Whew! I just loaded everything I need and then some into a 30L pack: food for 4 days & 200 miles (I hope) because I haven't been at all scientific about planning for this. I totally eyeballed it. Packaged salmon and tuna, tortillas, fruit, nuts and fruit/nut bars. My process went a bit like this: "Let's see I think I need this much of this and a little of that, ok, my pack … [Read more...]

A little book of notecards was my makeshift journal for the trip. I'd packed quite a lot of food thinking that I'd be able to make it the entire way unsupported. This was no FKT, not a race either but rather it was part of my job. As race director for the Tahoe 200 mile Endurance Run I felt that it was important for me to pre-run the course. There were a few sections with … [Read more...]

Easy enough: 100 miles in 3 days unsupported on the Bigfoot 200 course to complete mapping and determine exact aid station locations. I guess when I thought "It's gonna be easy" I should have been worried. I grudgingly packed 3 days of food, 80oz water, a small tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad and warm clothes (wool shirt, real rain jacket with hood, extra socks, gloves)...and … [Read more...]

I came away from organizing the Tahoe 200 Endurance Run with even more energy and inspiration to create another 200 mile event. I felt like I could've gone either way: never wanting to direct another 200 or be enamored with the distance. Happily, it was the latter. I chose Washington for obvious reasons: it is chock full of amazing mountains and extremely varied terrain and it … [Read more...]

I have a complicated relationship with fear. I'd say that I am probably more adventurous than most people, however fear is always present in some form or another in both my professional and personal life. When I'm doing what I really love it's always present. I cannot separate fear from the joy I feel when I am most free exploring the world. It's just a part of the process. … [Read more...]