AZTR 2013 Planning

[Sean Allan]

Thanks Scott, appreciate the work!

[ScottM]

Been working on on the GPX today.  Have the 300 ready, 750 is next.  Soon!

On to the 750, does anyone have a fresh (in the last few years) GPX of the trail from the Mogollon Rim to Mormon Lake?  I've found one discrepancy between my data and the ATA data that I can't figure out.

Hit me at smorris@topofusion.com.

Actually if anyone has a track from previous years in the race, I'd love to see it.

[Gimmearaise]

Been working on on the GPX today.  Have the 300 ready, 750 is next.  Soon!

Thanks for the work!!!
Heres my rough draft


I'm also wondering the best water sources In between Oracle and Kelven? on the water chart it says Beehive Well is "not good" so will there be water be at the freeman road cache?

Thanks,
NEIL

[windowace]

Thanks Scott.  Is the 300 posted anywhere yet?

[THE LONG RANGER]

OK! I've officially thrown in my hat for the AZTR 750 - no more just talk. I'm looking forward to being humbled by the unique challenges of the AZTR (as compared to the Tour Divide, for example) as I am more of a cold-weather mountain yeti, rather than a desert coyote and I haven't, "Mountain Biked" (saved for ill-advised trips on the Crosscheck) in like, 9 months. Hope to get some singletrack riding in beforehand, but I'm guessing you'll see me with crampons lashed to my boots and an ice axe in my hand, rather than epic trips to Buffalo Creek. ...well, actually, that sounds pretty good, too!

No real goals for the AZTR for me, except to have a ton of fun and to enjoy the desert solitude. Finishing really isn't all that of a priority (worried more about bike mechanicals than fitness), but hell if I miss out on the Big BDitch! Looking forward to seeing y'all on 4.19.13, (which is also my birthday!)

And help me, I'll be (curmudgeonly) purchasing a GPS soon.

Ray: Thanks so much for communicating with me about the shuttle you so graciously set up - I'll be joining Mark on the long car ride to the 750 start, which logistically is far more simpler - thanks for offering me a seat, Mark. We'll have a ton to talk about!

Anyways, can you tell I'm excited?! Bikes are totally awesome.

[RossC]

Anyways, can you tell I'm excited?! Bikes are totally awesome.

I'm also excited and also like bikes, we should go for a ride together sometime! 9 days till I fly out, 8 days till finishing work. S*&t is getting real!

[RossC]

Anyone care to guess why Chip is layed up in that particular location short of Oracle? Doesn't look to me like there's anything at that location? Is there a watersource or something close by that might have given him reason to go off route to bivvy?

[JosiahM]

Anyone care to guess why Chip is layed up in that particular location short of Oracle? Doesn't look to me like there's anything at that location? Is there a watersource or something close by that might have given him reason to go off route to bivvy?

I was wondering the same thing.  he looked like he was set to make it to oracle yesterday but kept getting off track.  wondering if he doesn't have gps and missed his turn onto the trail.

speaking of gps, is that 300 gpx file somewhere I can snag it? thanks

[AZTtripper]

Just a guess that he missed and easy to miss turn. If he dropped that far down with out realizing it he may have decided to bivy before returning up to the trail.

Could also just be a spot malfunction.

I know Scott is trying to figure out one section up north then he should have the tracks up soon.

Tim

[schillingsworth]

The first couple of points this morning show him continuing downhill!! Hope everything is ok.

[ScottM]

Chip must have decided Oracle Ridge was too much, or needed a repair/food/something.  Hopefully he backtracks, or continues on route, even having missed the lower half of Oracle Ridge.

2013 GPX for the 300 is up:

http://www.topofusion.com/azt/race-route.php

There's also a 10k simplified version in the GPX dir.  Looking more at the 750 now.

[JosiahM]

thanks for the effort Scott

[schillingsworth]

Thanks for the update Scott! It looks like Chip may have stopped at the hardware store? I'm curious to see what he does next.

[Gimmearaise]

Thanks for the update Scott! It looks like Chip may have stopped at the hardware store? I'm curious to see what he does next.

Yeah thanks Scott! just to make sure is the only change Camp Hope extension?

It looks like he's at the Library now??

[ScottM]

From Chip:

HI Scott,
 
I crashed on Oracle Ridge late last evening and landed on my knee.  I wasn't able to continue the walk downhill on the trail into Oracle so I beat it out down a road off of Rice Hill and stayed the night at the first water I found.  I'm in Oracle today and will take stock of things.  I think my knee will recover by tomorrow morning and then I'll head on fast touring the route.  I just can't imagine hiking back Rice Hill to rejoin the point where I bailed and continue it as a race.  Oracle Ridge is a bitch.

Water seems to be a bit scarce this year.  The intermittent sources seem to be going fast.  Otherwise, the trail seems normal to this point.  The cows are happy.

There you have it: Oracle Ridge is a bitch.

[ScottM]

Yeah thanks Scott! just to make sure is the only change Camp Hope extension?

Correct.  I spliced in better data in a number of sections, including lots of little (but obvious) reroutes in the Canelos, but Hope camp is the only real course change.

[Desert Pollo]

Good luck to you racers starting on the 19th.  Pints of Blue Bell ice cream are waiting for you at the Summerhaven store.

I'll continue with my race in the morning, knee willing, minus the section of Oracle Ridge I missed last night.  Who ever came up with the idea that the Oracle Ridge section of the AZT was a place to take a mountain bike?  Oh, yeah, it was Scott.  I would have taken off my pedals and hiked the entire length of the ridge but couldn't get them off because all the pedal strikes have welded pedals to the crank arms.  I now like Erik Lobeck's idea of no-speeding.  Perfect for the AZT - "gears are just dangerous".

Chip

[rhino]

Chip's reference

http://salsacycles.com/contest/video/5671

[ScottM]

SPOT note:

If you're planning to rent a unit from trackleaders and have not yet registered for it, I'd appreciate it if you can do so, as soon as is convenient.  Trying to get a handle on the number of units needed.

Here's the link to register:

http://trackleaders.com/aztr-signup

Or, drop me a note and let me know you'll be renting one.

Thanks!

[Sean Allan]

Scott, I signed up for service with my own unit and didn't get an email to fill out with the details. I don't know if that's auto generated or you send it out personally. If it's you I'll just wait to see it, if not, something is amiss.