The Connector We stood there reading the plaque. The prior morning our shuttle driver Zach told us of a boy scout who died crossing Hop Valley. Erie and creepy is the feeling I felt. To be standing in a spot where a immense struggle came to an end. Tragic. We wonder what little overlooked details…

Hop Valley I really didn’t pay much attention to our route. After all my partner set the entire thing up. I admit now that it was selfish of me to not take a more pro-active part in the planning. But with stresses at work and such I really did not have the capacity. But this…

Kolob Arch As we hiked up an unknown creek the sun was hitting the walls of the canyon with such power it seemed as though they were on fire. As I stumbled around to get a photo my adventure partner was picking her way up the drainage. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing in…

Down La Verkin Now with morning coffee behind me the world seemed a little more doable. Exploring a new land, a new trail, a new adventure.  As we dropped down and started following La Verkin Creek my eyes gazed around at the towering cliffs and blue skies. It seemed as though the land itself was…

Morning Coffee The entire morning was a blur. Getting up pre sunrise is one thing, I do it all the time. And slipping out of my sleeping bag when it is 10 degrees outside is another, but I do that usually without incident too. But to skip my bulletproof morning coffee … now that is…

The plan is Trans Zion. Lucky for me my partner volunteered to set the entire thing up. Shuttles, timeline, camping spots, permits, and the like. But I am not lucky because all this brutal footwork, instead extremely thankful. Lucky because she planned a “down day” between my 24 hour race and the Trans Zion. After…

Fresh off Trans Zion I feel the need to reflect on a little 24 hour race we did before that. That is if you call a 60 plus deep field of solos tiny. A couple of weeks ago my partner and I attended the 25 hours of Frog Hollow. Thanks Cimarron! And because of a…

Jill and I have schemed in secret. Well not really, but we have chatted about meeting up at the 2013 edition of Frog Hollow. This place sits in the shadow of Gooseberry Mesa and Zion National Park just outside the town of Hurricane, Utah. This venue is the one and only place I have shared…