2009-2010

It was another glorious day for the classic Bear Canyon Loop. A large group of runners started out at 7:00 AM, joined by three later in the morning and one on Saturday for a grand turnout of 27. Most were veterans of the loop, but there were several people who had never run it before.

I started looking for the first full loop returners at 2 hours 30 minutes, figuring that Doug and Joel wouldn't be far off that time. They were right on track - coming in at a sprint, Doug first with Joel three seconds behind, at 2:33. Mark Martin joined us just 4 minutes later.

A couple of people new to the loop chose the wrong trail and ended up at Seven Falls, requiring some backtracking, but no one was seriously lost. Bruce Johnson

Full Loop (16.8 M)

Doug Kelly - 2:33

Joel Stamp - 2:33

Mark Martin - 2:37

Dallas Stevens - 2:53

Raoul Erickson - 3:04

Bob Bachini - 3:08

Tanja Chagaris - 3:09

Joe Plassmann - 3:09

David Mariande - 3:09

Pete Chagaris - 3:14

Gene Joseph - 3:30

Steve Hughes - 3:32 (early start)

Kelland Thomas - 3:35

Renee Webb - 3:49

Ken Greco - 3:54

Mahendra Jani - 3:55

Steve Outridge - 3:56

Rachel Hilgeford - 3:58

Jerry Cagle - 4:12

AJ - 4:34

Kandi Karuza - 4:54 (Saturday)

Gabe Zimmerman - 4:56 (late start)

Ross Zimmerman - 6:18

Seven Falls RT (8 M)

Troy Martin - 1:57

Pam Golden - 2:04

Linda Peery - 2:30

Liz Walker - 2:30

(Linda & Liz went a bit past Sevens Falls and also stopped to talk to Ross along the way, which we all know can add a few hours to any run.)

Hey All,

A good day was had by all. The weather was great & the ice cream cake was better. There was a fair amount of blood on this run as Joel Stamp took the prize for bloodiest runner with Johanna Royo coming in with a close second. All was made good with a few beers & some ice cream cake. Although I must say the closet to death award goes to Mark Dorion. Thank god for Joe Plassman & his magical hands or we may have lost Mark.

Full loop to top of hill 15 miles

Joel Stamp 2:45

Chase Duarte 2:45

Mike Wilke 2:47

Jane Larkindale 2:59

Raoul Erickson 3:06

Chris Fall 3:07

Joe Plassmann 3:09

Jim Holmes 3:09

Jerry Riddick 3:09

Mark Dorion 3:29

Gene Joseph 3:31

Lois Lane 3:33

Johanna Royo 4:47

Gab Zimmerman 4:47

Kelly O'Brien 4:47

Andrew Zimmerman 5:17 --13 miles to top of hill & ride back from road

Pam Golden 5:28

Monica Durazo 5:28

A.C. Loop 11 mile option

Wayne Coates 2:29

Linda Peery 2:32

Trish Duarte 2:52

Joe Dana 2:58

Heather Morzinski 3:28

Amy Frank 3:29

Billie Gormley 3:29

Ross Zimmerman ran it backwards (disqualified for failure to sign in)

Variations

Patricia Wiercinski 7.8 to tank & back 2:13

Ross asked if I would post a 'report' of our informal gathering to run the Saguaro West (up Wasson Peak) Loop.

I had done a variation of this run before, and it is so pretty out there. I love the Tucson Mountains. Lots of cactus.

Since there was no RD, this run that was scheduled for November 15, 2009 was officially cancelled by TTR. However, I decided to head out anyway, and Jerry Cagle joined me. We met at the Camboh picnic area off Picture Rocks Rd. at 7am. The normal meeting place for this run was at the 'hairpin' turn, which, apparently, is where Doug Kelly departed from. As such, he had a bit of a head start on us and thus, we never saw him (I did see his sign in at some point, so I knew he was out there).

Jerry was planning on doing the shorter route down Sendero-Esperanzo (18 miles) and I was going to run the regular route down Hugh Norris (22-23 miles? - I forgot my Garmin).

We followed Jerry Riddick's instructions (thanks a bunch!) which worked pretty well. We took Camboh trail to Ironwood Forest to Thunderbird and then Sweetwater up Wasson Peak.

However, after 4-5 miles of running with Jerry, I lost sight of him. By the time I reached Sweetwater trailhead, I signed in, but decided Jerry must be lost.

I reached Wasson Peak right when a group of Canyon Ranch hikers were departing. Got one to snap a pic of me and I had the peak to myself for a little bit. The valley was a little hazy, but it was perfect weather that day.

I went down Hugh Norris trail (over 1,200 steps!), reaching Hohokam Rd. I took this road to Golden Gate Rd. and believe it or not, ran into Jerry on the Golden Gate road near the Sendero-Esperanza trailhead! He had gotten off route a bit early on, but figured it out quickly and somehow in the meantime, I passed him and ended up in front of him.

I was relieved to see him, and we ran in the last 4 or so miles together.

We took the Golden Gate Rd. which led back to Camboh trail and then back to the Camboh picnic area.

Total time out for both of us: 5:15

Jerry - 18 miles

Renee - 22-23 miles?

It got a little warm in the end, but it was just beautiful out there.

I took a few pics. You can check out my blog if you want to see them: www.pinkcorker.blogspot.com

See ya'll next week! Renee

The turn out for this year's run was a good one. We had 15 make the entire climb up. Patricia, Bob and Geno ran to the basin and back. Linda did a juaunt to top of the switchbacks at the end of the tram road and back. Ross and Steve, who were supposed to start at 6 am, I'm told were delayed because somebody overslept? I won't say his name, but I believe it starts with Ross. he he. Tonja drove up and ran down to meet an "unknown" runner, which we will call "Hot Flash Gordon" for timing purposes. Tonja covered 9 miles in her venture.

I waited (very patiently) at the top to witness those poor soles drag themselves up. There were some interesting comments made, some of which I cannot repeat (JOE), and even a few were disappointed to learn that they would not be able to "lick" the gate as it is no longer. Dallas told his story of oxygen debt, and Bruce bragged about bringing up the rear. Although, Ross, Steve actually deserve that recognition. Kandi made the trek on Saturday, and actually went on down to the Ski Lodge. She also mentioned that she came in contact with wild turkey on trail. I'm still not clear if it was the animal or the bottle. Nobody was smiling more, however, than David when he finished with Rene. (Inquiring minds want to know why.)

Chase Duarte 4:26

Doug Kelly 4:28

Joe Plassmann 5:05

Hot Flash Gordon 5:10

Dallas Stevens 5:14

Chris Fall 5:25

Wayne Coates 5:49

Harry Fagg 5:52

Darren Sandbank 5:52

Renee Webb 6:01

David Marianti 6:01

Bruce Gungle 6:16

Kandi Karuza 7:21 to top; 7:55 to Ski Lodge

Ross Zimmerman 9:05 (time includes scenic photo shots)

Steve Kanoza 9:05 (time includes poses for Ross' photo shots)

Nice job all! Trish

The day ended a lot like it began. I figured I'd get a few miles on my bike after directing the run. Despite another wave of storm looming, the sheriff's deputy let me past onto Mt. Lemmon Highway. I ended up turning around after getting hit by a wall of hail. It hurt. The bike's front tire was oscillating on the slippery ball-bearings of the hail. This was one weird day.

The beginning of the day at Prison Camp was just as weird. We had a great turnout under the circumstances. Literally 5 minutes before the start, the clouds rolled in as fog, visibility dropped to 50 feet, and it started snowing. To my amazement, everyone stayed in and took off--http://picasaweb.google.com/ross.zimmerman/Redington50K2009#5409732293710601474

Gene turned up late, thoroughly bummed out by the weather. He claimed he was going to go home and build a greenhouse. We ended up down at Molino Basin checking on people. By then, it was clearing. Everyone accounted for and moving forward.

Out at the Italian Springs aid station, Pete was organized when I arrived. People started to turn up, and pretty much everyone went on to the 50K turn around 2 miles past the aid. More bad weather started to develop, and we found 3 folks (Troy, David, and Joe) unaccounted for. Gene thought Troy had turned. David and Joe appeared after exploring next weekend's course a bit. Everyone adjoined for Prison Camp, on foot or in a vehicle.

At Prison Camp we found Troy's Jeep, to my dismay. Once again the weather was fine. Jane arrived as our first 50K finisher. She had found our wander and set him on the path of righteousness. Troy turned up soon and was philosophical about his experience. Others arrived. Lots of stories were shared. Renee was the clear trend-setter.

Strangely enough, a good time was had by all. Pam says everyone deserves medals. As usual, Pete was a big help and great company. I learned Kandi did the event solo on Saturday. This was Dallas's first 50K. I'm very impressed with my lunatic fringe friends.

As the link above suggests, there are lots of photos and videos at Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. . Photos first, then videos.

Let me know if I missed any important details, Ross Z

Standard 50K

Jane Larkindale 5:36

Joel Stamp 5:54

Jim Holmes 6:08

Dallas Stevens 6:23

Wayne Coates 7:16

Kandi Karuza 9:48 (Solo on Sat.!)

50K by doing a side trip down La Milagrosa

Joe Plassman 7:28

David Marcianti 7:28

Marathon (turn at aid)

Renee Webb 6:39

Marathon Plus (Molino start and finish)

Gene Joseph 6+

18-20 Wilderness Wander

Troy Martin 6:04

17.5 (Out to turnaround, stop at aid, hitch ride, no times)

Jerry Riddick

Chris Fall

Harry Fagg

Carmen Mendoza

Tonja Chagaris

Molino and Back (injury nursing...)

Patricia Wiercinski 1:30

Sunday turned out to be a great morning to run. It started out chilly, but quickly warmed up to a comfortable running temperature. Ross was our designated photographer. He road out to Molino Basin to catch the runners as they crossed the road, and then road the trail in from the end to catch us all again as we came out of the canyon. Thanks Ross for the photos, and oh yeah, the video!

Thanks everyone, it was a great day! al

David Marcianti - 2:55 (who by the way did not get lost)

Dallas Stevens - 2:55

Jane Larkindale - 2:59

Jerry Riddick - 3:02

Jim Holmes - 3:04

Doug K - 3:05

Paula Morrison - 3:13

Chris Fall - 3:13

Joe Plassmann - 3:16

Julie Arter - 3:16

Harry Fagg - 3:29

Bruce Johnson - 3:29

Wayne Coates - 3:46

Sat run:

Troy Martin - 4:29

4 miles out and back, 8 total:

Joe Dana - 2:28

5 miles out and back, 10 total:

Donna Kanoza - sorry, I didn't catch your times

Pam Golden

Alli LaCroix - 2:56

Arizona Trail 50K, 20Dec09, 50K

The day started off cool, 35 degrees, with a slight wind, but with clear skies it warmed up nicely and the day turned out to be a good one. Offering two possibilities with variations within each in terms of length let each runner or biker do as they pleased. Everyone came back and said what a great place to run, that was especially true of all those that went north.

Four bicyclists, thirteen runners and one dog started to do their thing at 7 AM

Of the runners, 6 went north, 7 went south, one dog went north. Times were:

South direction, distance and time:

Jane Larkindale, 50K, 5:40

Harry Fagg, 50K, 6:07

Kandi Karuza, 50K, 8:52

Jim Holmes, Kentucky Camp, 3:53

Chris Fall, Kentucky Camp, 4:16

Jerry Riddick, Kentucky Camp, 4:16

Patricia Wiercinski, Greaterville Road,too long to tell

North Direction, distance and time:

Wayne Coates, 22.5 miles, 4:53

Mary Croft, 21 miles, 5:40

Joe Dana, 18.2 miles, 4:54

Monica Durazo, 18.2 miles, 5:38

Donna Kanoza, 18.2 miles, 5:38; who added 6 pound of weight for 9 miles in the form of a 4 legged creature

Steve Kanoza, 16.1 miles, 4:48

Hombre (the lone canine)ran 9 miles, was carried 9 miles, 5:58

Bicyclists

South Direction first, then off to Sahaurita road for more fun

Bruce Gungle, Kentucky Camp road, 2:00

Nick, Bruce's friend

North Direction

Ross Zimmerman, 20 miles, 5:49

Martha ???, 20 miles, 5:49

One thing the RD learned was a thoughtful wife is not necessarily helpful. Letting her take your pack home for you, when the truck keys are in it, is not the best move!

Wayne, and of course Patricia for manning the fort while yours truly was gone. wc

A-7 50 Mile, 27Dec09, 50mi.

As it turned out, our starting temperature was 25, not 30. Starting from a warm home was a good thing. Five people showed up. Only Jamil Coury, down from Phoenix, intended to attempt the entire 50. Renee Webb and Denise Fall came to help with the aid. Taos the dog provided encouragement.

As people climbed, we all noticed the wind spilling over the upland into the basin. Fortunately it warmed up and the wind eased off. The hopscotch aid system worked well, with Renee and I taking turns stopping at approximately 5 mile intervals, and Denise providing ad-hoc support. Our biggest complication was that Jamil was too fast going out to the 25 mile turn around and beat Renee (and me). We had discussed where to turn, and he knew to turn if he reached the 23 mile marker, which gave him a bit over 50 miles at the finish. Renee and Taos shadowed Jamil on the return, so he had personalized support. Denise hauled Jerry and Chris home, while Poppy came out to find Troy. Gene and I cruised back with a few collecting and photo stops (see the turkey photos). Jamil sagged some on the return. Something about a 70 the previous weekend...

Everyone liked the course, so we'll see if we can find a better weekend next year. Comments were made about the great views. There was much less traffic than I had feared we might encounter, although Jamil saw more on the return. The rollers added up--for the 50 it came to over 5600 feet of climb. The out-only options were probably around 3000 feet of climb since the 25 mile turn around is 600 feet higher than our house. I'll need another aid assistant--Renee says she wants to run next time.

Check out my photos, ending with Jamil's post-run interview-- Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. .

50 miles plus

Jamil Coury 8:24

Marathon

Chris Fall 4:33 (0.7 mile past the 25, then back)

Troy Martin 5:57 (1.2 miles back from the 25)

25 miles

Jerry Riddick 4:22

Gene Joseph 5:12

Sunday was a beautiful day to run, and 18 people showed up at the Wild Burro trail head at 7:00 AM. For about half, this was the first run on these trails. After passing out maps and trying to make sure that everyone understood how to follow the rather roundabout route, the crew headed out. Everyone made it back smiling, with only a couple of minor leg scratches (and not from rabid javelina) to show. Everyone seemed to have a good run, and many remarked on the great views and plant life. If you missed it, I hope you will join us next year. Bruce Johnson

16 mile route (up Wild Burro, Wild Mustang, Alamo Springs, down Wild Burro) - GPS reports ranged from 15.88 to 16.2 miles

Adrian Korosec - 39 - 3:07

Harry Fagg - 50 - 3:26

Joe Plassmann - 44 - 3:34

Kelland Thomas - 37 - 3:44

Gene Joseph - 57 - 3:48

David Marciani - 43 - 4:06

Renee Webb - 42 - 4:06

Ross Zimmerman - ? - 6:18

10 mile route (up Wild Burro, Wild Mustang, down last part of Wild Burro)

Mike Wilke - 46 - 1:43 (birthday boy!)

Dallas Stevens - 48 - 1:44

Joel Woppert - 51 - 1:49 (Joel & Paul found an alternate ending)

Paul Vyriotes - 47 - 1:49

Jerry Riddick - 58 - 1:52

Chris Fall - 47 - 1:52

Tom Gromley - 40 - 1:53

Bruce Gungle - 51 - 2:20

Diana Rhoades - 42 - 2:20

Curt Bradley - 41 - 2:35

Eighteen adventure-seeking runners showed up in the cold and dark at 7am on Sunday for the start of the Los Robles run, and adventure is what they got -- dozens of trail junctions, a good map, and no trail signs. One runner described it as a great orienteering trail. Most found their way with only a few minor wrong turns. Nobody seemed to mind getting a little lost, and the attitude of the runners at the end was quite positive.

My goal was to lead the group from the Starr Pass trailhead out to the culvert at Ajo. Mike Wilke knew the way so I let him lead while I dropped back and acted as sweeper, retrieving a few people from 36th Street and getting them on track. The front group stayed mostly intact and got through the course with only a few sidetrips. People enjoyed a host of treats at the end, including homemade chocolate ice cream. Ross says he took a lot of pictures so stay tuned for a link to his picasa page.

The main group ran 15.1 miles, which included brief sidetracks on the BMX loop and on another trail right before Up and Over. Others might have shortcutted Baby snakes. Nobody followed the prescribed route exactly, but that is ok. Here are the times:

2:23 Dallas Stevens Whole loop

2:30 Mike Wilke Whole loop

2:30 Stephen Kobourov Whole loop

2:32 Adrian Korosec Whole loop

2:33 Paul Vyriotes Whole loop

2:34 Doug Kelly No baby snakes; some backtracking to 36th St.

2:39 Harry Fagg Whole loop

?:?? Christie Bane Ran most of it but probably shortcutted Camaro loop

2:47 Bruce Johnson Whole loop

2:47 Kelland Thomas Whole loop

2:50 Raoul Erickson Whole loop

3:09 Jerry Cagle Whole loop plus various sidetrips

3:19 Mike McCluskey Might have missed something but ran extra on 36th St

3:28 Shari Howard Might have missed something but ran extra on 36th St

3:28 Joyce Vyriotes Might have missed something but ran extra on 36th St

3:28 Rachel Hilgeford Might have missed something but ran extra on 36th St

4:02 Tom Gormley Whole loop plus lots of bushwacking on the way back; 19mi

4:24 Ross Zimmerman Whole loop plus more - 16.8mi. Lots of hike-a-bike

Winter Bear Canyon Loop, 24Jan10, 16.8mi.

Cancelled.

The moon was almost full and setting to the west but the cloud cover precluded the moonlight from providing enough light to find the entrance to the parking lot for the start. Evidently the light from my parked car provided enough of a signal to turn. Everyone parked to the left side of the road which left plenty of room for the 4WD vehicles, ATVs, etc.

The run started at 7:00 AM exactly without much direction other than- "we just follow the muddy road don't we?" "The muddy road and expect a water crossing in about 1.5 miles". Based on the reports of everyone at the finish it was a very successful day for everyone. Hombre even got to swim. It was fun to be the RD and stand around and visit with all the runners instead of being the last one to finish and getting only a short visit. Thanks everyone for coming out and we will try to plan a slightly different variation for next year, based on input from many of you. mc

The Gap-12.8 miles + or -

Joel Woppert 2:13

Tom Gormley 2:18

Steve Outridge 2:24

Jerry Riddick 2:30

Mark Martin 2:35

Michele Bauer 2:42 ( ran an extra mile at least)

Alli La Croix 2:48

Trish Duarte 3:03

Donna Kanoza 3:44

Pam Golden 3:47

Monica Durazo 3:48

Mike McCluskey 3:41 (late start and extra 2 miles)

Steve Kanoza and

Hombre 3:59

Canada del Oro---19.6 miles per Joe Plassman's GPS and verified by Ross

Chase Duarte 3:09 ( late start)

Chris Fall 3:14 ( late start)

Doug Kelly 3:15 (first runner back from Canada del Oro)

Harry Fagg 3:42

Julie Arter 4:07

Tonga Chagris 4:07

Joe Plassmann 4:10 ( with a serious upper respiratory infection)

Bruce Johnson 4:26 ( looked a little "grey"-struggled with abdominal upset)

Ross Zimmerman 7:45

Some of these times are off slightly due to runners having to fend off calves in the middle of the road near the finish.

What a day! It's quickly becoming tradition that this run brings snow, rain and hail. Tom and I turned around at Douglas Springs and ran straight into a pretty strong bout of hail, it lasted about 15 minutes. Those who went past DS to Cowhead Saddle saw snow on the ground as well as on top of Chase and Doug's head. My cotton gloves were pathetic in the rain, thanks for the warm ones at the finish Ken. Both Doug and Dallas came back with blood and Patricia looked like she slide down the steps on her butt, everyone was OK. cf

Tanque Verde Loop, 21Feb10, 28.5m

A cool and calm morning greeted the participants of the MMM. Runners were off at 06:31 heading for the snow fields near the top of Mica. Chase, Doug and Mark found the top despite having to walk on the snow and route find along the way. Chase was the first back with a new course record. The course record occasioned by the many trail changes that have occurred lately lengthening the course. We have no official measurement but are sure it’s over 27 miles now. Dallas on his first trip up Mica searched in vain for the top. Still his ramblings netted him 27.3 miles on Ross’s GPS.

Mike McCluskey joined us for the last time this winter and will be heading back to Wisconsin next week. Mike it was great having you run with us this year we’re looking forward to seeing you again next year.

Ken Greco did a two falls (Bridal Wreath and Ernie) wander and came back via the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch. Innovative but Patricia wins the best of the day by taking a 2 hour nap!

Two runners had all the snow fun they could stand and turned at the North Slope Trail.

Geno and Emily stopped by and went for a leisurely hike. Good to see you two, see you Tuesday/Wednesday Emily. Joe

Top Sunday 27+ miles

Chase Duarte 6:14:10* new course, record

Doug Kelly 6:24

Mark Martin 6:42

Dallas Stevens 7:13 27.3 miles somewhere near the top.

Top Saturday 27+ miles

Chris Fall 8:05

Steve Olson 8:05

North Slope trail ~23+ miles

Jerry Riddick 5:32

Raoul Erickson 5:55

Past Cowhead toward Grass Shack 18.8 miles

Darrel Cummings

Cowhead 18 miles

unnamed person 4:02

Wayne Coates 4:16

Mike McCluskey 5:34

Douglas Springs 13 miles

Tonja Chagaris 2:52

Steve Kanoza 3:29

Ross Zimmerman 4:47

4 mile rock 8 miles

Jennifer Aviles 4:04

Enrique Aviles 4:04

Two Falls wander 7.75 miles

Ken Greco 2:10

Fellow Runners

A small but happy group of runners turned out for today's run on the Arizona Trail. The RD started out an hour earlier with flagging tape to make sure that no one got lost on this year's "event". Patricia went to the start to greet the runners, send them on their way, then drove around to meet them at the Canelo Hills turnaround.

All went well, all said the marking was great and helped tremendously. Still two unnamed runners managed to get off trail, one for a 2.5 mile excursion. Both said however that is was not the RD's fault, they just did not pay attention (So I am off the hook!)

Ross decided to run the route from east to west so he went with Patricia to the turnaround. His time to the start was (you can subtract - 12:53 - 8:20..............

Ken did the out portion, and some extra, in 4:20

Others who ate the whole enchilada......... (turn time and finish time)

Doug Kelly 2:39 and 5:31

Dallas Stevens 3:00 and 5:54

Jerry Riddick 3:00 and 6:02

Renee Webb 3:13 and 6:34

Darrel Cummings 3:05 and 6:57

Your RD to the turnaround........ 3:20 while marking

Patricia from Canelo to the dam and back - 2:20

Additionally, Darrell's wife and daughter came to the finish. Hopefully, our photographer took the fabulous pic of Macey hugging dad as he finished his longest run.

Great day, great trail, great friends.............Wayne and Patricia

Having voted to let the adventure begin, nine runners stepped up to the plate this year to run SCA. The suggestion to cancel the run due to trail conditions was scoffed at. What a wussy I’ve become. What was I thinking. But when I mentioned that the wind was expected to gust around 50 mph. and temps would not get above 45 a few gave me a side ways look.

I know for a fact that a few runners fell over when on 2 occasions the wind dipped below 30 mph.. With all the downed trees there was quite a bit of meat left up there on the mountain. If Game and Fish knew about it we would be sited for baiting game.

At the 6:am start everyone was all smiles. As usual that would soon change.

Doug came into Palisades and started complaining that all we had was DIET sports drinks. :>) Those front runners are such prima donnas. Hello Doug. Sports drinks are for Electrolyte replacement, Ensure is for Calories. :>)

Mark came in next . Having only drank about an ounce of water in 14 miles he proceeded to collapse in the van, balled up in the fetal position. Did I mention Electrolyte replacement. Marks run was officially over. Dehydration will do that.

Dallas in next, just as happy as could be. That didn’t last.

Stella and Tonja were up next, in and out and then Tonja came back and threw in the towel. A week of partying in NYC didn’t help her a bit.

Gene and Renee came and went . Then Renee had a blonde moment and could not locate the Bigelow trail. We saw her on the road about 45 mins later. So she really gave it a good shot at trying to find it.

Darrel came in last looking like he had learned something from his previous experience at the Bigelow run.

Well, then the wind started. And I mean started. When we arrived at the Butterfly aid station it was howling and it never stopped. As the runners came in we had to tie them to trees so they could eat and drink with both hands. No one stayed long. Everyone wanted to get this puppie over with.

At the finish line we hung out in the van to keep warm. As runners started to show up. We all started getting real cozy in there. I eventually had to throw Ross and Ken out to make room for battered runners. Somehow Ross left wearing my pants. I won’t ask, cause he won’t tell.

6 runners finished this year and all were pretty beat up. But we all had fun and no one got seriously injured or lost for very long.

Congrats to Dallas for finally conquering the Butterfly Trail.

Congrats to Gene for bringing a jacket and gloves. [ and using them ]

Thanks to Ross and Ken for helping out.

Thanks to all of you for showing up. Bob, Maryalice, and Molly

More of the Story

Hey Runners!

What a day Sunday was! I will admit up front that there where times on the initial climb that I was formulating an apology to the group for encouraging Mr. B to not cancel this run. He gave us the option of staying home in bed and eating pancakes and I said 'let's run'! I will also admit that if I had shown up to weather conditions at the start that we had at the finish, I would have returned home to go to bed and eat pancakes.

So here's some of the story. The climb up to Palisades was hard, as expected, and I hit my head again on that stupid phone line. There were fewer trees blocking the trail in this section (from three weeks ago) and there was no more snow below Organization ridge. The aid at Palisades was great and the short climb to the Butterfly Trail head was uneventful. There was concern about the first part of Butterfly being under snow, but I was with two other runners and with three sets of eyes we had little problem following the footprints of two(?) previous runners and spotting the trail. That upper snowy section was runable (one runner had spikes) and was less than a half mile long before we were below the snow. The middle and ending sections of Butterfly were notable because there were high winds and lots of dead standing and recently fallen trees. This worked in our favor though, as it kept a steady stream of adrenalin in the blood at a time when the caffeine from the cola at Palisades was waning. This trail is in bad shape as it was blocked by numerous fallen trees and more importantly had large linear cracks running down the middle. Without major work, it seems that the next large rain event will take this trail down slope. Upon arriving at the end of Butterfly/ beginning of Sunset, the wind was screaming and the sun was behind clouds. The aid was great again and then off on the final leg. There were some major trees down before Marshall Gulch but the climb up Aspen on Radio ridge was amazing. Essentially all of the big trees are dead from the fire and they are continuing to fall down, mostly in response to strong winds. And the wind was howling! An interesting thing for this runner is that the action of climbing over and under the fallen trees was like taking a short stretch break and had the effect of loosening me up and making the subsequent running somewhat easier. There was little problem following the trail here and I arrived at the top with Joe P. We scouted out the beginning of Aspen draw, looking down upon what looked like spotty snow, and decided to go down. For about the first 1/3 of a mile or so, we followed some shoe prints in snow on what was clearly the trail. The snow cover increased, and we soon realized that we were following tracks that were obviously off trail. By now we were committed and well on our way down a large, steep draw with no trail in sight and mostly snow around us. It was at this time that it started to snow. Joe, being more snow experienced than me, would simply fall on his rear end and slide down slope. Being afraid of impalement and a slow, bloody death on the branch stubs of the fallen trees, I tried to stay upright and in control. It worked, mostly, but the 'stretching' mentioned above was not enough to loosen me up for this. We did make it down and exited via the bottom of the ski run. Within seconds of finishing, we were in the Bachani rolling aid station, sitting on soft upholstered chairs, warm, drinking G-aide and beer and eating turkey wraps. I have grown to love running in the 21st century!

Long live TTR!! gj

And more:

Yup, that was a pretty exciting excursion. I'm glad we were able to stick together on the last section, I don't think that was the smartest decision on my part to commit to Aspen Draw, but it was sure a lot of fun bum sliding those slopes!

I looked up the topo for Aspen Draw and realized I was mistaken, we were correct in that is was pretty much impossible to get lost, but it was definitely possible to stay off trail, and there was no real way to accidentally end up in Summerhaven. I'm convinced now that the trail WAS below us the entire time. My apologies to Bob, Maryalice, Ross, Molly, Bubba, and the rest for having to wait while we figured out how not to kill ourselves getting down.

Thanks again for everyone for scheduling, scouting, supporting, and participating in such a hard, exciting, and committing run. I just sure hope that there's some chainsaw activity up there before we do it again.

Joe P.

Standard Route

Doug Kelly 7:25

Dallas Stevens 7.50

Joe Plassmann 8:26 30min. late start.

Gene Joseph 8:56

Palisades/ Cat. Hwy/ road down from top

Renee Webb 7:27

Down road from top

Stella Stupinski 8:14

Palisade Finish

Mark M. 3:19

Tonja C. 3:44

Palisades/ shotgun finish

Darrel C. ??????????????

We had 26 runners for a total of 42+ ascents for this year’s Multiple Mount Wrightson Massacre. Chase’s well advertised goal of attempting six ascents must have shamed everyone to come out and try. Even Wally Shiel, 5 ascent record holder, showed up to pass on his title to Chase. A notable attempt, but Wally still holds the record. Tonga now holds the woman’s record at four ascents.

I am taking orders for next year's event.

Thanks Chase for the great write up.

See you all next year!

Raoul

All ascents/descents were on Old Baldy unless noted otherwise

Four Trips Old Baldy

Tonja Chagaris! dawn to dusk 10:12 first three

Chase Duarte dawn to dusk Plus one Josephine Saddle

Three Trips Old Baldy

Steve Roark 9:50

Jane Doe 10:12

Bruce Gungle 12:00

Two Trips Old Baldy

Catlow Shipek 4:45 attempted a third

Doug Kelly 5:40 1st up Vault Mine, 2nd down Lower Super

Dallas Stevens 7:08

Renee Webb 7:45

Kandi 9:51

Susann Paige ?? not part of TTR yet \

Raoul Erickson ?? too busy serving Eegees to keep track of himself

One trip Old Baldy

Ken Grecko 3:45 one Baldy plus more 15 miles

Pam Golden 3:46

Mari Lam 3:46

Wayne Coates 3:47

Mary Croft 5:30 down Super

Monica Durazo 5:46

Ross Zimmerman 6:10

Joe Theobald 7:30

Connie Theobald 7:30

Trish Duarte ??

Alli ??

Other

Patricia Wiercinski 2hrs? Old Baldy to Josephine Saddle Down Super

Totally different

Jerry Riddick some kind of Elephant Head loop 15 miles

Chriss Fall ditto

The weather was great cool temps.

This was Johns first run with the group. –Ken

Full Loop 17mi

John McLean 4:10

Dallas Stevens 4:59

Renee Webb 5:00

Lemon lookout OB 11.6mi

Ken Greco 3:59

Radio Ridge Plus 10.2mi

Kim Fernandez 4:02

Celestino Fernandez 4:02