Scott's Ultra Challenge - Day 1

Experiences from the trail

Day 1 Stats
Dedicated to the Kimball Family
Start: County Rd in Stamford, VT
Low point: 630 ft Rte 2 in North Adams, MA
High point: 3,491 ft Mt Greylock in Adams, MA
End: Crystal Mtn Campsite in Dalton, MA
Distance: 27.5 miles

What a tough day! I did a lot of distance training and a good amount of training with my backpack on, but not nearly enough training with both to prepare me for this. Combining 27.5 miles of distance, climbing the 2 highest peaks in MA, and carrying 17 lbs of supplies up those mountains on my back made this much tougher than I had planned! Unfortunately the views from the mountains weren’t that great because of the low clouds.

It was a surreal feeling this morning when my wife Jan and I finally found the trailhead we were searching for in VT (it was very secluded). I was extremely apprehensive and my confidence about being able to complete this trek was low. I wasn’t afraid of what was out there before me (though it manifested itself in my head that way), I think I was afraid of failing. These runs I do with my custom shirt are extremely stressful to me in some ways because I feel a huge obligation to complete what I have committed to so many people to do, which is to bring their loved ones (in spirit) with me to some beautiful, peaceful and fabulous places around this country. Those 17 names on my shirt this year mean a lot to me, and even more to those who asked me to add their loved one’s name to my shirt. The thought of failing to succeed in my goal is very, very stressful… and I know I put that on myself 100%. The moment Jan gave me a big hug and kiss and drove away back down that dirt road, all those doubts and fears went away. They had to. I was now alone with myself in the wilderness and the only way I was getting back home was to start running south… so I did. And the spirits of those 17 names headed south with me!

I read in my AT guide that a section just south of the VT-MA border was treacherous and has a “bad weather bypass” because it is so nasty in rainy, icy or snowy weather. I found out soon that even in nice weather it was nasty. It was a huge avalanche of chunks of jagged Pink Quartzite rock flowing down the mountain. It was impossible to run and even hard to gingerly walk down. By the time I got to the bottom of it my feet were already sore and that gave me a big concern. Blisters on the first day would not be good!

I met a NOBO (northbound) thru hiker on his way to Maine as he headed north past Mt Williams and I was climbing it heading south. He was in a rush so we didn’t stop to talk aside from wishing each other well. I also met a very nice couple at the summit of Mt Williams who were from Albany, NY and have completed all of the MA and CT segments. We shared stories about other great hikes in the Adirondack and Catskill mountains of NY while I ate a snack. The hikers are extremely friendly.

The last 400’ of elevation gain to Greylock’s summit was a killer last year and I thought it wouldn’t bother me nearly as much this year… but it did! Man were my legs burning and starting to cramp already. Though I’m in better shape than I was when running up it last year, the 17lb backpack makes a huge difference. I also think it was “youthful” exuberance that caused me to run the first 14 miles way faster than I planned or needed to and that was going to make me suffer the rest of the day.

Mt Greylock was a huge disappointment for me. I’m sure part of it was the fact that the summit was totally clouded in, which seems to be the norm lately when I reach the summit of a mountain. When I ran it last year it was wonderful since the access roads were closed and the only people at the summit were hikers. Today it was packed as buses carted hundreds of people in and packs of bikers converged. There was nothing peaceful and serene about Massachusetts’ highest peak so I ate, rested, and got out and back on my way as fast as possible. By the way, the Bascom Lodge which is allegedly intended to service hikers was a rip off! I ordered vegetable soup, a P&J sandwich and a Gatorade and got hosed for $13!

Towards the end of the day I hiked a ways with a SOBO (southbound) thru hiker in order to talk a bit. He started solo at Katadyn in July but hooked up with 3 other SOBOs on the way. He is heading to a thru hiker’s hostel in Dalton, MA for the night tonight… I didn’t know hostels for thru hikers existed like that along the AT! He’s way behind time so he’ll hiking the last mile or two in the dark (ugh). He still plans to finish up in GA by December though he was slowed for 12 days in NH by a cut on his ankle which turned into a staff infection… I better take care of the scratches on my legs from the briars and rocks!

I went out way too aggressively today and my leg muscles (quads) were cramping horribly before I even reached the summit of Mt Greylock at the half-way point of my day. It didn’t get any better either, they stayed crampy for the rest of the way to camp. The good news is I have no blisters and no knee issues! But I will be sore tomorrow, I am sure of that!

When I got to my campsite here tonight it was filled to capacity with college students out to learn how to team build in the wilderness. A group from Princeton called Outdoor Action (OA) let me share their campsite. It was nice to rest and talk to such a friendly group of young adults. Apparently there are about 750 freshmen OA members in groups of 10-12 spread out from VA to VT spending 6 days on the AT.

Its chilly tonight and should get down to about 45 degrees overnight. As a result, it was sure cold going down to the spring and washing up to get the sweat and caked on dirt off my body. Its amazing how dirty you get from running 27 miles through the woods and mud bogs. The icy cold water felt good on my muscles but at the same time it gave me a good chill as the sun was setting.

In order to keep my pack weight down I did not bring a sleeping pad so I’m sleeping on the hard rocky ground tonight, but I don’t think sleeping without a pad will be as bad as I thought, especially with how tired I am. Its about 9pm and I’m already bedding down for the night, man am I tired! I’m so tired I could sleep on a bed of rocks…

Today is September 7th which makes yesterday September 6th and before Jan and I left for VT yesterday, I presided over a tree dedication ceremony for a young girl whose 9th birthday would have been that day. Her name is Susan Kimball and I’ve dedicated today to her memory, and to her family who now must adjust to life without her bright smile and great outlook on life. I only met Susan a few times as the sister of one of my newest Boy Scouts. Some people you meet, from the first moment you interact with them, you can tell they are someone special. Susan was one of those people.

I miss Jan already… she is so fabulously supportive of my crazy ideas and I can’t imagine my life without her in it. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m really an old softie who just simply enjoys spending time with his family, and being away from them makes me homesick very quickly. I look forward to seeing them again on Friday evening (Day 5) when they camp out with me.

A Letter to My Supporters

It’s been 2 weeks since I ran home from Vermont on my Ultra Challenge and I wanted to first convey my sincerest thanks to you all for your incredible support of me both before and during my trek… and I thought you might like an update as well. I’ve added a bunch more people on my distribution list to include those who have shown interest in my trek, those who requested me to honor people on my shirt, and those who are actually honored on my shirt.

I have to say that last year I was extremely intimidated by my race to the summit of Pike’s Peak, but that was nothing compared to this year. When Jan dropped me off on a secluded, dirt road in VT, took a few pictures of me, gave me a big hug and kiss and drove away, it really sunk in how deep I was in this crazy challenge of mine! Being two states away from home and only my trail running shoes available to get me back, was quite a sobering thought as I headed into the wilderness with a small backpack containing my food, clothes, emergency equipment, tent and sleeping bag.

The next seven days was an experience like I have never had before in my life and I’ll share it with you in detail when I get my journal transcribed into my blog very soon. My experience took me from the boundaries of self-doubt to strong confidence; from desperation to euphoria; from pain and suffering to… well… pain and suffering; and from loneliness to warm new friendships.

But this trek wasn't really about some crazy old guy running 153 miles over many mountains on dirt, rock, and mud trails through seven days in all kinds of weather. This was about raising awareness and funds for two causes very close to me while honoring some very special individuals in both my life and yours. By the time I disburse the money I raised, the total should break the $2,000 mark with about half going to the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the other half to Habitat for Humanity split between the Boy Scouts’ Scouts Can program and also MCC’s Sound Coalition. Just as I did last year, the names of those who donated will be provided to my beneficiaries as the donors so that you receive the tax benefits for having contributed to each of these worthy 501(c)(3) organizations.

Despite the fantastic experiences I have had the last 2 years, I won’t be doing a personal challenge next summer. With my son Derek heading off to college, Jan and I are probably going to have much more on our plate and I won’t have the time to train for something major. I believe that I will save up my energy and enter the Trans Rockies Run in 2011… it’s a 113-mile race involving 200 2-person teams trail running across the Rocky Mountains in Colorado over 6 days and includes over 25,000 feet of elevation gain... Nice! I need a team mate so if anyone, man or woman, thinks that spending 6 days running across the Rocky Mountain wilderness would be a cool challenge, you could be perfect for my R4OPL team! You can learn more about the race at http://transrockies.com/transrockiesrun/news/ and I really am serious about looking for a teammate!

I have posted many pictures from my 7 days on the trail and I invite you all to check them out. They are located on my R4OPL Facebook Fan Page for easy access by all. Follow the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monroe-CT/R4OPL-Running-Riding-Racing-4-Other-Peoples-Lives/88059346929#/pages/Monroe-CT/R4OPL-Running-Riding-Racing-4-Other-Peoples-Lives/88059346929?v=photos

That same Fan Page will also contain my daily journal from the trek soon but you can also find it on http://r4opl.blogspot.com when I am done posting it.

My days on the trail were filled with amazing experiences not the least of which was signing onto Facebook and Twitter each day to make my dedication and seeing all of the fantastic encouragement coming from friends everywhere. I can’t express how energized I was seeing the growing number of people following my progress, and I have to assume, people tuning in to see whom I was running for each day.

In case you missed a day, I’ve listed my dedications below:

Day 1 – Dedicated to the Kimball family

Day 2 – Dedicated to Nick Glasgow

Day 3 – In memory of Serv Gonsalves

Day 4 – In memory of Mikey Czech, Therese Carroll, Billie Haines, “Grumpy” Strolin

Day 5 – Dedicated to Avi Ben Stella and Lisa O’Malley

Day 6 – Dedicated to Pat Ecklund; In memory of Darryl Redfern and Marie Budrow

Day 7 – Dedicated to my awesome family and support group (Jan, Derek, Erica, Mom, Dad, Karen and Auntie Ruth)

Thank you again for your friendship, your concern, and your support. Being able to share my experiences with you is as rewarding as the experience itself!

I am… Running for Other People’s Lives!

Scott

It's Over... Now what?

Hi Everyone!

I survived my Ultra Challenge and am at home resting now and letting my body repair itself from the pounding it took last week. This is a very short blog entry to let you know I will be posting 8 entries in the next week or two. One entry for each day of the journey since I kept a journal while on the trails; and a final entry as a wrap up for you all on my initiative this year and where R4OPL will be going in the future.

Stay tuned! I have a day job to attend to first and then I'll get all the journal entries added into my blog which feeds into my R4OPL Facebook fan page and I'll add 200 or so pictures as well to my fan page.

Thanks for all your support along the way... it made a huge difference to me and my family to have so many people following my progress and cheering me on through both FB and Twitter! I'm not sure I even fully believed that I could actually finish this challenge until I crossed back into CT on Thursday.

I am... Running for Other People's Lives!

Another day, another weather forecast...

Someone up there doesn't like me. I just rechecked the weather channel for next week and rain is now forecast for Tue-Fri of next week all along my trail. That's really going to slow my pace down and make it less enjoyable, but what's new when it comes to my treks? I really had no right to expect warm, sunny weather based on my history with races, vacations, and Boy Scout campouts!

My replacement backpack that just came in yesterday has already had a minor mechanical failure during my first test run under load which doesn't bode well either. CAMP-USA has a design flaw in their ultra-light adventure racing backpack that I'll report to them, but I have to just hope nothing else fails because I have no opportunity to replace it at this point. I know how they can fix their mfg process, but I can't fix the pack itself. Luckily I don't need what frayed and pulled off.

Pray for warm, dry days and nights for me anyways please!

3 Days and Counting...

The long range weather forecast starts out great for my trek on Monday but isn't so hot later in the week when I am in the southern Berkshires... we'll have to see what happens and if the weather man is even close to being right. I'd rather daytime rain and dry nights though given my minimal sleeping configuration. Once I get on the trail though, it really won't matter because I will have to make do with what's in my pack for whatever I am dealt.

Nerves are running high for me right now... half are because I just want to get on the trail and I know I'll deal with whatever comes rather than worrying about what might or might not come to be. The other half of the nerves are for what I am about to undertake and ... what was I thinking!? I read an article about a race called the "TransRockies Run" where world class trail racers run 113 miles across the rocky mountains in CO over the course of 6 days, which is harder than my run because it is at altitude, BUT I am going 148.5 miles, and they DON'T carry their own gear, and EVERY night they sleep in tent villages with cots, hot showers, food cooked for them, medical staff available, AND they get food and drink provided to them during the day at prescribed places on the trail! I, on the other hand, must survive with what’s on my back for the next 6+ days of running. Makes me wonder why I didn't just sign up for that race instead! Maybe in 2 years, what do you all think?

I am pretty much ready to go... most things are packed. I have tested all of my gear and assumptions on how much fuel I need for my stove, battery recharging for my running GPS, seam sealing my tarp tent, replacing some failed gear (my backpack) and cutting down on weight wherever possible by eliminating the luxuries like a sleeping pad (sleep on hard ground), hydration bladder (use a collapsible plastic bottle) and full tent (ultralight tarp tent). I bought some new equipment that reduces weight too. Even at the extreme ultra-light, my pack still weighs 16lbs and running with that on my back is way more stress on my muscles, my knee joints, tendons and energy levels. I will be happy to keep up a pace of about 4 mph in the mountains and 7 mph in the flats.

I am a little bouyed by the realization that, unlike CT, I can build small fires on the MA section of the AT in designated fire pits at campsites. That alone can make me feel better during the lonely evenings... during the day I'm running (and probably hurting and grumpy) so I need no companionship, but the evenings will be when I know I will miss Jan, Derek and Erica and want to be able to talk to someone. I really hope some evenings I will end up sharing a campsite with some "thruhikers" that I can swap stories with. In the absence of any human interaction, a warm crackling fire that can mesmerize me for hours will make life more bearable.

From the moment Jan drops me off in VT, I will anxiously await the coming of Friday night when she and Derek and Erica meet me out on the trail to camp with me for a night. Now that will be a treat! Derek and his friends are also going to hike out into the backcountry on Saturday night to meet me again so the last two nights won’t be so lonely… What a fabulous family I have! Have I said that recently? Boy am I lucky!

Keep hoping for dry weather for me my friends... that is my biggest concern. Oh yea... and also hope that a big old bear doesn't eat me, or Bigfoot doesn't hunt me down in VT (yes there are reports of Bigfoot sightings near where I start … and missing people too), or, well you get the picture… ;-)

I have raised a little over $1,300 this year for LiveSTRONG and Habitat for Humanity, which is well under last year's $4K effort but with the economy being as bad as it is, I'm not surprised or disappointed. The money is still coming in but as was the case last year, the names I carry with me on my shirt are way more important than the money I raise. Its an honor to be bringing them with me in spirit on my run. You can learn more about the names on my shirt at http://www.r4opl.com/wall_of_honor.htm

I doubt I will blog again before I leave for VT on Sunday evening but feel free to keep checking Twitter at www.twitter.com/r4opl, or you can also follow my real-time progress on a map at http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0D4BGPuJMFeRXdd0jf4XHksEX50UsqROg which is a web site connected to my satellite beacon that I’ll be carrying at all times. The beacon can be used for emergencies to alert search and rescue teams to my exact location, to send my family an “I’m Okay” message periodically, and also to regularly transmit my position a few times each hour while I am under way to allow people to follow me at the web site above.

I am... Running for Other People's Lives!