And the Winner Is...

I can't believe it has been over two weeks since Pikes Peak. Where has the summer gone? It always goes this way though, I wait all winter for summer to come and the next thing I know it's Fall again...and then it snows. But maybe it will be different this year since I will be in Canyonlands. So, up next is Imogene Pass Run. I LOVE this race. I suppose that is why I keep coming back to it, or maybe it is the ultimate post race pig out at La Concina de Luz, my all time favorite resturaunt. After eating my own cooking all summer I can hardly wait!

I haven't run much since Pikes, what I have been doing is backpacking. There is nothing quite like backpacking in the canyons, its like doing a 1,000 one leg squats with a 50 pound weight on your back. And then there is the sand and this year, quicksand. Alot like snow, the progress through sand/quicksand is slow and arduous, especially with a pack on. Ofcourse there is nothing like a swarm of blood thirsty, agressive mosiquitos to motivate you, as Brad and I discovered last night. Luckily my pack was about half the weight of his and I was able to somewhat out run the attack.
THE JOINT TRAIL


Which brings me to the winner of the Needles Backpacking Ultimate Challenge of the summer. As the unofficial judge I name Brad the winner with an outstanding 80lb. load carried through 12 miles of flash flooded Salt Creek. In a close second place was Andrew Bliss, who does take the cake for the greatest amount of buckets carried out of Salt Creek. And me in third, which I am content with considering I weigh a significant amount less than Andrew and...well Brad is just an animal there's no denying that. I can still out plank the both of them. I did get word from Tucson that Andrew is being the excellent, studious type now that school is in session. Hope you have a great semester Andrew, we do miss you here!

That's it for now from the Needles...