Trans Utah 2009

[LyndaW]

Dave Kirk made it up here, Sand Pass (not a clever name...) at 4:30 and is heading along the top of Sunset Cliff now right at sunset. He is being treated to a spectacular sunset. These cliffs face west and glow a deep orange-red with the last rays of sun hitting them head on.


 

[Marshal]

Ah, nice dinner and then back to my hotel room to re-check TU Spot’s…..the comfort I am in vs the 'lack there of' that TU riders are in….interesting mental contrast

Anyway looks like Dave has stopped for the night, he has been putting in some ‘hours’, a good sleep and daylight should see him knocking out what looks like a captivating section tomorrow.


edit: Wow: no stoppee yet, must of ate, watered and still going.............guess I will need to SPOT check in again before beddy by........

[DaveH]

Ha, he has not stopped!  He spent some time getting water and probably dinner at the Robinson Guzzler.  He has taken the big plunge off of the plateau and into the heart of the souther traverse.  He is in the thick of it right now, oh yea. 

Just as enteraining as riding it and a hell of a lot easier   Thanks SPOT and Scott!

[DaveH]

And the plot thickens...

Looks like Dave pushed into the middle of the southern traverse before calling it a night.  3 days into this thing he has got to be feeling it!  

Weather is coming.  The forecast for Powell Point:



Dave should be able to reach Tropic late today and get some weather intel.  He'll have a really difficult decision to make when he gets there as he's got a hard time deadline, and those temps look intimidating, not to mention the 50 mph wind gusts...

The Flagstaffers are not far behind, but Tropic is going to be a tough one to pull off for the end of their ride today.  It looks like they weren't able to find the Pole Canyon trail in the dark last night and camped in a subdivision?  Sparse SPOT data gets in the way of accurate speculation here   Troy's latest text msg says he did some crazy glue dental work? 

Once they all begin making the beeline North they'll have this view to contemplate:



For the riders today, crossing the southern traverse is filled with challenges like this:



But there is payoff.

[Pivvay]

wow i so wish i could have made it. perhaps soon enough i'll get out of town somewhere.

[ScottM]

Thanks for the pics/commentary, Dave.  The speed plots are telling for both Dave and Blair.  A slow day for sure traversing the plateau.

[Marshal]

Dave pushed right on thru the small town of Tropic Ut, looks like he only stopped long enough to resupply, & has started the long climb up to Powell Point.  Impressive.
If he holds true to MO he will push on for a bit.  Looks like he may get up to around 8k before he camps up, that could work well for a push up to Powell.

Blair looks like he back tracked one section so he might have lost a bit of time. I guess he should see Tropic tomorrow.

Checked the radar map & looks like ok weather wise for now.  Forecast still calls for some activity by Wed morning.  Might be a bit 'scary' to keep climbing tomorrow.

[DaveH]

Our riders are getting it done!  It's worth mentioning this route has never been ridden in it's entirety in one shot.  That was one of the topics of conversation when they were at my house before they left.  I think it is still on their minds today, all riders really want to finish this beast - and be the first to do so. 

At 4.5 days into the ride fatigue is probably about as deep as it will get.  When combined with sleep dep, it does make good decision making a difficult process.  Trying to reason out whether or not to push on in inclement weather is probably the big question right now.  The storm doesn't look too bad from my office chair, but out there is considerably different.  Temps in the teens tonight are a possibility.

Dave Kirk rocks onward.  A short stop in Tropic was all he allowed himself before heading out for a few miles to the Henderson Canyon trail.  Plenty of hotels in the "gateway to Bryce", I'd have had a hard time not stopping in one

He's got about 90 miles left to go.  The "home" stretch is tough, plain and simple.  For breakfast he'll begin the ascent to Powell point.  Lots of singletrack, it starts off in sandy high desert and culminates over 10,000 in a deep forested plateau.  Plenty of views all the way if the weather cooperates.

Troy and Blair made good progress yesterday in tough terrain - Pole Canyon to Pipeline canyon in a day is a big bite.



From Powell Pt they will get a bird's eye view of much of the route.  Here's Tropic, Bryce Canyon NP, and the Paunsaugunt plateau (where they have been the last 2 days) from the top.

[Stefan_G]

Great job out there riders!  I made some offerings to the weather guides to at least keep the snow away 'til your done.

I'm really enjoying armchair racing this one, especially with the pics DH keeps posting up.  Thanks, Dave!  I'm pretty hungry for a big serving of Powell Point for breakfast, so be sure and have seconds for me!!  All I got was a lousy bagel.

[DaveH]

Dave Kirk wins the prime to Powell Point!  It looks like he arrived shortly after 5pm.  And, it looks like those forecasted snow showers have thus far not hampered things.  http://www.instacam.com/showcam.asp?id=TRPIC&size=L is a web cam for Powell Point from Tropic, and the time lapse for today shows mostly clear skies.

At mile 284 out on that point he's done about 45,000' of vert thus far.  He's having a super ride.

I've always thought the ride from Tropic to Powell Point would be an all day affair in the race.  7,000' of climbing and much of it on singletrack on this trail



Then a cruise by Pine lake



The top can be a blustery affair, perfect for Bristlecone Pines...



It's a great place to take your girlfriend



I sure hope he's taking a little time to appreciate the view and his ride thus far, and not focusing too much on the difficulty of the final 68 miles ahead - the toughest of the route.

[daralyn]

I talked to Troy today.  He and Blair are having a great time, despite the broken bridge (the kind for teeth, not for riding over) that the super glue didn't hold, so now he is a little toothless and had to re-bite his hamburger because the gap in his teeth left a gap in the burger bite too; and despite his broken glasses, which hopefully will respond better to superglue since they broke right in the middle and he is basically blind without them.  He says he feels a bit like an old man!  Eh, old men have a deep-down toughness to them.  He'll be just fine. 

Blair sounded chipper as ever. 

Thanks for the pics, DH.  It is fun to see some of what they are seeing too.

I'm so impressed with Dave's ride, and I'm not easily impressed.  Looks like he is riding smooth, strong, and steady.

[Marshal]

Looks like Dave is camped up at around 10k, gotta be cold, burr…..wonder if the cold will encourage a early start to gen some body heat or if a warm toasty bag encourages waiting for the sun?

Troy & Blair’s last spot shows they are on the descent to Pine Lake, I would guess they camp up there. Spot will tell………

Ha, I am really looking forward to the post TU de-briefs.  I Want to learn how to superglue dental, pro, cons, what works what doesn’t etc…..

[DaveH]

I'm not exactly sure how prepared they all are for the kind of temps they are experiencing right now.  It's 21F in Bryce and they are all well above that elevation, and Dave is at ~ 10,200'.  It was wise of Troy and Blair to stop where they did, a wooded saddle before a short descent to Pine lake.  Pine lake and the drainage they will ascend to Powell Point would both be a lot colder.  Dave went for the sunset views over comfort

I do recall that Troy didn't have a sleeping pad, but did have a fleece blanket....

Dara thanks for the update on Troy's ride!  His text messages add a whole new dimension/color to the spot tracking.

For breakfast today, Dave has some relatively easy cruising for a few miles, climbing to Barney Top to 10,600 - the route highpoint - then rolling terrain until reaching the GWT.  The GWT is fairly tame and entertaining until Barker Res, after which it is quite challenging to Mccath lake.

Early GWT should be quite scenic with the fall colors going off



Super trails leading to Barker res...



Before things start to get real interesting



as some ares of the GWT see very little use and no maintainence.  Once Mccath lake is reached it's easy terrain to Boulder - and food, shelter, vehicles...all the comforts of civilization.

[Pivvay]

Good luck Dave. You're a super hero, i mean it.

And Troy and Blair at least have each other. Maybe they'll have to whip out the mansnuggle to stay warm?

[jonesy792]

looks like Dave is calling it quits.  He's on the road and 15 miles from Boulder

[DaveH]

Yep, Dave has a hard deadline and needs to be back in Washington on Saturday.  It sure looks like everyone got pinned down by the cold last night though, that cost everyone a good chunk of time.  If the weather didn't turn wintry early I think Dave would have made it to the end.

In any case, that cherry for first rider to finish TU is still up for grabs.  Troy, Blair - you guys like cherry pie?  Looks like they are having a nice sunny lunch on Powell Point right now.  I'm a tad jealous.

That sure was a fantastic run by Dave.  A remarkable ride!  Way to go man, I look forward to hearing about it.  Hope you've still got all fingers and toes.

[Marshal]

I am looking at Blair's last Spot, it's sitting right at the place to bail down or continue on the route....which way will it go??

Looks like Dave is a few min from Boulder, maybe we will get an update tonight.....got ta be a bit of a downer to have to bail so close, but man what a ride!!!!!!!!

[DaveH]

Troy and Blair soldier on, braving some chilly temps.  They are over 10k right now at ~ mile 302 (!) and will find no place lower than about 9500' on route at which to camp tonight.  To get below 10k they will need to do some night riding, but the trails are well marked and maintained for the most part to Barker.  Another chilly night in store but it very well could be their last night out.  They will have about 50 miles left for tomorrow, and about 30 of those will take the bulk of the day.  It can be done but they might be having so much fun they'll decide to stay out 2 more nights...perhaps it will depend on crazy glue?

Did Plesko say mansnuggle??

FYI MC and PeteB left my house yesterday midday to tour TU.  Big spoon/little spoon is well established in that duo, I guess they've been down this road before and didn't seem at all bothered by the weather outlook.  I guess that's the idita mindset.

[Chad B]

To be bail b/c of a deadline has to be rough, especially when you are so close. Honorable mention and huge props to you Dave Kirk. Not sure how you do it.

[DaveH]

By now Troy and Blair have figured out the Tropic to Boulder segment is the crux of this ride.  Even without cold weather, it's a tough section, plain and simple.  At ~ 100 miles with 18k' vert and rustic conditions for much of it - I did warn everyone beforehand it would take *at least* 2 days.

I hope they stocked up well enough in Tropic for the long haul...but if they didn't they will cross 4 more roads that bomb down to civilization.  The real crux is to continue on course instead of down one of those roads  

After a big traverse below the rim of Griffin top they will reach Blue Spruce CG, where they'll get a dirt road climb detouring around a particularly nasty piece of GWT.  This takes them to the head of Box Death Hollow wilderness of which they will have big views, as well as UT and AZ landmarks.  Heavy aspen cover, it should be glowing brightly in the sunny weather today.

Boulder Mountain is the highest mesa I know of - thousands of acres over 11k'.  Lots of views once they begin descending to Boulder.



In the other direction the region of next year's route comes into view.