The View from Above

"Repetitio est mater studiorum"

Somebody's gotta get things done around here

In the last two years I've now made over forty trips up Mt. LeConte. Maybe one of these days I'll learn something...

All hail's breaking loose

Coming off the hill Sunday I'd have been better off with a kayak than a pair of boots. And if the clouds weren't producing rain it was only because they were too busy pelting me with hail. Needless to say, this did not fill me with motivation to go run trails all day everyday while I was off.

Usually nothing more than damp rocks

Instead of sliding around the mountains, I stuck to the local roads (which can be just as steep or steeper than some of the trails) and even managed to squeeze in a little fishing and cycling time.

Fight the current or go with the flow?

I hate to say my fishing outing was a bust, I did snag one hand length Smallmouth, but at the end of the day nothing to toss into the skillet. Which was my goal. 

For my weekly man-date with Dad we cycled about 30 miles and chose a more reliable food source for our post-ride meal than the Little Pigeon River, the Smoky Mountain Brewery.

Can you stand it?

What are you training for?

A recurring question. My plans right now are to enjoy summer and maintain a base. For certain I plan on racing the Lookout Mtn 50 again this winter. Usually once I've run a course I like to move on, but I really enjoyed this race. I also feel like I could have ran the race somewhat smarter, therefore faster. So we shall see. There are a few more races on my mind. TNF 50, Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon, and StumpJump to name a few. If anyone has run these I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Here's where I get to flip the question. What are YOU training for? Anybody got anything interesting coming up?

What A Beast!

The Adventure Blog: Kilian Jornet Sets New Speed Record Up Mt. Olympus

Composite Post

Pictures, Maps, and Snide Remarks from this week's adventures!

34.5mi, 10k ft elevation gain

Monday's run was another epic day, the kind that  inspires deep and profound thoughts on life (yeah not really). On this particular day I couldn't get passed the thought of "Damn I'm hungry!" Lucky for me, Allyson of LeConte Lodge was kind enough to part with two HUGE no bake cookies. Afterward I wondered if I was the first person to run across the summit of LeConte while double-fisting cookies...

18 miles of slow river, A 1PM start time...

Me: Cody Zurhellen!!!

Random Stranger: Did you lose your dog???

Me: I lost a guy in a kayak actually, (walking away muttering), Who the hell names a dog Cody Zurhellen?

Tuesday was a classic Dave and Cody ordventure (part ordeal, part adventure). We began a 10hr float trip with about 8hr of daylight left. Genius. Throw in some liquid brain dis-abler and you have the makings of a great day.

One of Suttree's hang-outs I'm sure...

We surprisingly made it through most of the day without a hitch. But near the end of the day there were some, uh, hiccups. And I wouldn't even say mistakes were made... Cody perhaps simply "over-achieved." It could be said that soon to be father Cody is a man who sometimes doesn't know when to quit. When the day was done (or should have been) he unknowingly kept charging down river, several miles past our exit point on the river. A long series of borrowed cell phones, hitched rides, and other logistical miracles ensued. I will not get into the details just yet...

Seeing as how I didn't get home until early Wednesday morning (or late Tuesday night) it would've made sense to spend my final day off resting, packing, and preparing for heading back up the hill... I of course went cycling with Dad instead.

A fine 32mile circuit of highways 416, 339, and 321.

Only a few negligible climbs...

Time to go back to work so I can get some rest!