Today; weather- bluebird, miles
25
The last two days have been stellar. The blue sky so pure in hue artists would
kill for a tube of it. The weather had
become mild too, with highs in the high thirties and minimal wind. These were the days worth waiting for and
Gary was like a young colt on the racetrack.
Yesterday he headed up to the
north end of Sheep Mountain where he could work on slopes. The You Tubes he has been watching, as well
as other accounts of the race indicate there were be steep and rocky
parts. You couldn’t find a better
proving ground than Sheep. The mountain has
a number of geologic formations; when you drive the road you drive millions of
years of history with fossils from the oceans that came and went in this
valley. But the ends of the mountain are
comprised of grus, or ‘rotten granite’.
It is pink with angular faces that reflect the sun. Some of it has mica or white quartz
imperfections that allow the ice to break down the stone quickly, at least in
geologic terms. Gary have found some
two-tracks as well as elk trails to race along to practice for the uphill parts
of the race.
Today was the distance day. Because of the bad weather he was unable to
practice and as the race draws closer he has worried that he hasn’t run more
than 20 miles. Today he ran twenty five,
through the canyon and on the snow. By
the time I got home he was elated and had just returned. He ran out of water and food and the effects
were immediate; he got tired, cold and hungry.
We are looking at camelpacks for water, anyone out there with any
experience?
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