Out of Commission

(click on any photo to enlarge) October brings on Cyclocross season and as the leaves begin to fall I get the itch to actually train and race. During the summer months when everyone else is racing their bikes I am either too busy with work or wandering around the Sierra with my wife and hiking friends. Last year I raced 'Cross only one time and managed to get kicked in the calf on a run-up that had me immobile for the month of December. This year I wanted to redeem myself and started training in September with hopes that I wasn't too old to still win races. My first race happened to fall on the first Sunday in October which was my 45th birthday. I managed to talk Christi into going with me and I had a good day taking the win. It was a great way to start the season! That gave me a bit of confidence and I continued racing every weekend with good results. Heading into the first weekend in November, I was leading the Sacramento CX Series and second overall in the Bay Area Super Prestige Series. The third race of the Sac Series was on Nov 6 and I drove the 2 hours down the hill to continue my winning ways (or so I thought). The course suited me very well with lots of muddy, off-camber grass. The gun went off and I went to the front for the first couple of laps. I let a couple of guys go around me as not to do too much work early on. Then, of course, the second place rider promptly crashed right in front of me. I got around him but the first place rider opened up a small gap. It took me a couple of laps to reel him in and with 3 laps to go I caught and passed him. I felt strong and really felt I was gonna ride to the win. That was the rock I perished on. On an off-camber slippery section my back wheel slid out from under me. Normally not an issue. This time my left shoe got caught in the mud underneath me and I fell awkwardly. I instantly knew I was in trouble. I heard a loud 'POP' and saw that my foot was 180 degrees turned backward on my lower leg. Well I managed to dis-locate my ankle but the worst of it is I spiral fractured my fibula. Talk about a fluke accident - I couldn't do it again if I tried. Anyway I didn't want to go to the hospital in Sacramento so I endured a very painful drive home to Reno. Luckily one of my friends, Jenny Frayer, let me drive her automatic Subaru while she followed me all the way home to the ER in my stickshift truck. (Thanks Jenny!) I knew well before the Dr. came in with the x-rays that it was broken. There is no pain like broken bone pain. I consulted a few of my Orthopedic surgeon friends, and I chose to have it screwed and plated back together. Luckily the surgery was successful and I now have more metal in my body!So obviously this put an abrupt end to my 'Cross season. This is one of the risks you have to accept if you want to go fast in races. You'd think I'd learn my lesson. Obviously I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.I have 4-6 weeks of non-weight bearing before I can start rehab and then hopefully get on my skis. Wish me luck!

Summer Trip - Day 6 - Upper Bubbs Creek to Onion Valley

(click on any photo to enlarge) Our last day was a good one. We travelled down Bubbs Creek into Vidette Meadows. Then we left the JMT/PCT and turned right to go over Kearsarge Pass to the Onion Valley Trailhead where our Subaru waited. We woke at our usual time but didn't hurry to leave camp. I think we did 14 miles today, and the last 5 was all downhill, so we didn't have to hurry. We saw some beautiful country today. TFunk and Christi were off ahead this morning, I was behind them taking photos. Funk was way back, enjoying the quiet morning when he looked over to see a big black bear in the trees. He was smart enough to whip his camera out and get a video of her walking by, not even paying attention to him. He caught up to me and showed me the video excitedly. Very cool! Once we reached Vidette Meadows we headed for Bullfrog Lake. This is another one of those 'gotta see' areas of the Sierra. I could sit on the shore of this lake for hours. As you walk around and above the lake, there is an awesome view of Mt. Clarence King, one of the Sierra giants.As we left the shores of Bullfrog Lake we start the final climb of our trip, Kearsarge Pass. We have done this climb many times and know it well. It really isn't too bad. After about an hour of climbing (I mean chasing Christi) we reached the Pass. More photos and snacks before the 5 mile downhill to the car. On the way down we pass probably 5 or 6 lakes, which are all heavily fished because of their proximity to the Trailhead. The Onion Valley Trailhead is probably the easiest access to the High Sierra from the Eastside. We came out on a Friday and there were quite a few people heading into the backcountry to start their trips. I was jealous! We finally arrived at the car around 2pm. We took a couple of photos and loaded our dirty, smelly bodies into the Subaru and headed to Bishop for a shower and Amigo's. After a couple of hours scrubbing the 'trail patina' off of our legs, we finally looked presentable enough to walk to Amigo's for Negra Modelo and fine mexican cuisine. We weren't disappointed. Another great trip comes to an end. This one was much too short. Maybe next we can go bigger. Stay tuned. Until next time - Cheers.

Summer Trip - Day 5 - Crabtree Meadows to Bubbs Creek

(click on any photo to enlarge) Above is my typical morning view before packing up. Having coffee and enjoying the scenery from the tarptent window. We had a great night of sleep and were on trail by our usual 7am. It was tough to leave our beautiful meadow but Forester Pass awaited.Yesterday was a big day so our bodies were a little slow to warm up. But, as usual, after about an hour we were cruising along, feeling good. Today we go through the Bighorn Plateau. This is a surreal area between Wright Creek and Tyndall Creek. My photos can't convey the expansive view and the feeling of space. The miles ticked by easily for me today. I am starting to feel like a hiker again. Less aches and pains, faster turnover and greater efficiency. We were at Tyndall Creek after 9 miles of hiking well before lunch. We stopped at the creek for snack and fresh water. After about an hour the Funks arrived. Christi and I were ready to tackle the Pass so we left the Funks to enjoy the creek by themselves. The approach to the Pass is typical high country trail. Most of the approach is above treeline with grand views and lots of granite. As usual Christi was on fire up the Pass. We she gets in this mode, I just let her go and hope she will wait for me at the top. After a couple of hours chasing Christi's dust I reached the Pass, where luckily she was waiting for me. We stopped for the obligatory photos and a few snacks and had a great conversation with a gentleman from Chicago that was doing the JMT from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney. I also managed to get a few shots of Polemonium on the Pass. These flowers grow only a high altitudes and are the mountaineers flower of choice. We were about a week late for the perfect bloom photos but they were still spectacular. Our hike down the North side of Forester was fun and easy. We ambled through hanging meadows with clear mountain water running through. I wish my camera could capture the true beauty of the scene. As we descended the trees started to make their way along the headwaters of Bubbs Creek. We decided to stop for the night just below treeline on a little bluff over looking the Creek and the entire valley below. I set up camp so Christi could go clean up first. After an hour or so of camp chores it was my turn to clean up. A cold stream never felt so good! It was great to just submerge myself in the cool water. I ended up 'cleaning up' (soaking) till dusk. At about 6pm the Funks strolled into camp. They were both in need of a soak and headed straight for the Creek. Christi and I started dinner and finished our chores in preparation for tomorrow. Tomorrow is our last day already. As usual I am bummed that we can't stay out here for a month, but work and other commitments mean we all have to return to civilization tomorrow. Today was a great hiking day and the scenery was magnificent. Christi and I were out before the Funks finished cleaning up their dinner. What a day.

Summer Trip - Day 4 - Mt Whitney Summit Day

(click on any photo to enlarge) We woke early to get a somewhat 'alpine' start. We left Guitar Lake at about 6am. The sun had not come over the Sierra Crest so it was still semi-dark and chilly. Our plan was to climb both Mt Muir and Mt Whitney. As it turned out only Funk climbed both. The Whitney climb from the west is much easier than the trudge up from the Portal to the east. After about 90 minutes, we were at Trail Crest where the east and west trails meet. From Trail Crest it is still a little more that a mile up to the top of Whitney. Christi, Funk and I arrived at the turn off for Muir. Christi took off to the top of Whitney alone as Funk and I started up Muir. Muir is supposed to be pretty straight forward climbing with a 'bit of class 3 exposure', as the guide book says. Well the climbing was not bad at all but the last two moves had too much exposure for me. Funk pondered and then just went for it. I was impressed! I was disappointed not to add this one to my list because it means I have to come back up here and attempt it again! So we down climbed back to the trail and continued up to the summit of Whitney. Some of the windows through the Crest give you and incredible view down into the Owens Valley some 9000 ft below. As we were heading up we caught T Funk and Christi from behind. Christi had summitted and ran back down to Trail Crest, picked up T Funk, and accompanied her to the summit. As it worked out we all came to the summit together which was cool. There was already 10 people on the summit. We hung out and ate some goodies, took a bunch of photos, then signed the summit register. This was T Funk's first ever 14er and she is very stoked. We started our decent with light feet and big smiles. The walk back down to Guitar Lake was quick and easy. We went for a swim and packed our camp up. Once the Funks arrived and dismantled their camp, Christi and I took off down the trail to find a site in Crabtree Meadows where there are trees and shade and a creek to lounge in. Crabtree is a heavily used area that has managed to stay beautiful and scenic. We walked for a couple of hours and found a great site just outside the meadow. We set up camp and went to the creek to clean up and relax. The Funks arrived later in the day having chosen to lounge around Guitar Lake for the afternoon. We cooked and ate dinner together and shared our stories of individual levels of suffering for the day. Another fantastic day in the Sierra! Tomorrow is Forester Pass at 13000ft and then into the beautiful Bubbs Creeks drainage.

Summer Trip - Day 3 - Rock Creek to Guitar Lake

It was a little chilly when we woke as the sun hadn't yet risen over the mountains to the east of us. I got up and made coffee us usual and Christi packed up the bags, mattresses and tarp. We were on trail by 7am. Today's route had us going to Guitar Lake, our base camp for our Whitney climb tomorrow. We had only about 12 miles today and our only real obstacle was Guyot Pass which came early and wasn't much, as far as passes go. As we started this morning we were a bit sore from the sand slog up Langley. The first hour is usually spent working the kinks out and loosening up tight joints. By mid morning we were rolling along comfortably. We stopped for a snack on top of Guyot Pass.

Above is a picture of Mt. Guyot from the pass. After a 30min break we headed down the north side of the pass. A couple of pleasant hiking hours later we were at Crabtree Meadows. We stopped for lunch by Whitney Creek lounging in the shade and dipping in the creek. We didn't want to arrive at Guitar Lake too early as it is above treeline and there is zero escape from the sun. After hanging out for over an hour we started the climb from Crabtree to Guitar Lake. I thought this was a beautiful part of the trip as there was plenty of run off so everything was so green.On the way up we passed by Timberline Lake. Very beautiful. There is no camping allowed at this lake as it was very overused. Things have returned to normal and the lake is gorgeous.This is truly where the timberline ends and we'll say goodbye to shade for the next 24 hours. We reached Guitar Lake at around 4pm. It was still bright and warm out. I scouted all around the lake for spots large enough for two tarps. Eventually we settled for a spot pretty close to the lake but tucked behind the rocks for a little wind break. The drainage from Arctic Lake empties into Guitar Lake. The Funks were getting water after dinner and with Mt. Russell in the background I tried to capture the beautiful scene. Even stopping down my camera a few stops wouldn't stop the wash out of the afternoon sun on Russell. I sure would love to have my DSLR but the extra weight and bulk always has me carrying my trusty point and shoot. Unfortunately it has less adjust ability, so I live with it. This basin is just below the mighty Sierra Crest, and looking up from our campsite I can see Mt. Muir and what I think is Trail Crest. where the trail from Whitney Portal joins, before the last 2 mile tail to the summit. I went swimming in the lake as it wasn't as cold as everyone claims. We had an early dinner and relaxed under the tarptent. As the sun started to finally slide out of view over the western horizon, the yawning commenced and blissful sleep followed.

Summer Trip - Day 2 - Mt. Langley

Our second day dawned with a deep blue sky and a slight chill in the air. I was excited to get rolling so I got up first, retrieved the bear canister and started the coffee. We have discovered Starbucks Via instant coffee and it makes the best backpacking coffee. A little brown sugar and milk powder and we're ready to go. We packed up as the sun started to rise over the Eastern horizon, lighting up Old Army Pass. We started out in our wind jackets and hats as the sun hadn't heated up the granite yet. That lasted about 30 minutes. As soon as we started to climb our internal furnaces heated all of us up enough to stop and shed our extra layers. Old Army Pass is not a maintained trail anymore. Because it holds snow longer than New Army Pass, The Old Pass was left to return to its natural, loose, state. Most maps now show only the New Pass. With all that said there was a use trail on the Old Pass that worked just fine to get us to the top in about an hour and a half.

Once we arrived at the Pass we shed our packs and bid T-Funk adieu. She was saving everything for Whitney in two days so she just continued on at a leisurely pace, knowing we would catch up to her in about 5 hours. So we loaded our day packs up with food and water and started up the mountain. The first part of the climb is really just slogging up sand and rocks until you get to the cliff band about a mile from the summit. We started up the middle of the cliff band and Christi was not happy with the class 3 route we had chosen. Funk continued up and Christi and I traversed to the left and found linking gullies that led up to the summit plateau. From there it was a little more sand and rocks, but before we knew it we were standing on the summit. Mt Langley is one of the three easiest 14ers, White Mountain and Mt. Whitney being the other two. Christi was stoked to be standing on top of her first 14er and I was happy to add another to my list.After signing the register we turned downhill and surfed the sand back to our packs. We made pretty good time with a three hours round trip from the top of the Pass. We loaded our packs up and munched on some ProBars and headed north to catch T-Funk at Soldier Lake. We found her lounging on a rock waiting. We stopped and had lunch at Soldier Lake which, of course, was very beautiful.

We shouldered our packs with full bellies and heavy legs. We wanted to make it to Rock Creek as there is a bear box here and we have a bit of, lets say 'overflow', out of our bear canister. We can load all our stuff into the park provided bear boxes and sleep soundly. So the final few hours of the day we walked and talked our way to Rock Creek. Christi and I arrived first and scouted for a place to sleep. There was a guided party that had taken all of the spots close to the bear box. So I crossed the creek and found a pretty sweet spot on the other side. I had Christi go clean up while I set up the tarp and went back to make sure the Funks found us. As soon as I crossed the creek, they popped out of the forest. Perfect timing. We had a mellow dinner and the mosquitoes were not as bad as we expected. Its a rare Sierra evening that the mosquitoes aren't annoying the crap out of you. A great day in the mountains! We were out by 9pm as usual.

2010 Summer Trip - Day 1 - Cottonwood Lakes

(click on any photo to enlarge) Its been far too long since our last post, but between the end of ski season and Aug 1st there hasn't been much 'travel' in our lives. We have been working on the house with most of our free time. Things are coming along but we needed a break and luckily I had applied for permits six months ago to climb Mt.'s Whitney and Langley from the West. So begins our Summer Trip this year. Our Route this year has us leaving Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead, south of Mt Langley at the southernmost end of the Sierra and coming out over Kearsarge Pass to Onion Valley. The latter is where we left our Subaru on the way down.

The company included the usual suspects (us and the Funks) and we were kindly dropped of by Funks mom and dad (THANKS AGAIN Dave Sr. and Janine!!) on Sunday Aug 1 at around 1pm. As Dave and Janine drove away that awesome feeling engulfed me again, once I realized there was no way to get to our car other than walking to it! So with the sun high in the cloudless sky, we started our journey north.This entire trip is new to all of us except Funk who has climbed Langley before on a long day trip from this trailhead. The Cottonwood Lakes Basin is very scenic and our destination for the evening was Cottonwood Lake number 5, just below Old Army Pass. I chose this route instead of New Army Pass because it was a shorter distance to the top of Langley for the summit hike tomorrow. That meant we only had about 6 miles of hiking today. Tomorrow is the big day when we will climb Langley then descend down the other side to the Rock Creek Drainage.

Todays hike was leisurely and enjoyable. Knowing we only had a short hike today kept the mood light and the miles ticked away quickly. This basin really is beautiful - great sweeping views, brilliant blue lakes bordered by deep green grass. All contrasted by the bright white gray hue of the ever present Sierra granite.

There is only one thing wrong with this heaven on earth, the dreaded Bloodsuckers. It seemed that between 9500ft and 11000ft they were the thickest. Unfortunately our camp for the night lied between the two altitudes. Christi and I arrived to our proposed camp site for the evening. We dropped our packs and I scouted he area for a shaded and flat spot for the four of us. After 10 minutes I found a couple of spots. We settled in and went through our first 'evening routine'. Christi and I fell into the comfortable routine of setting up the tarptent, fluffing the bags, inflating the therma-rests, and getting the stove ready for dinner. I really have missed the simplicity of the hiking life. Too bad I only get to do in a couple of times a year. After dinner we stretched and relaxed, luckily the bloodsuckers weren't too bad. Out by 9pm as usual with dreams of Mt Langley dancing through our heads.

Hate To Say Goodbye.

(click on any photo to enlarge) The 2010 Ski season came to an unwanted end today. Tahoe Donner is officially closed. I skied today in a snow storm on 3.5km of catrack from the Nordic Center to the Alpine Ski Area. I skied it up and back 6 times. The skiing was surprisingly good yet I was the only person out there. This time of the year the Nordic and Alpine Ski Areas shut down because of lack of interest - not lack of snow. Needless to say I am sad to see the skiing go away for 8 or 9 months. I say this every year. I don't find my racing legs until mid March so the season seems short. Maybe next year I can ski fast in January and then the season will seem longer. So I ended my racing season in Mammoth with a win in the Masters Category for the second year in a row. I managed to place fifth overall despite the 'Everest Like' conditions. The snow was the exact opposite from last years great conditions. I suffered more at Mammoth this year than ever in the past. There were times that I didn't even know if I was on the trail. The wind was blowing snow drifts onto the course that were 4 feet tall! I managed to beat Mike Karch (Mammoth Biathlete and skier that has beaten me in the last two Biathlons) by over a minute. I was wasted at the finish. I immediately got in the car and drove to the Alpenhof to take a hot shower and thaw out. Christi was kind enough to drive down to Mammoth with me but she was also smart enough to stay in the hotel room while I went into the storm to slay dragons. So she was warm and cozy when I came in the room, soaked and still in my race suit, and ran straight in to the shower. Finishing the season off with a win is great as I have bragging rights all summer long. I have been skiing, running and working on the front yard for the past couple of weeks. With no intensity necessary, all of my workouts are fun and easy. I start dryland training for Biathlon this Friday. We'll be running and shooting on Friday mornings at the range in Sierraville. Sorry that I don't have photos from the Mammoth race, the conditions were so bad that the photographers didn't even show up. I'll post after the Biathlon training session to let you know how it goes. On with the next Season!

Wanna Be Biathlete

(click on any photo to enlarge) The last two weeks have been dedicated to my new obsession, Biathlon. After years of being a Nordic ski racer, I was introduced to the sport of Biathlon by a former US Olympic Biathlete, Glen Jobe. Northstar Ski Resort invested in a full time Biathlon Range this year and the public response has been overwhelming. I was privileged enough the work with Glen at the range this year. Every clinic was sold out with waiting lists. Well, needless to say I fell in love with this very difficult sport. It combines Cross Country skiing with shooting. I'm sure you saw the recent coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Biathlon events as NBC did a great job of showing a few of the races. If you want to watch the big boys try this link -
http://www.biathlonworld3.de/en/ then click on the Biathlon TV box on the right side. You can watch EuroSport coverage of every event of the season. Biathlon is the most televised winter sport in all of Europe. They regularly have 50,000 spectators at the World Cup events. The combination of high heartrate ski racing and calm, focused target shooting is very intriguing to me. I'm used to the high heartrate stuff and that comes very easily to me, on the other hand the shooting is very foreign. I've never been a 'gun guy', being a bark eating, Patagonia clothing wearing, treehugger. (Going into the local Cletus and Skeeter Gun Store to buy ammo is quite an experience) The Zen aspect of shooting is something I have to work very hard at. So with some dry firing practice in my garage and a fair amount of range time, I entered my first two Biathlons. The two West Coast events, The 10th Mountain Biathlon at Northstar at Tahoe and The Mammoth Mountain Biathlon happened the last two weekends in March. My first race at Northstar was quite an eye opener. I was clearly one of the better skiers there but I was on the opposite end of the spectrum when it came to shooting and range procedure. That's the dichotomy of Biathlon -If you ski great and shoot poorly, you suck - If you shoot clean and ski poorly, you suck. You have to put both together on race day, under pressure. In Biathlon you ski a designated loop (3-5km) then come into the range to shoot 5 targets at 50 meters (165 ft) and then head out on another loop. The 10th Mountain Biathlon was three 3km loops with two shooting stations - one 'prone' (laying down) and one 'off hand' (standing). All Biathlons start with weapon site-ing roughly one hour before the start. This involves shooting five rounds at a paper target and adjusting your 'peep' sites for wind, temperature, ammo type and light. This is supposed to be accomplished in 20 minutes or less. The photo above is of me and my Rossignol Tech Team teammate, Rick Eckert site-ing before the race. You look through a scope to check your 'grouping' and adjust your sites right/left and up/down accordingly. After site-ing we racked our rifles and headed out on the course to warmup. This Biathlon was interval start which means each racer starts alone at one minute intervals. I started 78th and skied as hard as I could to pass as many racers as I could that had started before me. DUMB DUMB DUMB. I came into the range after passing quite a few people, but I came in WAY too hot. My heartrate was crazy high and consequently I shot like shit, hitting only one out of five targets. That means I had to ski 4 penalty laps of 150 meters each. Its really hard to win a race when you ski an extra half mile after every shooting station! I headed back out on course and did the same frickin' thing again - skied way too fast and came into the range geetered and missed all five! Just great, five more penalty laps. I skied the last loop fast and finished pretty wasted for 9km (well actually 10.5km!) I started to put my rifle in its case and to get warm clothes on figuring I was in last place. I was ready to go home when they posted the results. I had a laugh when I saw I was 10th overall and second Master! I must have skied pretty fast. A silver medal in my first Biathlon. Because I shot so poorly, I wasn't stoked. I drove home and promised myself to improve at Mammoth the next week. I skied about 80km during the week between the races and had target practice twice to work on range procedure. Rick and I drove to Mammoth on Saturday early as we were recruited to help with the safety clinic the day before the race. The Mammoth Biathlon is the largest Biathlon in the US with almost 200 entrants. The spectators all congregate at the range to cheer the racers on and it makes for a very pressure packed shooting environment. After the clinic Rick and I got in a little range time as the sun was going down. We skied down to the truck and headed into town for dinner and to pick up our race bibs. When we went to registration, I couldn't believe how many racers were there. As we shuffled through the line we were greeted by the race promoter who knew our names and acted like we were pro skiers. He then took us to the front of the line and told the girls doing registration that we were Elite skiers and that we were to race with the bad asses in the Elite race. I was embarrassed as it was only my second Biathlon and my first one was less then stellar. I took my bib and thought I was for sure going to get last place and really embarrass my sponsors and most importantly myself! There were former Olympic Biathletes, current US team hopefuls, Euro dogs with Olympic and World Cup experience, and here I was from podunk Reno in my second race ever. Talk about being psyched out before the race even started! We went to Vons to get some food and back to the hotel to get some sleep. The alarm went off at 5am and we went through our routine. The range opened at 8am to site rifles with a 9am start. Tamarack XC Lodge sits at 8900ft elevation and all the trails are above it. We had a 3km ski up to the range. It was cold but beautiful with blue skies and light winds. We got to the range right at 8am and quickly site-ed our rifles. It was great watching the top guys go through their routine and I learned a lot. I was shooting remarkably well and my grouping was surprisingly good. Talk about beginners luck. I racked my rifle and went out on the course to warm up. The course at Mammoth is hilly, which, of course, I like. The snow was hard and fast, which, I like also. I started to gain some confidence and thought I might finish a little better than last. This race was a mass start which means everyone starts together. We were called to the line and Bang! the start gun went off. We started fast and I couldn't believe I was in third going up the first climb. We ripped down the decent and across the flat to enter into the range. The two guys in front of me started prone as they had odd numbered bibs. I started off-hand as I had an even numbered bib. Prone is typically easier because you're laying down and have more surface area touching the ground to stop your heartrate from moving the barrel around. Both of them shot clean (5 out of 5) and I only hit 2 out of 5. Shit! I thought my day was done and I was to confirm my last place. I skied my three penalty laps quickly and headed back out on the course. I skied as fast as I could. I was flying up the climbs but I didn't know what place I was in and thought for sure I was in last. The top guys might miss one or two targets but the winners mostly shoot clean. As I tucked the downhill I saw a couple of racers in front of me. Wow- If I could just catch a couple of guys I might not be dead last, I thought. I tried to get my heartrate down on the 500m of flat leading into the range. I calmed myself down and tried to tune out the crowd and other shooters. I was shooting prone, while the other guys were shooting off hand. I felt confident and shot clean! The crowd roared after my last shot. I couldn't believe it! I flew out of the range on wings of confidence. I could see another racer in the distance ahead of me. I recognized him as Mike Karch, the top Master Biathlete from Mammoth. He won the event at Northstar. I gave everything I had and started to reel him in around Lake Mary. He looked back and saw I was gaining on him and started sprinting. I tried to keep the same pace. I closed the gap to 10 seconds at the top of the climb. On the downhill I just couldn't close in on him anymore as he was tucked as low as I was and we both had fast skis. At the bottom of the decent we did the 180 degree turn to head to the Finish. I sprinted for everything I was worth. I finished four seconds behind him. I was just happy I wasn't last. At the Finish I noticed that there weren't a lot of racers in front of us. I was a bit confused because of my lack of oxygen from the effort. A lot of spectators were congratulating me and I thought they were just being nice. I found out a little later that I was fourth Overall! I about shit! The winner was multiple time National Champion Marc Shepard and second place was a friend of mine Phil Violett, that is getting ready to move to the US Biathlon Training Center in Lake Placid to secure his place on the US Team. Talk about beginners luck. The best part of the race was shooting clean at my last station. I felt like a pro for that five seconds heading out of the range. After a cooldown ski and a change of clothes, all of the Elite racers (yes, that included me!) were range officials for the remainder of the day for all of the other racers. It was a long day. We drove home exhausted, after helping tear down the range. I got home at about 7pm. Christi had some food for me and I could barely keep my eyes open to eat. I fell asleep by 8pm. What a day! Next week I'm back to being just a ski racer and I don't have to carry an 8 pound rifle on my back. I'll post after the 42km Mammoth Marathon next Sunday where I hope to repeat my title as Masters Champion. Until Then......................