98 Miles on the Mountains to Sea trail – 23,300 feet of gain

Day 1 – 26.6 miles – 8,500 feet (Marion to Summit of Mt. Mitchell)

The adventure started just before noon on Friday and lead me up the hills of Woods Mountain. The last time I was here these lands were frozen and fireworks flashed in the darkness over new years. Today the contrast was huge. The heat was challenging and the vegetation grew exponentially. The nettles broke skin multiple times as I ascended high into the Black Mountains of North Carolina. It was that irritating stinging sensation that was more of a nuisance than a sharp pain. After reaching highway 80 and the parkway a slight breeze was a sigh of relief, but little water trickled down the streams which only accelerated the dehydration process. I passed a long black snake, one of three I would see this weekend. When I approached the Black Mountain Campgrounds I was able to refill water and made a popsicle purchase from the ranger. This was especially tasty, and helped cool me down.

I continued my ascent, pushing to make it up to the summit before the restaurant closes at 8pm. I stood on the summit of Mt. Mitchell at 7:36pm, drenched in sweat, and yelled out a coyote howl which I learned in Ojai, California! Success, I was there. A mountain dance was in order. After a few minutes I realized that I needed to eat, and I had little time before the restaurant would close. I hiked down to the parking lot and did not see Greg. The restaurant was at least a mile or so away, so I ran down hwy 128 when Greg’s truck rolled up and we both made it to the restaurant minutes before 8pm. I warmed my wet shivering body with a bowl of warm vegetable soup, and ate some good ole country cooking. We then camped out at the summit campgrounds and fell asleep under the stars along with several others camping at the top. Day one was completed, I was in good shape and in high spirits, a great weekend was starting.

Day 2 – 38 miles – 7,000 feet (Mt. Mitchell Summit to Asheville)

Me and Greg awoke by the sounds of a Mt. Mitchell State Park ranger. His name was Matt, and he is a cool fellow whom we met last night as we pulled into the campground. It was 5am and he had his rifle out, holly crap what was going on. The sun was still an hour away. “Mohammed and Greg, I have bad news for you.” Surly this could wait until the sun came up, I still have another 71 miles to go yo! That was my initial thought. “A bear broke into your truck and ate all of your food” the ranger said in a calm tone. Whoooooaa!!! We grabbed our headlamps and hiked down to the car which is where we met Jerry, a man who slept in his car and who had wet his pants as an eye witness to the 350 lbs 7 foot black bear that robbed us of our breakfast. The trucks window was busted, and bear paw prints littered the car. All the food was gone, including running bottles, and all! We managed to find some Gu that he did not eat, and our packs unharmed. He did leave one running bottle, but not before he sunk his teeth into it making it useless for us!

This was not in the plan! What to do now? We gathered our thoughts and decided to make due with what we had, which was little. We both still had our bladders, so we could scrap by with what water we had. Matt the ranger was a very nice guy, an aspiring marathoner, helped us tape up Greg’s truck, allowed us to park it somewhere safe, and gave us coffee before we departed from the summit of Mitchell. Both me and Greg were shaken up a little by the situation, but decided that life takes many turns, some you never expect. Who would have thought this would be part of our journey?

We pushed on downhill and continued down the Mountains to Sea trial. This section is very rocky and technical. I had a few left over chips from yesterdays running and a banana for breakfast. My body was craving food and all I could think of at this point was the food that David would be bringing at Beetree gap, I could eat anything at this point. I must have eaten seven flies, unintentionally, and they didn’t fill me up. We criss crossed the parkway and went thru Balsam Gap, Glassmine Falls, and Greybeard Mountain. We finally reached the Craggy Gardens and saw the rhododendron in full bloom, a fine pink shrub. We skirted over the Craggy Gardens parking lot and poped out at a road with no sign and kept going. Of coarse, memories of the 2007 Pitchell flashed in my mind instantaneously. I remember thinking silently, had we passed Beetree Gap? David would have been there if we did, so we kept pushing on. A mile or so later we crossed the parking lot again, and we called David. He met us on the parkway just as we were about to start the climb up Lane Pinnacle and fresh turkey sandwiches and sun chips replenished my body with much needed calories. I ate 3/4th of a foot long and several ounces of chips with additional salt. David and John decided to join in the rest of the day, we still had 20 miles to go. The climb up Lane Pinnacle was steep by not as steep as the opposite direction, and I ran past a large slab of rock where me, Adam, and Stu once stood during the Pitchell run. We continued, following the white dot towards Asheville. We ran thru streams, hiking up the hills, running downhill, and just going with the flow and having a great time. If it felt like it was too much work, I backed off and speed hiked. My legs felt good, and we were on our way to the Folk Art Center. From there we called Adam who later met us on the trail and guided us to his abode. Day 2 was drawing to an end, but not before some monster burritos and late night stories on the patio!

Mamacitas hit the spot!

Day 3 – 33 miles – 7,800 feet (Asheville to Mt. Pisgah summit)

I woke up a little cramped, dehydrated, and slightly wobbly. We decided to skip breakfast and hit up the Starbucks along the way on Hendersonville Road. This isn’t a race, its an adventure, and a spinach and egg wrap was totally in order. We took off from Adams at 7:36am and ran for over an hour before reaching the Starbucks. We went off trail for a half a mile or so and spent the next two minutes sipping coffee, and downing some calories. I had a large frappachino to go for the trail! It was going to be a hot day, why not down the cold stuff? We pushed on. I was running with John at this point, and David was helping with the water/crew situation. Greg left for home earlier that day. We again criss crossed the parkway several times, and lost the trail once because the vegetation was very overgrown. Just before reaching the French Broad River, John and I ran into the trio: Anne, Rebekah, and Jenny. These ladies made our adventure look like a walk in the park. While I ran thru some nettles that scraped my thighs and calves, they bushwhacked 15 mountains which clearly did a number on their legs. Their goal: summit all 40 North Carolina peaks over 6,000 feet in a week. This would mean averaging 42 strenuous miles per day. I was struggling to average 32 miles a day, with no bushwhacking! We chatted for a few minutes and exchanged hellos, and were off crossing the French Broad River.

The heat of the day began to slow us both down, and we both took in water conservatively, calculating when we would see David again. I knew I could sweat really well, but John is the first man that I have met who sweats more than me! We met up with David at Sleep Gap, and refueled the water and calories and kept pushing along. David mentioned that it was 87 degrees. We pushed thru Sleepy Gap and saw another long black snake. We then made our way to Beaver Dam Gap, Big Ridge, and then for our last water stop Elk Pastor overlook.

From Elk Pastor, the three of us made the push up Little Pisgah. We all knew this would be a climb and it took some time to ascend Little Pisgah and then the final push to the summit of Mt. Pisgah. I felt a sense of joy that I was nearing the finish so I pushed harder and run some of the sections uphill! I stood on top of Mt. Pisgah at 4:36pm, exactly 9 hours from when I started. After snapping a summit photo my camera battery died, and I was not able to get in a Mt. Pisgah mountain dance!

I laid on the summit, catching my breath, and just thinking about where I started 96.5 miles ago off of Hwy 221 in Marion, I still had to descend off of Mt. Pisgah, another 1.5 miles down. I made a few phone calls and waited for David and John to catch up. After David made it to the summit he told me that John was not feeling so well, and might struggle to make it to the top. I had faith in John, and decided to just soak up the views from the top and wait for him. It was here a revelation came to me. A messenger appeared atop Pisgah and called out “Are you the one they call Mohammed?” I replied back “Yes, I am Mohammed, the descendent of the prophet Abraham, what news do you bear?” The messenger replied with a shortness of breath “Your disciple John sends a message that he will not make it to the summit, and will wait for you at the base of the mountain.”

John must have decided not to go onto the summit. I began my descent. Within minutes I saw John hiking uphill in good spirits. Whoa? He changed his mind and made it to the top of Pisgah. We all drove back to Asheville for some of Marco’s Pizza which hit the spot.

All in all, great weekend, with great friends, and lots of elevation gain. This certainly will help me set the tone for Hardrock in a few weeks! I want to thank Greg, Adam, David, and John who helped me finish this small journey from Marion to Mt. Pisgah. The total mileage on the Mountains to Sea Trail was 92.1 miles, with 2.5 miles on asphalt getting to and from Adams house and making a small detour to Starbucks. Running up Mt. Pisgah and back down was an additional 3 miles for a grand total of 97.6 miles! Why didn’t I just run a quick 2.4 miles to complete a 100? I'm saving it for Hardrock!

Pre Reverse Pitchell 3 Stage - 95.6 Miles

Ok, so I'm still on a natural high from Colorado and it’s amazing peaks! I'm channeling that energy into some more Hardrock training. My goal is to travel any distance and have a minimum net elevation gain of 20,000 feet. There you go, figure that one out!

Here is what I came up with. 95 miles on the Mountains to Sea Trail from Marion, NC to Mt. Pisgah and summiting Mt. Mitchell along the way. It’s hard to say what the exact net elevation gain is, but my estimates are around 23,000 feet. This will only be two thirds of what I should expect on Hardrock minus the altitude in less time (brings back memories of Coyote 2 Moon action). But what the hell, I’ll take what I can get.

I’ll start in Marion at the Woodlawn Center and run up Woods Mountain, past Hwy 80, thru the Black Mountain Campgrounds, swim thru the South Toe River, and up Commissary Ridge to the summit of Mt. Mitchell. There I will bust out a mountain dance and enjoy some of the fine dining that mountain has to offer before I bivouac on the summit in my bivy. Ill will hit the trail at sunrise with 26.6 miles on my odometer the next day and run down the mountain to Balsam Gap, past Bullhead Mountain, into Craggy Gardens, thru Beetree Gap, Wolfden Knob, past the Folk Arts Center, and into Ashevegas! Ill crash in Asheville for the night, clean up, refuel, and with 64.6 miles on my odometer I’ll need the rest. At sunrise again I’ll be out the door with the sights of Pisgah’s summit in focus. Ill run thru the rest of Asheville, run over 26, swim across the French Broad, summit Lance Mountain, thru Grassy and Cold knobs, trot thru the Beaver Damn Gap and Shell Knob, cross over Elk Pasture Gap, Overlook wave at Little Pisgah and head for the summit of Mt. Pisgah! Odometer will finally read 95.6 miles.

Mt. Elbert 14,440 ft. (4,401M)

Saturday June 6th 2009 – Mt. Elbert, Colorado

We left the Chateaux at 4:40am. We wanted the snow to be harder than yesterday, so an earlier start will give us a chance at the summit, depending on snow conditions. Mt. Elbert is the highest mountain in Colorado, and the second highest mountain in the lower 48 states after Mt. Whitney in California. It stands 14,440 feet (4,401M) high. Climbing it in the late summer will give you a chance at an easier summit because the snow would have mostly melted away, but in early June the snow was certainly out and about.

We drove past the old silver mining town of Leadville, Co (10,152 feet), famous in the Ultra community for the Leadville 100. The welcome sign said “Welcome to Leadville. On top of it all.” Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States.

Our start time for today was 6:08am. The first mile or so is on the famous Colorado Trail, and then we hung a right on the Mt. Elbert Trail. We ascended another 1,000 feet before we got above tree line. I could feel that today would be colder, but it was earlier than yesterday so I didn’t think anything of it. I was with George, Bill, and Pam. All of us had summated Mt. Elbrus the year before in Russia, and had climbed other high mountains around the world. Putting Mt. Elbert on our resume was something we all planned to do today.

The climb was steep, but less steep than Quandary Peak, and the snow seemed to be less. Maybe it was because of the way the sun beamed down on Elbert. After taking a few breaks, I decided to push on and go for the summit on my own. I ate a turkey croissant and an orange which was my fuel to ascend to the summit. The wind was harsh, and I was breaking trail above 13,000 feet as there was a fresh layer of snow from the night before. I was rest stepping with my Brooks Cascadias as I wanted to break them in to prepare for Hardrock 100.

After climbing up two false summits, the true summit was in sight, another 100 feet of vertical ascent and I would be standing on top of Colorado. The wind here was blowing at an excess of 70 mph. A combination of snow drift and tiny icicles would lash out with no warning and would sandpaper my face despite the buff I wore around my neck and face. This gave me an intense stinging feeling, and was like a natural microdermabrasion to the face.



Video: Summit of Mt. Elbert at 14,440 feet

Very close to the summit a powerful gust of wind blew and I feared that my body would lift off the mountain and fly away. I hunkered down, both knees to the ice and waited for 2 minutes. The summit was on a narrow snow ridge which probably would melt away in a month. It was here the serious thought of turning around came to mind. I waited it out. The wind died down for a few moments and I was on the summit at 9:55am (3:47 hrs). I enjoyed the summit views and more microdermabrasions for 12 minutes. I met Clint (61 years old), a Leadville native who has climbed all the Co. 14ers, on the summit. He thanked me for breaking trail and offered to take a summit photo of me. During the 12 minutes on the summit Clint pointed out all the peaks that surrounded us.

I descended slowly, and the snow was not soft like Quandary Peak, but icy. Continuing as much as I could with my heel step on the descent I felt safe coming down. The ice was hard on some sections and I was having some difficulty kicking it in. It was here I broke out the ice axe and the crampons! Soon after I laid down my pack, Pam, Bill, and George appeared. They were looking strong and were all wearing boots and crampons. I warned them they summit would be windy, and high fived them all. They pushed upward to the summit while I descended slowly.


Click on photo above: Can you see three climbers ascending to the Summit?

The weather down below was a bit warmer and less windy. I knew I would have at least an hour before the rest of the summit team made it to the top and back to where I was. I was in no hurry to get off the mountain, so I strengthened my lungs with a high altitude mountain dance. After waiting a while and getting snowed on, and getting colder, I descended more. I hung out with a marmot for a few minutes and descended further. We rendezvoused on the mountain at tree line and went out for dinner that night.

My first visit to Colorado was amazing, and I have a feeling that I will be attempting more 14ners to come!

Quandary Peak - 14,271 ft. (4,350M)

Thursday June 4th 2009 – Breckinridge, Colorado

After sitting on the tarmac for 45 minutes our pilot explains that we are next in line for take-off. It’s drizzling rain, humid, and gloomy in Charlotte. Within minutes we are cruising at 30,000 feet and are now completely above the weather system. The sea of clouds remind me of the endless dunettes (small sand dunes in French) in the Sahara.

After landing we make our way to Bills house in Breckinridge. The plan tomorrow is to be out the door by 7am and hike up to Quandary Peak (14,271 feet). Bill has cautioned me that if I wanted to reach the summit I would need full rain gear, ice axe, my double plastics, crampons, etc. So I packed it all.

Friday June 5th 2009 – Quandary Peak, Colorado

We left the house by 7am and made a pit-stop for breakfast. I had oatmeal with blueberries and brown sugar. This would be fuel to get me to the summit.

We began our ascent at 8:35am, the trailhead elevation was at 10,890 feet. Taking our time to hike up, and acclimatizing, we made several stops for some hydration and calories. I was in no hurry, taking photos and some videos of the amazing expansive views before me. The climb up Quandaray can be steep in some sections and the ridge is narrow. I few feet to the right and a few feet to the left could be a fatal fall of 800 feet, you don’t want to slip here. The snow had built up nicely and a cornice had formed high up on the ridge which I took note of. As I ascended into the Colorado skies I noticed black clouds moving in. The summer time in Colorado is known for afternoon storms and clouds. I decided to pick up the pace and get my first Colorado 14er under my belt. I was at the summit at 11:25am (2:50hrs) and I was surprised at how calm it was at the summit. I made a few phone calls and took some shots of the majestic views. I decided to spend some time on the summit as I was feeling good and pulled out some sweet Western Cherries and cooled them on the summit snow, then gobbled them up. Shortly after I began my descent.

The was softening as it was warming up later in the day. Take huge strides digging in with my heel allowed me to cover the descent in 10% the time it took me to climb it up on the ridge. I had my ice axe out in front of my chest in “ready mode.” I prepared to fall at any point and arrest myself should I need to do so. After I was off the snow, I trotted down to the car and unloaded my heavy gear. I was feeling great to be high up in the Rockies and decided to go for a run. So I did just that, and ran from the trailhead to Erics Pizza in Breckinridge (8.3 miles away) in 1:15hrs. I downed a French Onion soup and 2 and 1/3 slices of pizza with my Mt. Elbrus climbing buddies and went back to Bills for more food. We enjoyed a new culinary concept to me that is originally Swiss, grilling on the Raclette. It was fantastic!

Devils Garden on the MTS - 18 miles

I went out with my rock climbing buddies to Stone mountain on a Sunday afternoon. After running 6 miles on the road (4 because I was headed in the wrong direction) I hit the Mountains to Sea Trail (MTS) to the parkway and back. The climb up to Devils Garden on the Blue Ridge Parkway was steep, about 6 miles each way.

It was hot and I guzzled down the 3 liters I was carrying prematurely, leaving me dry for the last 40 minutes of my trek. I laid in the creek for 10 minutes in the 80+ degree heat. It felt great.

Total ascent for the day was 3600 feet. 12 miles on MTS, 6 miles on road, 18 miles total. Its great to be outdoors!

Assault on Pisgah 27 Mile Loop

The morning started with a 4:40am alarm. I woke up, took a shower, and packed my backpack with hydration and some calories. I was at Adams by 8:00am and we were on the trail by 9:00am. I started with just a hand held bottle because Carol, Andrews wife, volunteered to drive up to the Mt. Pisgah parking lot. I would be able to move a little faster with the lighter load. The first few miles went by quick with several stream crossings. I was wearing a new pair of the Brooks Cascadias, and this was a great way to break them in.

A mile after we started running, a bee stung me. It was very painful at first, but the pain subsided during the day, but never wore off completely. At first I was avoiding some of the small puddles and muddy sections on the trail, I had new shoes on! Adam told me not to worry, that they would be surly wet as we had half a dozen streams to cross, some waist deep. Then I got into the splish splash action, and crossed foot numbing streams. We then began to ascend little Pisgah and took a left on the parkway. By this time I could really feel the heat, and I popped in an electrolyte tablet. I was drenched in sweat as it was humid as all get out. Despite this, the humidity in this area is usually higher. We made it to the summit of Mt. Pisgah in just over 2 hours and snapped a few photos. We then descended and looped our way back to the start.

On our descent we saw a black snake, which appered ready to snap by the time I ran by it. I stopped and pulled out my camera and took a photo of it. This must be the year of the snakes!

After the last stream crossing we all decided to jump into a water hole for a few minutes. This water was extremely cold, and much colder than I thought. I kept my legs submerged in the water, and my hands in the air. When I put my hands in the water I cant feel them anymore! It felt great. I pushed to the finish.

From there we all returned to Adams. I caught and hour or so of rest which was needed, and then headed off to the Camp Rockmont Relay and 24/12 hour solo. I was tempted to run this earlier, but was glad I chose to run up Pisgah and back. Later we enjoyed dinner at Caminos in Black mountain and I had some drip at the dripolator before heading back to Charlotte for the night.

BMT Fastpack – bailed at 54 miles

The five of us drove down to Springer Mountain, GA. Kevin Lane, Matt Kirk, Carl Laniak, Charlie Roberts and I had planned to run/hike the entire length of the Benton MacKaye Trail. We roundavoued with Josh Wiesner who helped us tremendously with logistics on the ground and on the website (http://runthebmt.wikispaces.com/). He also took photos and video of the first day.

We made it to the summit of Springer just after 10pm on Thursday May 21, 2009. Everyone laid out their sleeping gear and passed out. We got up just after 6am and a few people were starring at my sleeping bag which was an item of luxury for most.

We all took off at 8am and headed North. All of us had planned the entire week off from our lives to tackle this monstrous challenge. Yesterday someone mentioned that there was 70,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain on the BMT. That was news to me, but I was willing to give it a shot. Me and Charlie ran together for the first 20 miles or so. The plan was to average 3 mph, how hard is that right? It’s a lot harder than you think over several days.

At mile 21.4 we both reached a campsite with a side trail for water. Both me and Charlie needed water, I had been without it for almost two miles. The side trail descended steeply and Charlie decided to move on and I went down for some hydration. The water source wasn’t the best, and it was a tiny trickle that was hard to retrieve, but I managed to get some water and filled up what I could only to hike back up the steep trail I just descended.

At mile 25, Payne Gap, I passed Charlie as he would search for water. We later met again near mile 30 where I was refilling my bottle for water at a spring. Charlie never found water at Payne Gap and was hiking dehydrated. He filled up on water and I kept moving along. We both managed to make it to Aska Road at the same time because I made a wrong turn which cost me 20 minutes or so. This was the first check point and it was 7:45pm. I was happy to see a deli ahead which both Charlie and I stepped into. The owner was in a hurry and had already closed down shop, but managed to make me a turkey sandwich. It was there I barrowed his phone to call in (listen to audio). Charlie had planned to hike the entire trail unsupported, so he kept moving along. I stayed behind and gobbled up my turkey, a coke, and an ice cream sandwich.

From there I marched on the asphalt for over 3 miles. The asphalt did a number on my feet and I decided to take a 10 minute break at mile 40 at the Fall Branch Falls side trail. It was dark at this point but the weather was still warm. I took off my shoes and dipped my feet in the cold stream until they were numb. I dried them off, applied some hydropel and kept trucking along.

I had not seen Carl at all and I was wondering how he was doing. Matt, Kevin, and Charlie were all ahead of me so the night hiking began. I was moving slowly, but made my way up to Scroggin Knob which is where I saw Kevin laying on the side of the trail getting some rest. We exchanged hellos and I kept going. Just before Laurel Creek I saw Charlie preparing himself to sleep in his hammock. Just passed the creek I lied down, turned off my headlamp, and rested for half an hour or so. The bugs bothered me, so I got up, filled up my water bottles and thought I could continue for a few more hours or so. After 100 meters I changed my mind and pulled up my bivy and went to sleep, it was 1:30am. A few hours later Charlie rolled by. I decided to stay sleeping until the sun came up. Both Kevin and I were on the trail around the same time and we hiked up to the only shelter the BMT has at mile 50. Kevin was moving a little faster so I stopped to get water and we parted ways.

The trail was amazing. The weather was humid and slightly warmer than I thought it would be. Last night when I slept in the bivy I used my sleeping bag as a pillow as I didn’t need it. Many thoughts ran thru my head, it was an emotional roller coaster. Mentally I began to suffer after mile 50. I had already agreed with myself that I would drop out at mile 108 (webb brothers) and that I needed to hang in there until then. My feet were in pain, but still had some mileage in them. This is where the road march occurred again. For two miles I hiked slowly uphill to Woods trail. Just before reaching Woods trail I sat down on the gravel road, took off my shoes and soaked my poor feet in the cold stream until they were numb. I taped them up, applied hyrdopel, and kept moving uphill to Woods trail.

This is where I met Charlie again. I thought he lost his way, but this wasn’t the case. He explained that he had been sitting there for an hour contemplating dropping. I wasn’t alone! I told Charlie I was in the same boat, and that I wanted out. So we decided to have a hot meal on the gravel road on someone’s driveway and after we ate lunch we would decide. We both had lasagna which tasted delicious.

We hitchhiked a ride to Blue Ridge from a local. From there we made a few phone calls, and eventually my brother Hazem came to the rescue. He is a trooper and a life saver. We retrieved the car from Davenport and made it back to bed in Charlotte by 2am.

Linwood to Boulder 21 Miles - Crowders Mtn.

This past Saturday was my last long run before the BMT at Crowders Mountain. Me and old trail bud Greg Paige ran from Linwood access to the new Boulder ranger station, which has now been open for 3 weeks. It rained on and off, but was very humid. I also tested out my new inov8 22 liter bag which worked out well. My round trip time was just over 5 hours with a total elevation gain of 4,000 feet.

Pre-BMT

With 6 days left, the start of a grand adventure looms in the horizon. The Benton MacKay Trail stretches 288 miles from Springer Mountain, GA to Davenport gap on the TN/NC boarder. I plan to cross this trail on foot in a week’s time.

My goal will be to move constantly, and try to cover 40 miles a day which will put me at the finish in 7 days. To track my progress, you can visit Run the BMT home page.

Black Mountain Crest Trail 34M

Earlier this week my legs were craving some trails. After traveling to Africa I missed how the NC dirt felt under my feet. I snuck out after work Wed and headed for Crowders and put in a solid 13 miles up rocky top and pinnacle in the rain. The next day Matt contacted me about a possible Black Mountain Crest Trail (BMCT) traverse for Sat. It is these kind of impromptu adventures that usually are the best. Besides, what better way to ease into the Benton MacKaye trail than to get in a solid speed hike on the crest.

I left the home at 5:45am and made the drive up to Marion to pick up Matt. The moon was full, bright, and seemed larger than normal. Both of us were on the trail at 8:30am and began the ascent up Mt. Mitchell from the Black Mountain Campgrounds. I was carrying my pack full with one days worth of food and sleeping gear. On our ascent up the Black Mountain, within the first 15 minutes, Matt’s dog Uwharrie noticed a black snake. The snake was coiled up and ready to snap, so I didn’t get too close but managed a quick photo.

I made it to the summit in 1:54 which is faster than expected. The views from the summit were amazing considering the forecast had called for 50% scattered thunderstorms. While crossing the parking lot coming down from the summit we both noticed the set up for the new viewing tower ceremony.

We then took off on the BMCT and headed towards Mt. Craig, Big Tom, Balsam Cone, Cattail Peak, descended down Potatoe Hill, ran thru Deep Gap and passed the Colberts Ridge trail, hiked up across Deer Mountain, summated Winter Star, went over a few unnamed peaks, Gibbs Mountain, Horse Rock, hung a left around Celo knob and ran down to Bowlens Creek. I could defiantly feel a little tingle in my legs from Wednesdays run up Crowders. On the run down to Bowlens Creek Matt found some ramps (onion like vegetation) and we chewed on them. Be careful; do not attempt this while eating cliff blocks, bad combination. 17 miles from the start of our day I was at Bowlens Creek in 5:49, we were moving well. They weather up until Celo knob was fantastic, then the rain and thunder rolled in on our descent to Bowlens Creek.

The climb back up to Celo wasn’t easy. I was happy to be back up on the ridge, this would be the last point I see Matt until camp. On the return from Winter Star the trail disappeared! I ended up hiking up to the summit which is only 70 meters from the trail and then found my way. Then the climb up Cattail came. My legs were screaming at me and I slowed my roll and made it to the top of Cattail in a cumulative time of 10 hours. The wind had been blowing at speeds of 40-50 mph and the rain was on and off.

I followed Matt’s lead and took the Big Tom trail down and off the ridge where the weather was much calmer. I hung a right on the Buncombe Horse trail which latched up to the MTS trail 3 miles later and hiked down Mitchell back to the campgrounds.

Overall elevation gain based on our estimates is 11,000 feet. The distance was 34 miles round trip and this one took me 12:50 to complete. I ended up head-lamping the last 3 miles into the campgrounds. Later I tested out my Benton MacKaye set up and I determined I still need to tweak it a bit. Happy trails!

I consumed just under 3,000 calories for the day, which is listed below:

• Pizzeria Combo’s - 910 Calories (recommended by David Horton)
• Snickers bar - 280 Calories
• Parrbarr (made in Boone) - 325 Calories
• Doritos (Buffalo & Ranch) - 280 Calories
• Ginger Chews (8 pieces) 160 Calories
• Cliff Blocks (3 packs) 600 Calories
• Moosilauke Goulash (TrailFoods) - 410 Calories (very tasty!)
  
  Check out the video of clouds moving in on the crest!
  
  

NC Coast - From the East Atlantic to the West Atlantic

Two weeks after dipping my feet in the Atlantic on the Moroccan coast in Agadir, Casablanca, Rabat, and Tangiers I dipped my feet again on the other side of the very same ocean on the NC coast!

You would think I had enough of the sand!

Moroccan Adventures post MdS