Squak in the Dark
Squak in the Dark is a night race that features a 5.7 mile loop with 1500 feet of vertical gain that is repeated for 8 hours. The individual with the most laps in the 8 hour time frame wins the event and there is also …
Author: zach
Sun Mountain 50 Miler
I departed for Lake Patterson Cabins in the late evening of May 12th and arrived before midnight (after a 4 hour 30 minute drive) and was welcomed by Aaron Long and the Cowgills. They were kind enough to let me set up my sleeping pad …
Chirico Tenpeat
Since moving to the greater Issy Alps area in 2017 I wanted to complete the Chirico Tenpeat event. The race has developed quite a reputation among my circle of trail running friends and it struck me as something that I needed to do as a rite of passage. However, other races, notably Lake Sonoma and the Boston Marathon hindered me from toeing the start line. This year however, I planned to run the tenpeat after the Boston Marathon, even if my legs were not fully recovered.
Unfortunately I suffered from some form of food poisoning at the Boston Marathon this year which resulted in a rare DNF. The day leading up to the marathon I was vomiting every hour or so and was unable to digest any calories. Despite being very tired and weak, the morning of the race I managed to eat breakfast so I thought I would give the race a try. My driver could not find the start line, so I started in a later wave, but it actually allowed me to time trial the course. I managed to click off some quick splits and keep my time similar to 2021 through the first half marathon, but unfortunately my stomach started to turn and by mile 17, I dropped to the ground vomiting. I walked to the medical tent and ended my race at mile 17.5. Therefore, Chirico Tenpeat this year was not only something that I wanted to do for the past seven years, but also redemption from a disappointing Boston Marathon.
The Chirico Tenpeat is a yearly event that takes place on the last Wednesday of April. James Varner pioneered the event in 2012 and Jess Mullen does an excellent job hosting the event each year. The premise of the challenge is to do ten Chirico Trail out and backs to Poo Poo Point on Tiger Mountain. Each out and back is about 3.6 miles with ~1,660 feet of climbing. Each year several dozen runners come out to do a few laps or the illusive ten laps. There have been some very impressive efforts over the years but I had my sights on a sub eight hour effort. I knew this would be ambitious when I was feeling 100%, but almost impossible coming off a bout with food poisoning and 17 hard miles at Boston. But I wanted to give it a try.
The weather forecast called for a warm and sunny day, which was the opposite of what I was hoping for two main reasons. First, I prefer running in cloudy to rainy conditions with temperatures below 50. Second, I knew a nice day would bring lots of the people to an already extremely popular trailhead. I tend to avoid Chirico trail at all costs because it attracts the most people on Tiger Mountain and navigating the trail can be tricky when there are hundreds of people on it. Despite my concerns, I awoke early Wednesday morning and dad and I braved the Issaquah Hobart traffic to the trailhead.
Conditions at the start of the race were ideal, overcast with temperatures in the low 50s. I capitalized on this by hike/jogging to the knoll in about 28 minutes. I utilized trekking poles to save the legs for later repetitions, which is a strategy I often employ on long races. I was treated to distant views of Mount Rainier and the Issaquah Valley, but did not stop to enjoy them, I was on a mission. I let gravity do the work on the way back to the trailhead and finished my first lap in 48 minutes. This meant that I was on pace to run 8 hours even, but even after the first repetition, I knew this was was an unlikely result. I forewent carrying my hydration pack until the third lap, which may have been a misstep which put me at a deficit early into the challenge.
I finished the second and third laps in about 50 minutes, roughly 29 minutes up and 21 minutes down. It was great to see so many friends, my dad was on the trail doing one lap, Scott Sowle was scouting for the Run for Shoes 50K, and Dan Bucci, Trevor Griffith, Rich Leggett, Sim Ashworth, and Kevin Wolf were all doing repeats. The weather started to heat up into the fourth and fifth laps which I managed to do in 52 and 51 minutes respectively. I took a little more time at the aid station between the fifth and sixth lap to refuel and decided to loose the shirt and just take the hydration vest. The stomach started to turn a little and the Chirico trail started to become a little monotonous. It is safe to say that by the sixth lap, I stopped having fun and started to go to work.
By the sixth lap the field thinned out and some people dropped to go to work or just decided to pack it in for the day. This allowed me to fully assess the competition. I noticed that Dan Bucci and Trevor Griffith were running very well and seemed to be limiting the distance I had put on them in the first half of the tenpeat. My sixth lap took 63 minutes and I was getting worried that I took on this challenge too soon after the Boston food poisoning debacle. Before starting my seventh lap, Scott helped me out with gathering some calories and applying some sunscreen. Unfortunately the extra time spent at the aid station bled into my lap time and my seventh trip took 68 minutes. By this point the sun was high in the sky and temperatures climbed into the low 70s. This essentially felt like 100 degrees with my cool weather acclimated body. Before starting the eight lap I texted Apryle to let her know I was down to three to go.
Lap eight also took me 68 minutes and on my way down the mountain I passed Dan Bucci in what seemed to be 20 minutes behind me. However, it appeared to be Trevor Griffith that was charging his way up the mountain and bridging a large gap to Dan. I took a long break at the aid station before the ninth lap and it took me 73 minutes to finish drag my self up to the knoll and back, my slowest time of the day. I knew I had to fend off a charging Trevor Griffith on the last lap so I mustered the energy to pick up the pace. On the start of my final lap, I saw Apryle descending and we could not figure out how we missed each other on the previous lap. She cheered me through the opening rocky climb and then went back to the finish to await my arrival.
I reached Poo Poo Point for the final time in 9 hours and 30 minutes and it took me 19 more minutes to get back to the finish in order to stop the clock at 9:49. I was worried that Trevor would catch me the whole way down, but he ended up finishing roughly 11 minutes behind. Dan Bucci rounded out the top three with yet another solid effort. Both Dan and Trevor have finished multiple tenpeats, so it is an honor to join their ranks as a tenpeat finisher. Overall, I was fairly happy, I wished I could have run a more even effort and hit a faster time, but I feel that way about every one of my races. Thanks so much to Jess and volunteers for putting on a great event. Thanks to Scott for your help and as always thanks to my Dad and Apryle for the support.
Total Distance: 36.68 miles
Total Vertical: 16,807 feet
Total Time: 9 hours 49 minutes 46 seconds
| Lap | Distance | Time of Day | Lap Time | Total Time |
| 0 | 0 | 700 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 3.6 | 748 | 0:48 | 0:48 |
| 2 | 7.2 | 838 | 0:50 | 1:38 |
| 3 | 10.8 | 928 | 0:50 | 2:28 |
| 4 | 14.4 | 1020 | 0:52 | 3:20 |
| 5 | 18 | 1111 | 0:51 | 4:11 |
| 6 | 21.6 | 1214 | 1:03 | 5:14 |
| 7 | 25.2 | 1322 | 1:08 | 6:22 |
| 8 | 28.8 | 1430 | 1:08 | 7:30 |
| 9 | 32.4 | 1543 | 1:13 | 8:43 |
| 10 | 36 | 1649 | 1:06 | 9:49 |
Ohio Spring Birding Part I: Bird Banding
In May 2022 Apryle and I had the the opportunity to observe Tom and Paula Bartlett banding birds on Kelleys Island and at Springville Marsh. I was first exposed to bird banding at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado back in spring …
Run Forest Run 50K
The Run Forest Run 50 kilometer race took place on February 18th 2023. I arrived at the start/finish area at Lake Sylvia State Park in the early morning hours as the sun was rising and an eerie translucent fog hung in the air above the …
Mojave Desert Adventure Part V
On January 13th we were scheduled to join a birding group at Las Vegas Springs Preserve, so we made our way in to the city in the early morning equipped with our 600mm zoom camera. Las Vegas Springs Preserve is a lush oasis in an wasteful opulent concrete jungle. The 180 acre preserve is owned an operated by the Las Vegas Valley Water District. Located just three miles west of the strip, this preserve is built around the original water source of Las Vegas. There are several miles of trail that meander through desert botanical gardens and wetland habitat.
On our three mile birding walk we spotted 26 different species including: Yellow-rumped Warner, Great-tailed Grackle, Abert’s Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, House Finch, Phainopepla, Hermit Thrush, Northern Mockingbird, Bewick’s Wren, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Verdin, Common Raven, Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay, Say’s Phoebe, American Kestrel, Northern Flicker, Red-tailed Hawk, American Coot, Costa’s Hummingbird, Anna’s Hummingbird, Rock Pigeon, Gambel’s Quail, Ring-necked Duck, Mallard, and Canada Goose. After thoroughly exploring the preserve and identifying many unique birds, we made our way north to Rainbow Owl Preserve to locate Burrowing Owls. This was at the prompting of one of the Red Rock Audubon Society members.
Apryle and I had seen Burrowing Owls a few years prior nesting in irrigation ditches in the distinctly agricultural hub of Othello, Washington. The small ground dwelling owls were difficult to pick out from the surrounding landscape and created their homes in the most unlikely of locations. The Burrowing Owls of Las Vegas were no different, they made a home out of cinderblock and black irrigation tubing. This home selection was more out of necessity than preference. The Red Rock Audubon Society purchased land slated for development in North Las Vegas and created artificial burrows for the owls in prime Burrowing Owl habitat.
Burrowing Owls typically use burrows created by Desert Tortoise, Prairie Dogs, or Ground Squirrels, but since humans nearly eradicated many of these species and altered so much of the desert habitat that it is necessary to create artificial burrows. On a positive note, these owls are quite resilient and have no trouble nesting in human-made materials. They are resourceful animals, often lining their burrows with animal dung in order to attract insects to eat. Additionally, they are known to cache dead rodents when brooding chicks in order to ensure food supply.
Apryle and walked on the concrete sidewalks bordering a series of vacant lots where the inconspicuous owl preserve was located. Essentially, the preserve was made up of a several disjointed lots lined with chainlink fence. Inside each parcel of land there were 4 to 6 artificial owl burrows made up of cinderblocks, rocks, black tubing, and wood branches. It was the least aesthetically pleasing place we had visited yet, but the up close encounters with the Burrowing Owls still made this unexpected side trip a memorable one.
Following our morning birding, we pivoted back to hiking and petroglyph hunting. We made our way south through the heart of Las Vegas to Sloan Canyon. The route to Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area was a convoluted maze through sprawling suburbia. However, once we finally arrived at the trailhead it was the typical vast wilderness of the Mojave Desert that we expected. Sloan Canyon is a 48,438 acre conservation area that contains a portion of the McCullough Range that forms the southern border of Las Vegas and Henderson.
We took the petroglyphs trail, which started on an upland plain and eventually dove into a dry creek bed. From there the we took the cowboy trail split which gradually ascended into the craggy upland landscape. We scanned the rocky slopes everywhere for Desert Bighorn Sheep but the only ones to be found were etched into the ancient rocks in the canyon. Shortly before rejoining the the petroglyphs trail we saw a teddy bear cholla cactus with the most spikes we had ever seen on a plant. Once we started back northbound into the canyon we began to see the most amazing series of ancient art. We attempted to see all 1700 designs and I do believe we got very close to achieving this goal.
The petroglyphs are thought to be over 4000 years old and it is hard to imagine that they have survived for so many years without fading away. We spent hours marveling at the designs that continued to emerge around every corner. Eventually we returned to the trailhead as the sun was setting to the west.
After arriving back in Pahrump we decided to use up every last inch of daylight and find the Swan Geese and other waterfowl as they settled in for the evening on the Discovery Park pond. As we watched the beautiful birds gracefully gliding on the glassy surface of the water we reflected on an unforgettable trip to the Mojave Desert.
Mojave Desert Adventure Part IV
On the fourth day in the Mojave Desert we got off to a slow start and left our hotel room rather late (8:30AM) and we decided to explore Pahrump’s own Discovery Park in earnest. Discovery Park is interesting because it is an open space that …
Mojave Desert Part III
On January 11th Apryle and I emerged from our warm hotel room and shuffled out into the cold parking lot in the pre dawn hours. We cleared the frost accumulation from the windshield and loaded the car with our hydration packs and food for a …
Mojave Desert Adventure Part II
We awoke on the morning of January 10th and began our drive northwest through the Amagrosa Valley. The road snaked aimlessly through the treeless plain and anticlimactically crossed the California border. The bleak landscape was barely illuminated by an even bleaker sky. The first landmark we reached was Death Valley Junction, a town which appeared to be void of any inhabitants. However, the town name hinted that we may be closing in on our goal destination – Death Valley National Park. We reached the entrance of the park on State Highway 190 and realized that we had forgotten our America The Beautiful Pass, so we purchased a week pass at a lonely kiosk in the middle of the desert. I jumped out of the car to take my first steps in the countries hottest national park, only to find that it was a cool 58 degrees which was made even cooler with a slight drizzle and an 18 mph wind out of the SSE.
The first destination on our list was Zabriskie Point, where Apryle had planned a running loop through the Badlands of Death Valley. In less than 500 meters from the trailhead we crested a hill that opened up into a labyrinth of yellow domes that resembled a landscape from the fictional world of Dr Suess. The landscape was quite similar to Badlands National Park of South Dakota but had a unique personality of its own. Underfoot the ground felt like a course sponge and the surrounding mounds felt like they would permanently wash away after a strong rain. The wind swept through the shallow trenches that we were running through and kicked up pebbles into my clothes and hair. The sparse raindrops seemed to do little to dampen the surrounding soil, which hosted only the occasional scraggly Desert Holly plant. The narrow trail took unexpected twists and turns, ascending to passes, plunging into dry washes, and skirting along cliffsides.
Our first deviation from the loop was an out and back trip to Red Cathedral, which was a red colored rock formation that formed a steep wall that towered over the landscape. We marveled at the geological wonder and then descended back to the second leg of the loop – Golden Canyon. This trail passed through a narrow canyon which was surrounded by golden rock walls streaked with red and grey converging lines. The trail terminated in a parking area off of Badwater Road, which mildly detracted from our wilderness experience. The determined sun broke through the clouds for a few moments as we made our way across the plain to Gower Gulch. We realized that we were quite lucky to see the landscape under cloudy skies because it allowed us to fully appreciate the colors and personality of the rock formations without the intense glare of the sun. Before entering the Gower Gulch we peered off to the Panamint Mountains to the west (our destination for the next day). A cloud hung over the highest peaks, which was followed by a layer of snow, which gave way to alluvial fans skirting the base of the range.
Gower Gulch looked just like a river bed carving through towering cliffs, but there was no river. Loose rock formed a winding path with sandy banks marking the shore of the pseudo-riverbed. The sun again became overwhelmed by the clouds and raindrops tried desperately to fill the gulch. We closed out our 9.5 mile (1683 vertical feet) loop with a quick out and back to Zabriskie Point and reflected on one of the most unique places we had ever been.
Our next stop was the Furnace Creek visitor center where we perused the interpretive stations and gathered important beta for the rest of our trip. We took a short walk through the golf course because we were told that it was the best place for birding, but we realized how ridiculous it was to be walking through a wasteful human made structure in a national park and continued on our way. The fourth stop of the day was Artist Palette, which features an array of hues splattered across the striated mountainside. The volcanic deposits containing iron oxides and chlorite produce golden brown hills accented by deep burgundy, gold, coral, and amber splotches. These earth tones are contrasted by maroon, magenta, and emerald swaths that come together to resemble the name sake – artist’s palette.
As we continued southbound through Badwater Basin we stopped at our fifth site – Devils Golf Course. Devils Golf Course is far more interesting and cheaper to maintain than the Furnace Creek Golf Course. This area includes jagged spires of rock salt which has been eroded by wind and rain. We engaged all of our senses as we marveled at the spectacle, listened to the crackling of the bursting salt crystals, touched the surface of the rocks, and even tasted the salt.
The Natural Bridge was our sixth stop and this geologic feature included an 11 meter tall and 11 meter thick bridge engineered by alluvial deposit. Rock, gravel, and sediment was naturally cemented together at the base of the mountain over many years. Which was then eroded away by cycles of flash flooding and changing stream course leading to the creation of the bridge.
Our seventh and final stop for the day in Death Valley National Park was Badwater Basin, which is the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. We took a walk out to the salt flats, which was interesting because of its starkness but ultimately it was just long runway passing through a basin. We tried to search for the vulnerable Badwater Snail by scanning the salt marsh but we were unable to locate the small mollusk.
After a full day in the park we continued south along Badwater Road to Ashford Junction. From here we headed east along Jubilee Pass Road which was nearly impassible in some areas due to large rock deposits over the road from earlier rain showers. We managed to make our way back to Pahrump in time for some late afternoon birding at Discovery Park. Before the sun set we managed to pick out a couple of Red-tailed Hawks, Song Sparrows, Mallards, American Coots, American Wigeons, Canada Geese, a pair of Swan Geese, a lone Snow Goose, and Greater White-fronted Goose. After turning in for the evening, it was very hard to believe just how much we packed into one day in the desert!
Mojave Desert Adventure Part I
We arrived at Las Vegas International Airport mid morning January 9th where made our way down Las Vegas Boulevard in order for Apryle to get a tetanus shot she had scheduled the night before. While starting a fire she was stabbed with a rusty piece …