Outdoors

When the wind outside screams like acetylene flame and all hope for peaceful sleep has been let go, I begin to think about tomorrow. When the mountain rocks and rolls and the old wooden US Weather Station sign hanging out front reaches fever pitch – the just right vibration to send it slamming, clap, clap, shotgun boom, against one ceiling board to the next I know it is coming. I’m not apprehensive. I don’t dread the coming work. Instead I lie awake in anticipation of a day that I know will leave me contently obliterated. When the sun rises all evidence of the tempest is gone from the sky. The big orange eye is peaking between the toothpick serrations of the eastern skyline which are the high rises of Charlotte 6,000 feet below and 100 miles away. The sky is now a sparkling clear lens. Slim and I have been here before. We know what to expect and are giddy inside. Outward appearances would seem to others more matter-of-factly, shit to do, trails to clear, let’s go. We strap to our backs chainsaw and ax, fuel and oil, food and water. Pairs of things that make our task achievable. We know what we want to do. What we have to do. Trails and roads are completely blocked by downed spruce and fir trees from some of the strongest winds ever recorded on the mountain. Some twisted in half midway up their broad trunks. Snapped and splintered like a number 2 pencil. Some toppled over fully intact succumbing to gale and gravity. A root ball the size of an elephant sticking up into the mountain air where the evergreen once towered. Root and limb exchanging homes until further notice. Communication is mostly of the nonverbal variety. Words are not necessary today. Hike, saw, chop, drag, tug, roll, pour, chew, grunt, heave, repeat at next impoundment. Smile and laugh. Eighteen miles later. Dark now. Can the saws wait until tomorrow to be cleaned and sharpened? This time yes. Tomorrow should be a good day with the forecast of cloudless and 60. Lots of hikers.

Opening The Account: Dana Point GP Report: All season long out guys have been knocking on the door in the major NCC criteriums, and with a string of podium placings and good breakaway and sprint performances, we knew our first big win of the season wasn’t far off. Shane Kline proved it Sunday afternoon at the Dana Point GP in southern California when he came from 6th wheel to take the win from MRI’s Justin Williams by a few millimeters. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it’s pretty safe to say just about nobody passes 6 guys in the finishing straight of these major US crits. This point was not lost on anyone watching the race, and Shane’s star is on the rise, for sure. How it unfolded, report direct from the team van:  The Plan was to have 5 of us covering and killing breakaway attempts. Clay was to be more selective, and try to sneak into moves that could work for us. Then with 5 laps to go we were going to take over with 5 guys. The last two in line would be Clay and Shane. How it played out: For the first 55 minutes or so we covered absolutely everything. Travis and Curtis were probably there the most. Nothing got away. The biggest gaps would go to solo guys. We did so much, probably too much, that teams waited on us to do it. In those situations one of us would just ride the front until we got it close. Ben got in a few moves, Clay did too, and Curtis and Travis did a lot of covering. With 8 laps to go, a dangerous-ish two man move got away containing one of our team alumni, Thom Soladay and someone else. Curtis hustled to the front, maybe too quickly, and shut the move down, despite a strong re-attack from Soladay. This was essentially the end of Curtis’s race, and he was stuffed after that point. Clay, Chaddock, Travis, and Shane, however, were ready. A lap later they took over the front and Chaddock did two really hard laps and dropped off Clay an Shane, a bit short staffed. They capitalized on MRI’s leadout, and settled in around 10th wheel. Clay moved Shane up and kept him out of the wind, then Travis took over from Clay and continued to keep Shane protected until 1.5 laps to go. Then MRI hit it for Justin Williams. Shane did the rest like a freaking boss. He jumped from sixth wheel and closed hard winning by inches but was going way faster than the other guys. Justin second, and Ken Hanson (Optum) 3rd. In a crash-marred last lap, Clay held on for 7th, Travis hung in for 11th. Sandy Springs Criterium, Speed Week Finale: After an unusually cold and windy week in the southeast, Sandy Springs did not adhere to the stereotype of what the race has been in the past, which is hot and humid. Instead, like the rest of the week, it was wet and cold.  It definitely has not been typical. On the van drive to Sandy Springs, everyone was weather watching.  Sunny skies greeted us upon our arrival, and we were cautiously optimistic that the weather would hold for our race.  Despite our hopes, a thunderstorm dampened the course prior to our start. The race started slowly on the wet course as crashes were happening on every lap.  The field quickly was whittled down to a select group of riders.  Frank Travieso was not satisfied, and our man Frank The Tank repeatedly attacked violently.  He got away with Karl Menzies (UHC) and dangled off the front for 40 minutes.  With UHC and Team SmartStop satisfied with the situation, the race quickly developed into a not-crashing contest. With about 35 laps remaining, another rain front passed through.  Gusts of wind flipped over tents and blew barriers into the road.  The temperature dropped 20 degrees, and people were literally getting blown off their bikes.  It was a true contest of bicycle handling skills, turning ability, and willingness to get extremely cold. Despite the tough conditions, Frank and Menzies stayed off the front.  Menzies was not cooperating in the group and refusing to pull.  Frank took the bit between his teeth and pushed to the line.  I

The team during grid qualifiers, with MC Chad Andrews. *Photo Barbara Dowd. Athens, Georgia – Bobby Lea and Frank Travieso kicked off the weekend with a solid performance in the Computrainer Grid Qualifiers held on Friday. The finishing order of the 3K Grid Qualifiers  create the start positions for the men’s criterium Saturday night. The final eight riders get coveted front-row starting positions and take part in the showcase Grid Qualifier in front of thousands on Friday night.  In that main event Bobby finished third while Frank finished 5th. Not a true time trial test, it was however very painful and a good opportunity for both Bobby and Frank to show just how prepared they were for the main event. The team of Thomas Brown, Shane Kline, Isaac Howe, Bobby Lea, Frank Travieso, and Adam Myerson rode a fantastic race. The guys were aggressive all night, and tactically savvy, and they really put on a show. In particular it was great to see Athens residents Thomas Brown and Frank Travieso throwing down for their home crowd, and they were clearly enjoying every minute of it. Isaac Howe, Adam Myerson, Thomas Brown, Shane Kline and Bobby Lea. *Photo Barbara Dowd. The race is 80 laps of a 1 kilometer course, and right from the start the team went on the attack. Thomas Brown, racing in his hometown and wanting to make a strong showing for his team and himself went out early.  Adrian Hegyvary from the powerful UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling team was quick to cover the move. The duo were later joined by Mark Koble of BikeSouth and the trio were off. They held a lead of 17 seconds and maintained that lap after lap. This move was vital to our overall plan and kept the rest of the team protected and fresh, while teams like Predator were stuck chasing, expending valuable energy. With 29 laps of the 80 remaining, these 3 were finally reeled in. The counter-attacks were immediate and our Frank Travieso, along with Kevin Mullervy (Champion System p/b Stan’s NoTubes), and Carlos Alzate (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling) were able to get a 13 second gap. After several laps they expanded their lead to 23 seconds. With 17 laps remaining the trio increased their lead to 33 seconds. Travieso, Mullervy, and Alzate were working together as the SmartStop-Mountain Khakis squad were at the front of the chasing peloton squashing any chases.  Frank’s best shot at the victory would be head to head with Carlos, and it was in his best interest that the trio not lap the field. Frank started easing up with about 10 laps remaining, and Alzate picked up the slack. Alzate’s increased efforts put the group within reach of nearly lapping the field with eight to go. Not wanting a repeat performance of the finish we had in Anniston, the week before, the rest of the team went to the front of the field in an effort to ensure that the trio did not lap the field.  On the backside of the course with 5 laps to go, Mullervy attacked. Travieso and Alzate looked at each other, neither wanting to chase the Champion System rider back. Frank made a tactical decision to wait for Alzate to make the move.  He knew this was his best shot at the victory and he was rightfully willing to risk it.  Alzate never moved, and was willing to watch the opportunity for the win roll up the road. Frank and Alzate couldn’t or wouldn’t work together and instead continued to look at each other, finally rolling across the line with Alzate second and Frank third. With one lap to go there was a large crash in the main field that took out Isaac and Thomas, but Shane was able to stay out of trouble and was in good position for the sprint for 4th.  He battled with the UHC sprinters and was able to take an impressive 5th place. In the end we were very satisfied with the way the team performed, and in the end result. In the 80 lap event we had a rider off the front for almost 70 laps! We controlled the race and had a direct impact on the outcome. The race wasn’t dictated to us

When Doug Tompkins first went to Argentina’s Perito Moreno National Park in 1992 to investigate the unclimbed south face of Cerro San Lorenzo, he and his climbing partners were blown away by the beauty and primeval rawness of the Lácteo River Valley — and shocked that it wasn’t part of the park. He vowed to do something about it, but unlike most people, Tompkins has the resources to act on beliefs this big. The co-founder of The North Face and Esprit clothing, the 59-year-old has devoted his energy and fortune to conserving land in Argentina and Chile, and he has so far acquired and set aside more than two million acres, more than any other person. A year and a half after visiting San Lorenzo — it’s still unclimbed — Tompkins bought 37,500 acres in the river valley. This week marked the formal transfer of the so-called Estancia El Rincon to Perito Moreno. “This donation has been in the works for some time, largely because it took a long time to hammer out the details of future use and zoning within this new section of the park,” said Kris Tompkins, Doug’s wife and the president of Conservacion Patagonica, through which the land was given. “We finally feel secure that our vision for this land is permanently designated through the legal donation documents – and off it goes. It’s a great day for us.” The donation follows the transfer of 155,000-acre Estancia Monte Leon to Argentine National Parks to create Monte Leon National Park. Via Conservacion Patagonica

Barely two weeks ago, the speed record from the top of Mont Blanc to Chamonix was broken by French skiers Antoine Montegani and Nicolas Anthonioz, who dropped the 12,000 or so vertical in 32 minutes (see video below). Now the Chamonix-Mont Blanc-Chamonix speed record has fallen to French ski mountaineer Mattheo Jacquemond, who went from the church in the center of town back to the church in 5 hours, 5 minutes, beating the old mark by 10 minutes. Jacquemond ran from the church to the Mont Blanc tunnel with skis on his back, then ascended the Grands Mulets, Petit and Grand Plateaux, the Vallot Hut, and finally the 15,781-foot summit. He had planned on making the attempt with noted speed runner Kilian Jornet, but Jornet was in the Canary Islands running a trail race. Via Chamonix.net

Our third annual Arkansas Rover Society Spring Rally may have endured rain, sleet, and freezing temperatures, but we all had a blast!  People drove from eight different states to join us in the outdoor Land Rover festivities, and they didn’t let a little cold weather be a deterrent.  We all shared a three day extravaganza full of campfires, camaraderie, and trail riding.  There were folks from all over Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, and even an honorary special guest from Vermont.  Rally feedback was all positive with everyone very full of praise and thank yous. During our banquet we all shared in a feast of beef and pork BBQ complete with all the fixings and afterwards held our prize raffle.  Thanks to all our wonderful sponsors, like Mountain Khakis, we were able to raise $1,448 from raffle ticket sales, to be donated during a Rover Run to Arkansas Children’s Hospital.  We might have had to pull out all our winter gear during ‘spring break’ and huddle together around campfires and a shared oil heater to keep warm… while sipping on coffee and hot chocolate, but we made great family outdoor memories that will last forever.

According to the Wall Street Journal, there’s an anti-Lycra backlash sweeping through the cycling world, and it’s because nobody wants to be associated with cheaters, dopers, and those who cry on Oprah and/or wear matching kit. More likely is that this story wouldn’t have gotten attention if it didn’t have a Lance Armstrong hook to it. The fact is that there’s a ton of growth in non-traditional, non-Lycra riding apparel, and it’s coming because 1) Rapha showed people would pay top dollar for nice threads and 2) cyclists are tired of looking like a cross between NASCAR vehicles and sausage casings. Enough with Armstrong already. Giro, for example, just launched its New Road line, which is sweet. Of course there’s Rapha, as well as Aether and Outlier, and even mountain bikers are getting style, with awesome clothes from Kitsbow. Which means roadies might finally learn to embrace the individuality and more modest dress that mountain bikers have known for ages. Might. Via Wall Street Journal.

How do you know if something is possible? You try it! It’s easy to plan, guess and speculate from the computer, but there’s really only one way to KNOW and that’s to GO. There were many doubts and ways this wouldn’t work out, but a strong desire to explore this route on skis may have blinded me to the fact that winter might be over in Utah. So, we decided to try it and see, the worst case being we would learn something and make it more feasible for the future. The plan was to do the 70 miles of Highline trail from Leidy to Mirror Lake. We shuttled a snowmobile up to Mirror Lake, locked it up to a gate, marked it on the GPS and doubled back on one sled. This stashed sled would be our ride out after coming over from the east side. The snowpack looked thin in many spots, but it looked like we could link it together. With snow levels around 9K the big concern was what will we find outside of Vernal. Only one way to find out, so we drove around the next morning. We arrived in Vernal around 8am and drove up Dry Fork to the gate. Our hope was that we could get around the gate, or that it might be open and we could drive up to snow line. The gate was closed and so we turned around and went to the Forest Service ranger station. The receptionist put us through to a ranger who was really freaked out about our idea. “You want to do the highline traverse NOW?!” “Have you ever done anything like this before?” “Do you have skis and tents?” He had never heard of a winter attempt and he didn’t recommend it. However, he informed us of an alternate route to get the car and snowmobile up to the snow. We drove out of town and past a bunch of “soft” road closures and he met us at a gate. He saw that we were serious about this and Andrew talked to him enough to instill some faith that we sort of knew what we were getting into. We sat and looked at the snow and did the math on mileage. We had a long ways to go just to get to the trailhead and the soggy snow was less than inviting for overland travel. With a limited timeframe and much less than ideal temps and snow quality, we decided to pull the plug. The ranger came around and was very helpful and had some great ideas on how to pull it off more efficiently. I was really bummed to have spent a good chunk of time and effort putting this together. Andrew tried to make me feel better by mentioning that it took him 3 attempts at skiing The Grand Teton before succeeding. We did learn a ton and we have some really good ideas to see it through next season.

Check out the 11th annual Elkfest High Noon Chili Cook-Off this Sunday May 19th on the Jackson Hole Town Square.

Bonfire Under the Stars : Prints Available This last weekend we drove out to Cedar Mesa, Utah for one last desert camping trip for the season. We arrived a few hours prior to sunset, found a nice spot to car camp, and eventually lit a little fire to enjoy. After being glued to the computer the last few weeks, the fire, stars, and open space were balm for my soul! The next morning we would wake up early and embark on a three-day backpacking loop through Fish Creek and Owl Creek Canyons. For this trip I decided to leave my workhorse Canon camera and lenses at home, instead opting to travel light with only my new little Fujifilm X100S large sensor compact camera. These three days in the canyons provided a good opportunity to get to know the X100S. Since it’s a popular new camera I will write a “mini review” of my first impressions below, and this post will be more of a camera report than a trip report. All these photos were taken with the X100S, but please note that some are stitched panos an