I left the AS trekking poles in hand. This was going to be one of the most brutal sections of the race from one of the lowest elevations up and over the top of Santiago Peak. Jeff ran after me and just had to capture the moment of me running with my trekking poles...gee thanks man. I got about a quarter mile down the road before I realized that I had forgotten my headlamp! I sprinted back to the AS hoping that I would catch them before they left. I was lucky and caught them just before they pulled off. So off I went again, back through the creek crossings, to the base of Holy Jim...then up!
As I started up the climb I passed a group of three runners. Melissa Sheppard, Hugh Marley and one other...Melissa poked a little fun at my trekking poles. She told a story of when she had first gotten into ultra's that she'd tried to carry a set, only to have her ultra guru friend snatch them away from her...I took a little offence to her story, and really didn't care what other people thought. I was just trying to finish under the 34 hour limit for this race. I was willing to use any and all means available to do so, and if that meant looking like a dork...so be it! For the record power walking looks really funny too, but when I'm 40, 50, 60 or more miles into a race and I'm unable to run, I no longer care how dorky it looks either, it is simply moving me toward my goal. I stayed in front of them for a few miles and then they passed me back just at dusk. They moved ahead maybe a quarter mile as dark closed in. We were about 3/4 of the way up Holy Jim when I finally had to switch on my light. I could still occasionally see the group of 3 ahead of me and was wondering why they had not switched on their headlamps. I was beginning to think it was another "rookie mistake" on my part. Was I supposed to go until almost blind? I didn't really care about that either, we were on some pretty narrow singletrack trail and I had my damn light on. I reeled the trio in and asked why they weren't using their lights, and it was because their lights were in their drop bags. Evidently they thought the Drop bags were at mile 40 at Bear Springs. I told them that they were actually at Maple Springs which was at about mile 48 or so and still another hour and a half away. I stayed with them all the way to Bear Springs and when they failed to ask the AS workers for extra lights...I asked for them. I knew Paul Hassett was working at Maple Springs, and told the AS personnel that we would leave whatever lights they let us borrow with them. They agreed, which was great news for all of us!
It was well into darkness now, and on top of that it was really foggy and misting rain, but most of all it was really freaking cold! There was already one runner huddled in a chair under a blanket at the aid station beside a propane heater, and he was still shaking uncontrollably. I knew it was the end of the line for that guy, and I also knew I wasn't far behind if I didn't get moving. So off I went into the darkness, I had on 3 layers and the top layer was a rain coat, which was doing a pretty good job of keeping water out, only problem was it was also keeping my sweat in. Every time I stopped moving, that sweaty layer would get really cold really fast. So I kept moving. I traded places with Melissa and Hugh throughout the rest of the race. We passed each other back and forth up this climb but before the top, me and my trekking poles prevailed and got over first! It was a few short downhill miles to Maple Springs now and I was still feeling pretty damn good! Just as I could start to make out the AS lights ahead, Melissa flew by me to get in first.
I spoke with Paul for a bit and asked him about my friends that should have gotten in before me. Deborah, and Susy along with Lambert Timmermans and Keith Swaitkowski. He told me Deborah had dropped and that Susy should have already come back through here the second time but hadn't and he was beginning to worry about her. LT was relaxing in the heated tent, and he didn't know the status of Keith. Hearing of my friend Deborah's drop and the unknown status of the others really affected me and for the first time since before the race my confidence was shaken. I wasted no time here and was on my way. I was really starting to feel the cold. Even though I had dropped a couple thousand feet already, the temp was still dropping also. I had only brought the one extra outer layer for this last portion and I was really damp under my raincoat, plus I had not put on my wind pants or thermal gloves. I was in a pretty gloomy mood on the way down the mountain, BUT the next Aid Station was Silverado Canyon another crew point, and more importantly where I could pick up Jeff, my first pacer! To be continued...
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