This weekend, Rocco and I had quite the adventure. We drove up to Silverton, and then to Animas Forks. Here, we ditched the truck, not only because the roads from this point turn to 4WD, but also because we had different plans in mind. Rocco strapped on his doggy pack, and I mounted my bikepacking steed. We crested Cinnamon pass then dropped down to Grizzly Gulch whereupon we devoured some raw fish and trail mix before making camp for the night. I would have preferred cooked fish, but a burn ban is in effect, a didn’t have room to bring a cooker, and plan B to ask a fellow camper if I could borrow their stove failed too, so alas, raw salmon it was! Darkness soon followed and we hit the sack under my new spiffy ultralight tarp tent.

At dawn twilight, we awoke to brisk temps and began our ascent via foot to Redcloud Peak 14,034′.
After taking in the views, we began the traverse south to Sunshine Peak 14,001. The rock scramble was harder than it looked over from Redcloud, but we conquered nonetheless.  The primitive map we had in possession indicated some trails heading off from here to make a loop out of this hike rather than an out and back. After much deliberation with some other hikers on the summit, we finally found said trails and began a sketchy Class 3 descent down loose scree. After a good 40 minutes of this mess, things mellowed out into an ok trail that took us back down to treeline and back to Silver Creek for a 2 mile descent back to our campground.

Exhausted from our hike of 2 fourteeneers and a knarly descent, not to mention the ride from the evening before, Rocco and I decided to nap for a while before hitting the road back up to Cinnamon pass. This  sounded good in theory, but in practice, the place was swarming with tons of annoying flies, and we may have got 5 good minutes of rest in. It would have to do. After packing camp back into the bike bags and doggy pack, we began the long arduous climb back up to Cinnamon. The efforts of the day were definitely felt, and we had to break often. About a 1/2 mile from the summit during a particularly long moment of reflection, a Jeep rolled by, and its occupants, sensing our fatigue, offered some juice and peanut butter crackers, which we gladly accepted. It was exactly what we needed to get to the top.

I was fine once we reached the top, but poor Rocco, he struggled to keep up on the descent even though I rode my brakes hard all the way down. We finally made it back to Animas Forks and Rocco layed in the ice cold headwaters of the Animas for a good five minutes while I loaded up the truck. We cruised back to Silverton, got some ice cream, and enjoyed the drive back to Durango. Another fine mountain adventure in the books. It was my first time to try out my backpacking gear and it worked awesome! Really looking forward to some bikepacking trips in the future. Rocco reports that the doggy pack gave him a little rub burn on the belly, but otherwise, he was happy to carry to chip in and carry his weight for a change.

Just as the last bit of snow fades away from the peaks of the nearby La Plata Mountains, so does my time left here on the farm. A multitude of factors have forced me to leave, most notably, the start of the Tiny House Company. The arrangements I had here with the owner weren’t conducive to building Tiny Houses, so alas, a new phase is on the horizon.

My time spent on the farm has been nothing short of amazing. Every sunrise and every sunset I get to enjoy here is one less I’ll get to savor from my special little place. It is only fitting that I reflect back on the memories and experiences before saying my goodbye.

The journey started about a year ago when I decided I needed my own place. I bought an old 1965 Forester camper for $300, put it in storage until I could find some land to park it on, and began looking for said land. I knew the guy running the farm at the time and knew some other people were kinda staying out there, so he got me in touch with the land owner and we struck up a deal. I’d pay a little cash and do some work on the farm for rent.

I remember the first 5 weeks living in a tent while I restored the camper. I remember getting soaked during late night monsoon storms. I remember how each week the crops would get a little higher until we finally starting harvesting the best veggies and melons I’ve ever ate. I remember traversing the wetlands with my bow in search of beavers, ducks, porcupines, and whatever else creature I could get within range. I remember cross country skiing in two feet of fresh powder during the winter. I will always remember lots of little things like this, but here are other more notable things  I will remember.

Sunrise- I have seen more spectacular sunrises in other parts of the world, but none so beautiful and heart warming day after day as the ones that have greeted me here. Without fail that amazing sun has creeped over the eastern horizon to rouse me from bed, cook breakfast, and enjoy that breakfast whilst the rays of warmth wash over my skin- even on cold winter days. The sunrises here always made me look forward to the day to come.

Sunset- Without a doubt the most beautiful sunsets I have ever experienced have been from my front porch of the camper out here on the farm. The quality of light is indescribable. The view of the mountains and clouds along with the many colors of the terrain set against the warm skyline all combine to create an experience that is magical. Here, it is a time I’m either enjoying a home cooked meal and counting all my blessings, or maybe I’m getting back from a sweet bike ride and still counting all my blessings.

The Night Sky- The moon was always so crisp and bright at night, even on nights when it was only a quarter moon out. Sometimes I would have to mosey outside in the middle of the night for a nature break. I would always stop to admire the moon, stars, and heavens above. Occasionally I would see a shooting star, and make a wish. Other nights, there was no moon at all, or a moon late to rise and on such nights the stars were always more magnificent. The open expanse of the land here nestled in a mountain valley gives the night sky an amazing quality that I will miss dearly.

Snow- Even thought this last winter was a bit under average as far as snow fall, there was still quite a bit of snow out on the farm. It showed up sometime in late December and hung around until early March. Living in the camper, I seemed to be much more “in tune” with the snow. It’s not only a small space with windows on all sides, but the walls are only 2” thick. This is hard to explain, but I just somehow “felt” the snow more than I did the previous winter while living in a house in town.

Rain- It didn’t rain very often out here, after all,Durango is a high desert climate averaging about 19” a year. What is notable about the rain is how nice it actually is when it does come down, especially after a hot summer day of hard work. Also of note is the monsoon season in late summer. Once it starts up, you can count on a little rain storm or some magnificent lightning displays around 2pm each day. On the farm, you can see storms roll in all the way from Hermosa, 9 miles up the valley, or sometimes from up on Florida Mesa, about 6 miles south of the farm. It was always an enjoyable experience when it rained.

Seasons- Having lived a full year on the farm, I had both the joy and discomfort of experiencing all four seasons. Summer was without a doubt my favorite. I loved those first few weeks of basically living outside. The temps were so pleasant at night, and even during the hottest days I enjoyed the dry heat. It might have hit 97 degrees on the hottest day, but that was nothing compared to 104 and 50-60% humidity in Texas. Working the farmer’s market and eating all the tasty produce I could had its benefits. In the evenings I would got out for mountain bike rides around town or hike down to the river with Rocco to cool off. The daylight gradually began to wane and temps got cooler. Soon it was fall. The cooling temps, the temptation of coming snow, and the changing leaf colors were all nice things of Autumn. The market wrapped up and I prepped the trailer for the colder temps to come. Snow came a little late in December but when it came, it came, blanketing the entire farm with a good 2 feet of fresh powder. My 2WD truck got stuck a few times in the driveway, but after each snow I learned to pack it down to avoid this. Winter time was extremely quiet. The snow muffled any incoming sounds from town. I was the only human on the farm the entire winter. There wasn’t a whole lot to do there. Luckily, I had a lot of work in other places, so except for sleep I didn’t spend much time on the farm during the winter. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the beauty and solitude it brought. The camper is poorly insulated, and I spent some very cold nights in that camper cuddled up with a dog in my PJ’s under a heavy down blanket with the heater blasting. Getting up in the mornings was always a bit uncomfortable, but I got used to it.

In late February, the snow began to melt and the days began to get noticeable longer. Mud season was annoying, but not as bad as last year. The snow melted, but the nights stayed cold well into April. Finally, the snow storms turned to rain, perennials began to bloom, trees began to bud, and dust storms began to blow in. Spring was here, and with it, new beginnings…

I wanted to talk a little about The Land, The Creatures, and the Magic, but I’m out of time for the day, and must continue with my moving operation. Perhaps afterwards I can come back on finish those topics. For now, I just wish to enjoy my last few days on the farm and give thanks for all my many blessings that have come from living out there. I am super excited about the next phase in my life, and the new property that I will be living on is pretty nice in itself, however, it is no Animas Valley Farms. I will miss this place dearly and always hold a special place for it in my heart.

Now, time for the real meat and potatoes. New bikes are always fun, and I am very happy to be riding full time again, but the excitement level of cycling pales in comparison to what I’ve been working on. I am proud to announce the creation of Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses, LLC. I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a Tiny House company for over a year now. Ever since I caught wind of these small living quarters I have been more or less obsessed with them. Just about every work or business related decision I have made over the past 16 or so months has been in preparation for this moment. My decision to buy a run down camper, renovate it, and live in it on a wide open farm for almost a year was no coincidence either. My personal Tiny House that I’m building now was just as much a business decision as it was for personal reasons. The “Durango” as it will be aptly named, will act as the company’s first model house. Even my decision to start Durango Bike Trailers last spring was a stepping stone to get to this point. I actually had plans to start a teardrop camper company as an “in between” stepping stone, but the momentum has built so quickly, this wasn’t even necessary.

This week I put in my resignation from Sun Peak Builders. The owner was super cool about it and very supportive of my new venture. My time spent there has been invaluable, and I’ll be the first to say I wouldn’t have felt prepared to start this new company without the experience in contracting, estimating, planning, and management that I gained while working at Sun Peak. I have agreed to stay on long enough to tie up loose ends, as well as on a contract design basis, because design still remains a passion of mine and I learn a lot from Adam since a lot of the stuff we do is alternative building.

The company is obviously in its infant stage, and I feel a little uneasy about introducing a concept that isn’t fully developed, but at least the LLC is registered, I snagged the domain name and Facebook page I needed, and my initial meetings with the Southwest Colorado Small Business Development center have been promising. In a nutshell, here is what Rocky Mountain Tiny Homes aims to do:

• Provide quality, affordable, flexible housing in the form of Tiny Houses on wheels to the Rocky Mountain region and possibly beyond
• Offer custom solutions that other builders aren’t qualified or aren’t willing to offer
• Promote resources for the DIY Tiny House enthusiast
• Develop original Tiny House plans and models that are appropriate to the Rocky Mountain region
• Push the boundaries of Tiny House technology, function, and design. Innovate.
• Publish books and videos related to advanced Tiny House topics not covered very well in other resources, such as self containment systems, solar power, minimizing weight, customizing trailers, advanced plumbing, and more…
• Work with lending institutions to try and solve one of the biggest hurdles to purchasing Tiny Houses-financing.

The list goes on, but if you didn’t get the jist of all this, I’m going to be designing and building Tiny Houses for a living. And also if you haven’t been keeping up with the housing market, the Tiny House movement is exploding. People are tired of over-sized, lifeless houses, mortgages, and inflexibility. I haven’t even come close to pinning down my numbers for one of these things, but I’m hoping the average model will come in around $35k or less. That’s the price of a new truck or higher end car. That’s the down payment on a house in Durango, and most of the US for that matter. That’s only a year’s wage for a middle class worker. Even with a 5 year personal loan it would be very easy to pay off. Some might purchase a Tiny Home as a backyard rental or other kind of investment.

Anyways, I digress. There is going to be a huge demand for Tiny Houses in the very near future, and coincidentally, there aren’t many Tiny House builders in this part of the country, so hopefully life will be good.

I should point out that I’m not starting this business for financial reasons. Sure, I hope to have good success and do all the other things in life that I love doing, but really this opportunity will allow me to pursue my many passions: design, creativity, ingenuity, carpentry, tinkering, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and helping others, to name a few.

Getting it going will be no easy task. The next few months will be filled with brainstorming, planning, documenting, building the website, finishing my Tiny House, establishing connections with suppliers, beginning the search for clients, and so, so much more. If you feel so inclined, please help me spread the word. Nothing works as well as word of mouth referrals, but social media shares are nice too 😉

Thanks for checking in on the latest and greatest. Life has been extremely gracious to me as of late, I hope the same can be said of you too. Remember, “Less is More.”

Peace
Greg Parham

Owner/Manager

Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses, LLC

I originally started this post at the beginning of February, but never got around to publishing it for some reason. Life just gets in the way sometimes. After looking back, I actually re-wrote a lot of the thoughts into the “Ides of March” post, but there was one snippet left out I would like to share still:

 I watched the superbowl the other night, and if you recall, there was a power outage early in the third quarter that suspended play for a good 35 minutes. When the players took to the field again, the head referee came on PA and said “Let’s Go” I think that is the most awesome thing I’ve ever heard one of those guys say, in the biggest of all games, to boot.

In some ways, circumstances have been similar for me as of late. The things I enjoy most in life have taken a back seat to work….

…and my thoughts kind of continue about being super busy, not riding much, paying off debt, that sort of thing. Of course, since then, the house sold. I have paid every dime of debt I to my name. I made mention of some exciting things to come in my last post. Well, those exciting things are here!

Let’s start with some bonafide in your face bragging rights. I normally try to keep my ego in check as well as try to be an overall humble person, but damnit, I’ve gone through enough crap the past few years to justify a complete bling bling post about what else?- brand spanking new kickass bikes! I haven’t bought a new performance bike in quite some time. Probably all the way back to 2009 when I think about it. The YBS was kinda new, but also kinda more of a prize, a fun bike if you will. Whenever my friends post pictures on Facebook of their new bikes that they get like every 9 months I’m like “who gives a crap?” or “ what was wrong with the last bike?” or “so what if your bike is $8k and 1 or 2 lbs lighter than mine or has the latest and greatest whatever-I’ll still kick your ass on my steel singlespeed or 1986 Trek Elance 440!”

That may still be true, but now, with some new machines in my clutches, I will really kick some ass, and have more fun doing it. I introduce to you not one, not even two, but THREE new bikes to the caveman stable. Eat your hearts out bike junkies.

Allow me to start with what I consider the coolest bike I have ever owned, despite probably being the heaviest bike I have ever owned, and bike that will never ever see the likes of any race course, lest it be of the cruiser pub crawl category- the Kona Ute.

This bike is the F-350 of bikes. It can haul however much crap you can strap to the cargo area, or, however much weight your legs can push up a 4% grade, which is about typical for some of the short hill bursts here in town. Anything over that, forget about it, you’re walkin’. But anyways, I picked this thing up used for $300, and although it needed a little TLC, I figured that someday it would pay for itself with a lot of trips to the grocery store, Home Depot, the Laundromat, commuting, giving cute girls a ride home after a few too many beers, and possibly some short distance camping trips. The dude I bought it from said he rode it from Telluride with a guitar strapped on, so I know for sure this bike has some mountain mojo to it.

Next up is the last hardtail 29er I might ever have to buy. My new love. My new bikepacking/MTBultra-distance / 24 hour racer supreme-the Kona Raijin.

For those of you who know bikes, you can skip the rest of this paragraph, but for those who don’t, let me delve a little deeper. This bike is handcrafted by Lynskey in Tennessee out of element 22, otherwise known as TITANIUM. I have always wanted to try out a Ti bike, but have never had the resources to do so, until now. I told myself I would only buy one or two nice things from the sale of the house, and this is thing #1. There is just something pure and beautiful about Ti that is hard to explain. It is metal extracted from the earth. It is smelted, purified, and manipulated into shapes according to function. It is then taken by a master craftsman and cut, mitered, and welded by extremely demanding processes into this work of art that can assembled as a bicycle. And not just any bike. One that has been meticulously designed by Kona, a legend in mountain bike performance. The original intent was to build this thing up with the all new top of the line 11 speed Sram XX1 groupset. Everything was in except for the hub driver needed to accept the unique cassette, which I had a hard time tracking down, but is currently being shipped. Wanting to ride this bike badly, it finally occurred to me to this rig has sliding dropouts, and can be run SINGLESPEED. After slapping myself on the head for tardily coming to this realization, and furthermore that I had all the parts necessary for a singlespeed build just laying around, I rushed home from work, threw together a SS build, then I took it out for test ride on the world famous Test Tracks here in Durango, aka Ned Overend Park. It was awesome. It was heavenly. It was the sweetest virgin ride I’d ever had (and I mean EVER, if you know what I mean 😉 )  As much as I like to rock the one cog, I will have some gears setup on this machine for some upcoming LOOONG races. Gears just make more sense in tour-type races in mountain terrain, especially as I add a few years. However, having felt the joy of the one gear on my first ride, you can bet this rig will see some awesome SS action down the road. That is the beauty of such a well thought out bike-lots of versatility. Raijin is Japenese for “God of Thunder” I kinda like that, but I might still give it another name when it comes to mind.

Last, I introduce you to the Volagi Viaje. Volagi is a new company out of California. Their philosophy is driven by long rides, and disc brakes on road bikes. As of now, they only offer two different models- a carbon framed road race oriented bike with disc brakes and an “adventure” steel framed road bike with disc brakes that can handle larger tires. I came across these guys on kickstarter, and feeling like they had something going, decided to contribute to their cause and in return got one of the steel frames. Other than the cool shape of this bike, it’s has some other cool features. It can handle large cyclocross tires up to 42mm, it is reasonably lightweight with the included sweet carbon fork. It has disc brakes which offer incredible control, and also means I can use my mountain bike wheels with it. It includes braze-ons for front and rear racks, and is designed to carry a moderate touring load.  I can still run road tires on it for training rides or local hammerfests. The Viaje has a HUGE gear range with a 2×10 setup (50/34 compact crank with 11-36 cassette) making it easy to cruise up mountains fully loaded or down them at full speed. It utilizes a tapered headtube and pressfit 30 bottom bracket, both of which increase the stiffness end efficiency of the bike. Volagi has a patented feature they call “bowflex stays” whereby the seat stays bypass a connection to the seat tube, as is standard, and instead are welded to the top tube a few inches ahead of the seat tube. The theory is that this isolates road vibration from the rear wheel and adds some cushion. Based on my initial observations, I’d agree it works! Lastly, it just feels fun and comfortable. I’ve already taken it on everything from paved road to gravel road to light trail and handles each admirably. This steed shall serve as handily weapon in road, cross, gravel grinders, touring, and whatever else I can come up that fits the bill.

Ok, so bike bragging is out of the way. Part 2 of Go Time shortly to follow, and trust me, it will be real exciting news, not boring bike stuff. I promise…

A new day of reckoning was upon me. After bundling my locks of hair into one big ponytail, the same hair that hadn’t been trimmed in 16 months, I grasped it firmly in one hand, and with the other, slayed it with a knife. For a second, I pondered my irreversible decision as the mass of dead fiber fell to the floor. As the hair buzzers cleaned up what was left, any regret I might have had dissipated as my head began to feel cooler, cleaner, and free once again-an indicator of things to come. It was beginning to be a real pain in the ass taking care of it anyways.

In several ways this “clip” is synonymous with my life in general at the moment. I’m cleaning things up. I’m finishing overdue projects to make way for new ones. I’m paying off debts and laying the groundwork for exciting new opportunities. I’ve haven’t posted anything in a while, not because I haven’t had anything worthwhile to post, but mainly because I haven’t had the time. This winter, in stark contrast to last winter, has been overwhelmingly busy. It has been both a blessing and a curse. Money has been the least of my worries, while time has become my most precious commodity, more importantly, time to do the things I really enjoy, you know, ski, hike, bike, play. Not that I haven’t made time to do any of this, just not as much as I perceive as healthy.

I’m writing this post at DFW airport this sunny Wednesday morning. I took a little trip to Terrell to help my brother add on a room to his house to prepare for a baby that is on the way. We got a lot done, and I enjoy seeing the family, but am absolutely itching to get back toDurango. Great things await.

I’ll start by catching you up with some events of the winter. My main job at Sun Peak Builders actually stayed pretty busy as we finished up two new houses from the summer and were full swing into a big remodel. Predicting (incorrectly) that this job would slow down a bit, I took on a side job remodeling a garage apartment on the north end of town. Simultaneously, I was working at Durango Mountain Resort every few days as a snowshoe tour guide. To make matters even more hectic, I was wrapping up a lawsuit, selling a house, and pursuing interests in a new girlfriend. If, after all this, I had any free time I spent it sking or resting.

The lawsuit was the long standing one resulting in the collision I had with a car while riding my bike in March 2011. We got an ok settlement and with it I was able to pay off a large chunk of debt and finally put this whole thing behind me-well, for the most part. I still have nagging pains in my shoulder that I will likely deal with for the rest of my life, but it’s nothing severe.

On my drive back home to CO from TX around New Years, I was brainstorming how to jumpstart a new business idea and get all debt payed off and then it hit me, I just need to sell my house inAustin. I have invested quite a bit of time, money, and sentiment into this house-after all, it was my first real house-but, after my realtor ran the comps and I saw how much it would net and how quickly it would sell, I did not hesitate to list it immediately. It is now scheduled to close in a few days. I will take the profit and pay off the last remaining debt I have. I will put a little in savings. Then, the real fun starts.

I have two, possibly three new ventures I will begin work on right away. The real estate investing side of my LLC will be kickstarted once again. I’ve decided to try investing in tax liens for a short time to see how I like this method. Concurrently, I will begin to build my multifamily portfolio. This will be the key to retiring in a few years. Go ahead and call me crazy. Five years from now I’ll be calling you from New Zealand or British Colombia to let you know how awesome my retirement is going.

The other venture I have already put in motion. It is somewhat top secret until I can secure trademarking. Let’s just say it will combine all my interests in design, construction, real estate, and entrepreneurship. More on this project later in the year…

Finally, I have began construction on my new tiny house. I custom ordered a trailer chassis from a local manufacturer, have picked it up, and, have began to organize wood for framing that I have stockpiled from various jobs that I worked on over the summer. I am super excited to work on this new structure and get rid of the 1965 Forester camper. It got me through the winter, but I’m not going to lie, it was a bit unconvenient and rough, even by my standards.

Not quite sure how long it will take to complete this new home, but I’m hoping not too terribly long. Also of note, I’ve started riding once again. The trails have a few more weeks before they dry up, but the dirt roads around here are good to go! I have a few races on the calendar this year that I would like to do good at. The big push for financial security remains my #1 goal for 2013, but I’d still like to compete and ride as much as circumstances will alllow.

Stay tuned for more news on the new business venture, and things in general. Thanks for checking in,

Greg

2012 is in the books, hello 2013. My New Years plan to get lost in the Sante Fe national forest went mostly according to plan. My journey began in Austin as I tanked up on gas and hit the road. The drive across Texas was uneventful as usual, until it came time for sunset. The whole day had been gray and cool. Now, as I ventured across the land of endless wind turbines near Sweetwater, enough clouds gave way for the sun to put on a spectacular show of color and form. I was reminded of how the Texas landscape can be a very mystical and endearing memory in times like this. I was a bit sad to leave behind such a picture of beauty, especially for the doldrums I was about to encounter in between Lubbock and Santa Rosa, NM, but my journey had to go on.

Not long after crossing the state line and past Clovis, NM, the temps dropped and it begin to snow. Lightly at first, then heavily by the time I hit Ft. Sumner. I was beginning to tire and didn’t really want to drive another 59 miles to Santa Rosa in near white out conditions at night, but the show had to go on. Snow was sticking to the road at this point, but my badass little Mazda B2300 with snow tires handled the treacherous conditions with ease.

By the time I hit I-40 in Santa Rosa, I knew it was time to find a comfy and luxurious place to crash for the night: the Love’s truck parking lot. I bought a tarp to cover all my gear in the back of the truck, let Rocco run around a bit to take of business, unrolled the sleeping bag, and we crashed in the cab of my truck. Can’t say that it was the best night’s sleep, but I did get a little rest, and more importantly, it had stopped snowing and the plows were out on the interstate by morning. There was still enough snow on the highway that I had to take it easy to Cline’s Corner, where I would take US 285 the rest of the way to Sante Fe.

This road had not been plowed at all, just packed down by a few brave souls before me. Still, no problem for my Firestone Winterforce tires! We were not only cruising along at 50 mph, but passing all these cars with Texas plates who weren’t quite sure how to handle this white stuff. Before we knew it, we were at the outskirts of Sante Fe. Once we got into town, the roads were slick as all get out. That storm had left quite a bit of snow and ice behind and travel was slow go to the McDonalds where I borrowed some internet to lookup where the ranger station was at.

We found the station, bought a map, talked to a ranger a little bit, then started heading up to Sante Fe Ski resort where the real journey would begin. This road was snowy too, and curvy, and climbed from about 6500′ to 9800′, but little Grey made it! There was a lot of snow up there, and it was already pretty dang cold at 2pm. I was having second thoughts about venturing into these woods with a short haired dog, but stuck to the plan. I got the backpack stuffed with essentials, strapped on the snowshoes, and out we went, into the wild.

After a half hour of uphill shoeing Rocco and I were warm. Not too much after that we hit the boundary for the Pecos Wilderness. No turning back now.

I was following good tracks to this point, but all of sudden, they were gone. I pulled out my map and compass, saw what looked to be the trail through a clearing of trees, and went that way. This is what most of my journey would look like for the next 24 hours:

Most of the trail was just fluff over pack, so it wasn’t terribly hard breaking trail but it did take a little out of me. The further we got, the more the pack dissipated though, and the tougher it did get. The sun set around 5:20, but I had good lights and was determined to make it as close to Catherine Lake up near Sante Fe baldy (a 12,600′ peak) as I could. I reached a point around 6:30pm where exhaustion began setting in. I had shoed in about 5.5 miles and was now a little higher than 11,000 ft. Although I started out on a trail marked on my map, I was now on some other trail, having missed the junction in the last mile or so. Even though I was somewhat joking about getting lost in the wilderness, I still managed to do so! This was awesome!

Rocco and I peeled off the trail and found a good campsite. It was flat enough for me to stomp out a pad in the snow, and fairly shielded from wind and snow (it was lightly snowing the whole time I was out there). I setup the tent and unpacked sleeping stuff. Rocco wasted no time curling up in my sleeping bag while I worked on collecting some firewood and getting a fire going. I brought 2 lighters and a box of waterproof matches. Both lighters died, I think because of cold and altitude, and I had to go through about 20 matches before the kindle finally took, but my efforts were soon rewarded with a warm, comforting fire.

This fire not only provided wonderful heat, but dried my snowshoes and gloves out, melted my frozen water and some extra snow for drinking, and warmed up dinner. I had brought a Coleman propane cooker, but it too decided to fail on this trip. I had enough firewood to last about 3 hours. Rocco and I sat close by while pondering our time out here in the wilderness on New Years Eve. I thought about all the folks in Times Square getting ready for that ball to drop. All the people in some crowded pub wearing silly hats and blowing their noisemakers just a little too much. All my friends, spread out over the country doing who knows what? My family back home in Texas, probably hanging out at the house with friends.

Right as the fire began to die, I heated up some water to put in my bottles and then slip into my socks so it wouldn’t freeze overnight. As the flame grew weaker and weaker, cold began to overtake me and so I hopped in bed around 10pm for the long night ahead.

The temps continued to drop, as did our comfort level. I had on heavy thermals inside my 20 degree bag, on top of my thermarest, the only real thermal break between my body and the snow. I let Rocco ball up on my down jacket and covered him in a fleece throw that I brought for him. The mercury certainly hit 0 d F on my little thermometer, maybe even down to -5. Whatever it was, it was freaking cold. If I was lucky, I would fall asleep for 10 minutes or so before shivering or numb feet woke me up. Rocco was shivering heavily. I remember three times during the night I unzipped my bag, pulled him in, and wrapped us both with the fleece. He warmed up enough to stop shivering but then I got really cold and would retreat back into my bag.

In the early morning hours, probably around 3am, my feet were getting unbearably cold. All I could think about was firing up my Coleman to heat some water bottles to place at my feet, but I couldn’t-it was broken. I sat thinking for a while of how I could improve my situation, and then it came to me, quite naturally. I had to pee. I emptied one of my water bottles into the enamel cast pot I had brought and filled the bottle with warm pee. I stuffed that in a sock and threw it down to my feet and problem solved, at least for an hour and a half. Luckily, I had to pee again, so process repeated. By the time that one cooled off, morning light had broke.

I was thrilled to see the light of a new day, the light of a new year. However, I was also dreading getting out of bed, breaking down camp, and hitting the trail again. I have never in my entire life suffered from cold the way I did that morning. Putting my boots back on was excruciating, but better than the alternative of walking in the snow barefoot.  I hastily and sloppily packed everything and got going ASAP. I had to get some blood flowing to my toes. I took pause before putting my backpack on to remove my boots and rub my feet. The toes were starting to turn purple-not good. I probably could have built another fire, but who knows how long that would take? I decided to get on the trail, and start booking it to build up some heat.

About 45 minutes later, I was finally warm, and the threat of frostbite was avoided. I was feeling something else though, possibly early signs of hypothermia from heat loss overnight. I was feeling real sluggish, slightly disoriented, tired, and my stomach didn’t feel great, although, that could’ve been from not eating breakfast and drinking water that tasted like Spruce smoke.

Nonetheless, I kept my wits about me and trudged on, knowing that safety and comfort lie waiting at my pickup. I had to take several breaks shoeing the 5.5 miles back. Even though my tent only had about an inch of snow on it, the trail had a fresh 6″ or more of powder. I couldn’t even see my tracks from the day before in a few places. It was slow go, and my body was aching. I was physically unprepared for such an adventure. For starters, I had been at sea level for 2 weeks, and then all of sudden I was at ten to eleven thousand feet. I was in balmy 40-60 degree weather. Now it was -5 to 15. I hadn’t snowshoed since last winter, and never with 40 lbs of gear on my back.  I haven’t been very active since breaking my arm in November. I realized this very morning that perhaps I bit off a little more than I could chew. Not only that, but I probably put my dog in jeopardy too. He is no Husky, made blatantly clear when he starts to shiver in 30 degree weather.

By the time I made it to the truck, I was warm, and got some fresh water and food in me. All of a sudden, things didn’t seem so bad. We never made it to Catherine Lake or Baldy peak, but damnit we survived some harsh conditions with sub-par equipment and learned some very valuable lessons about winter camping.

The drive back to Durango was gorgeous. I could see snowstorms pounding the mountains around Chama, and we even got to drive through more snow from there to Pagosa. The real magic took place near Chimney Rock on US 160. I witnessed a sunset I’d never seen the likes of and I will remember for a long time. Not only was the horizon on fire, but there was this beam of light blasting out of the ground into the clouds. I’m still perplexed by this meteorological phenomenon, but am glad I got to experience it.

Thanks for checking in. May you have a healthy and prosperous 2013.

Can’t believe I’m already writing my year in review post. 2012 seemed to really fly by, faster than any other year I’ve spent on this planet. I have officially spent my first full year in a state other than Texas. Durango has been mostly good to me. Although nothing is written in stone, it will continue to be my home base for 2013. Even though the Rocky Mountains are my where I hang my hat now, it somehow feels fitting that I’m writing this post in my former beloved city of Austin. I had some work to do on my rent house and have been thinking of spending New Years here, so I’m enjoying the warmer temps and great food for a few days before journeying back north. I will actually be spending New Years with my hiking shoes and Rocco in the mountains surrounding Sante Fe. I like to try and spend New Years in a different place each year. If I had the money, I’d fly to some place I’ve never been, like Seattle, WA-Portland, Maine- Asheville, Caroline – or, maybe even Melbourne, Australia, but alas, Sante Fe happens to be on the way home and I haven’t spent time there, just passed through a few times.

So, to the meat of the matter, 2012. By most accounts, it was a pretty good year. Way the hell better than 2011. I accomplished some goals, fell short of a few others, and did a few things I wasn’t planning on at all, both good and bad.

My story starts back in January. I had enough misc. drafting work to keep me floating, but barely. I agreed to be a volunteer snowshoe tour guide at Durango Mountain Resort since I had a lot of free time and this gig offered a ski pass in return. I found an old pair of telemark skis, a second hand pair of boots and poles, starting collecting ski wear, and hit the slopes head-on, sometimes, literally since I like to ski hard and fast and am not afraid to fall! It wasn’t long before I realized I needed a better pair of skis. A friend let me borrow his Scotty Bob’s and they kicked so much ass that he traded them to me for a bike. After that, my skiing really took off, and I began to understand the joys of being a ski bum. A drank a lot of beer, rode a lot of chairlifts, and shared my powder stories at the end of the day, all the while letting my bike fitness decline.

I had made the decision back in 2011 to quit racing for a while and focus on other stuff, like getting a real job and paying off my debt. When I learned of the inaugural San Juan Hut 200 race that would take place in June from Durango to Moab, I knew I had to do it. I got a real late start on training while the snow melted, but I eventually did throw a leg over some fat tires with the intention of getting back in shape.

At about the same time, I decided to start a new business, Durango Bike Trailers. It was spurred when I built my own trailer and had to buy all these specialized tools. I realized that I had just created a product that the town of Durango might really dig. I worked on improving the design, the fabrication methods, and developing different models for different needs. The company made its debut at the Durango Green Living Expo. A sold a few trailers, but not what I was hoping for. It was a little disheartening, but I figured I would just have to get creative with other marketing means.

One very good thing that did come of going to the expo is that I met my future employer, Adam Fries of Sun Peak Builders. He had a booth there to promote his services, which is custom green home building. He was primarily promoting straw bale homes, but he talked to me a while about other methods he could do and I was very intrigued. I told him about my background in architecture and construction and asked him to keep me in mind if he ever needed help. Two weeks later, I was working for him full time as his second hand man. I had struggled to find good work ever since moving to Durango, so this job was a huge relief and I knew it was the moment of good fortune I had been waiting for to start paying off all my debt before Dec 31.

It wasn’t long after this that my divorce was legally finalized and not much longer that the investment house was sold and we split the profits. I used most of that to pay off my truck and a few other smaller notes. The plan was actually coming to fruition.

All the while I was riding when I could find time. It was a long road back to Caveman supremacy, one I wasn’t sure I could complete on time. Come time for the race in June, I felt ok, but had doubts. This journey would be no ride in the park. Just to finish would be an incredible achievement. To do it less than 30 hours or even win it would be harder yet. I rode my guts out and was in the lead for about 15 hours, but eventually succumbed to fatigue and took a long rest break to finish second. I learned a lot from that race and plan to return in 2013 and improve upon my effort from 2012.

Following the race, I decided to move out of the house I was in with 3 women roommates and pursue simplicity and solitude on an organic vegetable farm located at the northern outskirts of town. Although I liked to claim I was now an organic vegetable farmer, truth is, I just helped run the farmer’s market and ate what didn’t sell. I did very little to grow produce, although I was learning how to grow it and being on the farm day to day made me feel like a farmer. I bought an old run down camper that I parked out there and lived in a tent for about 4 weeks while I renovated this vintage beauty. Summer inDurangois actually a real nice time to be in tent, at least, until monsoon season comes. I was using a cheap Wal Mart tent that leaked and spent my fair share of nights on a wet floor, but at least it was never too cold.

Work got better and better. We broke ground on 2 new houses and picked up a few remodels and odd jobs. My time was split between design, management, and physical labor. I was enjoying it all and learning a lot. I took a small break from riding, but was eyeing the next race, 24 hour nationals in Colorado Springs Sept. 29. I decided to rock the one cog for this race and was glad I did. It was a pretty good single speed course, although after the 12 hour mark I was doing a fair amount of walking up the steeper sections. Once again I was in the lead most of the race up until about the 14 hour mark when my body began to shut down and I decided to pull the plug a few laps later, eventually finishing in third place. Yet another big win that I let slip away, this time a national jersey was at stake though.

Oddly enough, this wasn’t my ‘A’ race planned for the year. I had one more ace in the hole, or at least, I hoped I did. The massive defeat I suffered at Rocky Hill in 2011 weighed heavily on my mind. I denied rumors that I would be attending the race this year, especially since it was only 3 weeks after Colorado Springs. Following my implosion at Nationals, I almost didn’t go, but in my heart, I knew it was my destiny. Along with my best friend Laura, her two dogs, and Rocco, we made the 1,000 mile drive to Rocky Hill ranch and arrived two hours before race start to the surprise of many. I wasn’t feeling 100% and the field was stacked. My gut instinct told me I wasn’t going to win this go round, but my heart said I was going to fight until  I couldn’t fight anymore, and to this end, I feel I was true. After a very hard fought battle, I finished 4^th overall and 2^nd in Single speed. I didn’t have the ‘revenge’ I was looking for, but somehow, I was satisfied on a deeper level. I had gotten used to winning this thing, and perhaps a bit cocky. Two back to back losses were just what I needed to ground me and make me realize that I was a long way away from my full potential.

This was only the third race of the year. It was also the last. A far, far cry from racing years past, but considering I was on racing hiatus indefinitely, not too shabby. I knew winter was on the way, and I knew I had to start saving for it. Riding was over for the year, but I had a few adventures left.

The next big benchmark of the year came November 15. I had a horrible bike crash that left me with a broken arm. I had committed to doing a Grand Canyon Rim2Rim2Rim run over Thanksgiving with a really cool woman I had met at nationals. Now, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to go. I was in a cast and lot of pain. I could barely drive or get dressed. It took a while for my stubborn spirit to concede defeat to such an adventure, but I still had it in me to make the trip with her and do a ‘little’ hiking. Of course, my 10 mile hike turned into 20 turned into a worrisome 35. Had I done the full thing it would’ve been around 44 miles. Based on how I felt after 35, that wouldn’t have been a good idea anyways. Things didn’t quite go according to plan, but we both made it out of the canyon, set new benchmarks, and had a really good time, so that trip was totally worth it. More than anything, it helped me realize that you aren’t always as limited as you think you are.

The following weekend I flew out to the Big Apple to see my good friend Fox from architecture school get married. I’d never been, and it was quite the experience. Can’t say that I would ever want to live there, but it is a wonderful place to visit. What key thing I took away from this trip was an expanded horizon of travel. I not only learned to successfully navigate commuter trains, the subway system, ferries, taxis, and walking in the most populous city in the country, but it really didn’t cost much and got me thinking about traveling to other cities I haven’t been to. I think I will make it a point to travel to at least 2 new cities per year that more or less require transit via airplane.

A few weekends later I traveled to Boulder to visit the woman I went to the Grand Canyon with. We had developed a romantic interest, and I’ve wanted to see Boulder for a while so this was a good opportunity. I also wanted to see if I thought Boulder would be an ok place to live, in case I fell completely in love with this woman. I enjoyed my time with Chrissie, but I wasn’t all that impressed with Boulder. I guess when you call Durango home, other places you visit are held to a pretty high standard, although you don’t realize it while living there, because Durango doesn’t really try to attain any standard, it just is badass.

I wrapped up the year with a trip home to Terrell for Christmas, and then down to Austin for a few days. Time has flown by, and now, I am about to depart for the New Mexico wilderness where I will spend New Years with a dog named Rocco. No alcohol, no party favors, no kiss at midnight. Just clean mountain air, solitude, and reflection. Bliss.

My long drive down to Texas gave me lots of time to think about what is in store for 2013. Before I broke my arm I had penciled in a lot of high caliper bike races. I’ll likely still do a few, but nowhere near the volume I originally wanted to. I realistically can’t start mountain biking for another two months, not only because of snow, but to give time for the elbow to heal properly. Instead of riding so much, I will focus more of my energy around finance. I will get all debt paid off, and if things really go according to plan, I will either revive the real estate investing business OR start an exciting new business I’ve had in the works for about a year now. Maybe both, who knows. The goal with either is to start generating enough passive income to do the things I really want-travel and ride bikes. Work on my own schedule. Write my own check. People stuck in the rat race say it can’t be done. Others have owned businesses a while and think it can be done, just not that quickly. I say people like this don’t dream big enough or have balls. Well, I’ve got both. 2013 will be the best year yet. I don’t feel it will be a massively successful year, but I just know it will be good and will set me up for a massive 2014 or 2015.

I hope that your Twenty Twelve was a good one. If you are reading this, it must have been pretty good because that means you have a computer, internet, and likely a warm dry place to read this-something 95% of the world’s population does not have.

I hope that 2013 is just as good or better. I hope you don’t settle for mediocracy. Challenge yourself to always be better than you currently are. Get out and see new places. Dream big. I’ll catch you next year.

Greg Parham

Most of my worthwhile adventures revolve around the great outdoors-cycling, running, hiking, traveling to cool mountain towns, and the like. Recently, I had a pretty grand adventure that involved spending 3 days in a very large city, the largest city in the country actually, New York. My good friend Brian from architecture school was tying the knot with the love of his life, Charisma.

When Fox (Brian’s real name) mentioned to me at the beginning of the year that he was engaged, and the wedding would be in NYC, I knew it would be my best chance to finally make the trip to see this American icon. I’ve wanted to visit New York ever since graduating college, but never had a reason or strong enough desire, until now. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to go at first because of finances, but good work over the summer eased my mind about money and I found a really good price on flights, about $300 round trip from Durango.

I flew in to Newark International Airport in New Jersey Friday around 6:30pm. Flying was the easy part. I was now challenged with a very daunting task: getting to north Brooklyn via public transit, which I decided would be best through the rail system. I have never traveled by train before, and this was not only new to me, but a bit frustrating and nerve-wracking. Four different train systems and 6 transfers later, I eventually did make it to Brooklyn where I would be staying with another colleague from UT, David. First though, I would meet up my old college flame Joanna, and we would grab a bite and begin catching up on old times. I hadn’t seen her since early 2006, but I felt like she hadn’t aged a bit. She showed me a little bit of the Williamsburg portion of Brooklyn before helping me find Dave’s place a little further north where I retired for the evening.

Saturday morning came, and I felt tired, I guess from the travel, so I slept in before taking a lazy shower and taking my time to get dressed. For some reason, it was in my head that the wedding wasn’t starting til 1pm that day. It wasn’t until one of Dave’s roommates walked by at 10:50am and asked where the wedding was that I pulled out the invitation only to discover that the wedding started at 11am!! Now in full on panic mode, I ask him the absolute quickest way to the Brooklyn Botanical gardens, and he says “Taxi!”

Luckily, he had the car company’s phone number on speed dial and rang me a car while I finished getting dressed. The car met me out front in a few minutes and I told him to punch it, and he did, although, I think that’s the way New York City cab drivers operate anyways.

We hit some construction traffic en route, but without a doubt I got there way faster than the subways. I arrived in a tizzy, worried that I had just missed my good friend’s wedding vows, but to my relief, they had just started seating.

The ceremony was very beautiful, and I felt very happy for these newlyweds. Vows were followed by Hors d’oeuvre and socializing. This was followed by lunch, speeches, and then dancing. Come 4:30p, it was time for the real party to begin. Everyone left the Botanical Gardens for the Crown Inn, a low key bar a few blocks away that had been reserved for the evening. Eventually, the bar was packed, this time with extra friends that weren’t at the wedding. I had a great time meeting new faces, chatting with old ones, and drinking a lot of beer. Sadly, the party fizzled out by1am, and having consumed upward of 14 drinks since noon, I was ready to head home. I ended up taking a few subways through a little bit rougher part of town but made it home by 2:30am.

I slept in a little Sunday morning, but was ready to hit the streets for a day of sightseeing. I met up with Joanna again and she showed me some of the highlights I really wanted to see, and a few “local” places as well. I got to see the Brooklyn bridge, the new Freedom Tower going up at the World Trade Center Memorial, Wall Street, Trinity Church, Battery Park, ride the Staten Island Ferry (and hence get a good view of the Statue of Liberty-not as big as I thought she would be, I might add) walk the High Line through West Village and Chelsea, walk up to the Empire State Building, and finally our time together culminated at an offbeat improv play that her friend had invited her to. She was tired and had to work the next day, so we said our goodbyes before I continued my adventure into Times Square.

I was stunned at the energy of this place-the lights, the sounds, the smells, the people and cars in motion, the broadway signs. I took some time to soak it all in before taking a stroll up to Central Park. Unfortunately it was dark, and I didn’t get a real good feel for it, but at least I know where it is now.

On my way back through Times Square, I stopped in a pub and wouldn’t you know it, the Cowboys were playing the Eagles. A few beers later, they won, and I was back out on the streets. It was about 1am now, but this place was just crazy alive still. I fiddled around a little more and enjoyed some burnt chestnuts from a street vendor before deciding it was time to head home.

I made a stop along my subway route to explore Grand Central Station, and it is indeed very grand! I only wish I could have been there while it was busy.

I was home by 2:30am once again, only to have to wake up at 5:30 to catch all the trains back to Newark airport. Having a little better understanding of the rail system this go round made the trip much quicker and less stressful.

Part of me wished I could have stayed a little longer and seen more of the city. Some day, no doubt I will. Another part was glad to be heading back to Durango. I can handle the big city, but my heart lies in the mountains-cozy downtown, trails, dirt, snow, trees, mountain hippies, and fresh Rocky Mountain air. I wonder how so many people could live in a place like  New York when there are places like Durango, but then again, they probably wonder the same thing about me. To each his own. Thanks for checking in. Durango just got its first big dump of snow, so I’m out the door to go play!

Cheers

Caveman

This Thanksgiving, while friends and family and people the country throughout were stuffing their faces with copious amounts of food and passing out on the coutch watching the Cowboys or Longhorns get whooped by rivals, I was cruising down some barren Arizona highway with a unexpected friend en route to one of the most amazing places in the world, the Grand Canyon. I’ve been here before, when I was like 13, as part of a youth group trip to tour the southwest. That same trip was also the one that gave me my first taste of Durango, so when I think about it, there is this subconscious connection between Durango and Grand Canyon that lies hidden somewhere deep inside me. It was only fitting that I make a return trip to this awe inspiring place, and even more fitting that my time spent here would change my life profoundly.

I met Chrissy back at 24 Hour Nationals in September. If you recall, she was the one I flirted with by slapping her on the butt as I lapped her on my most magical lap that I rode that day. We hit it off well at that race, and I thought she was cute, but because she’s a bit older, has two kids, and lives in Boulder, I didn’t really expect anything more to develop between us.

Sometime in mid October, my phone rang with her name on the caller ID. She wanted to know if I had any plans for Thanksgiving. “Not really. I’ll probably just hang out around here, why?”

“Do you want to go with me to the Grand Canyon and run the Rim to Rim to Rim?”

Wow, I thought to myself. Sounded pretty challenging, yet, it seemed like something I was up for, so I told her “sure, let’s do it.” Following 24 Hours of Rocky Hill, I took a little time off before starting to run and hike a lot. The R2R2R via South Kaibab trail is 42 miles and I think around 12,000 ft of elevation gain/loss. I’ve never even ran a road marathon before, so I knew this would be tough and take a while. A little under 1 month of training would be pushing it for sure, but I was counting on my mountain bike fitness and mental toughness to make up for lack of running prowess.

Then, bam. Broken elbow and a cast one week before we were going to drive out. I knew 42 miles of running was definitely out of the question. I wasn’t even sure I could still commit to the trip at all at this point. I gave the elbow a few days to heal, at which point Chrissy called to say she thought I should still tag along, and could just hike a few miles and enjoy the scenery while she was out doing the full run. I told her I could probably do that. The next day, I decided to get off my butt and walk to church from the farm, a roundtrip walk of about 9 miles. After doing this without much discomfort, I called her back and fully committed to the trip.

She drove down from Boulder on Wednesday and stayed the night. After breakfast Thanksgiving morning, we hit the road. We stopped in Tuba City, AZ for a light Thanksgiving lunch and gave thanks for all our blessings while praying for a fun and safe trip to the Canyon. The park entrance was another hour drive, and a few miles after that we came upon the Desert View visitor center, and the first view of this unbelievable hole in the ground:

If you have been here before, you know that pictures simply cannot do this place justice. Texas is big, the Colorado Rockies are epic, but after this visit to Arizona, I truly have to say the the Grand Canyon is grander than them both. Over 270 miles long, 18 miles wide in some places, and over a mile deep, it is not only huge, but full of variety and secret spots that take your breath away, if you have the courage and strength to even get to such places. You cannot even come close to understanding the enormity and complexity of this place by simply viewing it from the rim. You must descend to to the depths of the mighty Colorado River, and then go back up. Even once inside, you could probably explore this place for years and always come across something new.

The plan for Friday was for me to drop Chrissy off at the South Kaibab trailhead at 6am where she would begin her incredible journey. It was dark and cold at this time of day, so my plan was to drive back to the main visitor center and find a place to park near the Bright Angel trailhead, take a nap until sunrise, figure out something to do with the dog (we decided to bring Rocco since I didn’t make any plans for him to stay in Durango, and dogs are not allowed in the Canyon), and then hit the trail myself for a shorter hike. Rocco and I took a leisurely stroll over to the kennels to see if they could take him, but they were full. On the way back to the car, he took care of LOTS of business, so I felt comfortable leaving him in the car all day, knowing that I might not get back til 10pm later in the night.

I got all my layers on and gear together and hit the trail at 8:30am. My plan was to mostly hike,  but maybe run a little bit. I would take the Bright Angel Trail down to the river, then take the River trail to Phantom Ranch where I would hang out for a while and hopefully meet Chrissy here sometime around 4pm, and then hike back up with her the way I came. She was going down South Kaibab, swinging by Phantom Ranch, up to the North Rim via North Kaibab trail, then coming back down to Phantom, and then up Bright Angel. Her total mileage would actually be around 44. Mine should have been around 20.

All was going according to plan. I switched back and forth between hiking and running on my way down to the river. For the first 6 miles or so, I was wearing my 4mm Huaraches from Invisible Shoe. They felt great and turned a lot of heads! I came to a part of the trail that was very steep and rocky and they started to not feel so great since I haven’t been wearing them much lately, so I switched over to my Merrell Tough Gloves. Still a minimal shoe for such a hike, compared to the burly hiking boots most everyone else was wearing, but they offered plenty of protection for my taste.

This steep section leveled off into a tamer flowing creek bed, and before I knew it, I stood before the roaring Colorado River. It was surreal, the size and force of this rushing water. To sweeten the experience even more, the corp of engineers had decided to perform an experimental flood from Glen Canyon Dam upriver a few days before we were there. The last of the floodwater was finding its way through the river at our checkpoint. Normally the river runs at 8,000 c.f.s. This very day, it was somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000! Incredible! And to think during a heavy snowmelt day in the San Juans, our dinky little Animas River peaks around 4500 cfs. The  Colorado River is the king of the west!

By 1:30 in the afternoon I had made it to our rendezvous point at Phantom Ranch. I took a nap in the sunshine since the temp down here at 2400 ft was much balmier than at the rim at 6700ft. I drank a lot of water and downed my two Larabars that I brought with me. I was still a little hungry since all I had from breakfast was a little bit of leftover pollo mole from dinner the night before, but my energy felt fine and I really wanted to see just how fat adapted my body has become from eating like a caveman.  More on that later, but I had with me a couple of energy chews just in case I did bonk.

As I was reading some pages from Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire, a hiker approached me and asked if I was the man waiting for Chrissy to show up. I told him yes, and he replied to me that she was doing fine, just that she had a way to go when he saw her and that she wouldn’t be here for a while. It was nice to have some news of her, but I wish that guy wouldn’t have told me anything, because it was bad intel. In fact, Chrissy was out there kicking ass and making much better time than this gentleman had suggested. 4pm rolled around. Our very loosely planned protocol called for me to start heading back to the South Rim at 4 if she wasn’t there yet. Instead, I decided to start heading up North Kaibab intending to intercept Chrissy within an hour or so. I was feeling good, and was interested in seeing some more of the park, so I set out.

I ended up hiking another 2 hours and 6 miles to Ribbon Falls. The sun had set, and the stars and moon had taken its place. It was a peaceful and beautiful experience being out there alone in such grandeur, but something wasn’t right. I should have seen her by now. My math and logic based on what the old man told me should have had us crossing paths by this time. I turned around and looked to the south. I could see the faint glow of lights from the buildings up on the South Rim several miles away. Realizing that it was dark, getting cold, Rocco was still in the car probably about to bust a nut, and I was at least 6 hours away from those glowing lights, I decided to end my pursuit and head back to base.

The moon was about 5/8 full and provided plenty of light for me to see the trail without artificial light, although I had my Ayup bike light with 6 hours of battery if I needed it. Still feeling ok, but now a bit concerned, I ran just about all 6 miles back down to Phantom ranch at a pretty good clip. By this point, hunger and fatigue were setting in. It was about 8:30 at night. I knew I had a long, hard hike back up Bright Angel that would get me back to the car between 1:30 and 2am.  Probably a daunting thought for most, but not for an experienced 24 hour mountain bike racer. I had no doubt I would make it back safely and that I would somehow really enjoy this challenge. I went ahead and opened a package of energy chew and ate it. I had one package left, which I would ration throughout the remaining 5 hour trip.

Crossing the Colorado once again using the Silver suspension footbridge was humbling. The floor of this thing is metal grate which you see straight through down to the powerful flow of water. The bridge is about 3 feet wide, and there is 42″ or so of chainlink fence as a guardrail. The closer you get to center span, the more it begins to sway. You can’t help but think, that if you fell over, you would be dead. If you didn’t die from hitting a rock directly below, you would probably get sucked into an eddy you couldn’t swim out of. If that didn’t happen, you would probably get smashed on a rock downriver. If you’re still unlucky enough to be alive, you would get hypothermia since this water is probably 40 degrees.  As tired as I was, with motor skills starting to fade a bit, I took my time to cross this bridge.

The river trail back to Bright Angel trail was very sandy, and I didn’t remember it sapping that much energy from me when I hiked it earlier in the day. I eventually made it to my trail junction and began the long arduous task of climbing back out of the canyon. There are warning signs posted all over the trails to try and dissuade folks from hiking down to the river and back in a day, let alone Rim to Rim, or even Rim to Rim to Rim. These signs are more in place for summer visitors since it almost always gets well over 100 degrees in the canyon floor, but even in late fall I can see where they have their place.

My logic was telling me Chrissy was still somewhere behind me, but my instinct was telling me somehow she slipped passed me and was now ahead of me. For all I knew, she was back at the car waiting for me. At this point, I had to focus on just putting one foot in front of the other. The higher up I got, the more I struggled. Not only does the air get thinner, the trail gets steeper and muscles get more tired.

At about 1:30am I crest the rim and make it to the car. My whole body is aching, especially my feet. I am exhausted beyond belief, but so relieved to see Chrissy bundled up in her sleeping bag in the passenger seat. Come to find out, she had indeed slipped past me at Phantom ranch right as I was leaving, and right as she was getting there. I still have no idea how we didn’t see each other, and this will forever remain a mystery that put me through a little more “adventure” than I was bargaining for, but in the end we both made it out of the canyon safe and sound, we both had amazing hikes, and we both had breakthrough achievements that will stick with us for a very long time.

Busting Limitations

Chrissy completed her 44 mile journey in about 14 hours flat. I think she had a few ups and downs along the way, but she avoided injury and didn’t seem to have any major problems with nutrition or getting sick, which has been an issue the past couple of 24 hour bike races. Overall, she freaking killed it. She had never done anything like this before, so there was naturally a little doubt, or maybe uncertainty would be a better word. I’m ecstatic for her, and so glad that she asked me to tag along.

I ended up covering somewhere around 35 miles for the day, much more than I planned on. Considering I had a broken elbow in a cast, I was extremely pleased with the effort. My total time out there was 17 hours, but I hung out at Phantom ranch for a while, took lots of sight seeing breaks, and took lots of breaks on the hike up North Kaibab hoping Chrissy would come around the corner. Had I been out there to take care of business, it probably would have taken 12 hours. Based on how I felt after just 35 miles, I don’t think I could have done 44, much less in 14 hours-even without a broken arm and cast. I just wasn’t prepared for something like that and she was!

Still, this trip sharpened my mental toughness a lot. It has expanded my imagination immensely. It has taught me that limitations should not always be accepted, they should be challenged. If you told me ten days ago after my arm was just put in a cast and I was in a great deal of pain that I would be hiking 35 miles in the Grand Canyon the day after Thanksgiving, I would have told you “not a chance”. Yet, I did it. My little nutrition experiment was a huge success too. I may have consumed 700 calories all day, and I probably expended at least 7000. I got hungry, but never felt starved or bonked. Something like this is where the paleo diet really shines. I think with a little more training in this arena, a 50 mile footrace in the mountains is completely doable. I do that, and then all of a sudden, a 100 miler comes into focus. Perhaps this trip is the birth of a new sport for the Caveman?

If you know who this is, you know what I’m talking about.

This holiday season, I give thanks for all my blessings. My wonderful friends and family. My health. The boundless opportunities for adventure. My freedom. Rocco. and so much more that I don’t deserve. I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and carry that love into the Christmas season.

God Bless,

Caveman

Partner in crime Chrissy, taking a pit stop at 4 Corners National Monument. Thanks for letting me tag along!

Well, shoot. I guess injury is inevitable if you are a cyclist, be it competitive, recreational, or even in this case, utilitarian. Still, it sucks when you do get injured. A completely fluke accident on Wednesday around 1pm has put me out of commission for a while.

I was on my lunch break cruising from my office over to the Division of Wildlife office to see about getting an elk tag. You take a right hand turn off of Main down this inconspicuous road. I was cruising downhill on my IRO singlespeed at a pretty good clip, maybe 18-20mph. There came a separation of sunlight and shadow on the road; I didn’t think much of it. Unfortunately, the shadow obscured my view of a rather large bump in the road, and I hit it dead on. Not being prepared for such an obstacle, I was bucked off the bike and commenced flying superman style. My palms hit the pavement first. There isn’t much skin left on them at the moment. I then rolled through my left elbow and onto my back, where upon I slid for a good 20 feet. Luckily, I had on jeans and a thick coat. I sustained a few strawberries and bruises on my legs, but as far as road rash is concerned, came out unscathed. I was not wearing a helmet, and very very luckily didn’t hit my head on anything.

The elbow that I rolled through is not doing so well. There is a fracture in the radial head. The elbow joint sac is full of blood, and I have very limited movement. In fact, the doc decided to go ahead and put a cast on, so I have no movement at all. There is likely lots of strain in all the surrounding soft tissue. It hurts like hell. More than anything, my pride is bit hurt. I’ve never broken a bone. I did it while on a routine trip across town, not even from some awesome MTB or ski crash.

This injury brings painful memories of the shoulder dislocation and how hard it made life. That injury was a bit more severe, but at least I had a loving wife to help me it. I’ve got a few weeks ahead of me in this cast, and then probably a sling, all on my own this go round. I’m already having great difficulty driving, typing, and simple hand tasks you take for granted, like opening or door, or unclipping a sheet of paper from a clipboard. It sucks.

At least i’ve been through something like this before, so am a bit more prepared mentally. Sometimes forced time off is good thing. While I’m dreading not being able to shred some fresh powder in a few weeks, I can look forward to lots of R&R , and a chance to get the paleo site a facelift, which is ironic since the site was built during the off time i had from the last injury.

Life goes on…