Why Do You Have Monkeys on Your Shoes?

The question we get asked by every single child and trail runner.  Why do we wear monkeys on our shoes?  Why do the monkeys matter to us?  The other day I was driving down the freeway and I looked up at the monkey that is zip-tied to my antenna, felt a small shot of confidence rush through me, and thought back on it all.

It started 17 years ago in high school when Sam and I caught an episode of The Pretender where Jared discovers Barrel of Monkeys.  Back then we also took a few other child toys from that show and incorporated them into our day to day lives.  This would include our fine collections of Pez dispensers and the month we chewed hundreds of Bazooka Joe bubble gums in order to collect every single comic.  However, the monkeys stuck around.  We placed them under the bottom cross on our shoelaces where they wouldn't fall off.  We first put them on our track shoes and then on my football cleats.  They were there when I threw the Javelin and took 2nd place in State.  They were there with their hands ripped off on the muddy, rain soaked field after my final football game against Jordan.

The monkeys were mounted on the front of our duct tape wallets and thus travelled with us on our missions to Germany and Venezuela.  I remember looking down at my shoes while sitting in one of the large auditorium classes while working on my Computer Science degree at the University of Utah.  During the same time Sam would drive back from Greeley Colorado, where he was working on his masters degree and we would go on our annual car camping trip.  Without fail, he would show up with monkeys on his shoes.

When I began running in 2010, I mounted the monkeys on my first new pair of running shoes in over 10 years.  The monkeys made it with me the entire journey of my first half marathon in June, and then my first full marathon in September of that year.

We began to make the transition from road to trail running.  Sure enough, the monkeys made their way to those shoes as well, and it seemed they had never found a better place.  We began staging "summit monkey" photos on every new peak we summited.  They were there on the shoes when Sam completed his first 50 miler, and the same weekend they were there on my shoes while I was at the hospital for my six year old son Trevor who battles severe autism.  He was dealing with some mouth pain and some bad medication that caused him, for six months, to punch himself in the head and smash his head against the wall repeatedly. 

This year, the monkeys have travelled the length of the Zion 100k, and have been on dozens and dozens of peaks throughout several different states.  They were with us last weekend when we attempted to summit the three tallest peaks in Utah in one shot as part of our first attempt at the triple crown. And they will be with us in October when we have a go at our own OTM 100 course. Maybe they'll even end up on a belt buckle one day.

So, when I looked up at the monkey the other day on my car antenna, I had to grin a little.  It is a small symbol... or better said, a reminder of some of the great and hard things I've been able to accomplish by the grace of God.  A monkey that has quietly watched me do things that sounded really hard.  A monkey that reminds me that even though I'm training for my first 100 miler, or feeling worn down by Trevor's autism, or accepting assignments at work or church that sound hard, that this isn't the first time I've had to do something that scared me a little, and certainly won't be the last. 

The Triple Crown - running the 3 highest peaks in Utah

Well, I was supposed to write about my very first DNF at this year's Speedgoat 50K but I couldn't quite get myself to do it.  Now that is in the past and we move on.  It's time to write about this year's Triple Crown attempt.  This year the run was done in conjunction with Craig Lloyd's Quest for King's Marathon.  It's one thing to run to the top of Utah's highest peak (King's Peak - elevation 13,547) but it's quite another to run not only that but the next 2 highest peaks (South King's Peak - elevation 13,512 and Gilbert Peak - elevation 13,442)

So the 4 of us met at Sam's house Friday afternoon (Nate, Steve, Sam and I) and loaded up Steve's party SUV heading to Wyoming.  We stopped in the happening town of Evanston for dinner (like at 4 in the afternoon).  Who eats dinner THAT early????

We were the first ones to the Henry's Fork campsite.  We set up camp, gathered firewood, and had a few laughs trying to saw logs with Steve's magic chainsaw.

Soon, the rest of the crew showed up - DJ and Jeremy, and Chris and Francesco.  Everyone got set up, gear ready, and it was soon off to bed.  We were getting up at some ridiculous hour.  Now, one thing you ought to know is that I do NOT like getting up early.  I like to sleep in.  So 4 in the morning came pretty quickly.  Later on, I really appreciated the fact that we started early.

By 5 o'clock we were headed off into the darkness.  Now, the trail head STARTS at an elevation 9,430 ft. The top of Mt Olympus is 9,026 ft.  So you are starting ABOVE that.  So you know you're going to be gasping for air pretty quickly.  Now, one thing about running in the dark, you (at least for me) lose your sense of distance and the miles click off pretty quickly.  We soon were at the river crossing, ditching our headlamps under a tree and putting some drinks in the cold water stream.

Sunrise on King's Peak

After another mile or so we left the trail and started heading toward Gilbert Peak.  Pretty much no trail, just heading up the hill.  The last 3+ miles you climb from about 10,800 to the summit (13.442).  That's a pretty decent ascent (similar to Mt Olympus but with less oxygen).  Some of us slowpokes were still heading up the summit when fast boys -Nate, Chris, and Steve were already heading over to Kings.  The view from on top was cool and a few us took our turn at some awkward yoga poses (sorry no pictures).

DJ at the top of Gilbert Peak

By the time we headed down we (DJ, Jeremy, Francesco and I) were on our way to King's.  Sam gave us some vague directions how to make to over to Gunsight pass - go here, go down there, go around there, turn left, turn right, go down this chute, and whala!  you'll be back on the King's Peak trail.  Ya right!  Well, in not too much time we were at the top of a "little" hill and we could see the trail below.  The problem was HOW were we going to get down.  Well, we felt like our only option was to go down so down we headed.  It wasn't too bad really, just a bunch of sliding rocks and sand.  Heck, if you didn't really worry about your safety you could go balls-out and have a great trip down the mountain side.  Luckily, we could see Sam down at the bottom jumping up and down and shouting something.  We had no idea what he was saying.  Luckily, thanks to some good beta from Francesco who headed down first and we avoided the cliffs and got safely down to the trail.  Looking at my Strava it appears that it was a 1000 foot decent in LESS than a half a mile

Heading down the hill

Yes, we came DOWN that

We took at nice break at the spring before heading up to Gunsight Pass and over to Anderson Basin.  You might not think it's that far but it really IS that far.  Running across that boulder field takes a while.  Soon we arrived at the base of our final push.  Our group had become even more separated.  Chris and Nate were well ahead of us.  Jeremy was pushing ahead and I was determined to bag at least King's Peak.  After all, that was the whole reason I came.  Sam and DJ (and Babe) decided to call it quits and head back.  I thought Francesco might too but he gutted it out and headed for the summit.  Now from Anderson Pass to the top is basically a series of false summits similar to the last push up Mt. Olympus.  It pretty much is scrambling up the rocks.  Maybe if you were Superman or Ryan Lauck you could just bounce your way up to the top but not this 47 year old man.  No way.  Just when you think you're getting close, there is another push, then another, and another.  When you actually do get close to the top you see the REAL summit WAY up there.  But I kept moving on.  I passed Nate and Chris heading back.  They had bagged all 3 peaks and looked pretty strong.  Serious kudos to those two.

Top of Utah - King's Peak

FINALLY, I reached the summit.  There were about a dozen or so other folks up there (mostly scouts and scout leaders).  One of the leaders asked me if I was one of the crazy people running the 100 mile Wasatch race in a few weeks.  I sheepishly said "yes". Jeremy was already up there and had ants in his pants.  He wasn't going to be denied.  Off he went heading towards South King's Peak.  I, on the other hand had had enough.  I knew I had a good 14 miles back to camp.  I also knew that I was driving home that night, getting up early the next morning to drive all day to the trailhead for Havasupai.  I didn't want to die.  So I enjoyed my moment on the summit.  I was blown away but the guy next to me lighting up his cigarette to enjoy his "moment".  After a few pictures I headed back down.  Not too far from the summit coming up the mountain was Francesco. I was very happy to see him.  I told him I would wait for him down at the pass and we would head back together.

Top of King's Peak looking north to Wyoming

14 miles is a LONG way.  It's a long way even if it's downhill.  It's long after you've been climbing almost 6500 feet at 10,000+ elevation.  But we made it back.  I was really trying to focus on my nutrition and electrolytes on this run.  After Speedgoat, I really need to figure out and be confident in running all day.  I felt pretty good.  I ran at times but mostly took it easy as Francesco needed some extra encouragement to make it back.  One of the things I really enjoy about this whole trail running thing is the good friendships that I've been able to make.

We retrieved our headlamps and I really enjoyed the cold chocolate milk stashed in the river.  With about 1 mile left or so Sam was heading back up the trail to meet us.  It was good to see him.  Not long after that Jeremy had caught us after bagging all three peaks.  Kudos again to that guy.  What a feat.

The best part of the run was to get back to camp and have Craig's parents with all sorts of food ready to feed you.  That was just awesome.  What great people.  Dutch Oven chili and peach cobbler.  YUM!  What a great day.  Hard?  Yes, pretty much.  Just a tad disappointed I didn't get all 3 peaks but there is always next year.  Spending 24+ hours with good friends is a great way to make memories for a long time.

Totals - 31.6 miles - 6453 feet of climbing.  Gear - Altra Lone Peak 2.0, Ultimate Direction SJ race vest, Cocogo drink mix, Oakley sunglasses, Petzl NAO headlamp, GoLite shorts, Feetures Elite socks, and a bunch of miscellaneous other things.

2nd Annual Skyline Loop Run

I am writing this blog up a little late, but it is still a story worth telling. Last year Steve and Sam put together a run which they called the Skyline Loop 50k. I was planning on running it with them, but got a stress fracture in my foot two weeks before the planned run. Here is the write up from last year.

I was disappointed that I didn't get to run that route. After my foot healed up I started training again. In July, I shot an email to the other trail monkeys to see if they wanted to run the loop with me. Steve responded that he would do it again. We made plans to meet at our usual time of Friday at 4 a.m. I still had to work on Friday, so I wouldn't be able to run the full 50k. I added a few shortcuts to the route and estimated the new distance would be about 23 miles. The original route goes up Farmington Canyon/Skyline Dr to Bountiful Peak, down Skyline Dr to the Bountiful "B", and then along the shoreline trail back to Farmington Canyon. The first shortcut was to take the single track trail and the end of the pavement in Farmington Canyon. The second shortcut was to go down the Parrish Creek trail.

The night before the run, Steve drove up Skyline Dr and stashed some water at the top of the Parrish Creek trail. On the way to the start, I dropped of some water at the bottom of the Parrish Creek trail.

Steve's new ride.

We started our run at the Farmington Pond. We put on our headlamps and headed out. The canyon was nice and quiet as we headed up. Not long after we started, Steve was having energy issues. He figured it would get better in a mile or two, so we pressed on. Part way up the Farmington Singletrack trail there is an old car. Steve got in it hoping it would be a faster way to the top. Unfortunately, the engine wouldn't start. It was probably out of gas.




The Farmington Singletrack trail ends at Sunset Campground. As we went through the campground, we went passed a group of campers who were sound asleep, but their little dog wasn't. It came running out, barking like crazy, and threatened to bite Steve's leg. Luckily for me, Steve was between me and the dog. The dog's owner woke up and started yelling at the dog. He retreated without biting into any flesh.

About a mile or two later, it started to get light and we could turn off our headlamps. Regardless of how any early morning run goes, when it gets light and the sun comes out, it always seems to give me a burst of energy. Ahead of us on the road, we saw something moving. At first, we thought it was a skunk or maybe a raccoon. As got closer, we realized it was a porcupine. We came past Farmington Lake about 8 miles into the run. Steve was still having energy issues. I decided to go ahead and let him go at his own pace.

Farmington Lake, just after sunrise.

I made it to Bountiful Peak, which was about 10.5 miles, in 2:40. The views were incredible. The weather was perfect for the entire run.

View from Bountiful Peak looking South.

Me on Bountiful Peak. Same silly smile.

The final ascent to Bountiful Peak is a bit of a scramble. Coming back down from peak, I could see Steve nearing the top of the road. We exchanged 'whoops', but I didn't wait for him. I was a little behind my goal pace. The next 3 miles were a gradual down hill on the gravel road. The miles flew by with my pace dropping to 6:30 per mile at times. At the top of Parrish Creek trail, I found Steve's water stash. I wasn't completely out of water yet, but I was getting low. 

Parrish Creek trail.

I tried to push the pace going down the Parrish Creek trail. Although it is a steep trail, it is also very technical. My pace was slower than it had been on the road. I had the trail to myself. I thought I might see some campers at the meadow, but it was empty. At the bottom, I found my water stash. I had frozen the bottles the night before. They had melted some in the heat, but were still ice cold. It was very refreshing.

The final stretch across the Shoreline trail was difficult. It was getting hot and I was getting tired. I knew that I was getting close to my 5 hour limit, so tried to run as much of it as I could. I came close to my goal. It ended up being 1.2 miles longer than I had expected and reached the pond in 5 hours and 4 minutes. Steve's energy finally kicked in at the bottom of the Parrish Creek trail. Unfortunately, I either hid my water stash too well, or didn't explain where is was good enough, because Steve couldn't find it. Despite that, he had enough water to make it to the pond and came in about 50 minutes behind me.

This is a great run that we are going to make annual tradition. Those of you who didn't make it this year, we hope to see you next year.

Map and statistics.

Business Trip to Denver, and a night out in Boulder.

By Steve

Stats and Map of Bear Peak.  Fern Canyon Trail.  South Boulder Peak.

I had high hopes and big intentions while traveling on a business trip to Denver that I would have one of the best running weeks of the summer.  Sadly, it turned out to be my worst. Thunderstorms and a flu bug turned what should have been a couple 14,000' summit monkeys into me spending much more time in the hotel than I was comfortable with.  The big goal was to drive an hour south to Manitou Springs, climb "The Incline" and then continue up to legendary Pikes Peak by following the equally as legendary Barr trail.  Wednesday night after my business training was done,  I drove down to Manitou Springs to start up the trail, only to be absolutely disgusted by the lack of parking, terrible rainstorm, massive tourist trap that Manitou Springs turned out to be, and flu nausea that was starting to set in.  I turned around, drove back to the hotel, and then spent the rest of the night making friends with the porcelain.

But enough of the disappointments of the week.  I did get in one really good run on Monday night, and I'll share the details of that.

I drove up to Boulder after class got out.  I had searched on Strava for some of the high mileage runners in the Denver area and discovered some of their faster and longer runs.  I researched a nice area surrounding the Bear/South Boulder/Green Mountain peaks that were all in the 8,000-9,000 foot range.  When I arrived I was very happy with what I found.  The trails were all well marked at each junction, and because of that I felt comfortable exploring and following the trails more than I normally would have.  I started out following the trail up to Bear Peak, and the plan was to complete a loop that included all three peaks.  With all the warnings I had read of black bears in the area (for which the peak is named) I sang a fine chorus of "Yo-Bear... Moose Moose"  It's my favorite running song.  The upper part of the Fern Canyon trail to Bear Peak was the steepest section of what I ran that night and had a good stretch towards the end that was in the 1000' per mile range.  Following a very short rocky ridge towards the end, I reached my first summit.  I took my time up there enjoying the views of Denver and Boulder and then moved on to South Boulder.

It was a really short decent down to the saddle and then right back up.  Again, I took my time up there before heading back towards Bear because I was enjoying it so much.  Once I was nearly back at Bear Peak, the trail forks.  I went down the west ridge of Bear for the longer loop that would take me close to Green Peak.  This was a gentle, rolling trail that, given other circumstances, I would have loved sprinting down.  I stopped at the junction to Green Mountain and contemplated how long and how dark it would be if I went up and tagged that.  I had plenty of water, bloks, and both of my bright headlamps, but in the end, I decided to skip it this time.  Had I know what was in store for me the rest of the week, I certainly would have spent the extra time in the dark to tag it.

I finished with a total of 9 miles and a very slow 3 hours 16 minutes.  Beautiful area with beautiful trails.  If you ever have an evening or early morning to kill in Boulder, I definitely recommend this area and trail system.

 

Bear Peak Summit Monkey.  Looking south-east towards Denver

Bear Peak Selfie.  Green Mountain behind.

South Boulder Summit Monkey.  Bear Peak on the right.
Green Mountain on the left.