May 2023
Introduction The section of Highway 1 that heads south from Carmel-by-the-Sea is one of the most scenic roads in the world. I’ve driven it several times in a car, and once on a motorcycle. I’ve also done multiple backpacking trips in that area, so I’ve seen how beautiful it can be in many different weather patterns. It’s a part of California that I always look forward to visiting except in the stormiest of weather when mudslides can (and do) close the road and block off access to the rest of the world.
May 2023
Introduction The Boston Marathon is amazing. It’s a race that gets a lot of hype, and it lives up to every bit of it. This year was my fourth running of the race, and my first time returning since 2016.
Months ago, I had high aspirations of executing my best marathon training ever in a buildup to this race. I was planning to run 70 miles per week on average, and reach a peak of 80-85 miles during big weeks.
September 2021
Introduction A month after racing TDS, and failing to finish after getting caught up in delays due to the runner accident and death,, I tried to redeem myself at the Bear.
Unfortunately for me, familiar symptoms of an Achilles injury that I dealt with in 2020 began to pop up from miles 70-75. I decided that, rather than risk serious injury, it was best to quit the race. It was a tough choice to make because the nature of the injury was such that I could certainly run on it to the finish… but I ran on the same symptoms in 2020, and ended up in a boot for 6 weeks with many months of ensuing rehab and ramp-up.
September 2021
Intro I attended the UTMB races for the first time this year, as an elite field entrant in the TDS race. TDS stands for “Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie” and it traverses some of the trails of UTMB, but also some additional regions in the southern area of the Mont Blanc massif.
If you’re looking for a race report, you’ll find my recap of the first 58 miles below.
August 2021
Intro My fiancée and I were lucky enough to be invited on a backpacking trip to the Lost Coast in July 2021. The permits are very difficult to get because the optimal season is so short (July-September) and there are only 60 people per day allowed to be camping in the region. It’s a really popular trip!
There’s a Perfect Season, and There’s a Wet Season I had tried to visit the Lost Coast a few years ago in November, and it rained several (7, I think?
July 2021
Intro One of many beautiful lakes on the route As I prepare to run TDS later this year, one thing I’m actively trying to do is get experience with big adventure days at high altitude. After attempting the Desolation 7 Summits and making it over 4 of them in a day, my second high-alpine adventure of the summer was the Rae Lakes Loop.
The loop is a very popular 40-mile backpacking route that usually takes a minimum of 4 days to complete.
June 2021
Intro My 4-summit route I woke up at 3am and was on the road within 30 minutes. I wanted to be starting close to sunrise, because I knew the 7 Summits route would take a long time. I was thinking that it would be 10-12 hours if things went well. I was probably right on the time estimate… but things didn’t go to plan.
Nothing went horribly wrong, but an early navigation error put me behind schedule.
March 2021
Intro I came up with a crazy idea to set a fastest known time (FKT) for running up and over Palomar Mountain in both directions! I’m sure that someone in history must have traveled over the mountain in a day, but I’m not sure that someone would have done it twice. Unfortunately, after doing so much research and scouting in preparation over a couple years, I ran into (literally) a locked gate on the USFS road which wasn’t indicated as an impassable area on the USFS maps.
October 2020
Intro The Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim run of the Grand Canyon has been on my bucket list of crazy ultrarunning adventures for years. In October 2020, I finally ran it via the Bright Angel trail. Compared to the more popular South Kaibab route, the Bright Angel route is logistically easier but longer in distance. In total, I covered ~50 miles with ~10,500' of elevation gain. Canyon temperatures in the mid-90’s made for dangerously hot conditions, despite the late October date.
July 2020
Backpacking Yosemite: Getting Permits I recently organized a backpacking trip for 2 nights in Yosemite National Park. The permit process is among the strictest of all US national parks, and careful planning is required to secure permits to backpack in Yosemite. Having failed to get permits to backpack in Yosemite in the past, I was so excited to be granted our first choice of routes that we had listed on the application.