It was surprisingly fun, and I got to see a lot of new areas despite having climbed the peaks before. Still not quite ready for the full thing, though.
Yeah, the first half is totally doable -- it's a lot of cross-country travel, but not too much distance once you get to Langley. And yes, the driver made this much more pleasant.
Sounds like it was not only a remarkable feat, but that you had a lot of fun doing it.
You mention once or twice that other trail runners had done this route. Could you post some links to their trip reports? I'm curious how people are doing this linkup.
There's Hans Florine's page; he bivied after Langley and skipped Williamson on the southern leg, but did the same basic thing I was trying. He doesn't give route details, which is part of why I wrote this up. I think a couple of other people attempting the 14er record have either done or tried this (maybe Jack McBroom on a later attempt?), but I don't know of a detailed trip report.
Thank god you folks are around to give us great story telling which causes folks like myself to search for breathtaking but overlooked mountainous scenery to describe for the masses !
I in being a novice which is fearful of heights as opposed to being a seasoned mountain climber tends to look at such adventures with a certain measure of fear and envy considering the unrealised challenges to tackle starting with those closer to home.
To give an example, while satellite imagery of the northern fringe of the Groulx hills in Quebec (in immediate vicinity of the Manicouagan reservoir-check out the picture in the 2006 issue of Encarta to get an idea of the meteoritic crater and the topographical starkness of the northern perimeter of the hills...) gives a certain idea of the topography to uncover (check my WEB site attainable from my profile for additional satellite imagery), it was a surprise to realise that few ground level images exist to give credance to what is suspected as being stark topography which must offer some amazing challenges if you include what is south west of the crater with mountainous scenery which first starts with an impassible wall once the road ends...
Considering all the challenging moments described by people adept at taking risks sharing with us amazing images and accessory descriptions of the stark topography to uncover elsewhere, I realistically expect to have some contributing members describe at one point in the future the thrilling moments trying to conquer a lesser known place relatively far beyond the reach of civilisation. In the meanwhile I do definitely enjoy reading the accounts of those which went elsewhere on this earth to give a description of their own challenges and the rewarding moments which followed !
No need to have a biased attitude to understand that this region of the world does deserve a certain measure of attention in order to get a more objective image of it's characteristics .
Next time, it's s'mores flavor all the way. Seriously, I had packed a bunch of trail mix, which has something like 50% of calories from fat, while something like 20% or less seems to be ideal. Maybe that was a problem, or maybe I just felt off for a couple hours.
Good show, Sean! Always enjoy your adventures. I would suggest two changes for next time:
1) From Crabtree Pass, drop down a few hundred feet on a slight arcing path to Discovery Pinnacle. The slope looks like horrible sand and talus, but it isn't too bad. Much better than the ridge along Mt. Marsh.
2) Bring cold pizza for energy. Tastes good when most other stuff is unappetizing late in the day. Matthew sold me on that one. :-)
I was a big fan of cold pizza even before Matthew reminded me of things besides fish (I failed to turn him on to sardines). But I'd want to balance it with something easier to digest to keep a consistent energy level.
The traverse to Discovery sounds like a good idea, though the little scree I had to cross higher up was very loose. However, the real time savings will probably have to come from heading straight toward Williamson from Russell (near Barnard/Trojan/Versteeg), tough going late in the day.
I've found that pop-tarts, supplemented with a few energy bars, work reasonably well while hiking quickly or jogging. I have used gels while running, because I can't digest anything else, but they're about 10x as expensive per calorie as pop-tarts, so I usually don't bother.
cp0915 - Oct 9, 2009 11:36 am - Voted 10/10
Awesome Effort!Stoked just reading it! Thanks man.
seano - Oct 9, 2009 4:19 pm - Hasn't voted
Thanks!It was surprisingly fun, and I got to see a lot of new areas despite having climbed the peaks before. Still not quite ready for the full thing, though.
McCannster - Oct 11, 2009 2:20 pm - Voted 10/10
Great job SeanI think I need to start planning a large epic...mine are few and far between.
seano - Oct 12, 2009 9:43 am - Hasn't voted
Thanks!And I need to learn to lead trad, or at least climb at some respectable grade. Maybe I'll hit the plastic this winter.
Princess Buttercup - Oct 15, 2009 8:21 am - Hasn't voted
Wow.Great read. Makes me think almost anything is possible. But I think I may just try the first half, well, first...
Mmm... sandwich and beer, huh? Sounds like a good driver.
seano - Oct 15, 2009 9:47 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Wow.Yeah, the first half is totally doable -- it's a lot of cross-country travel, but not too much distance once you get to Langley. And yes, the driver made this much more pleasant.
Sierra Ledge Rat - Oct 18, 2009 9:21 pm - Hasn't voted
....as a dayhike...Ha! A day hike! To be young, strong and ambitious again....
seano - Oct 19, 2009 11:51 am - Hasn't voted
I blame Bob BurdOr just too lazy to carry overnight gear. Besides, it's only 10 miles or so in a straight line... ;-)
lavaka - Oct 19, 2009 11:30 am - Hasn't voted
other TRsSounds like it was not only a remarkable feat, but that you had a lot of fun doing it.
You mention once or twice that other trail runners had done this route. Could you post some links to their trip reports? I'm curious how people are doing this linkup.
seano - Oct 19, 2009 11:43 am - Hasn't voted
Re: other TRsThere's Hans Florine's page; he bivied after Langley and skipped Williamson on the southern leg, but did the same basic thing I was trying. He doesn't give route details, which is part of why I wrote this up. I think a couple of other people attempting the 14er record have either done or tried this (maybe Jack McBroom on a later attempt?), but I don't know of a detailed trip report.
And yes, it was a blast in some perverse way.
suddendescent - Oct 19, 2009 2:04 pm - Voted 9/10
The thrill of a challenging moment...Thank god you folks are around to give us great story telling which causes folks like myself to search for breathtaking but overlooked mountainous scenery to describe for the masses !
I in being a novice which is fearful of heights as opposed to being a seasoned mountain climber tends to look at such adventures with a certain measure of fear and envy considering the unrealised challenges to tackle starting with those closer to home.
To give an example, while satellite imagery of the northern fringe of the Groulx hills in Quebec (in immediate vicinity of the Manicouagan reservoir-check out the picture in the 2006 issue of Encarta to get an idea of the meteoritic crater and the topographical starkness of the northern perimeter of the hills...) gives a certain idea of the topography to uncover (check my WEB site attainable from my profile for additional satellite imagery), it was a surprise to realise that few ground level images exist to give credance to what is suspected as being stark topography which must offer some amazing challenges if you include what is south west of the crater with mountainous scenery which first starts with an impassible wall once the road ends...
Considering all the challenging moments described by people adept at taking risks sharing with us amazing images and accessory descriptions of the stark topography to uncover elsewhere, I realistically expect to have some contributing members describe at one point in the future the thrilling moments trying to conquer a lesser known place relatively far beyond the reach of civilisation. In the meanwhile I do definitely enjoy reading the accounts of those which went elsewhere on this earth to give a description of their own challenges and the rewarding moments which followed !
No need to have a biased attitude to understand that this region of the world does deserve a certain measure of attention in order to get a more objective image of it's characteristics .
albanberg - Oct 19, 2009 3:21 pm - Voted 10/10
cool man...epic trip indeed!
seano - Oct 20, 2009 1:50 am - Hasn't voted
Thanks!It was a good challenge, but still mostly fun.
MoapaPk - Oct 19, 2009 9:52 pm - Voted 10/10
No frostingI bet your pop tarts were not frosted -- that was the problem.
seano - Oct 20, 2009 1:49 am - Hasn't voted
Good callNext time, it's s'mores flavor all the way. Seriously, I had packed a bunch of trail mix, which has something like 50% of calories from fat, while something like 20% or less seems to be ideal. Maybe that was a problem, or maybe I just felt off for a couple hours.
Bob Burd - Oct 20, 2009 11:38 am - Voted 10/10
Nice jobGood show, Sean! Always enjoy your adventures. I would suggest two changes for next time:
1) From Crabtree Pass, drop down a few hundred feet on a slight arcing path to Discovery Pinnacle. The slope looks like horrible sand and talus, but it isn't too bad. Much better than the ridge along Mt. Marsh.
2) Bring cold pizza for energy. Tastes good when most other stuff is unappetizing late in the day. Matthew sold me on that one. :-)
seano - Oct 20, 2009 2:20 pm - Hasn't voted
Thanks!I was a big fan of cold pizza even before Matthew reminded me of things besides fish (I failed to turn him on to sardines). But I'd want to balance it with something easier to digest to keep a consistent energy level.
The traverse to Discovery sounds like a good idea, though the little scree I had to cross higher up was very loose. However, the real time savings will probably have to come from heading straight toward Williamson from Russell (near Barnard/Trojan/Versteeg), tough going late in the day.
Buckaroo - Oct 20, 2009 3:51 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: Thanks!Nice TR.
The best thing for an all out effort, especially high aerobics would be some energy gels. Don't even eat anything for breakfast.
seano - Oct 21, 2009 7:56 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Thanks!I've found that pop-tarts, supplemented with a few energy bars, work reasonably well while hiking quickly or jogging. I have used gels while running, because I can't digest anything else, but they're about 10x as expensive per calorie as pop-tarts, so I usually don't bother.
forjan - Oct 21, 2009 9:32 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Nice jobI always bring pizza + gummy bears.