Hearts with Soul

A couple of weeks ago, I did a 12 Hour team relay mountain bike race in Arizona with a friend of mine, Scott Richards. It was a special race, not only because we won our division with a great team effort, but also because of the significance of what Scott had overcome just to make it to the starting line. It truly inspired my teammates and I to hammer on the bikes beyond our normal limits.

You see, exactly one year ago, Scott was lying in an operating room, chest cracked open, in full cardiac arrest. His heart was intentionally stopped for 28 minutes while surgeons replaced a genetically defective aorta. He lived though the life-threatening operation and then decided to use his second lease on life to, not just return to good health, but to train to become an endurance athlete. As Scott came in from his first lap, he was spent from an effort that had shed a full 23 minutes off his previous best time for the loop. As I thought about how remarkable it was what he had just achieved, my thoughts turned towards a couple other late friends that had ruled their hearts with soul.

It was twelve years ago that the huge heart of my huge friend, Jimmy, stopped beating. After forty years of fighting an up and down battle against obesity, his heart simply couldn't take it any longer. At twice the weight of a average man, he was too heavy to be a technical mountaineer, to be a ski racer, or to survive hot desert sands. But he did scale the likes of Mount Rainier, he did win NASTAR national medals and he did serve along side soldiers in the Gulf War. Jimmy showed the rest of us what you can do if you have the soul to rule your heart.

Two years ago, my friend Marc, a self-described ultra-endurance addict, dropped to the pavement and never got back up. He was just a few feet from completing the Tucson Marathon in what would have been a personal record. Marc was also forty, and he also wore out his heart. But not before he endured grueling events that most mortals would find simply impossible: The Hard Rock 100 Mile mountain run, a "triple"Ironman Triathlon, multi-day runs on an oval track. The part they didn't know is that he had survived a car wreck years earlier that had left him with a limp and badly broken body and severe brain trauma. Each heart beat he had been granted since the car accident, he cherished independently.

Marc, Jimmy and Scott -- you have all shown us how to rule the Heart with Soul.

-Mike

Gear up like a Goat !

The Mountain Goat is the symbol of sure-footed toughness, perfected over evolutionary millenia. Any climber who has ever ventured into the Rockies and witnessed this majestic animal on its home turf can attest to their superior adaptation.

It is for this very same reason that my favorite adventure gear store, Backcountry.com (http://www.backcountry.com/), proudly brands itself with the goat symbol.





Backcountry.com only sells gear and clothing that stands up in the toughest environments. If their staff of gear experts decides that a product is worthy of the Goat stamp-of-approval, then it is most likely worthy of mine and yours, too. But, just in case they get it wrong, they back their claims with a unconditional, money-back guarantee, and they actively seek consumer feedback in one of the most progressive customer-service programs in the industry.

You can see my feedback on some of the outdoor products I have purchased from backcountry.com by clicking on my reviews at http://www.backcountry.com/store/profile/100002532/Mike-Dawson.html



Get Hoof'n!

Mike

Where's Mike ?

I prefer to go places where I can't be reached by cell, but since the advent of embedded GPS receivers, I have discovered another use for my Blackberry "Smart Phone" (I also used it off-trail as a flash light once when the sun went down way too fast).

Adding this handy GPS tracking utility to my BB allows me to periodically send and publish my location, when I don't mind civilization knowing where I am.

GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

SPOT Satellite Messenger: 2008 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award

Wall Street hasn't been getting much right, lately, so their attempt to take credit for recognizing the blatently obvious is understandable.

Now, I am not an investment analysist on Wall Street, on Main Street or even in the back streets. I'm just a part-time explorer of remote backcountry places reached by double-track, single track, topo lines and UTM grids. In fact, rarely is there any cellular phone service in the places I like to go... and the more rare, the better.

I first learned about the SPOT Satellite Messenger last year, shortly after they launched service. It was immediately and blatently obvious to me, too, that SPOT had something that was going to transform the playing field for me and other outdoor adventure enthusiasts.



Here's the bottom line for my dollar: SPOT uses advanced satellite technology and offers features that allow me to pursue my epic adventure dreams on my terms. It gives me a ubiquitous life line and the ability to check in with loved ones without the burden of bulk in my pack and without the looming black cloud of concern of whether technology would work for me when I needed it most.




But if you need to hear how good SPOT is from someone qualified to recommmend sound strategies (?) for your money, go see why WSJ thinks SPOT is worthy. Well, atleast they seem to have gotten it right this time:


http://www.findmespot.com/downloads/SPOT08-WSJInnovationsAwardFINAL.pdf

Where's Karl? ...at the other end!!!

After 2,174 miles of punishing Appalachian Trail, Karl Meltzer has reached the other end. I have tremendous respect for him following through, even after realizing that setbacks due to debilitating injuries and monsoonal rains had dashed his shot at the record. And props to Backcountry.com for staying committed to the project until the very end...truly a class act!

I am proud to say I know the man, Karl Meltzer, and I was privileged to be able to spend a day with him running the NH section of the trail back in August (Day 10). Here's a picture of us together that day (Karl is the skinny dude).



The website www.whereskarl.com did a fantastic job of covering the event. Here are a few stats I pulled out:

Official Finish: Monday, September 29, 4:20 a.m.

Official Start: Tuesday, August 5, 2008, 7:08 a.m.

Official Finish: Monday, September 29, 2008, 4:20 a.m.

...a total of 54 days 21 hours and 12 minutes.

Unofficially, Karl's is the fourth fastest thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

In order, the fastest finishers:

Andrew Thompson: 47 days 13 hours 31 minutes (2005)

Pete Palmer: 48 days 20 hours 11 minutes (1999)

David Horton: 52 days 9 hours (1991)

Karl Meltzer: 54 days 21 hours 12 minutes

Primal Quest Badlands - a primer

Primal Quest announced today that their next multi-day adventure race will take place in the state of South Dakota (www.ecoprimalquest.com) .

The promotional news release on the website suggested, in the Primal Quest tradition, that the course layout and disciplines will take advantage of the local environment and rich history of the state. There were several hints dropped such as:
1. Head on encounters with raging buffalo herds
2. Hand-to-hand combat, Custer-style, with disgruntled Native Americans
3. Belly-crawling through caves (AKA Spelunking)
4. Ridge "Running" ropes course across the rocky pinnacles of the Badlands
5. Pistol Duels in the lawless town of Deadwood

It all sounds very intriguing to me, and I look forward to shopping at Cabellas for a whole new set of mandatory gear.

Here's a little montage (CLICK on Mt Rushmore!!) I put together from a recent family camping vacation to the great state of South Dakota to get you ready for Primal Quest Badlands!

Enjoy!
Mike

Primal Quest 2009-Badlands Primer

Taming the Stegosaurus on Cardiac Ridge

Ken's first homecoming since the big move to New York provided a rare opportunity for us to knock off another classic ridge traverse in the Wasatch Range. Previous adventures across rarely-trodden trail-less ridges had provided us with opportunities to mingle with the herds of Mountain Goats on Thunder Ridge, surf talus-flows off the north end of Timpanogos Ridge, glissade the snowy steps of Sunrise Peak and battle heat, dehydration and impassable scrub oak on the Parley/Mill Creek Ridge.

For this trip, we would tackle the infamous Cardiac Ridge, a twisted complex of colliding plates of the earth's crust that forms the divide between Cardiff Fork and Mineral/Broads Fork in the Big Cottonwood drainage.

So while the hoards filled the parking lots for the traditional hikes up to Lake Blanche, we clambered up to to Cardiff Pass following a pair of slightly annoyed Mountain Goats and started on another excellent adventure.

Ken (in the foreground) and Mike on the approach to Mount Superior, which is blocked from view by Little Superior. Part of Cardiac Ridge can be seen to the right of the tree.



Mike and Ken on the top of our 11,000 foot friend, Mount Superior, a frequent stop during many of our ridge traverses and backcountry ski trips.


Looking down the Stegosaurus' back from Superior. Our destination is Kessler Peak at the end of this meandering knife-edge of crumbling rock.


Mike laying back with good hands and minimal feet near the start of Cardiac Ridge: we now have a better appreciation for the name! Superior is in the background.


Mike resorted to straddling the parts where there was no room to stand. Whatever scratches the itch!


Wait up, Ken, you feak'n Mountain Goat! Typical up heaved plate of the earth's crust in the Wasatch leaves unstable ridges with big exposure

Expedition Adventure Race?...is that like a...a long triathlon?

Us expedition adventure racers get that hard-to-respond-to question a lot.


Yeah, kinda like that, only ditch the leg shaving, the skin-tight Lycra and trade in the humming bird heart beat for something to support a somewhat slower muscle-twitch, like that of a sloth, because an expedition adventure race will take 10 to 20 times longer than an Ironman Triathlon...

...now, add a 35lb overnight pack, 'cause your leaving civilization for another 24+ hour of some off-trail discipline in the deep wilderness and your going to have to carry all your own food and water and emergency provisions and rescue/tracking beacons and bear spray...Yeah, you're gonna need the bear spray, but hopefully not the rescue beacon...

...and ditch the 12 lb bike with the aero-bars, 'cause you're going to want full-suspension for that rugged 100 mile, ass-busting ride. Better also devise a way to carry your bike, 'cause you'll encounter un-ridable sections of snow, dead fall, heavy brush, cliff bands and the like...

...and you're going to have to lug around a pile of climbing gear for at least one of the 7-10 days you will hobbling around on badly blistered feet. 'Cause the evil race organizers have devised a menacing ropes course to turn your mushy sleep-deprived, oxygen-depleted brain inside-out, and waste any remaining muscle-twitches to produce sewing-machine leg.

...in the case of Primal Quest - Montana, chief ropes mastermind, Jay, has had a vision of racers scaling a 2100 vertical collection of rock fins resembling a gigantic Stegosaurus standing on its tail. Oh, they'll throw down a few ropes along the cascade of plates and spines and then call it "protection", then they'll come up with friendly terms to describe the discipline, like "Ridge Running". But words like "protection" and "running" have no place here, because you're still lugging your 35 lb boat anchor, and you've slept one hour in the last 3 days, and your blisters have all popped to reveal the underlying flesh to the grating layer of dirt-filled shoes...

...how about a little cleansing dip in the river? The PQ legion of doom readily obliges. Lets take a deep raving full of gigantic boulders and flood it with 38F snow melt. Just for kicks, they'll issue the racers glorified boogie boards or drift wood, called "River Boards" and send them merrily on their way down the Class 4+ (means risk to swimmers is moderately high) rapids. Oh, the younger viewing audience will love it!

...make sure the race is long enough and has enough quad-destroying vertical that we can compare it to the length of the Missouri River and "X" times up and down Mount Everest.

...Sorry, what was the question? ...Oh, Yeah, its kinda like a long triathlon...only with 3 teammates that would give you their last morsel of food, offer you their last swallow of water, carry you on their back or tow you on a short line if necessary to get you across the finish line as a single entity, a team.

That's the biggest difference.

Random PQ08 Images of Team Nike ACG / Gore-Tex

Post PQ08 Photos

Primal Quest Montana Epilogue

…and just like that, another Primal Quest is history, with truly epic visions of Montana eternally etched into our oxygen-depleted memories.

Wow! The numbers are still a bit too staggering to wrap our heads around (550+ miles traveled, 8 total hours of sleep, 38 degree whitewater, 5 *real* bears encountered, 40,000 calories consumed daily (and that’s just Mike’s portion!), 2100 vertical feet of dizzying, straight-up, technical rock ascending, etc.,.).

And, alas, the numbers only tell a small part of the overall experience. We were fortunate to have a professional photographer (and also a pretty darn good Blogger) in our good friend Hlavs to follow us around and document our travels. If you haven’t done so already, you can get an up-close-and-personal summary of our team’s race from www.nextepicadventure.blogspot.com, where Hlavs was generous enough to post excerpts from is journal and some awesome photos and video clips.

It was a Primal Quest to the very core, and the life-altering lessons we will carry with us forever.

Throughout this epic adventure, the four of us stuck up for one-another like a small platoon of Navy Seals, moving as a single unit through challenge after challenge with silent and fluid efficiency. We encountered many break-downs and seemingly insurmountable obstacles along the way, but each time we re-grouped, re-assessed and executed with cautious discipline, and came out the other side on top. There are no numbers, or pictures or words that can capture the sense of accomplishment we gained from this week of experiences in the Montana wilderness.



And, in spite of the “party on!” attitude we maintained throughout the race, we absolutely could not have finished this race without the expert care and selfless devotion of our two-person support crew, Beau Johnson and Tanya Wood. They did everything from haul equipment from TA to TA, to treat feet for blisters and strains, to cook meals, to boss us around like the helpless children we were when we came through camp. They were as much of the team as the four of us racers.

We did all we could to provide a return for the investment that our sponsors made in our team to make this huge financial and logistical endeavor possible. Of course, we are deeply indebted to Nike and Gore-Tex , who provided the critical financial foundation. They also donated a bounty of superior technical footwear and outerwear, which we put to the ultimate test during PQ-MT. Additional products and services provided by our other sponsors proved to be invaluable through the hundreds of hours of training, planning and execution that went into this race for us: Backcountry.com, Ellsworth Bikes, Tifosi Optics, Knead a Massage, Kahtoola, Spot, Petzl, TyRy Foods, Hyland Cyclery, Fat Tire Farm, Luck Labrador Brew Pub (yes, beer at the finish line is a powerful incentive!). We hope we made each of them proud to be a sponsor of Team Nike ACG / Gore-Tex.



Thanks to all of our friends, family and acquaintances for taking interest in our race. Believe me , we felt your presence and your encouraging thoughts, pulling us through during the darkest hours. We hope that our brief, 7-day, jam-packed journey will inspire you to go and embark in your own epic adventure, however you define that term.

Cheers!
Mike Dawson and Team Nike ACG / Gore-Tex (Ken Meyer, Peter Courogen and Julie Leasure)

Top Ten finish for Nike ACG/ GoreTex

From Post PQ08 Photos

Primal Quest Montana 2008 results

Hlavs Signing Off

I can't thank the team enough for letting me be a small part of your EPIC ADVENTURE.  I saw a lot this week, but I can tell you one thing that will stick with me forever.  Primal Quest Montana, more specifically Team Nike ACG/ GoreTex has emblazoned an undeniable Truth on me.  I think what I come away with is much greater than some cool photographs and clever captions.  No, what I will remember PQ08 for is the understanding that there are no limitations to what the Human Body can endure when you factor in the following variables:  

SUPPORT from those close to you. 

And HOPE.  HOPE for the future, HOPE which endures.

With these in your arsenal, Pain and Fear have no business here.

Now I've got an appointment to keep in Portland 11 hours from now, and I'm about 10 hours away.  So wish me luck on my Adventure on the American highways tonight.

Team Nike ACG/ GoreTex Photographer Hlavs signing off...

until the "NEXT EPIC ADVENTURE"

Next stop: Big Sky

Well race fans, the team is off on the last leg of this adventure at 7:00pm Monday June 30.  They're heading toward the finish line right back where the race started at Big Sky Resort 8 days ago.  And its time for me to hand this blog back over to it's rightful owners: Mike Dawson, Ken Brewer, Julie Leasure, Peter Courogen and their families who await them at the line. 

PS: Don't worry I left the job of getting finish shots in some capable hands.

A quick turn at TA 14

I sit in a coffehouse in Coeur D' Alene Idaho as I write this note, reporting remotely.  But I have a trusty source (Beau/ Tanya) for reporting that the team arrived at TA14 after a 23 hour trek.  Beau and Tanya turned it in 30 minutes to set team Nike ACG/ GoreTex bombing on their bikes back into the mountains towards the race finish.

Day 8 begins with Preparation at TA14

Beau's handiwork extends to all the team's mechanical needs as well.  We're awaiting the team's arrival from the trek and getting set for a mountain biking finish through the mountains.

Almost there.

Team Nike ACG/GoreTex presses up into the Gallatin Wilderness again for its final trek, and second-to-last leg of the competition.  Currently in 7th place, the team is prepared to lay it on the line for a top-ten finish...  Which would be, as Courogen was quoted earlier, 'A dream come true'.

Gotcha!

Just as I suspected...  Courogen displays his 25th Anniversary Pegasus 2008...  Creator and end-user.

Hot on the Pegasus trail

While the team rested I took the opportunity to explore their gear.  My motive: Find evidence to support my theory about those Pegasus tracks seen a few days ago in Corbly Gulch.  

Footsie... The name of the Game

The team puts Beau's handiwork, or should I say footiwork on display as they rest.  Keeping the team's bodies in order has been no small task.  And Beau's foot prep at each TA seems to be the key.

Warm afternoon, and welcome at TA 13

Peter and Mike's family wish the team luck before their last scheduled power nap.

Look out Below

After Ken and Mike are safely grounded, Julie and Pete follow suit.

As team documentarian, I'd like to take a moment to editorialize if I may.  I must say, I wasn't sure what to expect when I signed on for this mission.  I've worked with some World-class  athletes in my day, and I've worked with teams in all different sports.  But I've never seen anything like the display put forth by Team Nike ACG/ GoreTex and all the Primal Quest racers for that matter.  It seems to be a blend of mental and physical strength, willpower and teamwork the likes most people can't imagine.  Even seeing it, I still don't believe it.  Anyway, enough waxing poetic...  Onward to TA 13.

Any Questions?

Mike and Ken show us how its dun.  

The Light of Day 7

The team made its way through the deep growth of the Gallatin Forest capturing 3 time-bonus points on the orienteering course.  Then proceeded to the final checkpoint of this leg...  a 30-story rappel off the mountain.

Onward (Day 7)

The team perserveers  into the darkness to capture some time-bonuses on the Orienteering course above.

On the 7th Day they rested...

...NOT

In the wee hours of the morning, Mike and Ken begin the next leg under the shelter of TA12.  Accuracy is paramount for the next leg of the race...  A 13 hour orienteering and ropes course in the Gallatin Forest.

Angel in the midst

Tanya, the backbone of this operation, keeps us fed, rested, organized, and keeps us going as Day 6 comes to a close. 

Warm Courogen Family welcome at TA 12

I think the look on Pete's face says it all.

Hello Again Gallatin

The crew presses up into The Gallatin Forest as the sun gets low and the shadows get long on Day 6 of Primal Quest Montana.

Bye bye Bozeman

Team 27 blows through town like a, as Mike puts it... Freight-train.

TA 11 in Bozeman

Ken gets a boost of confidence from his family before a power nap.

Meanwhile Mike goes for a shower... Or is it a swim?  Either way.  It functions to revive.

Pete gets interviewed by the local news station.

And Julie gets focused on the next leg...  A 7 hour ride which will take them through Bozeman and back up into the Gallatin Mountains.

Day 6 begins

After trekking 37 miles through the night, the team descends the Bridgers beneath the Big Montana "M",  But the mindblowing part...  They're running.  After 5 days of racing and who-knows how many miles, and how much elevation, they're still pressing the limits of human endurance.

A Pegasus sighting

Well, as Team Photographer I tried to test my abilities and catch the team on the trail into the Bridgers, but was reduced to a wind-sucking mess after 8 minutes up the mountain, having ditched my bike after 4.  Let me tell you, this race is no joke.  So needless to say, I didn't get the shot I was hoping for, but I did find this telling track.  Ladies and gentelmen this is the track of a rare specimen and can only mean that Team Nike ACG/ GoreTex passed this way.  This tread pattern is most assuredly that of the one and only 25th Anniversary Nike Pegasus 2008, engineered by none-other than Team 27 front-man Peter Courogen himself.  Not yet available to the public, but only the latest, most cutting edge equipment will do for this crew.

Onward Day 5

Off they go to tackle the next leg, a 35 mile trek along the Bridger Range.

TA10 shenanigans

Mike gets set to take his trusty lid to yet another peak on this next leg through the Bridger Mountains.  The team was in great spirits and seams to have caught a second... no, tenth wind.

TA10

Beau displays his therapeutic mettle, applying this robo-foot tape-job to Ken.

Pressing-on to TA10

The team arrives at TA10 having gained 2.5 hours on the team ahead.

Bridging the gap

Team Nike ACG/ GoreTex moves out of TA9 and begins a 90 mile ride around the Bridger Mountains as it trys to close the gap on the teams ahead. 

Day 5 begins at TA9

The team made it into TA9 around 12:30am and caught some much needed sleep, as Day 5 picks up where day 4 left off...  With a Majestic Montana Big Sky display.

Day 4 comes to a majestic close

We didn't get to see the team on day 4 as they hiked another 20 hours through the Crazies.  But I did manage to capture a few shots from the race course.  This one shows the sunset exiting the Crazy Mountains on June 26, Day 4.