Into the woods

Today I knocked out what will most likey be my final triathlon of the year. An off-road tri down in Charlottesville. 16th overall, and 2nd in my age-group. One of the more fun courses for me.

I've done so many races this season I have practically lost count...some good, some bad, some fun, some, well, could be "more fun". Mentally I'm tired, and on the verge of burn-out. Its time for a break, I think. Time to focus on other things for a bit. In a way I'm glad I'm headed to the woods for the next couple weeks. An opportunity to evaluate where I've been this year, and more importantly, where I'm headed. Its going to be a blast, and an adventure I'm sure. But its going to be hard not talking with some people, and of course, taking a break from "all" of my loyal readers and fellow bloggers. No worries, 2 weeks and I'll be back.

Keep it gangsta'

Good Song: John Vanderslice - Plymouth Rock

Montana

5 days and couting til I'm off to Glacier National Park for some backcountry fun for 2 weeks. No bathrooms, no electricity, and no cars...just me, the mountains, and some critters probably. I'm hoping to see some bears while I'm out there...just hopefully from a distance, a LONG distance. Here's the rundown:

The Trip


We will be working among the towering peaks, majestic forests, and alpine lakes of Glacier National Park, which was created in 1910. President Taft set aside 1.4 million acres along the Continental Divide in Montana to protect and preserve the natural beauty of the area from mining and development. In 1932, the park joined with Canada's Waterton Lake National Park to form Waterton/Glacier International Peace Park.

True to the park’s name, glaciers abound here in the shadows of towering peaks. Abundant wildlife, including mountain lions, grizzly bears, wolves, and moose roam the park. We'll likely be working in the western part of the park, which has a wilderness feel and older trails than other parts of Glacier.

The Project

We'll be on the west flank of the Continental Divide in the Middle North Fork area of the park. The name comes from a fork in the Flathead River, which limits entry into the area. We'll need to ford the river when we hike in to our campsite (remember to bring Tevas or water shoes in addition to hiking boots). Our work will be mostly trail restoration: building turnpikes, water bars, drainage work, and brushing. We will work hard on the days we work, and play hard on our off days!

Itinerary

The closest commercial airport is in Kalispell, Montana, about 45 minutes from the park. Amtrak stops in the town of West Glacier, near park headquarters. Flathead-Glacier Transportation can provide shuttle service to the park as well. Call (406) 892-3390. You are responsible for arranging your own transportation to the group campsite, but information will be provided for those who wish to carpool. We’ll meet and provide the first official "get acquainted" dinner at a group campground near the park headquarters, in West Glacier, on day one. Please arrive no later than 5 p.m. The specific location and map to this group campsite will be provided later.

Breakfast the next morning will be at the campsite, after which we will shuttle to the trailhead for the hike in to our base camp. On that first day, we'll hike to base camp, set up our tents, and get oriented. The hike in will be approximately 4-7 miles, with just a small amount of elevation gain and will require fording the wild and scenic Middle Fork of the Flathead River. Water shoes will be required. Over the next eight days we'll work five days, taking three full days off for resting and exploring the surrounding area. We'll hike out on day 11; lunch that day will be the last meal of the trip.

Accommodations and Food

We will use our own tents during the trip at a group campsite the National Park Service will select. All meals and plenty of snacks will be provided. The menu will be largely vegetarian and participants will take turns assisting the cook. Group water will be provided for camp use, but please bring your personal water filter. We will use a park cabin nearby to store our kitchen, food, and personal items. If you have special dietary concerns or food allergies, make sure to include this information on your trip application.

Trip Difficulty

Overall, this trip should be considered strenuous due to the type of work we will be doing. It entails extensive use of shovels and pulaskis to install tread and turnpikes on trails in the park. The hike into our campsite, though moderate, will entail a water crossing. Participants should have had some past experience in hiking, camping, and backpacking, and be in great shape. Novice backpackers are welcome on this trip.

Equipment

In addition to your regular backpacking gear, you must bring at least one pair of leather work gloves and a day pack to carry your lunch, water, work gloves, raingear, sunscreen, etc., to the work site. We will provide food and the gear for cooking and a first-aid kit for emergencies. We will also supply water purification for camp and commissary use, but we request that you bring a water pump for personal water when you are away from camp. Our campsite will have a nearby water source. The leader will provide a detailed equipment list later.

Get outside!

Good Song: OK Go - Hello My Treacherous Friends

When the bells chime, don't board!

The Washington Metro Presents: Real Men of Genius
(Real Men of Genius)

Today we salute you, Mr. Arm Shoved Through Metro Door Commuter.
(Mr. Arm Shoved Through Metro Door Commuter)

Without your unwavering commitment to board a train that comes every four minutes, fellow commuters would have to arrive at their jobs on time.
(no one hopes you make it)

Armed with nothing more than an Express, you squirm furiously, undeterred by the total loss of circulation in your right arm.
(your fingers are turning red)

Please stand clear of the doors? I think not. While others may heed these warnings, you dare to push the envelope, and all others within five feet of the doorway.
(no one else matters)

So crack open an ice cold beer, oh gatekeeper of the Green Line, because Metro may Open Doors but you keep 'em that way.


Good Song: Small Sins - Small Sins

The perfect race t-shirt

To all those race directors out there, I do some races here and there and I think I have exceeded my limit of boring, 100% cotton t-shirts. I want, nay, NEED something more. So here is my recommended race partipant apparel criteria.

If its going to be a t-shirt then lets make it something a bit more useful. The days are behind us when triathlon were cutting edge, now they're simply trendy. Its not cool anymore to wear a "Some-random-town Triathlon" t-shirt, practically everyone has participated in atleast one by now it seems like. Instead, lets be able to wear them while we're actually training for our next race, and have them be of the finest blend of performance fabric. Doesn't matter what kind, just leave the cotton in the fields...and make sure it freakin' wicks! Colors...simple, anything other than white...because after a few workouts its no longer a crisp ivory, but a stained array unatractive color. Lets give orange a shot, or perhaps some crazy color that hasnt even been invented yet. That would be sweet. VERY cutting edge then.

Logos...no more blah pictures that show some random animal doing an excercise activity. Put in the effort to do something original, or work up some clever saying like, "Your mom does triathlons." Alright, thats not very original in itself but hopefully you're getting my point. We can do better people, and we can get this right...just take it one race at a time.

Ride it like you stole it.

Good Song: Midlake - We Gathered in Spring

A most famous, and meaningful passage...

But once your crew has rowed you past the Sirens
a choice of route is yours. I cannot advise you
which to take, or lead you through it all--
you must decide yourself--
but I can tell you the ways of either course.
On one side beetling cliffs shoot up, and against them
pound the huge roaring breakers of blue-eyed Amphitrite--
the Clashing Rocks they're called by all the blissful gods.
No ship of men has ever approached and slipped past--
always some disaster--big timbers and sailors' corpses
whirled away by the waves and lethal blasts of fire.

On the other side loom two enormous crags...
One thrusts into the vaulting sky its jagged peak,
hooded round with a dark cloud that never leaves--
And halfway up that cliffside stands a fog-bound cavern
gaping west toward Erebus, realm of death and darkness--
past it, great Odysseus, you should steer your ship.
Scylla lurks inside it--the yelping horror,
yelping, no louder than any suckling pup
but she's a grisly monster, I assure you.
She has twelve legs, all writhing, dangling down
and six long swaying necks, a hideous head on each,
each head barbed with a triple row of fangs, thickset,
packed tight--and armed to the hilt with black death!
...with each of her six heads she snatches up
a man from the dark-prowed craft and whisks him off.

The other crag is lower--you will see, Odysseus--
Atop it a great fig-tree rises, shaggy with leaves;
beneath it awesome Charybdis gulps the dark water down.
Three times a day she vomits it up, three times she gulps it down,
that terror! Don't be there when the whirlpool swallows down--
not even the earthquake god could save you from disaster.
No, hug Scylla's crag--sail on past her--top speed!
Better by far to lose six men and keep your ship
than lose your entire crew.

-Homer, The Odyssey

Good Song: Sun Kil Moon - Pancho Villa

Coming home

Flying back to D.C. in the morning...just needed these top 25 to get me back into the work mentality. Holla!

Are you a prostitute or a software consultant…

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1. You work very odd hours.

2. You are paid a lot of money to keep your client happy.

3. You are paid well but your pimp gets most of the money.

4. You spend a majority of your time in a hotel room.

5. You charge by the hour but your time can be extended for the right price.

6. You are not proud of what you do.

7. Creating fantasies for your clients is rewarded.

8. It's difficult to have a family.

9. You have no job satisfaction.

10. If a client beats you up, the pimp just sends you to another client.

11. You are embarrassed to tell people what you do for a living.

12. People ask you, "What do you do?" and you can't explain it.

13. Your family hardly recognizes you at reunions (at least the reunions you attend.)

14. Your friends have distanced themselves from you and you're left hanging with only other "professionals."

15. Your client pays for your hotel room plus your hourly rate.

16. Your client always wants to know how much you charge and what they get for the money.

17. Your pimp drives nice cars like Mercedes or BMWs.

18. Your pimp encourages drinking and you become addicted to drugs to ease the pain of it all.

19. You know the pimp is charging more than you are worth but if the client is foolish enough to pay it's not your problem.

20. When you leave to go see a client, you look great, but return looking like hell (compare your appearance on Monday AM to Friday PM).

21. You are rated on your "performance" in an excruciating ordeal.

22. Even though you get paid the big bucks, it's the client who walks away smiling.

23. The client always thinks your "cut" of your billing rate is higher than it actually is, and in turn, expects miracles from you.

24. When you deduct your "take" from your billing rate, you constantly wonder if you could get a better deal with another pimp.

25. Everyday you wake up and tell yourself, "I'm not going to be doing this stuff the rest of my life."


Good Song: Can't think of any right now...

Door County, WI

Well, half way through a well deserved vacation to the tiiiiny little finger of Wisconsin on Lake Michigan. No folks, there is really much more to the Dairy State than cows, cheese, and strange accents... Internet access is limited in these parts so I'm relaxing with a whole bunch of tech geeks in the Sister Bay public library. Wi-fi is beautiful. Anyways, life is great without having to go to work, and time away from the big city is just as nice. I've posted a myriad of photos that have been taken thus far. Notice the absense of concrete and people from them. Oh, and we're fishing for Chinook Salmon if you were wondering...only caught two thus far, but the week is young! Get outside!

Cana Island Lighthouse

Who is winning? The uncle, or the salmon?

Sunrise on Lake Michigan

Cana Island landscape

Egg Harbor(On the Green Bay side)

Coming back after few bites and big waves

Looking out on "The Lake"

Good Song: The Stills - Halo the Harpoon