Teton Circumnavigation For Speed July 29 2008

two days ago i finally got trevor, melissa and evans to hammer out my teton circumnavigation route (see previous post). this was my scouting run. then i figured i'd have to set the precedent and and stir the pot a bit. i'm hesitant to call it a record. first because it doesn't sound like anyone else has ever done it for speed. and second because it sounds arogant and i don't think it's a super fast time. =) but it will have to do.


so just two days after i did the run around the tetons for the first time i went at it again.. solo.. for speed. non stop watch. self supported. no drops. i started at 6:52am and finished at 1:21pm. total time was 6hrs 29mins. i can certainly run faster. and the snow still in alaska basin made the travel very slow (i fell in up to my waist once too!).

the start location

the start with my watch reading :04 seconds (get going already!)

hurricane pass in 1hr 58min 04secs

although you can't see the terrain this is buck pass in 2hrs 47 min 59secs

i keep running the stats in my mind. 34 miles with 8,200 feet of gain. and i just can't come to terms with my time of 6hrs 29mins. i've won 50kms with 6-7,000ft of gain in like 4hrs. what makes the tetons so hard and slow? well for one it was the snow and running at elevation for me. but i'm not entirely sure.



now somebody go beat 6hrs 29 mins and make me have another go at it!

Teton Circumnavigation Scouting Run July 27 2008

i finally got it done! the teton circumnavigation run i have had in my mind since winter 05/06 and have been drooling over finally happened. i have to say it was probably the best run i've ever done. i think as of now i have to give it the top spot on my amazing run list for the following reasons: the terrain was diverse and tough (snow/scree/butter), for a short"ish" run it was hard, the views were best in this world good, the company was awesome, the tetons are truly a wild place (we saw a black bear and a bull moose).. and really how cool is it to run around the frickin tetons!?!

as i've said before i plan on setting the precedent for this route and taunting the rest of the jackson and teton valley craziest to come best my time. this run however was our scouting run. we navigated, took photo/video, talked about what peak was what, had a bonk, chatted with a few folks, etc, etc.

we added about 6 miles by running in and out of the furthest string lake parking lot. this is so we could soak in string lake when we were done. jenny lake lodge just isn't close enough to the water. the route i planned started at junction of the cascade canyon trail and the valley view trail at the north west end of jenny lake and ran counter clockwise. we then headed up cascade canyon, over hurricane pass, down into alaska basin up buck and static pass then down into death canyon and onto the valley view trail past taggart and bradley lakes all the way north back to the junction of valley view and cascade canyon trail.. what a ride.

the stats:

• 33.7miles (40 mile total with string lake)
• 8,165 feet of elevation gain
• 9hr 10min 24sec total non stop clock for just the loop (not including the string lake section)

trevor, mike, me and melissa on string lake (1min into the run - we saw a black bear about 2mins later)

running toward jenny lake at 6:35am

heading up cascade canyon to hurricane pass (we saw a bull moose!)

heading up hurricane pass at 10,700 feet

mikey evans rockin' it with buck mtn in the background

mike and melissa running down from static peak

trevor navigating some dodgy terrain

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my gear:
my shoes: montrail streakswith teko ecopoly socks
electrolytes: nuun (orange ginger all the way)
backpack: Nathan HPL #020
bottles: thermal quickdraw
filtration: i got a chance to really test the new msr hyperflow
fuel: clif shots (still lovin' vanilla)
sunglasses: rudy project ekynox sx
jacket: the mountain hardwear ghost anorak
shorts: mountain hardwear dipsea short
my post run: amazing grass wheat grass

Table Mountain Run

i am truly in awe of the mountains i live at the foot of.

since the devil's backbone i've been trying to let my two issues heal up a bit for my august to remember; the psoas/hip flexor and my morton's neuroma i have in my left foot.

a few of lisa's friends were going out to run table mtn. the winter i was here taking avy and ski guiding courses i had heard table was a great alpine ski tour. it certainly looked like it, so i figured it was time to check it out.. and lisa's friends were nice enough to let me join them.

mike, melissa and trevor heading up after the steep part called 'the nose'

the view is about to unveil itself

that is the top of table just poking up in the distance

the summit grins at 11,106 feet

whoa, can i touch those tetons?

from about 7,000ft we went up the nose to the summit of table (11,106 ft) in about 1hr 31min. we continued our comfy consistent pace down the 6 mile long way in 1hr 19min of awesome downhill running.

cascade canyon (that is the run up for the teton circ i have planned)

trevor and mike running the downhill from table

melissa, mike and trevor

mike chasing the nuun guy

running down towards the north fork of teton creek

*** this run gave me a look at the snow up high. if you read my blog you know i've been chomping at the bit to run around the tetons - the teton circumnavigation. i have yet to hear of anyone actually doing this.. but at only 33-34 miles i imagine many have hiked it. the question is...

has anyone ever heard of someone doing a loop around the tetons for speed?

i'll go on record now as saying i'm going to set the precedent as soon as i can manage. then set it out there on my blog and hopefully on TetonAt.com for all the amazing athletes of the tetons to come and beat!

as we looked over the terrain i went to work talking mike, melissa and trevor into doing the teton circ the very next day... it wasn't very hard!

Shots from Grand Targhee

"people are always going to underestimate you. why not start quietly doing what no one thinks you can?"

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rode up to targhee on the mtn bike from driggs today and was just going to hike up fred's (top of the lift at 10,000ft). however once i got up there the nipple and peaked were calling me. it gave me a great look at alaska basin which i trekked up a few weeks ago. it's melted out a lot. you can see in the photos what was once a massive snow field is now patchy at 10,000ft. that is great news.. but i won't be able to do a teton circumnavigation until who knows when. i'm gone most of august on the AT w/meltzer and racing through colorado w/meissner.

i must have said "wholly sh*t" 100 times on this hike. the backcountry skiing options from targhee are endless and amazing! seriously.. endless and amazing.

the tetons from the trail that wraps around the back side of the nipple
the back side of mary's nipple
looking back at fred's from the ridge (those cliffs on the left.. i'm droppin 'em!)
looking out towards the granite basin lakes
who doesn't wanna live here?