Training Log Archive: Bash

I'll be adding photos and reports from our Sedona trip but I've just written up the last day first so in case anyone is interested, I'll make a note when I finish them.

Last day in Sedona. The ladies and 'Bent went for a trail run (with some hiking) from the Mescal Trailhead to Devil's Bridge via the Chuckwagon Trail. The more enthusiastic runners added a little distance by running from our villa to the trailhead. Half the group was enthusiastic enough to get lost on the way out - in two different directions! Much of the route was quite runnable until the final climb to Devil's Bridge, a big rock arch. We shared the trail with tourists and mountain bikes but it didn't feel crowded.















Like most people (but NOT the prudent Mrs. Gally), 'Bent and I went onto Devil's Bridge for a photo.



Mia hiked up and arrived while we were still there.



On the way back, while waiting for Mia to catch up at hiking pace, we took some photos for imaginary running magazine covers. Unfortunately, she was one of the people who took a variety route so we didn't find her until much later!











It was lousy for rehydration but most of us had a post-run lunch margarita at Javelina's.



(Slight GPS adjustment because I turned it off near the top.)

It was hard to fit an organized yoga class into today's schedule as we'd originally planned, so I did a few of Caron Shepley's "10 Minutes to Zen" sessions on the patio outside our room.



However, this was *not* the only yoga of the day! :)

Sedona is a mountain biking Mecca so our talented tour guide Dee reserved us a high quality fleet of bikes today.



I had a Scott Genius 700 series size Medium - my first ride on a 27.5 bike, and I liked it. 'Bent was on a regular upright bike for the first time in awhile. He paid for it later with some neck pain but he survived. He has no idea how we regular folks ride down rocky, technical hills, leading with our heads!



Mr. Logie was our fearless leader - a talented rider who held back today and kept an eye on the group.



It was a spectacular loop from Absolute Bikes in the Village of Oak Creek following these trails: Slim Shady, Templeton, Cathedral Rock, Easy Breezy, HT, Bell Rock, Little Horse to Chicken Point, back on Little Horse to Llama, Baby Bell, Phone and Bell Rock.



The trails were mostly advanced or intermediate with a few easy sections. We skipped the double black diamond options due to the high cost of U.S. health care.





Tim and Mia showed us their west coast skills, which they'd been able to practise due to the west coast not having a real winter this year.



Dee



Mr. and Mrs. Gally



WandAR




Dee and Mrs. Gally



Chicken Point was a fantastic lookout, well worth the rocky climb. This time we took turns posing for a bike magazine cover. Here's mine.



Mr. Logie



Mr. Gally



At the lookout.



On the Llama Trail on the way back to the bike shop, I was behind Mrs. Gally when we thought we heard someone calling her name a couple of times. We stopped suddenly and I slid out on gravel on a corner and crashed down hard onto rock on my injured left hip, knee and lower leg. Mrs. Gally had to unclip my foot because I was trapped under my bike. The blood was worse than the pain although a week later, the bruises and scrapes are even more colourful and impressive so I guess it was a good one. I was having so much fun that I didn't really mind though!

We didn't climb any higher than Chicken Point but there is a famous ride called the White Line on the adjacent mountain. We saw some bikes up there - yikes!

Mrs. Gally led several of us in a post-bike, post-big-pizza-lunch yoga session with some push-ups and squats sprinkled in for good measure. The guys were all too wimpy to join in.

Most of our group had never been to the Grand Canyon so we drove up there today: Dee & Logie, Mr. and Mrs. Gally, Tim & Mia Logie, WandAR, 'Bent and me.



I was in so much pain running yesterday that I seriously wondered whether my Raid The Rib injury might knock me out of my big race in July and the two spring training races. Four days after the event, the pain and instability were getting worse, and I couldn't sleep on either side because my hip hurt so much. This was brand new and I had no idea what had caused it.

So it wasn't the best timing to bang my body up with a big descent into the Grand Canyon. I hated to miss it though; the Canyon is a special place for me because Dad, 'Bent and I went down to Phantom Ranch together as one of the items on Dad's bucket list. I considered dropping out of today's trip for injury reasons until I heard it was going to be a hike. However, these were (mostly) adventure racers and it didn't take long for most people to break into a run, which shouldn't have been surprising. :)

It was a tough day for me physically since I didn't want to damage my hip further by running so I speed-hiked at an unnaturally fast pace and ran a few kms when we fell too far behind the others. I was pushing so hard that I ate almost nothing and drank less than I should - much like some adventure races. It was great training. The good news is that my hip improved throughout the day and felt fine for the rest of the trip. (Although it is a little sore again post-trip.)

We started at the South Rim, descending on the South Kaibab Trail - one of the most beautiful trails in the world.



The trail is designed for views and often clings to the edge of a cliff. Mrs. Gally made sure that Mr. Gally stayed on the inside!





Ooh Aah Point is a popular day hike destination about 1.5 km down the trail.





The views just keep getting better. You can just see the trail snaking down the slope on the right side of the photo.





A couple of mule trains passed us, reminding me of Dad's great adventure.



The wild west rock formations along the trail added to the fun.



The trail continues along that ridge and switchbacks down the far end.



'Bent successfully guarded me against rattlesnakes. He was so successful that we didn't even see one.



Looking west from the South Kaibab Trail, we could see the plateau and the Tonto Trail we would be hiking next.



Mr. and Mrs. Gally



Switchbacks



WandAR, Logie and Dee waiting for a mule train to pass



Another section of trail clinging to a cliff.



We arrived at the plateau where the South Kaibab Trail meets the Tonto Trail, the longest trail in the Canyon. We would be heading west on the Tonto Trail to Indian Gardens where we would meet up with the popular Bright Angel Trail.



From the Tonto Trail, we caught a glimpse of the canyon bottom oasis that is Phantom Ranch.



The skies threatened all day but we only had a few drops of rain. Many cacti were in bloom - gorgeous.



The Tonto Trail passes through a few drainages as it runs along the plateau.



Tim and Mia hiking into the misty canyon



After a little more than 7 km, we arrived at Indian Garden, the treed area below. There is a campground and water source here. The wall behind it is where the Bright Angel Trail ascends out of the canyon.



Instead of climbing straight out of the canyon from Indian Garden, we went out to Plateau Point, which was a first for me. The views along the trail and from the point are beautiful.







After returning to Indian Garden, we climbed (and climbed and climbed) out of the canyon on Bright Angel Trail. We met lots of tourists here, some of whom looked ill prepared to climb back up. It must be difficult to be a Grand Canyon park ranger!









After driving back to Sedona, we all went straight to Javelina's for a great Mexican dinner made even better by good friends and margaritas.

Trail run/hike up Bear Mountain near our villa in Sedona with Dee, Logie, Mr. and Mrs. Gally, 'Bent and WandAR.



We parked one trailhead up the road to warm up on a more runnable trail before the big climb.







That's Bear Mountain - our destination - behind Gally and Logie.



We crossed the road to the Bear Mountain Trail and started climbing. Some of the trail was runnable and some of it was steep and rocky.





The views were good to start with but they kept improving as we gained elevation. I could definitely feel the altitude. I could also feel nasty pain in my left hip from whatever happened at Raid the Rib; it hurt every time my left foot touched the ground. By the end, I was wincing with each step. I wouldn't have expected a day like this to help matters but the pain was mostly gone 24 hours later - phew.



Interesting desert vegetation.





Cool, varied rock formations.





View from the top.



We'd been working so hard on the way up that Dee and I were convinced that we were taking a different route on the way down. In fact, only a small section was different - but it felt and looked different to us with more oxygen in our brains.









Hard work, great scenery and excellent company - a great start to our adventure vacation!