tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50829540788648452062024-03-17T10:39:42.285-04:00Hill JunkieHill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.comBlogger916125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-50371295559859044022019-10-25T10:34:00.000-04:002019-10-25T10:34:21.700-04:00TrendsCathy and I have lived in Durango for 14 months now. My, how time flies when you're having fun! When we moved here, I had no grand plans for training or competition. My thoughts were set more on exploration of this great state, not VOmax drills.
On prior trips to Colorado, I generally experienced little to no altitude sickness. Biggest effects of altitude were poor sleep the first few days, Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-42692349939297671672019-05-27T22:27:00.000-04:002019-05-27T22:27:02.309-04:00Ironhorse MTB Race ReportRemember when blogging was a thing? Some even posted race reports on semi-regular basis. It didn't take long for soundbite social media to exploit weaknesses in human needs to form social bonds. Posts longer than 140 characters can't feed the addiction and longer attention span content went by the wayside. The snack food industry has done the same thing over decades to perfection, Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-44763491309589567882019-02-14T23:48:00.000-05:002019-02-14T23:48:10.393-05:00Unshackled TerrainI completed another step towards taking in all that this great state of Colorado has to offer. I completed AIARE Level 1 avalanche training. It almost didn't happen. I was originally signed up with San Juan Mountain Guides in January. Then a tragic accident happened during an advanced avalanche training class where a student died in an avalanche. As an indirect result, my class, which was Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-78404711682160150052018-11-25T22:30:00.000-05:002018-11-25T22:30:40.275-05:00N + 1I bet you're already thinking HJ bought a new bike. Most have now heard of the catchy question "What is the correct number of bikes to own?" The answer is "N + 1, where N = current number of bikes you own." Well, this N + 1 is not that.
Over the last couple years, a number of friends and acquaintances have lobbied to get me into back country skiing (BC), or ski mountaineering (SkiMo), or alpine Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-6562518182125970622018-11-20T23:54:00.001-05:002018-11-21T10:19:23.088-05:00I didn't see this comingBefore "Fat Doug" became a memory, even before there was a Fat Doug, I've had an interesting relationship with food. I ate a lot, had a reputation for eating a lot, and got picked on for dietary habits. When I was 10 or 12, my best friend's older brother gave me the nickname of Fart Pants. I was an active kid and stayed thin until family and career made a totally sedentary lifestyle an easy trap Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-36814817162043115472018-08-23T23:32:00.000-04:002018-08-23T23:32:35.924-04:00Pinch Me, I Must Be Dreaming!Where do I start? It's been almost a year since I posted anything here. Blogs... what were those again? A lot has happened this year. Cathy and I have been actively searching for the ideal retirement community for a few years now. Utah, Idaho and Colorado were all contending states. Durango, Colorado seemed to check more boxes for both of us than other towns. Disappointment was the mood Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-77151394190319159292017-09-25T22:29:00.000-04:002017-09-25T22:29:13.736-04:002017 Vermont 50Don't know why I keep coming back to this sufferfest. The VT50 is essentially a 4-5hr individual time-trial. I have never gotten through it without cramping. This was may 8th time in an 18 year span. My first expert class MTB race was the VT50 back in 2000.
I almost bailed on the race this year for multiple reasons. First, my main steed wasn't expected to make it back from Colorado until after Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-26961970418875951422017-09-11T18:51:00.001-04:002017-09-11T18:51:16.429-04:00CO Day 9: Phil's World in the desert, avoiding high country lightningHad planned to ride Indian Ridge up around 12,000ft today. I attempted this a few years ago when I got caught up there in an intense lightning storm. Most scared I've ever been in my life. I never made it to the part called Indian Ridge, a highly scenic, exposed section of the Colorado Trail.
The forecast turned more sour when I got up this morning. 60% chance of lightning by noon even per Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-63342959999854961432017-09-09T22:23:00.001-04:002017-09-09T22:23:18.355-04:00CO Day 7: Junction Creek, the full montyI think I've ridden Junction Creek three times now. I wasn't planning to ride it this trip. This trail can be shuttled via a couple dirt national forest roads. Since I self shuttle almost everything I do, riding Junction Creek is a big commitment. It is nearly 4000ft net gain from town via Junction Creek Rd, 5000+ feet if going all the way up to Kennebec Pass. I've been up to the pass from town Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-85529132897097030882017-09-06T21:20:00.000-04:002017-09-06T21:20:48.261-04:00CO Day 4: Lupine, Paradise Basin, Trail 401, Tony's MTB LoopCrested Butte is my favorite Colorado town for trail riding. It is far from any population centers. The many hundreds of miles of trails accessible right from town are never crowded. The trails and terrain perfectly match my riding style too.
The air was super smoky getting up this morning. The wind is carrying smoke from numerous, large northwest forest fires over the whole state of Colorado. Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-16941328524702249812017-09-04T21:52:00.001-04:002017-09-04T21:55:51.521-04:00CO Day 2: Pikes Peak, Elk Park, Heizer LoopAnother big day on the bike. Paul was going to show me another one of his favorite loops that had Hill Junkie written all over it. Unfortunately, he couldn't make it today. I went ahead with his route solo anyway.
The route starts at the base of the Pikes Peak toll road at 7400ft ($15 fee, bikes can ride anytime now), climbs to 12,000ft to pick up Elk Park trail, drops to Barr trail for just a Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-43035499765217085392017-09-03T19:40:00.000-04:002017-09-03T19:40:04.470-04:00CO Day 1: Barr, Missing Link, Jones LoopToday I hooked up with Paul R. who showed me the goods higher up on the flanks of Pikes Peak. Paul moved to Springs from the NE a year ago and has been exploring routes with sick vertical that don't suck. Such a vast riding area, the possibilities and potential are mind boggling.
We started from Manitou Springs at just over 6000ft. We met early at 6:30am to get ahead of the masses expected to Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-73768206151645843902017-08-26T22:29:00.000-04:002017-08-26T22:29:45.753-04:00Mt Kearsarge. Washington wasn't enough disappointment.With bicycle hillclimb events going the way of road racing lately, I find it important to support the local events. Mt Kearsarge is one of these events, well organized, with modest entry fee. Many waited until the last week to sign up, so I worried it could be canceled. Before pre-reg closed, I was pleased to see numbers up from last year.
I beat myself up during the week, maybe subconsciously Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-61954791143709281112017-08-19T22:46:00.000-04:002017-08-20T14:55:34.129-04:00Mt Washington Bicycle HillclimbBack when there was still snow on the ground, I registered for this event. My motivations were: it would fall on my 55th birthday, age grouping up, it would be an "easy" podium. This assumed, of course, that registering for the race would motivate me to get back into Hill Junkie training mode with lots of VOmax and LT work on the bike. None of this silly trekking through the woods BS! This could Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-26127599307294335222017-07-27T21:24:00.000-04:002017-07-27T21:24:51.568-04:00Monadnock: It's Like Wednesday Night Worlds without the BikeI found a new midweek workout to get my hurt on. This summer, Soups and others have been meeting at Mt Monadnock state park on Wednesday nights for a run up the White Dot Trail to the summit. In case you've never hiked Monadnock, it is steep and scrambly. The term "run" is used loosely. The last half of the climb is slow motion hands and feet death slog.
What is so cool about it is in minutes, Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-52427385301469198422017-06-29T22:18:00.001-04:002017-06-29T22:18:16.925-04:00Genotyping for the MassesI remember in the 1990's when the first genome of an organism was mapped out. It was a pretty big deal. It wasn't much later the whole human genome was mapped. DNA sequencing and genotyping continues to get faster and cheaper. Genotyping, determining the specific genetic variants a person possesses, has become cheap enough to draw curiosity seekers in.
Many companies now provide ancestry Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-80619451053183157892017-04-24T21:09:00.000-04:002017-05-04T21:12:18.675-04:00Arches National Park with Cathy
[Previously posted on FB 4/24] I made a token visit to Arches NP 18 years ago when visiting Moab. Cathy has never been to Moab or Arches before this visit. Needing a break from the bike, it was a good day to visit the park.
The park closes down hard nightly at 7pm throughout this summer due to reconstruction of all the roads at night. Trail areas will be shut down periodically too. There was noHill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-40568276893869903252017-04-23T20:46:00.000-04:002017-05-04T21:13:40.804-04:00Magnificent 7: There were F-bombs
[Previously posted on FB 4/23] When in Moab, there are a few rides that are too good to miss. Yesterday I rode the (almost) Whole Enchilada. Today it was the "Mag 7." The Mag 7 links up several trails near Canyonlands National Park. Many shuttle the official route, if there is such a thing. Although the route has a downhill bias, there is considerable amount of steep, technical climbing along Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-53457388325266466632017-04-22T20:29:00.000-04:002017-05-04T20:31:12.578-04:00The Real Whole Enchilada
[Previously posted to FB on 4/22] There's this ride in Moab called the Whole Enchilada. It drops from the La Sal mountains all the way back to town. The vast majority of riders shuttle it. You can take shuttle service up to 8300ft on Loop Road this time of year or higher on dirt roads after the high country snow melts. I confess to shuttling this 4400ft downhill before. At one time, I had bankedHill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-19141438432751012572017-04-21T20:10:00.000-04:002017-05-04T20:12:04.926-04:00Moab: Day 1
[Previously posted on FB 4/21] Headed to the southwest with Mrs Hill Junkie for a warm desert break. We plan to spend most of the week in Moab before heading over to Durango for a couple days. Exploring "down the road" possibilities...
After bike build, I went out for a quick spin right in town on a trail called Pipedream. Had ridden this once before, forgot how challenging it can be when you Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-47296192885631945592017-03-26T20:11:00.001-04:002017-03-26T20:18:28.589-04:00Is New England a Gateway Drug to Colorado?This bipolar winter has been dishing out diversity in spades. It seems every weekend there were sweet conditions for one activity or another. Some weekends it is hard to chose what to do outside, because it is all good! This past weekend was a prime example.
Waterville Valley Skate Ski, Friday, March 24
Skogs and I had planned to ski on our off-Friday (we work for the same company) before Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-1994438341046062192017-03-16T22:29:00.000-04:002017-03-17T06:57:18.145-04:00Fat Bike Conditions FlowchartThis bipolar winter has made for exceptionally hit or miss fat biking conditions. Mostly miss. When we get snow, we get too much. Then few step up to perform the sacrificial work of breaking out trails for riding later. Then poof, the snow is gone again, and there is no need to muddle around on a fat bike. Even when snow gets packed by the user community, the end product is often less than Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-65785681764049610932017-03-12T17:12:00.001-04:002017-03-12T17:12:56.972-04:00Gran Canaria Day 6: Tejeda Lollipop Loop in Blazing Heat
After our "rest" day on Wednesday, the rides get progressively harder. The weather wasn't getting cooler either. Highs near 30C (86F) were forecast each day. Friday's ride was possibly the best ride yet on Gran Canaria. Very quiet roads, great scenery, feeling like you're "way out there." It's amazing how much difference getting more than an hour or two's worth of sleep makes too. The Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-52611469019759286102017-03-12T05:43:00.001-04:002017-03-12T05:43:24.856-04:00Gran Canaria Training Camp Day 1
A couple months ago, Brett was throwing out ideas for a
spring trip, “training camp” as guys often explain it to their wives. Roger’s
Italy training camp? Destination’s Mallorca? Thomson’s Italy tour? Or maybe
Thomson’s value priced Canary Islands training camp...
I had gone on a Thomson tour before, the Trans Dolomites in
June of 2011. I was impressed with the overall quality of the trip. Hill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5082954078864845206.post-26541594712959377282017-03-10T17:28:00.002-05:002017-03-10T17:28:58.447-05:00Tenerife Day 5: Up and Over el TeideDay six of the Canaries training camp was a logistical marvel that Peter and team have put together. The day starts the evening before for the Thomson team. The bikes are loaded atop the support vans and driven to the ferry for the transfer to the next island over, Tenerife. Our morning starts at a harsh 4:30am. We have light breakfast at hotel and pile into hotel shuttle for 45min drive toHill Junkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01901432169252097296noreply@blogger.com1