Mt. Whitney Summitted Barefoot #3

Photo by Patrick Fitz




Last month while climbing Gorgonio, highest peak in SoCal, I suggested to Larry that he should try climbing Mt. Whitney barefoot. He had read of my previous successes, and as a 10 year barefooting veteran, I knew he was up to it.

Well, that's exactly what we did.

Larry and his family got a camp space in Lone Pine Campground (camp 38, same one as on July 4, 2005), got some permits and gave me a call. I was still a little sore after Friday night's all-night run, but could not think of turning down a chance to climb Whitney again.

I drove up from LA on Monday evening, had a bite to eat, went to bed, got up at 4am, started hiking by around 5:20am, got down by 2pm and was back on the road to LA by around 4pm and home by around 7pm. That is a LONG day.

I went up barefoot and came down wearing my Vibram FiveFinger Sprints. Larry came down wearing his BFT Huaraches. I got up and down in about 9 hours. It was a fantastic day.

Looking forward to climbing again. I am even thinking about attempting a dual summit climb, i.e., climbing to the summit twice in one day. Dreaming.

BFT

PS.
First Summit Report here
Second Report here
Great map here
Great Video of the Trail here
Whitney Portal Forum Link here

AC 100 Training Run - Shortcut to Windsor 40+ Miles

Jay Anderson, Robert Schipsi, Chris Jensen, BFT

Did this same training run last year (see blog entry here). This year seemed to be better. I did not get as tired. We added a little mileage by going down to Henninger Flats for water. The water at Millard was flowing much better than in June.

I ran several of the uphill sections barefoot. The toughest section for me is after Sam Merrill aid station all the way to the switchbacks leading into Millard.

Jay lead us through the last section at speed. It was nice to see that we could still move after 10+ hours.

BFT

Latest Paintings of Ona by Chase Chen

Titled: Reading (she is reading A Series of Unfortunate Events)

Titled: Feather

We are a very lucky family. Our good friend Chase Chen whom we have known since he practically got off the boat from China has become our family's personal artist who just happens to paint masterpieces. Such is life.

BFT

Leadville 100 - Crewing and Pacing

Nearly 600 Starters, ONLY 210 Finishers

Caballo Blanco's (Micah True) Crew for Leadville 100 in 2007
Deborah (Cebolla), Adrian (Brocoli), Caballo, Ona (Monocita) and BFT (El Mono).

My interviews with Caballo Blanco Pre- & Post- Race


Club Mas Loco member Chris Labbe, aka Cabro,
finishes in under 25 hours
Paced from Haggerman Pass Rd. to the Dam
wearing Vibram FiveFingers Sprints

Leadville Trail 100, August 18-19, Leadville, Colorado

Elevation: 10,152 feet (3094 meters) from Wikipedia:

The historic City of Leadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of Lake County, Colorado, United States. Leadville is a former silver mining camp that lies near the headwaters of the Arkansas River in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The city's central district has an elevation of 10,152 feet (3094 meters), making Leadville the highest city in North America. The federally designated Leadville National Historic District includes many historic structures and sites from Leadville's dynamic mining era. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 2,688 in 2005.

Barefooting Leadville?

Many people have told me that Leadville indeed may be barefootable, i.e. doable by one conditioned and well practiced in the art of barefoot trail running.

One question I hoped to answer during my trip to Leadville this year was whether or not one could finish the course unassisted by footwear within the 30 hour cuttoff.

This question remains open.

While crewing and preparing to pace Caballo, I got a good overall picture of the course, but not much of the trails.

While pacing for Mas Loco member Cabro (Chris Labbe), I wore my FiveFingers Sprints.

Why not barefoot?

Well, it was not my place to experiment on a rocky portion of the course during the last 15 miles of a race at 3am in the morning in the dark on an unfamiliar trail with a runner who is close to breaking 25 hours.

The FiveFinger Sprints performed quite well in this section of the trail that I ran. It would have been much trickier to handle this territory at night barefoot during the last 14 miles of a 100 mile race..., but POSSIBLE in my estimation.

Perhaps I will give it a try next year.

BFT

Mt. Disappointment 50K - Barefoot

People ask: Why run 31 miles on tough mountain trails barefoot?
My answer: Because I can.

Leaving Red Box Aid Station (mile 21.5) with Mari, Jorge Pacheco's wife
photo by Andy Kumeda

Photo with Ruperto Romero, 2nd Place for 5o miler

Almost there! Photo Ben Jones

Mefeet

So, I ran the Mt. Disappointment 50K on Saturday. What a fantastic, tough race in the beautiful, rugged mountains above Los Angeles.

Ever since Trail Runner magazine called me the "Tiger Woods of Barefoot Trail Running", I have felt compelled to try and live up to the name despite a major weakness in the analogy department.

Since I was not familiar with most of the course, I did carry a pair of FiveFingers along just in case, but I never did need to use them, not because the course was easy; rather, I ran it very cautiously and thoughtfully, avoiding unnecessary trauma and never getting out of control.

This course is a fantastic course to test for a masters division in barefoot trail running. It is not a course for the faint of heart; however, most of it is quite barefoot friendly, mostly a delight for the feet, but not all.

I want to say a big thank you to Gary Hilliard and a host of volunteers, friends and family for putting together a beautiful experience. I plan on going back next year.

BFT

Mid Day Cart Pusher

Very short video showing my pushing and pulling technique

Took my baby jogger out for nearly 5 hours today in order to see what it would be like running barefoot in the middle of the day on asphalt. All went well, but it only got into the high 80s today. Nothing special as far as heat goes, but a good test nonetheless. Feet are no worse for wear.

BFT