Rivers
For the last 2 months, part of my job entailed reconnoitering rivers around Spartanburg County. We discovered a surprising amount of whitewater, most of it in the class I+ to class II+/III- range. A group of folks and I paddled section 3 of the Chattooga at 2.6 ft -- what a blast! I also managed to get in a very minute amount of paddling on Translyvania streams including the Upper Upper Davidson, East Fork of the French Broad, and a short section of Looking Glass Creek (the latter being frighteningly wood-choked). Next on the list: North Fork of the French Broad. If only one could time torrential rains with days off work...
Trails
Running: Numerous 1.25-2.5 hours runs were had, mostly with a combination of North Slope and the glorious Exercise Trail. I tried running laps on the Art Loeb-North Slope loop but found nirvana after eschewing the North Slope connector. The trail delivers fabulous terrain from the NS connector to Cat Gap. It makes me really want to run the whole Art Loeb again. Running for hours through breathtaking scenery and complete solitude clears the mind and tests the soul.
Bike: Running has taken over my life! I did head out on a cool 30-mile ride with some Asheville folks a few weeks ago. Starting at North Mills: 1206->Laurel-> unmarked Sassafras connector-> Big Creek-> neverending road-> FS 5000-> Spencer Ridge-> Trace Ridge->back out to FS5000 and to cars. Other than double-flatting for the second time ever, the ride was great. Otherwise, I have been enjoying the simple things of life that are often taken for granted...like Daniel Ridge, Caney Bottom (only ride up), and Sycamore Cove.
Grass
There is only one time of the year I can tolerate riding on turf and that is....CYCLOCROSS SEASON! The CX season opened in the first weekend of October. I blew up and crashed hard during the first race, thus leading to a 6th place finish (which should have been a 4th). With a throbbing shoulder, I raced much smarter the second day only to finish in the exact same place. The field, however, was much stronger the second day with Carla and Beth finishing a predictable 1-2. The 45-minute Pro/1/2/3 race is definitely tougher than the 30-minute CX4 event! Whew! Cyclocross is so freaking awesome.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Blah
I'm pretty sure that God has no interest in me whining via this blog.
My laptop died a month ago. Then, Thad hijacked the laptop for a weeklong trip to Cali.
The Verizon aircard ceased to function last week. Now, Thad's blackberry is on the fritz.
Fine.
We are going to Mexico for winter vacation. Sweet! A multi-peak venture next summer to the Washington Cascades could come into focus, too. I have been dying to go to Nepal for roughly 11 years now, and plane tickets are cheaper than ever. A slight problem: I really like my job (minus the commute and other issues not discussed in the public forum). Local government does NOT do sabbatical leave. Heck, I was told last week that sick leave is a "priv-il-edge". The Himalayan obsession, therefore, continues from afar.
My laptop died a month ago. Then, Thad hijacked the laptop for a weeklong trip to Cali.
The Verizon aircard ceased to function last week. Now, Thad's blackberry is on the fritz.
Fine.
We are going to Mexico for winter vacation. Sweet! A multi-peak venture next summer to the Washington Cascades could come into focus, too. I have been dying to go to Nepal for roughly 11 years now, and plane tickets are cheaper than ever. A slight problem: I really like my job (minus the commute and other issues not discussed in the public forum). Local government does NOT do sabbatical leave. Heck, I was told last week that sick leave is a "priv-il-edge". The Himalayan obsession, therefore, continues from afar.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sometimes it rains...
and sometimes it pours.
>>Flood warning for Transylvania County until 8:00PM Monday.
* PROLONGED MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH STREAMS AND SMALLER RIVERS OUT OF THEIR BANKS IN THE FLOOD WATCH AREA. SOME MAIN STEM RIVERS WILL ALSO EXPERIENCE FLOODING. WHILE FLASH FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE WIDESPREAD... HEAVIER SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS COULD STILL RESULT IN A FEW AREAS OF RAPID ONSET FLOODING.
Bring it.
>>Flood warning for Transylvania County until 8:00PM Monday.
* PROLONGED MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH STREAMS AND SMALLER RIVERS OUT OF THEIR BANKS IN THE FLOOD WATCH AREA. SOME MAIN STEM RIVERS WILL ALSO EXPERIENCE FLOODING. WHILE FLASH FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE WIDESPREAD... HEAVIER SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS COULD STILL RESULT IN A FEW AREAS OF RAPID ONSET FLOODING.
Bring it.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
I will never give up again. Ever.
Saturday: Sprint triathlon - 500m lake swim (awesome!), 17 mile road bike (very rolling, very fun ride through the beautiful valley below Rumbling Bald), 5k run (hilly=ouch. I blew up, gave up, and dropped from 7th overall to 17th. Lack of perseverance led to anger and a rather painful decision that shall be discussed at a later time.)
Sunday: Run 1 hour. North Slope + Art Loeb flats along the Davidson.
Monday: Road 1 hour. Mellow.
Tuesday: Run 5k @23:34. Not my best by any means but much, much better than Sunday's tri fiasco.
Wednesday: Swim 2100 yards. Pumped out a 750 yd swim at 11:32 and beat up on the old man who always tries desperately -yet, admirably, with great persistance- to keep up with me. Sorry, dude. "Ain't no one gon' stop me now."
Thursday: Run 3:57. As in almost 4 hours. This [extremely off-the-couch] initial foray on the shut-in ridge progressed incredibly well until the final 1.25-1.5 miles where Little Pisgah Mountain promptly destroyed my soul. Actually, it wasn't that bad. Well, it was but my soul remains intact.
Friday: Mountain bike 2.25 hours. UP Cove Creek-> 225-> DR Connector-> Daniel Ridge-> 475-> 471-> 471D-> Butter Gap-> Long Branch-> back up 475 to Gloucester and back down to Cove Creek. My legs felt up to the challenge of Farlow and the final Caney Bottom loop. Farlow Gap is just such a stupid trail, though, and it's much more interesting to ride it when conditions are leafy, wet, and heinous.
Saturday: Road 3 hrs with Thad. Jell-o thighs here. As in not jiggly but having zero strength and being uncontrollable with movement. Thad tolerated me, though. He is wonderful.
Sunday: Mountain bike 1 hour, with about 20 minutes of looking up mushrooms in my mycology book. Daniel Ridge spawns great fungi!
Monday: Mountain bike 3.75 hours. Shop-> 276-> 475-> 229-> no name-> Farlow Gap-> Daniel Ridge-> 475-> Cove Creek Rd-> Daniel Ridge Connector-> Joe Jackson Falls-> back out to 475-> Davidson River-> 475-> 276. Maybe 36-38 miles? Many thanks go out to whomever has been working on Farlow--it was in phenomenal shape (minus the very top section which is extremely eroded--this seems to be the case in other area trails like Butter Gap). AMAZING ride!
Sunday: Run 1 hour. North Slope + Art Loeb flats along the Davidson.
Monday: Road 1 hour. Mellow.
Tuesday: Run 5k @23:34. Not my best by any means but much, much better than Sunday's tri fiasco.
Wednesday: Swim 2100 yards. Pumped out a 750 yd swim at 11:32 and beat up on the old man who always tries desperately -yet, admirably, with great persistance- to keep up with me. Sorry, dude. "Ain't no one gon' stop me now."
Thursday: Run 3:57. As in almost 4 hours. This [extremely off-the-couch] initial foray on the shut-in ridge progressed incredibly well until the final 1.25-1.5 miles where Little Pisgah Mountain promptly destroyed my soul. Actually, it wasn't that bad. Well, it was but my soul remains intact.
Friday: Mountain bike 2.25 hours. UP Cove Creek-> 225-> DR Connector-> Daniel Ridge-> 475-> 471-> 471D-> Butter Gap-> Long Branch-> back up 475 to Gloucester and back down to Cove Creek. My legs felt up to the challenge of Farlow and the final Caney Bottom loop. Farlow Gap is just such a stupid trail, though, and it's much more interesting to ride it when conditions are leafy, wet, and heinous.
Saturday: Road 3 hrs with Thad. Jell-o thighs here. As in not jiggly but having zero strength and being uncontrollable with movement. Thad tolerated me, though. He is wonderful.
Sunday: Mountain bike 1 hour, with about 20 minutes of looking up mushrooms in my mycology book. Daniel Ridge spawns great fungi!
Monday: Mountain bike 3.75 hours. Shop-> 276-> 475-> 229-> no name-> Farlow Gap-> Daniel Ridge-> 475-> Cove Creek Rd-> Daniel Ridge Connector-> Joe Jackson Falls-> back out to 475-> Davidson River-> 475-> 276. Maybe 36-38 miles? Many thanks go out to whomever has been working on Farlow--it was in phenomenal shape (minus the very top section which is extremely eroded--this seems to be the case in other area trails like Butter Gap). AMAZING ride!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
FINALLY
I can move on with life.
Lake Lure Triathlon, August 29, 2009.
1999-2009 goals completed with 2 days to go!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
These are a few of my favorite things
It's about that time of year.
Thank God.
The college kids return, the weather cools, and the tourists begin their exodus to their sunnier and/or sprawling suburban Mecca.
I love it.
About this time of the year, I return to a non-bitchy state. [You try driving 10 hours a week with tons of old people and out-of-state drivers overtaking the road in their oversized SUVs, haplessly failing to negotiate mountainous roads without the overuse of brakes.] Needless to say, I am quite content at the moment. So, I will share some treasured (and likely not-so-secret) information for you newbies to the area.
Must-do adventures in and around Transylvania County
1) Take adventage of over 180 miles of phenomenal trails and endless scenic roads.
mtb: Laurel-Squirrel loop, Big M, all of Black Mountain
road: Lake Logan circuit, Rosman Loop plus Frozen Creek, Assault on the Carolinas ride
cross: any Dupont ride that includes Ridgeline, Airstrip, and waterfalls
run: North Slope, Twin Falls, Art Loeb
hike: everything in Shining Rock, Cat Gap-John Rock, Daniel Ridge
2) Climb one of the classic multi-pitch friction routes - the Nose (5.8).
3) Visit one of the ennumerable swimming spots.
for sliding: Turtleback Falls, Sliding Rock in the off season
for jumping: Courthouse Falls, Dan's Cascade Lake Road rope swing
for skinny-dipping: Otter Hole, secret spot off of Farlow Gap trail, pretty much anywhere at
least 2 miles from a paved road
4) Fly-fish on world-class trout streams.
5) Ice-climb wherever and whenever possible.
6) Sample delectable bread product from the Bracken Mountain Bakery.
7) Tube on the Davidson River. (Note: only do so after significant rainfall. Your butt will thank you.)
8) Refuel with a wrap and some regional beer while enjoying live music at Jordan Street. If you are really lucky, the Pisgah Pickers might drop in to play a few songs.
9) Paddle one of the incredible streams, from mellow to hair runs--
flatwater: French Broad around Rosman, Cascade Lake
class I-II: lower Davidson River
class III-IV: upper Davidson River, Little River below Triple Falls
class IV: North Fork and West Fork of the French Broad, Courthouse Creek
class V-V+: Horsepasture River, Toxaway River, Looking Glass Creek
10) Don't eat ice cream at Dolly's. It's not "the best ice cream in the world." Plus, they have mis-represented Chosatonga Cyclone for the past 2 years. (THERE ARE NO OREOS!! A dire travesty.) If you must indulge, might I suggest the Liz Walker favorite of Wayfarer Explosion.
Thank God.
The college kids return, the weather cools, and the tourists begin their exodus to their sunnier and/or sprawling suburban Mecca.
I love it.
About this time of the year, I return to a non-bitchy state. [You try driving 10 hours a week with tons of old people and out-of-state drivers overtaking the road in their oversized SUVs, haplessly failing to negotiate mountainous roads without the overuse of brakes.] Needless to say, I am quite content at the moment. So, I will share some treasured (and likely not-so-secret) information for you newbies to the area.
Must-do adventures in and around Transylvania County
1) Take adventage of over 180 miles of phenomenal trails and endless scenic roads.
mtb: Laurel-Squirrel loop, Big M, all of Black Mountain
road: Lake Logan circuit, Rosman Loop plus Frozen Creek, Assault on the Carolinas ride
cross: any Dupont ride that includes Ridgeline, Airstrip, and waterfalls
run: North Slope, Twin Falls, Art Loeb
hike: everything in Shining Rock, Cat Gap-John Rock, Daniel Ridge
2) Climb one of the classic multi-pitch friction routes - the Nose (5.8).
3) Visit one of the ennumerable swimming spots.
for sliding: Turtleback Falls, Sliding Rock in the off season
for jumping: Courthouse Falls, Dan's Cascade Lake Road rope swing
for skinny-dipping: Otter Hole, secret spot off of Farlow Gap trail, pretty much anywhere at
least 2 miles from a paved road
4) Fly-fish on world-class trout streams.
5) Ice-climb wherever and whenever possible.
6) Sample delectable bread product from the Bracken Mountain Bakery.
7) Tube on the Davidson River. (Note: only do so after significant rainfall. Your butt will thank you.)
8) Refuel with a wrap and some regional beer while enjoying live music at Jordan Street. If you are really lucky, the Pisgah Pickers might drop in to play a few songs.
9) Paddle one of the incredible streams, from mellow to hair runs--
flatwater: French Broad around Rosman, Cascade Lake
class I-II: lower Davidson River
class III-IV: upper Davidson River, Little River below Triple Falls
class IV: North Fork and West Fork of the French Broad, Courthouse Creek
class V-V+: Horsepasture River, Toxaway River, Looking Glass Creek
10) Don't eat ice cream at Dolly's. It's not "the best ice cream in the world." Plus, they have mis-represented Chosatonga Cyclone for the past 2 years. (THERE ARE NO OREOS!! A dire travesty.) If you must indulge, might I suggest the Liz Walker favorite of Wayfarer Explosion.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Latin American volcano climbing, part 2
Team Walker returns to high-altitude alpinism December 22, 2009-January 3, 2010!
Ixtaccihuatl 5, 230m (17, 159')
Pico de Orizaba 5,636m (18,490')
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