Rocky Mountain High

As many of you may already know, ultra-marathon legend David Horton will be attempting to break the current supported Colorado Trail speed record, held by Paul Palmroy, beginning on July 4th. Due to my past experiences as a support crew as well as my knowledge of the Colorado Trail, David requested that I act as his support crew in his attempt. Because a large majority of the CT lies above 10,000 ft., David must acclimate to the high altitude environment and therefore, will spend the next 3 weeks training at high altitude in CO before beginning his attempt.

With this said, David and I left his home in Lynchburg, VA on Friday morning, June 13th and arrived at the Pikes Peak trailhead 27 hrs later. After about 1 hr of sleep at the trailhead, David and I, along with Peter Bakwin and Dan Brillon (from GoLite) began climbing the Barr Creek Trail which would eventually lead us to the summit of Pikes Peak. Since arriving in CO, just over 1 week ago, David and I, whether solo or together, have covered a substantial amount of terrain, including 5 of Colorado's 54 14ers; 1 of the 5 (Long's Peak) we did not summit due to weather moving in at approximately 500 ft of the summit. So far, David's final training and acclimating is coming along well.As with any activity involving mountain travel, having a clear understanding of the associated environment is a must in order to prepare oneself appropriately. Obviously, the gear that I choose to use and carry here in the Rocky Mtns. is quite different than what I may choose if I were training, say in Pennsylvania. Thus, through trial and error, I have refined my "must have" gear list that I carry at all times while traveling in extreme environments such as here in CO. The following is my "must have" list: pack, gloves, winter hat, rain/wind jacket and pants, sunscreen, sunglasses, ball cap or visor, short sleeve capalene top, shorts, knee-high socks, inov-8 arm sleeves. For a pack, I have found that the Inov-8 race pro 12 with the horizontal bladder system, is the best for peak-bagging as well as 3-12 hr. runs. It is the ideal size in that there is sufficient room for a winter hat, gloves, rain/wind pants and jacket, food and water, yet not too bulky to be a nuisance. On the outside of the pack, the mesh netting allows room for my Kahtoola crampons when not in use. For a jacket, I carry the Inov-8 Mistlite 210 shell which I can say has saved my ass nearly everyday here in CO. While it may not keep me dry during a torrential downpour, it does an outstanding job at keeping me warm while high on the windy ridges. Since Colorado received a large amount of snow this past winter, there is still a solid amount of snow in the high country. Therefore, I have been wearing my Roclite 390 GTX when climbing 14ers. These are the IDEAL shoe for peak-bagging in the summer. I have been RAGING in these boots and they have not let me down. They are super durable and yet the lightest boot I have ever put on my feet. The Gore-Tex shell keeps my feet warm and dry while traveling through snow. In addition, my Kahtoola KTS aluminum crampons fit perfect on the boot, transforming the combination into THE ultimate light-weight peak-bagging boot. If my goal for the day is to climb a peak, I will not even consider any other shoe. As for the crampons, the KTS aluminum crampon is, by far, the way to go when peak-bagging involves steep, snow conditions. So far this trip, I have carried and used them on all 5 14ers that I climbed and would not have wanted to attempt the climbs without them. They are extremely light-weight and never an issue to carry when not in use. Another piece of equipment that I have come to love and view as a necessity is a good pair of sunglasses. I used to never wear sunglasses mostly because I could never find a pair that fit right or that were comfortable. Before making the trip out here, I knew that I needed to find a pair of shades that would protect my eyes from the sun, especially when traveling over snow. I ordered a pair from Julbo's "mountain travel" line, the Colorado, and I don't take them off until I get into the shower. Ok, not really, but I keep them on until I go indoors. Yes, they are that comfortable and the health of my eyes are never compromised. Oh, yes, I have to give props to my 2XU long short. This is a superb hiking, running, short. They are extremely comfortable and when they get wet, they are dry in a flash...top notch. Too often I hear of or see individuals who get themselves into trouble or simply are uncomfortable because they chose not to carry certain items such as a wind/rain jacket, gloves, etc and their reason being "I don't want to carry the extra weight." Fortunately, brands such as Inov-8, Kahtoola, and Julbo offer a much lighter and durable line of gear. Stay tuned and I will do my best to update the blog in regards to our training and speed attempt.

by: Jonathan Basham