutes out of my front door and ran "Downtown Hair" on the Mascoma. It is a quality, 1/4 mile long class V drop. I ran it four times for a mile of whitewater. Today I went back to Vermont for a quick double on the Middlebury. It was the shit. This weekend we are going to the Taureau for a big water adventure in Quebec. I think I am going to like it here.

Fallopian Tube on the Middlebury's infamous Birth Canal.

moving on

2009-05-18T19:35:00.001-07:00

We are moving next week. I hit the road for a few days to catch up with some old friends and run a few rivers before we leave. Glen, Ronnie, Baker at the Overflow put in.

Me and Chewey at our favorite spot, Babel Tower, on a double day.

Chris getting fired up about a big first d. Maybe next time.

The great Marginal Monster.

Laurel Fork of the Doe.

Babel on a big day. Too big. We hiked out.

picture of the month

2009-05-04T18:34:00.001-07:00

Drew Austell headed West for the summer. When he left, I told him to send me some shots from the PNW. Here he is dropping Punchbowl Falls on Eagle Creek (Oregon).

jerrys baddle 2009

2009-04-28T05:15:00.001-07:00

Jerry's Baddle 2009 was (again) the best event of the year. I was defending first place in the men's solo class for the fourth consecutive race. I started out strong in the boat. Andrew Holcombe was a minute behind me and we leap frogged a few times, but I managed to finish a few seconds ahead of him. I went hard on the river, but was feeling good on the bike. About a quarter of the way up the infamous switchbacks, I heard a loud pop and my heart immediately sunk as my front tire exploded violently. "Shit"! Luckily I had a spare. I am not good with mechanics and it took a while, but I finally got back on my bike in time for a fourth place finish, seven minutes behind winner Mefford Williams. Although the bike failure was disappointing, I still had a great time. I trained hard this year, mostly around Johnson City. I cut time from all my local rides and got the Nolichucky paddle/bike shuttle up Spivy Gap down to 2 1/2 hours. I also had a six run day on the Green (the most I had done previously was four). Even though I lost my trophy I am at the top of my game. I am ready for a summer of hardcore shit in the great white North. Click the link in the side bar under "results" for full Baddle results. Huge thanks to all the people and companies involved in organizing the Baddle. Congratulations to Mefford, Jed and Clayton, and Jennifer Cribbs.

Three time team event winner Jed Hinkley post race.

Transition area.

Pictures taken from Beauty Spot, near the Noli.

Forrest fire in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

The day after the Baddle I got up early and ran the Green with Stephen. We hiked our boats out from Groove Tube (3 miles) then ran another 5 miles to the put in. I met my parents in Cullowhee that afternoon. Dad and I went for a surf session at the local play spot. Monday I did a burly Cullowhee road bike ride known as the Ring of Fire. The 50 miler goes up and over Cullowhee Mountain to the Lower Cullasaja. On my way home I hit a nice hike with my parents in the Smokies. It was a full weekend and I am ready to relax.

linville river...like it is

2009-04-08T17:47:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday I worked the 12 hour graveyard shift at the ER. While I slaved away through the night, I continually checked rain gages and river levels. Linville was coming in. Jonas Ridge got an inch and a half of rain, and the river was already primed. It was going to get big. At 6:30 a.m. I started going down the list, hoping to find a crew. Cooper and Will were the only takers. I went home and crashed for a couple of hours. When I drove by the upper section near Crossnore the shit looked large. Will and Coop were waiting at the Falls parking lot. I thought about stopping to discuss the situation, but instead I honked and hit the gas. "If we talk, we might not put on." I thought to myself. We hiked in and the trail dumped us out next to the river. No one said a goddamn word. We stared at the muddy rage in silence. I threw my gear on and with the loudest "whoop" I could muster, dropped into Babel Falls. High water Linville presents the option for a relatively conservative, Class V+ day, or a huge Class V++ day. Coop choose the later, running Dr. Seuss, Hallway, and the big rapid below Twiggys. The Linville River is the ultimate Southeastern whitewater experience. Afterwards, everything else seems kind of silly. It was so good on Friday that we met at 6 a.m. on Saturday for round two. Although it had dropped significantly, we still had good water. All Linville pics by Will Stubblefield (taken on Saturday).

This photo sums up Linville nicely. We get up at 4 a.m., not because we have to, but because it is that good.
The Linville brings good people together. When I call Brad Kee now, he does not say "Hi", he just says "What's it running?". Here is the father of two boofing Babel.

We had a little clusterfuck at Jailhouse. Jay broke his boat and I ended up in the sieve. After Cooper and Will extracted me, we seal launched back in.

Cooper and I discussing ways to prevent future carnage.

Cooper took this picture of me boofing Stateline on the Watauga at low water a few weeks ago. Sick shot.

Last weekend I went to Virginia with Alendia to crew for her at her first marathon. She finished the Virginia Creeper 'Thon in 5 hours. Congrats, baby. When not paddling, I have been training hard for Jerry's Baddle. I will be fighting to defend my title in the solo class for the fourth year in a row. I did pretty well in a local time trial known as the pack ride recently. I finished fifth on the ten mile course, and I was the first rider without a trial bike. Results here.

a paradigm shift

2009-03-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

When I was in my early and mid-twenties I ran the biggest hair of my life. The Raven Fork for breakfast and a triple on the Cullasaja for lunch was just another day. Walking Gorilla at high water was not an option. If I was not scared shitless, I was bored. Many of my friends were entering their thirties and slowly backing off the big dogs. I gave them hell: "When you turn 28 you lose your sack" I ranted. I turn 30 this year, and things have changed. I have a family. I don't get 200+ days a year in the water. I feel as much fear as excitement on my way to the river. When I scout large rapids, the consequence of a missed stroke stands out. And I know how heavy the consequences are.

I went to the Russell Fork at high ass water today. I walked and snuck some stuff that I usually run, but I had a blast.

This is Drew Austell pre-horrendous beating.

He swam, but immediatly got out of the river and we retrieved all his gear. It was an epic day at the Fork.

There is no need to drive to Canada or WV to surf big waves. This is El Hydraulico. The shoulder is about 8 feet from trough to crest.

big rocks

2009-02-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

Big Rocks was the shit back in the day. I used to get huge cartwheels there in my Redline. In 2004 the Nolichucky flooded and 60,000 cfs pushed a rock into the middle of the hole. The spot was dead. In 2008 it was resurrected when the local boys pried the rock out of the way after the river dropped to 100 cfs. Big Rocks is back, and it is ten minutes from my house. Check out local shredder Mike Patterson throwing down:

little bald and the high rock

2009-01-27T09:15:00.001-08:00

I did some New Hampshire training in the snow last week. I started at Spivey Gap and ran to the Bald Mountain Shelter on the AT. It is a tough section, gaining 2000 feet in elevation each way. The foot deep snow slowed me down considerably. It took over four hours to cover 11.7 miles. Burly.

The High Rock.

Spivy Falls looked climbable. The next time it rains someone should drop this big bastard. It is an off vert, fifty foot, sliding cascade. Burly.

epic shit

2009-01-12T19:02:00.001-08:00

My schedule at my new nursing job paid off in a big way this week. I wrapped up six days on as rain hammered the area. Wednesday I woke up to find river levels huge. The Doe was raging at over 4000 cfs (2.5 feet at the takeout). I had run it before at 3000, but the extra water made the river unmanageable. The rapids were big, but runnable. The problem was an inability to stop. Eddies were nearly nonexistent and there was wood all over the place. We made it about halfway down the river and I decided to hike out. The rest of the group followed suit. It was a good decision. After that I went to the Elk with Chris and Will. It was high as hell but we ran it anyway. It is one of the most intense runs in the area at high flows. We had a couple of minor incidents, but got away with no swims. It snowed the next day and we opted for a mellow day on the Doe at 1000 cfs. Photo Will Stublefield.

Friday we fired up the Linville at a low, but fun level. The drop above leads into the rapid below. This section of river is particularly intense. If features an undercut known as "Tony's". I always feel gripped here. Photos Will Stublefield.

On Saturday I raced the Chatooga with 25 homies and plenty of water. It was a good time. I hope that event continues after I move. Chris Gragtmans won and I was not far behind in 2nd place. Steve from Long Creek was third.
The biggest hair of the week came on Monday. Drew and I went to the Russell Fork for some big dog action. It was about 3000 cfs, but it felt higher. We skirted Tower and fired into the Fist wave train with no trouble. Maze was full on. Catching the portage eddy above Triple Drop is nerve wracking. Triple was scary, but good. The stuff between Triple and El Ho was big Class V+ with massive breaking waves and haystacks. I briefly got stuffed under a rock at the bottom on our second run. El Ho is a mess of water. It is chaos. It looks like the ocean in a hurricane. We scouted and ran the massive middle line. On our first run I got through smoothly, but Drew flipped and missed a couple of rolls. He got it back together in time to surf off the shoulder of El Hydraulico, a crushing 10 foot wave/hole. On our second run we ran out of luck. I flipped coming out of the main drop of El Ho and attempted several rolls. I was violently knocked over every time. I switched to the other side and felt my boat hit a rock shelf near El Hydraulico. I tried one more roll. It was unsuccessful. I did not want to swim in the maelstrom, but I was out of air. I pulled. The river swept me into the undercut shelf and I grabbed onto it, holding on for my life. I was lucky I did not swim further. An eight foot drop lies directly down stream. Drew got my stuff and we paddled out. Climax is hardcore at high water and I was relieved to be through it. "So, How do you feel about just doing two runs?" I asked Drew. He did not mind. We drank a beer with James Stapleton and Steve Ruth at the takeout. It was good to see them. I am back to work for another six days. I know what I will be daydreaming about while I am there.

upper blackwater

2008-12-29T09:07:00.000-08:00

With my upcoming move to the Northeast feeling close, I am extra motivated to paddle a few rivers I always wanted to see. The weather forecast last weekend predicted high temps in the 60's in West Virginia. The Blackwater was running. A few phone calls later I had a crew and a plan. Jack Ditty met me in Parsons, WV to set shuttle. We hooked up with Drew Austell at the takeout for the Upper. The put in for the Upper B is no joke. This is Puke, the marginally runnable sieve upstream of the first rapid (Blackwater Falls is in the background).

J told us the river was a perfect level, just over 400 cfs.

100 Yard Dash is the first rapid. It requires a hairy ferry above a couple of stout holes.

Saturday we did 2 runs on the Upper, then paddled out on the Lower. It was a long day (I got out of bed at 3:30 a.m.), but well worth the drive. On Sunday Drew and I did a couple more runs, then I rolled back to TN.

hellgate

2008-12-15T15:30:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, December 13th I graduated from college. Unfortunately I did not give a damn about graduating. I was living in a different world. It was a world of pain, agony, and suffering. I was competing in the 100 kilometer (65+ mile) Hellgate ultramarathon. I knew that it would be the most demanding endurance event of my life, but it exceeded my expectations. The race started at midnight Saturday. It was cold, but as I ran out of the gate, I felt overdressed. The first 3 miles were relatively easy grassy roads and single track. We crossed a creek (the first of many) that was higher than usual due to recent rains. After the first aid station we climbed a dirt road for several miles, gaining 1200 feet. Soon I was glad for my coat and wool mittens. The moon was so bright a flashlight was unnecessary for most of the race. It was beautiful on that dirt road. The trees were bare and stark and haunting. Sometime after the second aid station my knees started hurting. It was an ominous sign. They usually don't bother me until around mile 25 or 30. It was so cold the ground was frozen, beating my knees down. It got colder. Wind howled across the mountain. Thoughts of quitting drifted through my head. There was a long section of technical, nasty single track with rocks and roots everywhere. My ankles twisted as I ran down the mountain. "I could drop now and get out of this thing". "Just keep running". The dialogue played out continuously in my head. A rush of energy overwhelmed me as I stumbled down the rocky trail into aid station three, and I knew I would finish this race. The pain got worse, but I suffered through it. I met some cool runners who helped me out just by talking to me. All the racers are out there for similar reasons. There were a few high points and many low points. When I got to the mile 42 aid station I realized I still had to run a marathon. I could have cried. Instead I ran. Everyone told me that Hellgate would "be an experience" and it was. It is not one I want to repeat anytime soon. See full results here. Sadist David Horton (center with ball cap) making diabolical plans against the racers.

I started feeling the burn of this blister around mile 30. Only 35 to go!

A couple of days later I took advantage of the rain and got some low water Watauga with Bryan Griesemer.

Photo by Bryan.

hellgate training

2008-11-20T12:25:00.001-08:00

I am in the process of training for the Hellgate 100k, in Fincastle, VA. It is known in ultrarunning circles as one of the hardest 100k races in the country. It starts at midnight on December 12th. In past years, runners dropped out due to frozen corneas. I did not get any super long runs in this month. Instead, I did a few 25 to 30 milers, some paddling and some biking. The last couple of weeks I put in 40+ miles per week. Last Thursday I ran Linville at a low but good level. The gage is changing. We caught it at 1.9 and it was plenty of water. I would not do it much lower, but my old minimum was 2.3. Jonas Ridge got 1.3 inches of rain that day. Two days later it got a half inch, but it was not enough to bring the river up. We rolled the dice and headed that way. Luckily, we brought running gear with us. It was much too low. We ran from Babel Towers to Connely Cove. The trail parallels the river for the entire section.
Tony's Undercut. When local paddlers reach Death Penalty, the first portage on Linville, they get serious. The portage begins a series of drops that is absolutely deadly. The half mile of whitewater is not the most difficult on the river, but it may be the most dangerous.

Cathedral Falls. The level was about 1.4 when I took these photos. You could scrape down, but it would not be fun.

Holston Mountain got some snow. I ran from Cross Mountain to the Double Springs shelter on the AT, then got on the Holston Mountain Trail. It was perfect Hellgate training. Cold, cold, cold.

4 weekends, 4 races

2008-11-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

I had a big month of racing in October. It started off with the Russell Fork Baddlun, a grueling triathlon in its freshmen year. Twelve burly motherfuckers rallied for some steep hills, big rapid, and more steep hills. I trained hard and won, beating out Brian Menzies by about 4 minutes. I trained because I knew first prize was a jar of Southeastern Kentucky's finest "consumable Appalachian folk art". Toby Macdermott crawling from the Fork like the creature from the black lagoon. The swim across the river was the hardest part for me.

John Grace at Climax.

All RF pics by Russell Marcus.

The following weekend Alendia and I raced a 5k at ETSU. The course was pretty flat and I beat my personal record by 45 seconds. It was good training for the next two weekends. The Lord of the Fork race is one of my favorites. This year the competition was insane. Pat Kellar, Andrew Holcombe and a crew of others showed up to whip up on the regular crew. I finished 9th in 10:38. It was the fastest I have completed the course.

The firs Saturday of November marks the infamous Green Race. Here I am getting my rodeo on with an aerial barrel roll off Zwicks. My only goal for the Green Race this year was to not get hurt. I succeeded in my mission and finished in 5:11. Photo by Anthony Bellemare. See the sidebar for full results of all three events.

fall paddling season in full effect

2008-10-08T09:48:00.000-07:00

The Maze.

El Horrendo.
The Russell Fork of the Levissa Fork of the Big Sandy river is the shit! Here are my boys Jed and Drew firing it up (Jed for his first time). For more shots click here and here.

linville gnarathon

2008-08-30T15:33:00.001-07:00

"What the hell am I doing" I thought as I drove through a puddle, spraying water over my truck. It was 4 a.m. and I was on my way to Linville Gorge to attempt a landmark triple run. When I left the house the river was 2.9 and it was pouring on the headwaters. The Gorge is usually run between 1.8 and 2.5. I have run it up to about 3.2.

By the time I got to the put in road, I was so nervous I drove to a bridge to look at the river. I had never been there before, and it does not have a gauge on it, but I thought it might make me feel better. I only felt worse as I peered over it in the predawn darkness, my headlamp revealing a raging torrent of muddy, brown water.

I met Chris Gragtmans and Fergus Coffey a few minutes later and we set shuttle. Hopes for the triple were fading fast as we focused on surviving run number one. We arrived at Babel Tower to find a reasonable level of about 2.8. I was relieved, and we made good time considering the care we took scouting for wood. We were back at our cars by 11:30 a.m. It rained continuously while we paddled and hiked, and we did not talk much on our way to the river.

The level had jumped up a couple of inches for our second run. But the two of us navigated the big whitewater smoothly, and we were hiking out an hour and a half later. It was still raining. I told Chris that three was unrealistic, but when we got to the top of the trail, we felt good. An Asheville crew was gearing up at the Babel trailhead, providing a needed boost.

We hiked in with the homies and found a big ass river raging over Babel Falls, an intimidating 10 footer. I dropped in and flipped, missing a roll. Not the most inspiring line I have ever had. Chris was still paddling strong, but I was pretty loose on the last run. I flipped over in some easier rapids and had a close call with a horrible sieve. I was getting down the river, but I was on the edge of control. My arms were as limp as overcooked noodles.

The last six rapids on the 'Ville are in a tight, walled in gorge called Cathedral. It is committing and consequential. I had solid lines on our first two runs of Cathedral, but now I was weak. A footbridge crosses the river above the first rapid and provides access to a trail that parallels the river. It was not a hard decision to make. I portaged the gorge. It stung a little to watch my boys fire it up as I groveled 3/4 of a mile through the woods, but I made the right choice . I could not jeopardize the safety of our team. I walked back down to the river and put in, floating to the takeout. I set the Linville triple goal a couple of years ago, and it finally happened. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. Due to the drought my boating has been limited. I bit off a huge chunk of meat going from no boating to running 15 or 20 miles of class V+ whitewater in a day, but it worked out.
I warmed up the evening before on the Noli at 10K. This is the takeout.

Chris and I at the end of the day. Photo by Pat Kellar. We were on the river on the 28th.

east linville

2008-08-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Russell and I did a 13 mile loop in Linville Gorge Sunday. It was a little low (15 cfs). We hiked down the Devil's Hole trail to the river. I had never been on the east side of the gorge. The trail comes out just downstream of this nasty little slot.

This is what it looks like with water in it. We used to run it regularly, but it is harder to get over the rock then it used to be. Last time I was here one of the boys had to scramble to clear the slot, and he fell into the crack. He was okay, but it was a scary moment. The rest of us walked it. This is what your stern would fall into if you missed the move. I think some wood cleared out and there is more water going subterranean now. I will not be running this one again.

Sick view of the cave rapid. That shit is steep! Standing here, I was overwhelmed by the power of the gorge.

Donkey Kong is one of the biggest, longest, meanest rapids at high water.

Just add water. Cathedral Gorge entrance.

View from Table Rock. I should have hiked in a long time ago to establish exit routes. From the slot rapid (above) to the seal launch portage below Cave Rapid, you can easily gain the Linville Gorge trail on river right. At that portage, sheer walls allow downstream travel only. Between Dr. Seuss and the footbridge, the trail stays close to the river.

40-40-40 report

2008-08-06T10:39:00.001-07:00

The Johnson City Summer Series (Bi-Tri, Hell Fuck, 40-40-40) is over. I successfully finished the 40-40-40 after nearly 14 hours of running and biking around Tennessee and Virginia. I started at Watauga Lake at 5 a.m. in a pitch black, thick fog. The beam from my headlamp bounced back into my eyes, and I could not see shit. The majority of the climbing was in the first ten miles, and it took me two and a half hours. I planned to run the section in two hours. Already behind, I was having serious doubts about finishing.
By mile twenty I had made up for the lost time. I was feeling better, but still not convinced I would make it to Damascus with the energy I needed for a long bike ride. The last ten miles was mostly down hill, and Alendia ran south until she met me three miles from Damascus. Thanks, baby, for driving the bike up after a long night of call at the hospital!
I refueled in Damascus, and rode back to my truck. I climbed up Iron Mountain for 15 miles, but it was pretty gradual until the end. From there I had a big descent to Elizabethton, then a few short climbs back to Watauga Lake. The 41.3 mile run took 10 hours, and the 45 mile ride took 3 hrs and 15 minutes.
Drinking the 40 was the easy part.

off the couch

2008-07-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

The last two weekends I tried to get back on my short game after a summer of training for long distance. I did pretty well in the Bluff City 5K, finishing 12th out of 85 in 20:57. Alenda won her age group with a 25:40. Last Saturday the East Coast Giant Slalom qualifier went off. Over 50 people showed up for the event. I got spanked pretty hard, but I heard I made the cut for the championship in August. I can't wait for that one. The course that John set up required precision paddling. The series above shows Caleb Coaplen negotiating gates two through seven. Gate one was after the seal launch below Gorilla (first picture). I touched two gates on my first run, costing me 20 seconds. The race was a reminder of the skill possessed by local boaters. You can't fake it in Giant Slalom.

Woody, Brooks and Rob watching a racer thread his way through the gates.

This Friday I am attempting the 40-40-40. Hopefully I will survive to tell the tale.

bear country

2008-07-05T18:09:00.001-07:00

I spent the week in Kalispell, Montana hanging out with some old friends. I logged 45 miles on foot, and got two days on the river. We did a burly hike on the east side of Glacier National Park, hiked Mount Aeneas, and hiked Big Mountain. I paddled the Middle Fork of the Flathead and the Wild Mile on the Swan.
There is still tons of snow in the mountains out there. People were back country skiing on Aeneas. Montana is as wild as it gets in the U.S. We saw mountain goats, big horn sheep, a wolf and some crazy ass people. It was a cool trip. For more Montana pics check out my Flickr account.

hell fuck 2008 a smashing success

2008-06-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

The Hell Fuck lived up to it's name once again, putting the beat down on Jed Hinkley, Stephen Kimmel, and I. The course was different this year. In '07 we started in Johnson City and road biked to Carvers Gap (Roan Mountain). Then we ran the AT to Indian Grave Gap near the Noli. We stashed bikes at the trail head and rode them to the put in, ran the river, and road biked back to JC. Alenda shuttled gear from Roan Mountain to the takeout while we were running. This year I eliminated the need for a shuttle by starting at Carvers Gap. We ran the same 25 mile section of AT, biked to the put in, paddled the Nolichucky (at 300 cfs), and finished with a long road bike ride back to Carvers Gap. Before.

After.

This years course was shorter by a few miles, but the bike ride was insane. We rode from Erwin to Iron Mountain. Iron Mountain Gap is a 6 mile, 7% climb. It kicked my ass all over the place. It was another 16 miles to Bakersville, where we started the climb to Carvers Gap. Highway 261 ascends Roan Mountain for 12 miles, and the last 6 miles gain nearly 3000 feet. Jed attacked it like he was racing, but I was in survival mode, crawling along at 7 miles per hour. We were all in severe pain at the end.

Stephen was hurting the worst. Here he is purging himself of the Hell Fuck and swearing he will never do it again. He will change his mind before next year.

The 2009 Hell Fuck will take place in the Northeast, but I hope that someone steps up to keep the torch burning in the South.

more fun at the fork

2008-06-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

I ran the Russell Fork at 200 cfs after a rescue class I participated in at the takeout. I had never seen the river below 600, but local guru Gerald Delong assured me I would have a good time. He did not dissapoint. The Fork is a blast at any level. David Howard double boofing Tower.

Jim Janney

We camped near this overlook in the Breaks State Park. The rescue course took place against the big wall on river left.

I dodged coal trucks on my road bike Friday before the class started, and I stayed until Monday morning. On my way out I stopped near Norton, Va and ran a thirteen mile stretch of the Chief Benge Scout Trail. It parallels this creek for several miles. It ends at the waterfalls on Little Stony, one of Virginia's finest steep creeks.

a trip to virginia, and a new toy

2008-05-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

I looked out my window last Friday morning and I could not believe my eyes. My neighbor was having a yard sale and her parents were hocking a sailboat. I knew I had to buy it. Now I just have to learn how to sail. It should be a fun summer at Watauga Lake.

Alenda and I took a short vacation this week. We started with a 10k run on the New River Trail. Ultramarathon badass Annette Bednosky is organizing a 50k foot race there in October. Too bad that's Russell Fork season.

Mom and Dad got us a couple of nights at a cabin on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Galax, VA. We spent day 2 hiking and trail running on the Parkway. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Southern VA gnar.
On the way home we stopped at the Virginia Creeper Trail. We did 30k in 3 days. We are both recovering from ankle injuries, so we were happy to be back on our feet.

Alenda blew hers out running at Buffalo Mountain a couple of months ago.

I was looking through pictures I took earlier this year and found a couple I liked:

Pond Mountain as seen from Iron Mountain.
Riley Cathcart in the middle of the shit (Linville Gorge).

Dr. Seuss on Linville.

nolichucky bi-tri

2008-05-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Caleb, Russell and I completed the first installment of the Johnson City Summer Series. The Series consist of the Bi-Tri, the Hell Fuck and the 40-40-40 (more about that later). This was the second annual Bi-Tri. It started with a 9 mile paddle down the Noli Gorge. The light at Quarter Mile is spectacular early in the morning.At the take out we transitioned into running gear and ran 7 miles up the AT to Indian Grave Gap. We picked up bikes left at the Gap and rode 5 miles down the mountain back to the put in.

Soon we were charging down Quarter Mile for the second time. Photo by Joe Huggins.

After our second paddle down the Noli, we got on road bikes and climbed Spivy Gap. The 30 mile ride brought us back to the put in, and our vehicles.

The only thing left was gear retrieval. We had a mountain of boats, bikes, shoes and paddles at the take out. Photo by Joe Huggins.

The 40-40-40 is going to be the most brutal of the 3 events. It starts in Hampton, TN where the AT crosses 321. I am going to run from Hampton to Damascus (40+ miles) where I will stash a road bike. Highway 91 will bring me over Holston Mountain and back to Hampton (40+ miles). The final 40 will be a cold 40 oz Steel Reserve that I will drink upon completing this punisher...if I finish.