And a Partridge in a Pear Tree....

On Saturday, December 6th, North Face gave to me....

Six days of rain...
Five aid stations...
Four course changes...
Three washed out trails...
Two course sweepers...
One adventure on the trails

In all seriousness, What. A. Day.  Really.  In retrospect, I should have known.  Either the six days of rain, or the four course changes that came down yesterday and today should have been my first clue.  If not that, then the no more than an hour of sleep I got last night (stupid stress) or the pepto I was choking down at 3:30am.

But, I figured the course updates would make it easier and I didnt have to do my least favorite trails.  And I figured the lack of sleep and sick were due to nerves.  I went to bed early all week in preparation, so I actually wasnt completely exhausted race morning.

We were up at three and out the door by 3:45.  Out the door and into the pouring rain...what a nightmare this is going to be...can't it be a dry nightmare?  We were parked and shuttled by 4:45.  The nerves were back, so luckily I was able to make a pit stop at the visitor's center bathroom - can you say auto-flush toilet?  Delicacy in the wilderness.

The race started shortly after we arrived, luckily, there was no rain in Marin.  After a couple of announcements, including another course change, we were off.  Dean Karnazes was just inside the start line, he patted my shoulder and said, "yeah, go get it".  At that point, I felt great...I was going to own this race.

The first ten miles were pretty uneventful...some running, some walking, some run/walking.  I felt great, and was a half mile to a mile ahead of my goal pace.  Then I got to the end of the second loop and stopped at the aid station.  And, something just felt off.  I thought it was the ankle brace throwing off my body mechanics, and made a mental note to pull it off when I changed my socks at the next aid station.

After a climb up Miwok and a descent into Tennessee Valley, where we were suddenly overrun by 50k runners, I was at the next aid station where Glenn and Adrienne were waiting to crew with clean socks.  I saw my friend Toby running the 50k shortly before I reached my crew.  I also ditched the ankle brace and my headlamp...but for some reason I was insistent on keeping it with me. Perhaps I was already delirious. Nonetheless, I headed out towards Pirates Cove at a run/walk. That lasted about a mile before I was just walking....it seemed as if my stomach chose that moment to say, "yeah...about those nerves...it's not nerves".  And "you should walk, or bad things will happen".  Awesome, taken down by the one thing you can't plan for.

The lone other 50 miler chose that moment to tell me that the sweepers were right behind us, even though we were way ahead of the cutoff time. So, I took a breath, continued up the hill, and tried to chat with the 50k runner next to me. Who told me what a great day it was and how he had changed his race from the marathon, cause what's five extra miles?  A little too peppy for someone trying to talk their stomach down.

I got to the top quicker than I thought I would, and still ahead of my goal. But, then I met Pirates Cove, which can be sketchy on a good day. After almost a week of rain, it was a mud bath. Think slip and slide minus the pool at the end. Well, there was a cliff and the ocean was past it, so maybe it was the same. I was pretty sure I was going to fly off the cliff and into the ocean. At one point, I decided to take the grass on the side rather than the mud, tried to crawl across a rock and end up falling. Great.  Whatever was hurting in my knee just got worse.

At that point, the sweepers let me know that they were there if I needed anything, but not to worry, I had plenty of time. I told them I was having a rough day, but was going to walk it out. I also started thinking about what plan b was going to be. At that point, I figured I would either make it to Stinson Beach and stop there, or see if I could turn at the 50k and finish the race with them. Not what I wanted, but better than not finishing at all.

I decided to press on and see what happened. The sweepers were nice and alternated between checking on me and keeping me company. I heard at one point via a radio that I had gotten too slow, so I power walked as best I could - out of muir beach, on to redwood creek trail, over to heather cutoff. Which is where the craziness began....picture this - washed out trail, think a river running down it - nearly single track trail, with people going up and down.  Suddenly, the hills I didnt think would be a huge deal to run/walk up and jog down were a mud-filled nightmare.

Going up the hill, there were mid/back of the pack 50kers....and two 50 milers that I hiked past.  No matter what happened, I was no longer last.  I cautiously proceeded up the switch-backs with a group of 50kers....occasionally grabbing on to one another as we jumped out of the way for the in-it-to-win it 50 milers and fast 50kers came down the hill at mach 50.  Really guys?  The leaders passed by several hours ago - I promise, you wont catch them.  Can you slow down so we can all get through the mud bath safely?  At this point, I had lost my sweeper friends to two of the guys I passed.

Shortly into Heather Cutoff, the first trail, a guy came flying down the switch-back above, had zero traction on the curve, and flew off the trail, off the hill, into the brush below.  We all held our breath as he climbed out of the bushes, righted himself, held up his hands and said, "I'm good".  One of the ladies in our group called out, "sir, you have just won the race'.  Countless slips, slides, and crashes later, we were moved on to Coastal trail.

Now, Coastal is a similar trail, but more exposed, so I hoped in better condition.  However, after 1000 people run up and down a wet trail, it's a mess no matter what.  But this trail brought an added challenge - bikes!  Now, really, who rides their bike down a hill through several feet of mud....and a race course.  Apparently several people...including a dad and a kid. Really?  You couldnt find a trail without 1000 people on it to ride on today?  We continued our journey up the hill, at some point I stepped in what I'll call pot holes and ended up in ankle deep mud.  awesome....I think at some point in all of that, I ran into my friend Toby again and Dr. Hal, both on their way down.

Finally, I get to Cardiac...with time to spare.  Decision time.  A- see if I could quickly change out of my soaked socks, grab a sandwich, cross my fingers, and see if I could make it to the next cutoff....or B - realize it wasnt my day, see if I could change my race, head back down the hill and have a chance to finish a race, even if it wasnt the one I wanted.  I had been thinking about it for awhile, and had decided to go with option b.  I couldnt control the fact that I had to have pepto for breakfast and not much else since then, but what I could control was my reaction to it.

I had some PB&J and water, and looked around for someone to ask about changing races.  The aid station captain didnt seem to know, and was too busy force feeding M&M's and telling a 50 miler who was on his way back down that he wasn't allowed to quit because he was tired.  One of the sweepers from earlier found me at the aid station..."there you are!  we completely lost you...we stopped with the other guys and then you were just gone."  A testament to my training that even feeling awful I can still hike myself up a hill just fine.  He helped me find the right person to switch my race, so I found my drop bag and changed out of my wet shirt and singlet into dry ones, and took the dry socks out and stashed them in my pack for a change at Muir Beach, and was on my way.

Going down was just as much of an adventure as going up.  I had a guy pass me who was fiddling with his coat and ipod, holding a water-bottle, and navigating the mud.  I watched him slish and slosh from left to right and knew it was only a matter of time.  A couple more sloshes and down he went.  I asked if he was ok, he told me he was, just shouldnt mess with his stuff while running.  Yeah...probably a good idea.  As I made my way down, I started to think that if these were the trails deemed safe for 1000 people to go up and down, I dont want to see the ones that were unsafe...

I got down and back to Muir Beach, thankful for the aid station.  The people there were so friendly - they helped me get my gross shoes off so I could change my socks and gave me chicken broth since they thought I was cold, and helped me wash my hands.  After that, I was ready to go up one of the toughest climbs on the course.  My game plan...just keep moving (looking at the stats afterwords, I did get my third best time going up that set of hills.  Haha.

About halfway up the hills, Ksenya (who was going to pace me from Stinson, where I never made it to) and Adrienne my other running buddy yelled up the hill to me.  So exciting to have friends to share the journey with!  It didnt take them too long to catch up, and it made the time down to Tennessee Valley pass pretty quickly.  At TV, I got to see the rest of the crew, but I wanted to keep moving, so headed up Marincello after grabbing another PB&J.  It was great to have Ksenya to share the journey with (Adrienne had to move her car at TV).  She kept me going, and before I knew it, we were near the finish line.  I was able to run the last few feet through the finish line and go hang out with my crew.  

All things said and done, I got in a 50k (+ ended up being 37 miles)....I went further than I ever have before...I crossed the finish line.  And yesterday, that was enough.  Today, I wish I could have made the 50 happen, but there will be other races.  Either this one next year...or another before then, since I think I was supposed to do something before the 100 miler.  We'll see....Thank you to the sweepers, for helping me salvage something out of what could have been a disaster of a day.  Huge thanks to our crew, pacers, and friends that came out to the event - could not have done it without you.  And congrats to Brian, who had a great 50 mile race!

Pre-Race Jitters

Wow...it has been awhile.  So much for hoping to update this weekly....then monthly....then who knows what happened.  Haha...looking back, I feel like I didnt have much interesting to say, but at the same time, there is a ton going on.  Anyway....

The race that for a year has only been a date on the calendar and a far off thought in my imagination, will be here in two days.  The year of training, from the 8 mile pirates cove loop countless times before Nepal to a windy 4th of July run to my first 50k to my last training run on Thanksgiving, will all be put to the test.  Time cutoffs and rain and dark....lots to contend with....and then I thought I was getting sick earlier this week.  

I would love to say that I'm really excited and cant wait, but I think I'm more cautiously optimistic than anything.  I've put in the training, but I'm still concerned about the time cutoffs.  I wish I had been able to get in more long days, but I know I did plenty of 20-milers.  I have two 50k races and one 50k training run under my belt, but I still wish I had been able to get to 40.  I have to be at the first cutoff by 11:20...23 miles.  I should be ok for that, at almost six and a half hours, I should be at 26 miles by that point.  I'm more worried about the second one...3:15 and 36 miles.  Granted, I should be at mile 40 by then, but I tend to slow down around mile 20-25.  Add to that, those miles will most likely be my least favorite - the descent that scares me the most followed by some tough, but not the toughest climbing.  Ugh...the rest of its not that bad...at least that's what I tell myself.  The third cut-off is the end...after a pretty tough climb (the toughest in my opinion, cause it just keeps going....and going...and going....) up Coyote Ridge.  But from there, it's a downhill I'm pretty familiar with, the uphill I'm really good at hiking, and downhill to the finish.  Easy as that, right?

And there's the fact that its been raining all week.  ALL WEEK.  Seriously?  I know we need the rain, but really, this week?  Ugh....as of right now, there's no rain in Saturday's forecast, but that keeps changing and I'm pretty sure it will be wet anyway.  Hopefully I dont crash out....and it doesnt slow me down too much.  I need all the help I can get.

But, on some level I'm still excited.  I packed my bags for the crew and the drop bag station, and it was kind of fun....thinking about what I would need and the most efficient way to pack things.  It's going to be all about keeping moving, even at the aid stations.  I need to finish this for my 100 miler in March.

Its been a crazy week, well...crazy few weeks.  But, I'm enjoying what's probably my last glass of wine until Sunday (provided I want a glass of wine on Sunday...haha) and chatting about the race with Brian.  No matter what happens, it will be an adventure.  I hiked to Everest while sick....I can do this...at least that's what I tell myself.

Until next time....over and out.

Coyote Ridge 50k(ish) Race Report

So it was a day of the three times I thought about quitting and the one time I didnt...

The first was just before the .9 mile mark, coming through pirate's cove the wrong way (well, according to me...it's just different than how I usually do it).  I rolled my ankle, and it was pretty sore.  I spent sometime walking it out, and just decided to get to the aid station in Tennessee Valley, and reassess.  I got there, and it was actually feeling ok.  So, I continued up Marincello, and out towards the Bonita Cove turn around.  Such beautiful views along the way.

The second time was around mile 10, and I was feeling pretty good...I was actually ahead of the pace I wanted, legs felt good, and I was running down a gentle slope towards bunker road.  I got to the road, and didnt see any pink ribbons.  I looked down the road, across the road, and still didnt see anything.  The course had been really well marked, so I couldnt believe that there wouldnt be ribbons here....come to think of it, I couldnt remember the last time I saw a ribbon.  I knew where I was.....I just didnt know where the course went.  And of course it was the one area I didnt know very well.  But, I did know that the trail across the street would meet up with Miwok, which would take me to Old Springs, which is how I was supposed to get back to Tennessee Valley.  I confirmed with a cyclist, and was on my way...kind of like choose your own adventure, except it was choose your own course.  And really, who doesnt love an unnecessary climb up a hill over a mile long....

I got back down to Tennessee Valley and let them know what happened - I didnt really care about the distance, let's be honest, it's not like I was in it to win it or I had cut enough of the mileage to impact how I would finish.  But, I was concerned that there was some sort of check-in at the Point Bonita aid station, and they'd send out the emergency crews to find me if I didnt check in.  Of course, they had no idea if anyone was checking...just that they were not checking.  But I could ask when I got back to Muir Beach.

Then came the hot, slow, hike up Fox Trail...really slow.  Ugh...but, at that point, after rolling an ankle and getting lost, I was really just trying to get mileage in.  Hopefully I can work on the pace for the next two months and still be ok for North Face.

After Fox Trail came the long, steep, descent into Muir Beach.....pretty terrifying for some reason.  I'm not sure if I've always been afraid of that descent, or if this is a new development.  It got better towards the end, and I was able to run out to the bridge and across it, over to the aid station.  I asked the volunteer who was helping me about checking in at the aid station I missed....she didnt know either, but said I could work with the race director to figure out the distance when I was done.  I told her I wasnt as worried about that (my watch would give me the distance), I was more worried about being reported missing.

Then, began the long climb up and out of Muir Beach, and the reverse trek through Pirate's Cove....and it was so hot...ugh.  There were three of us, and we all kept stopping and taking breaks.  But, one foot in front of the other does the trick, and I was on my way down into Tennessee Valley again.  The last time I thought about quitting would have been somewhere in Pirate's Cove, when I realized that was technically another turn-around point.

But, I decided the miles were more important, and after a sandwich and a ton of liquids, began making my way up Marincello, around some random airport thing, and down a steep descent to Old Springs trail.  I felt pretty good on Old Springs and decided to jog....until I tripped down a step, and rolled my ankle again.....ok, maybe no jogging.  And then a second trip up Fox Trail....just as tough since I was tired, but it was far cooler and there was a bit of a breeze.  The trip back down into Muir beach seemed less treacherous the second time around, and I feel like I was able to run more of it.  Before I knew it, I was down and dodging people as I crossed the bridge to the finish line.....the time I didnt quit....

I had some water and animal crackers at the finish line, followed by a beer (amazing...), and hung out with the people there for a bit, before walking the mile and a half back to the car.  I opted for that instead of the shuttle since I lost some distance when I messed up the course.

And, now I'm enjoying a really bad horror movie and my favorite owl beer while my body contemplates exactly what I did to it today.  Though, I was able to enjoy some dinner, so I think I did better with the hydration since the roof of my mouth doesnt feel like sandpaper.  Other than that, I'll be reevaluating the rest of my training plan....maybe look to spend an equal amount of time getting better at what I'm already good at and trying to get better at the stuff I'm not....and do some more long runs....

Animal-Palooza

I love trail running....always  an adventure. I set out today to get in 25 miles, as a warm-up for my second 50k next weekend. Adrienne was planning to join me for the first ten or so through pirate's cove.

We set out towards the first hill to Pirate's Cove, and come across a group of people - mainly kids, looking at something in a meadow.  We slow down and Adrienne asks if it's a coyote...the group told us there was a baby.  As they're oohing and ahhing over its cuteness, my first question was - where's mom....but then I figured, it was a coyote (not terribly dangerous) and I was pretty sure I could outrun at least one person in the mass of people...haha. It was pretty cute and seemed pretty oblivious to the fact that anyone was watching it.

Coming through Pirate's cove was more gnarly than I remember, but then again, I haven't been there since the end of August. It was pretty foggy, but still a great view.  We descended down the massive hill into Muir Beach, and at the bottom, we had a couple of hikers with dogs tell us they ran into a women in front of us that had seen a large mountain lion, with pointy black ears.  Awesome...exactly what I want to find on the trail. But, since it sounded like it was headed in the direction we came from, we figured we'd head up the route we planned.

We start up Middle Green Gulch, and at some point come across somewhat fresh mountain lion poo...we hope it's from when it was heading away from us, and decide if we keep talking, we'll scare it away if there is anything there. We go up a little further, and find pee....at that point, I'm walking up the trail with my arms above my head, yelling "roar", "roar".  Of course we're on a brush-filled, pretty much single track, trail.  I'm just waiting for something to jump out and eat me. I don't think I've ever been more relieved to be at the top of a hill.

As we made our way back down to Tennessee Valley, we ran into a couple with their dogs, we warned them about the mountain lion, and they told us about one they had seen too. They did tell us that the thing with pointy black ears was a bob cat, because they have pointy black ears. That's relieving....

As we ran down the last bit of trail, we heard some god-awful animal noises...we of course asked what it was, and someone passing by told us it was a mountain lion eating someone. Really?? Who says that??

We get back, Adrienne heads off on her way, and I head out towards fox trail.  I end up coming back to fill my water, but got a glimpse of the steepness I will encounter next week. Then I head over towards the visitor's center....having decided to stay in populated areas for the rest of the day.  At that point, I was feeling pretty tired....being sick all week was starting to set in.  I got to the top of marincello and made my way down bobcat.  I stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the air-show and get some photos of the blue angels as they popped up above the hills.  Half way down bobcat, my lungs started to burn....kind of like a cramp, but more of a burn. Stupid congestion.....but I had to get to 20, or I really wouldn't be able to do the race next weekend.

I crawled up miwok, noticing all of the people perched on the peaks watching the air show.  At this point, I was pretty much walking, but was glad for the downhill brought by Old Springs.  I was able to pick up the pace, but the lungs were still burning.  At some point, I looked up and saw something up on the ridge above me....at first I thought maybe a person, but then I realized it was an animal. My first thought was coyote, but it was pacing and I found out later that coyotes don't pace....only mountain lions do.  My first thought was to bomb down the hill as fast as possible, but then I realized I was sick, and I'd probably fall...and if whatever it was did see me running, it might decide to chase me.  So I backed away....and kept turning around. Watching it pace.....a mile from Tennessee Valley....a mile never seemed so far away.

At one point there were four people coming up the trail towards me....I warned them about what I thought was the coyote, and one of the guys asks, "only one"?  Ummm....yeah....I don't know, I didn't stop and ask his party size.

I got down and got the rest of my 20 miles in....I'm still concerned about next week's race, but, I did get to the 20.  Hopefully I'll be feeling better and have more energy in another week. I need that to go well.

Once I began the drive home, I thought the adventure was over.  But, not yet.....I drive over the bridge and end up pretty much in gridlock....but then my lane and the one to the left were moving....the one on the right - pretty much at a standstill. As I near the end of the bridge, I see the issue....more deer on the bridge?  Nope.  A super slow car?  Thought so, but no.  Wait for it.....there's someone riding a bike....across the bridge.....in the traffic lane. Seriously??  I mean, I've done some stupid stuff on my bike and ended up places I shouldn't. But how do you mess that up?  How do you end up on 101?

I continue making my way into the city, now stuck in some air show traffic, when I notice there's still a United 737 flying through the bay, putting on a show as best as it can. Then I look over  to the other side of the road and realize there are cars pulled off the road, on the approach to the bridge, so the people could get out and watch the united plane....I'm imagining how the conversation in that car went....'honey, honey, pull over on 101 so we can get out and watch the 737, because, well, we can't see that at the airport'.

Then, when I'm finally on divisidero, heading home....and it's bumper to bumper traffic all the way up.  Of course, the car doesn't like that and is all sorts of beeping at me. Transmission hot....speed up. Awesome....ok car, I know you don't like this....I don't like this, but unless you're going to turbo charge through the SUV in front of us, you're just going to have to deal.

And....finally home.  Showered, fed, and ready to enjoy some wine. Over and out until next time.....

Trail Runner Problems...

I set out today to run 20 miles and see the rest of the North Face course.  Unfortunately the crazy busy-ness of franchise work and holiday work over the past two weeks and being sick caught up with me.  I felt so sluggish and tired...ugh.  But, on the plus side, I learned so much and had so much fun over the past two weeks, I wouldn't change it. I can handle a slow run....haha....

Going up the first two trails...way, way up, I was able to actually try some of the strategies I've been thinking about with those hills.  Went pretty well in a lot of places and was the fastest I've climbed some parts of the trail.  I didnt know that while I was running, and I still felt sluggish.  I figured I'd get to Cardiac, and go from there.

I got up to Cardiac, and decided to head down Dipsea, rather than do the extra Matt Davis/Dipsea loop.  I was still feeling pretty tired, and I still hadn't figured out where the course went between Oceanview and Muir woods, so thought I would figure that out.  So, down Dipsea I went....almost literally...stupid mud...and, that's where the adventure began....

I get to the Ben Johnson trail, which I've done one other time, that I can remember.  It was the one I thought maybe I could run down last week and rolled both ankles several times - lots of fun.  So this week, I thought I would take it slow...maybe last week was a fluke or something.  After I got through the part that was real crazy, I started to jog again...unfortunately, it didn't take long to roll my left ankle again....awesome.  It was then that I realized something....I'm terrified of this trail.

After I rolled it and walked it out a bit, I realized I didnt want to run anymore and roll it again....at least until I was off this particular trail.  So, I walked (really awesome, since I already felt slow and sluggish)....and made sure I was watching where I was going.  Of course, I watched the ground so closely that I didnt see the tree branch I ran into....fabulous....stupid trail, I hate you.....and I hate it more that I'm afraid of you....especially since I don't really know how to get over it.  I'm just hoping if I do it enough, eventually I won't be afraid anymore.  I can handle the scary steps in Pirates Cove now, so I don't think it's impossible....I hope.

That terrible trail ended at Muir Woods, and picked up another trail that wouldnt have been so bad, if I wasn't so exhausted.  I tried to run as much as possible, since I really wanted to get away from Muir Woods and all of the tourists.  As I was running up part of it, I'm pretty sure I came across a couple who had just gotten engaged...

I got up to Alice Springs camp (not sure if that's what it's actually called, but it makes me think of Outback and Cheese Fries, so let's go with it) and began the descent on Fern Trail.  I really liked this one...easily runnable and very few spots that the trail could try to kill me.  This went down and met the Lost trail, except this time, I wasn't lost.  Unfortunately then it headed up...and up...and up.  Hope you like stairs....I finally got to the top, and thankfully, the sign wasn't broken, so I knew exactly where to head for the next part.....

Unfortunately, more up.  And some lady in wedge flip flops and an outfit fit for an office.  She looked relatively miserable....but looked at me like I was the crazy one, probably because I was covered in sweat and mud....it's a trail...you're supposed to be covered in mud...haha.  Anyway, once I got up, the view was beautiful.  And some how my foggy day had turned beautiful and sunny.  I went the wrong way on the next trail (why would the intersection have a sign...that would be too easy)....luckily, there was one not too far ahead and I quickly righted myself.  I found some more trails that I really liked....relatively flat, some slight descents.....and really interesting people.

The first guys were more annoying than anything.  Heard me come up behind them, and rather than share the trail like normal people they stepped into the middle of it so I really had no way around them. Annoying, but it was so pretty and they headed up towards the road pretty quick, so I didn't really care.

Next, I came across a lady who thought I was a mountain lion coming up behind her....yeah.....nope...just me.  But, thanks, I think....

At this point, I was having a lovely time on the trail, but was a little worried about getting back on Dipsea.  I knew I still had to go down to get back to the beach, but who knows how Dipsea will get you there.....generally with a lot of up in between....At the meeting of Dipsea and Sun, I had a lady ask me where a bathroom was.....ummmm....yeah....so not the one to ask, let's be honest.  I'm pretty sure most of the bathrooms I used in Nepal changed my opinion of what's defined as a bathroom.  haha....well, that and the random port-a-potty I used at the meadow earlier.  Really, it's the woods....there arent bathrooms....but, I was nice and told her there would be some at Muir Woods and Muir Beach, but I didnt know how far it was to either.  It was kind of fun to pull out my strava route and show her where we were and when those places were in relation.

The rest of Dipsea down to Muir Woods was pretty easy and pretty uneventful.  To the guy I almost blew my nose on, I'm sorry....

Of course, I get to the bottom, and expect it to be flat between Muir Woods and Muir beach...it was when I made up my own way last weekend.  But of course, this is the North Face course...and nothing is flat.  I pull out my strava and check the route....yup...cross the road and up Dipsea.....and up and up.  As I climbed and climbed, way more tired than I should have been, I thought about what might be waiting at the top...another good view maybe?

Or not....the trail literally t-boned into a fire road....a fire road that I was coincidentally heading back down.  Really??  Thanks North Face....I can't wait to do this at mile 38....but, had I not climbed up, I would have missed the lady asking me for directions:

• Her: Do you know which way to go
• Me: Where are you going
• Her: We thought maybe Stinson beach....
• My Thought....well, that's a nice thought, but based on the sign I passed a half mile ago, it's five miles to Stinson, ten round trip...and it's 3:30...that sounds like a long walk in the dark....
• Me: Well, I'm not sure, but let me look at my route.
• In the meantime, she shows me her map and points over way to the left (Muir Beach is in the bottom right)
• Me: um....well, no....we're here...by Muir Woods....and I show her the dot on my phone.  

In the end, she thought maybe they would head down towards Muir Woods....hopefully that's what they did.  Or the guy she was with (pretty sure it was the guy I passed who was peeing in the woods...) has a better sense of direction or knows how to read a map...

I make it back to the car, grabbed some water....had I not been completely out, I may have continued to torture myself and climb up Coyote Ridge, but instead just walked over to where I had seen a water stop for a race earlier.  Was curious what the race was, but it was gone.  In the end, the run was about 16.5 miles.  Not too bad, and maybe if I schedule an early oil change next week, I can get out and get in a 20 miler.....and see the rest of the North Face course.

Speaking of North Face, they posted the course tonight....luckily, it's what I thought it would be based on some strava courses.  Which means after next week, I will have hopefully seen the entire thing.  Unfortunately, I'm a little worried.  I dont move fast enough to be afraid of the Ben Johnson downhill....and I need to be faster overall....hopefully the additional day of running will help with that....and maybe I'll add another.....we'll see.  Hopefully there's enough time to get as good at the muir beach/stinson part as I am at Pirate's Cover, Marincello, and Miwok....well, good for me that is....and, I guess it's a good thing I know those trails well, based on the course notes I'll be covering bob cat, miwok, and coming down old springs in the dark (with a headlamp) on race day....eeeek....I feel like I should practice that.....

I think that's it for now....over and out...

Sick + Lost = Long Walk

Well, the headlands and Mt. Tam are always an adventure.  I set out today to hike or walk, since I was still fighting the head cold from Wednesday, but still wanted to get out there.  I mapped the part of the north face past Muir Beach last week, along with a bunch of other pieces so I can get in the rest of my long runs on parts of the course I don't know as well (and parts I do for the really, really long runs).  I had mapped a 20 miler that did most of the North Face course once you pass Muir Beach.  My thought was I could walk 10 of that - Muir to Cardio, down Dipsea to Ben Johnson to Fern to Lost trail (fitting name ;) to several others, before heading back to Muir Beach.

But, of course nothing ever goes according to plan, hence the adventure.  It starts out easy enough, parking was way easier than I thought it would be, despite the late start.  I tossed on some sun screen, pulled out the water, put on the headphones, and I was off.  I'm pretty used to Redwood Creek and Heather cutoff at this point, and I have a plan to run them, of course today I only planned to hike, so I continued to plan and look for where I would run during the race as I hiked.  I hit Coastal and continued to do the same thing....now I just need to run it.  haha.

Then I hit Cardiac, which is where I should have called it a day, turned around, and headed home for what would have been a ten mile hike.  But instead, I really, really wanted to see some new trails. So I headed down Dipsea, the same way I came up during the 50k.  Much, much easier going down.  I hit Ben Johnson pretty quickly, and it was actually a lot of fun.  At some point I crossed a log bridge, stepped in water, and ducked under a log all at once.  My foot was wet, my hands were dirty, and I was in heaven.  I had to stop and turn around and just enjoy the fact that this was my playground.

Then I went flying...and went flying again.  Some lady I passed told me I had a really good pace going...if only I had any control...haha.  Then I rolled my ankle...again.  So thankful for the rock tape....I roll the good one, and it doesnt really care, but the bad one...well, it still feels bruised hours later.

I took that trail down into Muir Woods....at some point I passed a couple hiking with Bud Light and a cooler....they had to be mid-50's which made them that much cooler.  Though, while hiking with beer might be fun, let's be honest, I have enough issues staying on my feet - I definitely don't need the help of a few beers.  haha.  Of course I got turned around in Muir Woods and ended up doing some sort of lap which got me back to the same trailhead I came in at...stupid Muir Woods.  So, I went back up and tried a different way (and stopped to take a picture for a family), and found a hill...up to a campground....and then I found Fern trail.  Nice trail....a lot of it runable if it's the one I'm thinking of.  Overall, a lot of what I found was either very runable or will kill me if I try - not too much middle ground.

I took that to the Lost trail, which was a good name, since I was feeling kind of lost. The hill and stairs on that make what I've seen of the Dipsea look like a pancake.  Good God, I thought the stairs would never end...and then there were more.  Finally I reached the top and asked someone coming down what trail they were coming from, and it was the one I needed.  But, shortly in, the directional sign was broken and someone told me the trail only went one way.  I had the Strava route on my phone, and tried to figure it out, but it was too tough to tell....nothing really looked right, but I knew the way they were pointing, back to Muir Woods, wasn't right.  But, rather than actually get lost, I took that way....asked someone coming up again where they were coming from, and they said Muir Woods.  It was a nice trail....would have been a great run had I not been sick and beat up.

I got to Muir Woods, and found myself in a sea of tourists and children and pets and people and ugh....how do I get back to my car?  I got to the exit, wandered through the store, and finally found a ranger.  Of course, I had to wait for the guy with the cigarette hanging out of his mouth to finish telling the ranger about the deers in the woods to find out how to get back, but ok....I'd made it this far.

After expressing his shock that cigarette guy and I weren't together - yes, me in my running gear and him with his cigarette, we look like travel companions....I ask him how to get back to Muir Beach.  He asks if I'm driving.....and had somewhat of a look of shock when I told him I'd wandered down from Cardiac.  He told me I was about 3 miles from the beach, and that I could pick up Redwood Creek Trail past the second parking lot.  I thanked him, and headed off on my way.

I dont think I had ever been so glad to see Redwood Creek trail....I knew where I was :).  I was so happy, I started to jog, despite the sick and the overall wanting to be done.  See I do really well on my trails...haha.

I hated losing my 20 miler today, but there's still time before North Face, and that 50k in October...

In other news, I made sure the adventure would continue past North Face, and signed up for the Umstead 100 mile endurance run in NC in March.  Sometimes I think I'm completely crazy...other times, I think it's totally doable.  It's a bunch of 12.5 mile loops....ugh.  But, I'm guaranteed to see my family and friends at least that many times, more if they're in different locations around the course.  It's also flat, which eliminates the ability to have a break on the downhill, it also removes all of the crazy uphill.  I think the biggest hill is 150 feet over the span of a mile and a half...basically the bootcamp hill over three or four times the distance.  My first climb today went from 600 feet to 1800 feet in just over that distance.  I can do it....I still have plenty of time, right??

I think that's it for now...over and out, until next time....

Tamalpa 50k Race Report

so, today i learned that the amount you sweat and the amount of liquid you consume during a 50k are second only to the amount of filthy you're going to get.

i tried to go to bed early last night, since i had to be up at 4am.  and, i kind of succeeded.  i was in bed by 9:30...i just...couldnt sleep.  my neck was stiff...my legs were sore....and i slept like crap.  not sure if it was nerves or nerves combined with things hurting or what, but i definitely woke up tired.  but, i was still excited...a little nervous, but excited.  some tape, food, tea, and water, and i was off.

i got to the start line in plenty of time to pick up my bib and get ready.  everyone was really friendly...said good morning and wished me a good race.  my kind of expo..friendly, quick, easy, and no one stepped on me.  at 7:25, the race director called everyone to the start with a bull horn.  he made a couple of announcements, one of which was that .6 of a mile into the race we would be funneled into a single track trail...and to be nice and slow down.  we had 31 other miles to go fast, and if that was going to be our fastest mile of the day, we were in trouble.  and that there would be a volunteer at the bottom of old springs trail to make sure we didnt run into a horse....it's a wide open space, i dont think i want to know the history behind that requirement....

the early miles were nice....nothing too crazy, though it was definitely a single track for a bit and we did need to slow down.  i was fine with that, i figured i could use the chance to save energy for later.  of course not even a mile in, the top strap on my bag popped....no idea why, i think it just came unhooked.  of course, i couldnt figure out how to fix it, so used one of the extra rubber bands on the side to fashion something together to hold it still.  we made it into muir beach, and i was able to run most of the way.  then we hit the muir beach hills, which are pretty bad...but, the training paid off, i felt really good on those hills.  i knew what they were like, and just as important, when they would end.  important lesson of the day - i need to train on some of the other trails i dont know as well (or at all) that will be part of the north face 50.

we hit pirates cove from the opposite direction i usually run....a little weird, but not as much of a mental game as i thought it might be.  it was actually pretty easy at the beginning, but got rough at the end where it's pretty steep before you go down again.  and, it was really nice to be able to run down the giant hill leading up to pirates cove rather than up for once.

then we made a turn into an area where i havent really been....somewhere towards hill 88, but i dont think it was hill 88.  having not been there, i wasnt sure what to expect, and now having been there, im not so sure i care to go back.  the beginning was nice enough....some rolling hills, and i met two ladies from pittsburg and chatted with them for a few minutes.  then came the hard part...the hill to rodeo was awful...and never ending.  it just kept winding and winding and winding some more.  finally i got to the top....then it wound around up there for a bit before feeling like it was heading to rodeo valley where the first aid station was....not before i passed a few falling apart bunkers and hiked myself up a short steep peak.

after leaving the aid station, i was headed for miwok....another crazy hill, but i knew this one.  and actually made pretty good time power hiking up it.  i managed to overtake at least four people.  granted, they passed me later, but i know how to get up my hill...haha.  at the top of miwok came old spring, another favorite, and this is the descent in to tennessee valley where the next aid station was.  i had started to feel tired at that point, and my right hip had been hurting since mile 8, but im used to that, so pressed on.

coming out of the aid station, we got to climb miwok/miwok cutoff, another favorite trail...to go DOWN.  ive only gone up once and it was pretty bad....today may have been worse.  i was with another runner for a little while, and she said...dont look up.  i cant look up...theres just so much up.  it worked...kind of.

i finally got to the top, and we started going down again, but by then i was starting to feel it more, so kept power hiking and trying to insert running intervals.  at this point, i was pretty sure i was last, but i was on the pace i wanted, so didnt care.  at some point, we crossed highway one and there was a water/electrolyte aid station only....perfect.  as with all the aid stations, i downed a full thing of electrolytes and at least two things of water....a lot for me.

crossing the highway, i started out on another rolling trail.  i thought at this point, i could probably run for a bit.  so i started jogging and stubbed my left foot on a log before going flying/catching myself on a bush.  somehow, it kept me from going down.  thanks randomly placed grassy thing.  i took a breath and a few steps to sort myself out, then began running again.  until i rolled an ankle and went flying a second time.  at that point, i felt like a higher being was telling me i shouldnt be running....so i went back to power hiking.

right as i met the dipsea trail, i saw brian waiting to run with me.  just what i needed and i dont think i would have finished the race without him.  dipsea starts out not too bad, but then heads uphill for what felt like miles.  in reality, it wasnt, but i was desperate for some more downhill and the aid station that cardiac held.  we kept thinking we were almost there, and finally we were.  we passed two runners sharing some water on the side...i never saw them again, so im not sure if they were able to finish.

when we got to the aid station, i had never been so happy to see pb&j.  another runner mentioned the same thing, and we shared a laugh.  i guzzled more water and electrolytes and tried some coke too - i was starting to get the weird gu acid reflux issue and i thought maybe something different would help.  then we were off...up a little further to pantoll and then finally down matt davis.

matt davis was a nice trail...single track, mainly down with some rolling hills.  it was great to have since my shins, especially my right shin, had started to cramp up...or something.  at some points, it was feeling like the muscles?  tendons?  i really dont know whats in the front my leg, but dear god, i thought it was trying to break my leg.  but, the gentle downhill helped loosen them up.  toward the end of the downhill, we had to push harder, since we had to get back up to cardiac by a certain time.  i ran into non-racing runner and talked to him for a few minutes - he had just finished his first 50k a few weeks ago.  he said it was great...and to have a good run.  i told him i was pretty sure i was last, but just wanted to finish.  so, i struggled on....shins cramping....gu acid in the back of my throat...

we hit another aid station, more liquid and then of course, back up.  once we hit dipsea, i really wasnt sure i was going to make it.  the shin issue had gotten so bad, i could barely walk....i thought for sure i wouldnt make it to cardiac in time, but i also thought that i may finally have gotten to a point where i wouldnt be able to continue, no matter how much i wanted to.  i cant remember the last time i cried, but i was pretty much ready to.  i had found a couple of other runners at the aid station, but lost them once we hit dipsea and i had slowed down so much.

we hit steep ravine, and i felt a little better.  i also knew steep ravine better....brian and i had done it once and it was pretty memorable.  brian did a great job keeping me going...telling me i had this and i could do it.  i kept putting one foot in front of the other and ignoring the pain in my shin...and the time i rolled my ankle.  thank god for rock tape, but i am afraid to see what it looks like tomorrow.  he pointed out being able to hear the cars....and the end of the stone steps..and the last bridge.  and the ladder....which, i climbed at mile 25.5ish....so, today i learned that i can make it up the steep ravine ladder 25 plus miles into a race.  then, we were almost there.  and we were on the heels of two other runners....

we got to pantoll and brian told me we had to jog down to cardiac so i would have time to get something to eat before it closed/i got pulled out of the race.  so, jog we did....somehow i figured out how to do it.  and i wasnt planning to run down the final hill....too afraid i might crash and burn.  we were talking about that as we ran past some hikers.  brian told me i could do it, and one of the female hikers yelled out, 'you can do it...you just past two guys!'.  yup, the guys we had in view coming up the end of steep ravine were now behind us....where they stayed for the rest of the race.

we got to cardiac and the aid station with time to spare and the rest was downhill...3.8 miles...downhill. i could do this....wow that was a great feeling.  i grabbed a sandwich and a ton of liquids and we were off....and, we jogged almost the whole way to the finish.  other than dodging mountain bikes and hiking through some loose stone, we did it.  we picked up another girl for awhile and got her going again, which was fun.  and then the head of the final trail came into view.  brian point it out, and it seemed so far.  but not...before i knew it, we were there.

then came the million switchbacks of heather cutoff....luckily still a mild downhill....and we jogged.  again, it felt like i might never get there - we could see the finish from the top and it seemed so far away.  but, i kept jogging, and really started to feel better.  and before i knew it, i was there.  well, about a quarter mile away...brian stopped and said, 'my work here is done...go finish your race...but, dont think you can start walking now....jog it in'.  and i did....even through the scary grass that tried to kill me this morning.

the finish line was short and simple....some poles and colored flags and a small group of people cheering.  in reality, it was perfect.  they called my name as i finished and said, 'you are finishing the Tamalpa 50k....congratulations'.  then a volunteer gave me a medal and said, 'looks like you earned this'.  i smiled and thought...yeah, yeah i did.  i did it....for a good while there, i didnt think id make it and get pulled at cardiac.  but, i never gave up....and learned that sometimes, the impossible just might be possible after all.  that, and i had one heck of a husband as a pacer.  he ran his own 50k this week and still came out for 20 miles.

we hung out at the finish for a little while...had some water and electrolytes and watched other finishers.  the girl we got running again at the end came over and said thank you.  took some photos of me to show exactly what running 50k does to you....haha.  then we headed out.

driving up the road out of muir beach, which is the same place i got picked up by some nice lady and her kids during a failed bike ride last summer, i realized that despite the struggles i faced today, i loved it.  i learned a lot...where my training gaps are...how i should fix them, and finished strong.  so, i thought, if i know i like this, i should go with it.  100 miles...here i come!  ironman, maybe i'll be back someday.  maybe.  but for now, im going to go with this new goal....after i eat my weight in pizza and maybe some ice cream.  after the roof of my mouth stops burning....damn dehydration....

Weekend of Running

I realized somewhere around Wednesday that this weekend would be a weekend of running.  Ugh...or maybe yay...I don't know. I like running, but I also like relaxing. Haha.

Saturday's adventure was a run through the headlands. Well, I'll use the term run loosely....it was pretty much doomed from the beginning.  I forgot my watch....I didn't have a route planned, and looking back, I'm pretty sure I was dehydrated for some reason.   So, I decided to explore somewhere new....ended up going up a big hill, then down some random trails that didn't really go anywhere. Just down....so I had to go back up. Good times. And while exploring was fun, it wasn't that much fun without a watch or any idea if the trails were good or not. And it was hot.  Knowing I still needed to get mileage in, I decide to run to the end of a flat trail that runs along the road and maybe run out to Tennessee beach after.

However, at the end of that trail, I ran into another runner who asked me where I was going. I told him I didn't know, and he suggested a trail across the street - 'beautiful trail, meets marincello, and there's really only one steep/hiking part at the top.  Or....there's lots of stairs, steep, and sun.  And when I got to the top, marincello was nowhere in site....nor was any trail I knew would get me there. Awesome...thanks runner dude.  I wandered for a bit trying to find something, but at that point I was pretty dehydrated and feeling awful, so I decided to head back the way I came.

After some Gatorade and relaxing on the couch Saturday night, I was ready to think about tackling day two of running.  There wasn't much to prepare, but I did prepare more than I have in the past.  Really, I just made sure I had clothes, shoes, and my race bib in some sort of order.  Though, I did arrive at the start line with a gu and my phone, and really no place to put either one. I didn't sleep well, but for some reason was up with time to spare.....spent more time relaxing on the couch before we had to leave.

At the starting line, I ran into my friend Debbie and her friend Hans - our yearly second half SFM reunion.  Always great to see her, even if it was only for a few minutes. I also met a lady who was running with about 10 helium balloons tied to the back of her top.  Still wondering how that worked out for her. At about mile three, I ran into my friend Maya from work....somehow, we always find each other at these races, even amongst thousands of people.

The first eight or so miles felt alright....I think I had a decent pace going when I could. There were a lot of people, and in a bunch of places, it was pretty difficult to zig and zag around people. Oh well, pretty typical of the park at the start. The first few miles outside the park were ok too, despite that it was starting to get hot. I grabbed a gu at the gu stop in the haight, by that point, I had started to feel a little off, and wasn't sure if I was hungry.  I had also eaten my gu back in the park and didn't really like not having one on me.

I passed Brian and the SB cheer squad coming up the big hill in the mission, he looked like he was having fun cheering everyone on with a bell and a wig.  After that, I couldn't tell if I was overusing my abs or if my stomach was cramping....not so much fun and definitely slowed me down. I took it slow the rest of the way, but still ran at least some of it. In the last bit to the finish line, I saw a guy down by AT&T park....between that and the guy down at the finish line, it brought back the sad memories about the guy that died at the kaiser half a few years ago.  Luckily, I think both of these guys were ok....maybe just dehydrated.

I got to the finish, not as fast as I had hoped, but not bad all things considered. Ksenya got some good photos of me coming in, so that was fun. They gave me boxed water at the finish line, interesting and a little different, and unfortunately, I was so thirsty and trying to drink quickly, I ended up wearing most of it. I got my medal and a few bites of a blueberry muffin, then headed out to meet Brian and our friends.

Post race, we headed to Barney's where I consumed my weight in milkshake, chicken pesto sandwich, and curly fries.....amazingly delicious. I'm definitely more stiff than I thought I would be, so I've spent the rest of the afternoon napping on and off on the couch, watching bad movies, and contemplating how exactly I'm going to run 30 miles in a few weeks.  Granted, ultra training is completely different than a road race, but still....yikes.  Hopefully after some rest and maybe some wine and hopefully a successful 20 miler next weekend, I'll feel better about it.

Everest Trek - The End of the Road

Annnnd, once again, it's taken me forever to get back and update this....must. get. back. into. blogging. haha....

I guess I've just been busy...running up Mt. Diablo, traveling back to Buffalo for mom's birthday, working on a bunch of stuff for my new job, signing up for a 50k run in august.  And, our lead Sherpa from our Nepal trip came to San Francisco to bring his son to school.  We were able to meet him for dinner, so we took him to Sam's Chowder House - gave him his first experience with chowder, halibut, and key lime pie.  So much fun and so great to see him.

Anyway....on to the end of the trek....

And, we're back in Kathmandu...it seems like, just like that - it's over.

After dinner last night was pretty much a goodbye party.  We had lodge food for dinner, and it made us really, really thankful for our cooks on the trek.  Once we were done eating, the entire team came in to say goodbye and get their tips.  We got to see the kitchen boy who received the coat Brian donated.  He was so happy and proud of his new jacket - he had never had one before.  One of the guides took my shoes, I'm glad someone was able to use them, even though they're small.  As we gave each of the groups their tips (kitchen boys, guides, porters, etc.), they came around and shook hands and gave hugs - some really emotional moments.

We finished the night with a few rounds of sherpa alcohol our guide bought for us, Everest beer, and a championship round of dominos.  A great ending to a great trip, and I still can't believe it's over.

As we left this morning, all of the porters and kitchen boys ran out of the kitchen tent to wish us one final goodbye.  As we walked further up the road to the airport, the guides met us to wish us goodbye as well.  A few more powerful moments as we followed our head guide to the airport.  After weighing all of our luggage and getting tickets, we bid farewell to him and our sidar.  He wished us well and told us he'd see us in San Francisco.

The flight out of Lukla wasn't nearly as terrifying as the flight in.  Granted, we had to wait for them to clean up a bunch of popcorn kernels (the flight before us was carrying people and supplies)...quite funny actually.  Then, we were off - down the downhill runway, kind of like a roller coaster.  Our final guide got us to our van at the Kathmandu airport, and then we dropped him off at home on the way to the hotel, officially saying goodbye to the final person from the trek.

Now that I've been back for awhile, and had more time to reflect, I've realized how awesome all of this really was.  It seemed like each day kicked my butt more than the one before, and I truly didn't think I could do it again, climb one more hill or one more flight of stone steps.  But, then I did...and I made it through the next day, and the one after that too.

The cough eventually went away, I got over the sick, and the ankle has pretty much healed.  But, the memories will last a life time, and the photos longer than that.  I'll never forget Mr. Bean turning around at the top of Kalapatthar and telling me that I had two more steps to go.  My smiling photo at the top will forever remind me that I can do things I thought I couldn't.  

Everest Trek - Lukla - 5/15

So, I woke up this morning with a very angry ankle.  As I unwrapped it, Brian was like, please dont be black and blue, please dont be black and blue.  I, of course thought it was too early for it to be black and blue.  So, of course, it was black and blue.....awesome.  And, of course, I just wrapped it back up and shoved it in my boot.  It only had to make it three hours.

Our last day of hiking was a lot of fun.  It was relatively flat, I'm finally feeling close to normal (of course), and  my foot held up ok.  We also enjoyed seeing everyone come through from Lukla at the start of their trek.  Some looking prepared, some with guides, some without.  One without any warm clothes or a sleeping bag...how are you going to trek without a sleeping bag?  One rather large gentleman who walked by and said, 'I thought I'd give this a go'.....I dont think he had any gear.  And my favorite, a girl in full make-up, short shorts, and a strappy tank top..... good luck with that as you go up the mountain....

As we walked, I tried to take in as much as possible from all of the little towns we passed.  I felt like I missed so much the first time we came through.  The school children, the porters hauling up the latest load (food, candy, beer, etc.), and the people in the village going about their business.  It made me wonder how long the Himalayas will stay as I remember.  Will these somewhat hidden villages stay hidden except to those to trek to them?  Or will the modernization continue?  Cell phones are already everywhere, even at the highest elevations.  And, apparently for the right price, you can helicopter to Gorak Shep (the highest place we slept) and take photos.  How long before the nearest road isnt more than two days walk and there really is a gondola to the top of Everest.

Once we got back to Lukla, we took a bunch of photos - group shots, us with our guide, etc.  Then we had the final meal cooked by our kitchen staff - cinnamon rolls, french fries, and yak cheese...haha...I will miss these healthy lunches.  It's great to be back to civilization...and have the opportunity for a (not) warm shower, but I really cant believe we're already back...and we head back to Kathmandu tomorrow.   I'm sad it's over, but so glad I had the adventure.    

Everest Trek - Phakding - 5/14 - 8,487 ft.

Remember the Real World?  In 1998 (I think), back when I used to watch the show, the Seattle season cast traveled to Nepal.  Today, our guide had on an MTV/Real World/Nepal shirt on.  Turns out he was part of the group from Nepal supporting the show while they were there.  He told us a little bit about what they did, how they took a helicopter up to the Everest View Hotel (cheating....haha), and how it was a quick trip, so he didnt really get to know them, but that there were cameras everywhere.

Today's hike from Namche was relatively easy, but I was ready for it to be done.  It's funny, when we're hiking, I cant wait to stop, because I'm kind of over the whole hiking thing.  But, then we get to where we're going and it's just magical.  I feel like there's so much to learn and see and do.  Today during the afternoon tea, we talked with our guide about Nepal and the power outages.  He let us know that they're upgrading the power in Namche, so it will be out from May 15th until the end of September when trekking season starts up again.  Overall, it sounds like a lot of the power situation is political and is in the hands of the powerful and wealthy few rather than the many.

Phakding is a small town, but somewhat larger than a couple of other ones we've been to.  It's right on the river, so after lunch, we all went down to hang out in the sun at the glacier river.  Or, rather, I tried to...first thing I did was find a rock and roll my ankle over it.  Went down pretty hard since it's so weak from my trail adventure before we left.  Good times....sick and broken.  At least we only have one day left, and hopefully it's an easy day.

I think last night was the last time we got hot water bottles.  It was fabulous in the cold, but I'm ok letting them go - its been warmer at night, and last night, I came back to my sleeping back to find that the bottle had leaked.  Luckily, it was a small river and my towel could take care of it.

Tonight was the last dinner our cook made - tomorrow we have dinner at the lodge we're staying at.  It was nice: some KFC (khumbu fried chicken), stir fry noodles, veggies, and chicken momos...lots of old favorites.  To top it off, we finished with a last day cake, complete with frosting....yummy.

Now we're hanging out in a room at the lodge, playing our nightly dominos and having good conversation.  I'll miss this after tomorrow....that and my daily 3pm tea.  Perhaps thats something I can institute at the office....haha.    

Everest Trek - Namche - 5/13 - 11,200 ft.

So, I'm having a beer...at this point, the hard part is over, or I hope the hard part is over....haha.

Today, we hiked back into Namche.  A somewhat difficult hike since I still cant breathe, but overall bearable.  And, we got to hike down into Namche, which was a nice change.  We got here and got cleaned up, and then went to grab some souvenirs (mainly yak bells).  Then we headed to a bar with some of our fellow trekkers to celebrate our return.  Yeah beer at 11,000 feet....haha.

We're camping at the same lodge we camped at on the way up - yay for a second chance to fall off the terrace.  We headed back there for dinner....yak steak!  I've never had yak before, and it was actually pretty good - kind of similar to salsbury steak.  Or I just really needed red meat.  Or both.

Now we're enjoying more beer and playing our nightly dominos game.  We're in the lodge with two other groups of people on their way up....one group is playing cards in another corner and the other is a group of guys singing to music through their dinner.  Oh to have that much energy again.  haha.  It would be interesting to see them in a week on their way back through....

We met some people at the bar who were also on their way up.  Not sure why drinking was a good call....or not having a buff...but they seemed interested in what we had to say and still have time to buy the stuff they dont have.  They have some tough days ahead of them, but hopefully they have a good time.

Tomorrow, we continue our descent into Phakding...hopefully an easy day since I've been up until a whopping 9pm tonight.

Everest Trek - Deboche - 5/12 - 12,300 ft.

Ok, so before the story....I survived four days of bootcamp this week (it's usually three), but in 'only me' fashion, my jeans didnt make it into my bag.  Awesome...way to rock an athleta inspired look of cycling pants and a nice shirt.  haha....oh well.  It actually worked well somehow.  Also, there were some changes to my job....I'll be working on international stuff and project stuff.  New and different, which is good, but, it's a lot and I dont have my team anymore.  So, mixed emotions, I would say.

And....on with the story....

Today, we continued our descent to Deboche.  We took the upper trail out to base camp, and we're taking the lower trail back, so we've been able to see a lot of different things and places.  Today was a short hike, only took about three hours, maybe a little more.  It was nice to have a semi-rest day, especially after yesterday's long day.

Instead of staying at another lodge, we're camping at the home of one of our guide's friends from his monastery days.  She's let us in her prayer room for meals and in between.  It's a nice, peaceful space, and pretty warm.  Granted, I'm still wearing my parka, but I'm not cold at all.

Tomorrow, we get to visit the Tengboche monastery - that should be cool.  However, it's a somewhat longer day - 5 hours, and has lots of climbing....and here I thought we were descending.

I spent some of the down time today relaxing in my tent (and making sure the laundry didnt blow away in the wind) and thinking.  We're nearing the end of the trek, only four more nights, including tonight.  And, I'm not sure how I feel.  On one hand, we spent a year preparing, and its been a great trip.  Granted, being sick for the entire thing has definitely taken away from some of the fun.  On the other hand, I'm kind of ready to be back in Kathmandu - with a bathroom in my hotel room, where brushing my teeth isnt a major production.

But, what a trip this has been....Everest base camp....Kala Patthar...Nepal...how cool are those things?!  At least we have a few more days in Kathmandu at the end.

Ok, bed time, I think it's the last night to cuddle with a hot water bottle  

Everest Trek - Pheriche - 14,049 ft.

I can't believe it's only been one day since yesterday.  Our day started with a wake-up knock at 4:30am.  I was glad that despite the coughing fits, I was able to get a decent amount of sleep.  However, I wasnt ready to be up yet.  Too bad I didnt really have a choice.

After attempting to force down a small breakfast, we were off towards the summit of Kala Patthar.  To say that I was nervous was an understatement - I was nervous it would be too hard or I wouldnt be able to finish.  It was hard, but not too hard.  One of the guides was in front of me the whole time - he helped me fish out my heavy gloves (I thought it would warm up quicker, so had started out in my lighter gloves), he held the top of my water bottle so I could drink with my gloves on, and when we got to the top, he turned to me and said - just two more steps.  And as with every other day on this trip, I did something I didnt think I'd be able to do - I made it up to the top of the 18,500 foot peak.  I wasnt the first, I wasnt the last, but in the end, it didnt matter.  All of us that set out that morning made it to the top.

And the view....it doesnt get much better than a completely unobstructed view of Everest - the Hilary step and the South Col.  We took great photos and got some group and individual shots too.  Definitely some of my favorite shots from the trip.

Then, we made our way down for what felt like the longest day of hiking ever.  We had some tea and cookies in the lodge at Gorak Shep before we officially departed.  It was hot...it was cold...we were pretty much too exhausted to eat lunch.  Nine miles later, we reached our destination.

Once I reached my tent, I barely had the energy to dust myself off (literally) and change clothes.  We had some tea and then we were off to the Himalayan Rescue Association Hospital.  It was interesting to learn about the center, how many people they support - 600 trekkers each season, plus the locals they treat for free during that time.  They're completely funded through donations and receive no government support.

We had pizza for dinner again - this time with sausage, and spaghetti with yak cheese instead of parmesan cheese.  I thought we were supposed to lose weight on this trip, but these cooks have been amazing.  The things they come up with at several thousand feet of elevation.

After dinner, we had an interesting conversation with our guide about the expedition season ending and the sherpa strike, and he had a very different point of view than we thought.  They're concerned for the impact to the economy in Nepal - lodges, hotels, shops, etc. in future seasons, if people are afraid something similar might happen, and thus decide not to sign up.

Alright, today has drained pretty much all the energy I had, and the cough is kicking my butt.  Off to sleep with my hot water bottle.

And...there are stray yaks.  Awesome.  But, luckily theyve put up a make shift metal fence to keep them out.  Does that actually work?  We shall see.  And, there are some tied up in here with us, hopefully with a thick rope.

Everest Trek - Gorak Shep - 5/10 - 17,100

Quick note....amazing trail run today.  Rock tape has changed running with a healing ankle injury.  Ok, on with the story....

Well, today I proved that even if you sprain an ankle the week before your trek, and get sick the day it starts, you can still make it to base camp.  Base camp was...pretty cool even though just about everything was gone.  There wasnt a sign either, but there was a bunch of prayer flags and stones people had written messages on.

Today was a cool day, but a long day of hiking.  We got to Gorak Shep for an early lunch after about three hours of hiking up and down and more up.  Then about five hours of hiking to and from base camp.  It was rough, even with the excitement of base camp.  Tomorrow is Kala Patthar...based on today, I'm still nervous.  I want to be able to make it up to the top, but between the altitude and the cough, I'm not sure how it will go.  I'm basically huffing and puffing through my mouth, when I really need both my nose and my mouth with such little oxygen.  Hopefully, somehow I'll feel as good as I did on the stairs on the way to Lobuche.

It was interesting to watch the sherpas and guides today, really over the entire trip.  Our Sherpa leader always brings up the rear - helping people if they stop, and slowing down with people if they need.  Like today, I decided I needed gloves, so stopped to pull them out.  He came over, pulled them apart for me (my hands were too cold) and held them up so I could slip my hands in.

Each of the guides takes a turn leading the group, and the others divide up within the line.  They answer questions and keep the Yak/Zopkyo trains away from us if they get too interested.  There's one that always seems to be in front of me - I think he's afraid I might crash through the rocks or something and he wants to be close in case he has to rescue me.  It seems as though each of them also takes a turn running the site and walks with the yak driver and kitchen team for the day. They go ahead and make sure everything is ready when we get there.  It's also interesting to see how they train people - for example, today one of the kitchen boys came on the base camp hike, I imagine to experience what the guides do.

Ok...last night in a lodge - nice one too (read, western style toilet...now if only I didnt have to dump water in it to get it to flush).  And, now I have a hot water bottle in my sleeping bag, I'm exhausted, and it's an early morning....it's bed time.

Everest Trek - Lobuche - 5/9 - 16,100

I have made it above 16,000 feet.  It's actually not as crazy as I thought it might be either, considering there's 50% less oxygen up there than there is in San Francisco.  And, it's already colder at 5pm than it was last night after the sun went down.

Today's highlight was the Thokla Pass. It was about an hour straight up a steep hill and some steps.  In reality, it might have been half a mile, but felt like a marathon with the altitude.  We took it slow, and took several breaks, and it really wasnt as bad as I thought it might be after yesterday.  And as we talked about all through lunch (we had lunch at a lodge and looked at the hill the entire time).  I'm still worried about making it up Kala Patthar though.

At the top, we were treated to not only a great view, but also to memorials of fallen climbers decked out in prayer flags.  There was one for Scott Fischer, one of the guides from the '96 tragedy, one for the Nepalese descended Canadian climber who passed away on her way down from the summit a few years ago.  It was interesting to see the memorials of the people I've spent a year reading about.

And, I just watched a guy ask the lodge keeper if he could use the rest of his daughter's shower water to wash his hair, rather than pay for his own shower.  Dude, it's $5, pay the poor lodge lady and go have your shower.

Speaking of the lodge, it's a nice change to be staying in here rather than the tent.  It's nice not having to crawl in and out of my bed, and be able to see the stuff in my bag without digging.  The lodge lady makes beautiful hats, scarves, and more out of yak wool.  I bought a pretty scarf that will keep me warm in the chilly office.  She also charged my phone and camera battery for $6.  They also have a horse for hire....perhaps I can hire it to take me the rest of the way....haha...

I tried to go for a walk after we had our tea.  A couple of the others from our group said there wasnt much to see...just a horses, yaks, and some stray dogs.  I made it a few feet, and realized that the dogs must have run away with the yaks, because all that was out there were three horses.

The cook made us pizza for dinner tonight.  Delicious at 16,000 feet.  I had another sherpa sauna, hopefully that helps with the dust as well as the congestion.  One of my fellow trekkers brought a pulse-ox meter so we've spent the evening trying that, and then decided that we needed to try it out on the sherpas.  Of course, they knew what was up...and they had ridiculously low heart rates for the altitude.

Tomorrow, we head to Gorak Shep for lunch and then to either base camp or Kala Patthar (depending on the weather).  Then, the other the next day, and then down we go.  I can't believe the days we've been hiking all this time for are almost here...

Everest Trek - Dingboche Acclimatization HIke - 5/8 - 14,213

I got to take a shower today!  Well, sort of...they have a solar heater, so they have a small booth/shed with a sprayer and a bucket.  I borrowed shampoo, conditioner, and soap from another trekker (thanks Adrienne!), and enjoyed getting somewhat clean.  The only thing missing was some clean clothes to put on afterwords, but oh well.  Seriously, best $5 I've ever spent.

Today's acclimatization hike was a climb of just over 1000 feet, and...it was rough.  I was slow, and at one point, I just stopped and needed to rest.  Interestingly enough, everyone behind me stopped to rest too.  We got some great photos and had great views of Makalau and Ama Dablam.  The way down was pretty crazy too...I think we lost the trail at some points and were just coming down the side of a mountain.  Great hike, but like I said, pretty tough.  And made me more concerned about Kala Patthar.  Some of these hills have been pretty crazy, and that's the longest and steepest of them all.

This afternoon, Brian and I walked around Dingboche - pretty small and quiet.  It seemed as though it was just lodges, each one offering a restaurant, a store selling sundries, and various lodge amenities - hot shower, heated room, bathroom in room, etc. which I guess makes sense if these places grew up around the trekkers.  But, I wonder where they all are, plenty of people on the trail today, but no one out walking around.  Nothing like Namche.  We stopped at three places that advertised telephone services, but found out quickly that none of them really do.

Since there wasnt much going on and there werent any souvenir shops, we headed back to the lodge for the afternoon.  Some people from the group are playing dominos with the guides (some are sherpa, some are not).  While theyve been playing, we've been talking to them about the mountains, becoming guides (they typically spend three years as a porter, then move to the kitchen, then guide/assistant guide, sirdar, trip leader), what sherpa means (people from the east).  Our sirdar told us that he enjoys talking with us and answering our questions because it helps him learn and practice English.

In other news, the weather has improved and has offered us some great views of the mountains.  However, the lack of daily rain has kicked up the dust.  Despite wearing a buff nearly constantly, I've added the "Khumbu cough" to my list of issues.  There is dust everywhere....on the trail, in the tent, and in the air.

Tomorrow, we head to Lobuche, where we'll be able to stay in a lodge.  We've been assured it's nothing fancy and wont be heated, but will be a nice change from the tent.  I'm excited not to have to unzip my front door and to get dressed standing up.
    

Everest Trek - Dingboche - 5/7 - 14,213 ft.

We got our first glimpses of Everest today!  Well, really our first glimpse of any mountains.  When we woke up, the fog had dissipated and we could see mountains from our campsite.  At breakfast, our guide told us that if we were able to hurry and make it up the hill behind the lodge in time, we'd get a great view of Ama Dablam.  So, we hurried, somehow I made it up the hill, and what a view we had.

A little while later, after charging up some more hills and stone steps...gosh, I felt slow....but, people in my group told me I was doing fine, so hopefully that's the case.  Anyway, after some more crazy up, the clouds cleared, and we were able to see Everest....and Lhotse.  It was so cool to finally see the mountains I've read so much about over the past year.

With all the rushing, we made it to lunch about an hour ahead of schedule.  That gave us some time to see a nearby monastery.  Our guide knew the monk from his monastery days, so he gave us a tour and explained how everything worked.

The rest of the day was tough but manageable.  The sherpa sauna combined with decongestant worked wonderfully, and I woke up feeling much better than I have in days.  But, because we missed a day with the flight delay in Lukla, we had to combine two days of hiking.  Like I said, not bad, and would have been two really easy days if we had split it.

Once we got to the lodge, I basically found my tent and collapsed on the little mattress that goes under my sleeping bag.  At some point, I said, 'there are a bunch of things I should do (open my wet for some reason sleeping bag, pull out the stuff I want to hand wash when the washing water gets here, etc.) but I'm so tired, all I want to do is lay here.

We're camped by another lodge....it was interesting to learn that the lodges and villages we've stopped at grew up around the trekkers.  They have a main room where we've been hanging out - it has lights powered by solar energy and a small furnace that heats the place using Yak dung.  Surprisingly, it doesnt smell, though, it did try to explode earlier.

Tomorrow we have another acclimatization hike.  It's basically several hundred feet straight up.  Hopefully, at some point I'll be better at these hills. I'm beginning to get a little worried about the Kala Patthar hike at the end of the trip.  Hopefully I have the strength to make it...or they let me crawl.  I gave in and started taking the Diamox, maybe that will help, along with getting over the sick.

Other than that, I paid $6 to get both garmins charged so we can continue to track our treks.  I have no idea what the phone battery looks like, it had half a few days ago, but things tend to lose battery life in the cold.  I'll figure it out the next time I use it, I guess.  Maybe there's a coffee shop with free wifi here too...I'll explore tomorrow.  I don't plan on paying $9 an hour to use it at the lodge.

Ok...time to brave the cold and head to bed.

Everest Trek - Phortse - 5/6 - 12,700 ft

Somewhat long hike today, just over seven miles, I think.  Most of it wasnt bad, but the rest rivaled the crazy hill going into Namche.  It was especially tough going up to lunch and then getting into town and to our campsite (after the hard part was supposedly over).  Of course, our site was at the top of town, which will come in handy tomorrow since we need to leave from the top tomorrow.

I still havent managed to shake the congestion...it almost seems to be getting worse with the altitude.  And climbing hills is the worst, since I already cant breathe.  Hopefully slow and steady will get me through tomorrow.  Two of our guides gave me a sherpa sauna after dinner to help clear the congestion.  Basically, it's a bowl of boiling water with some Vicks that you bend your head over and breathe deeply.  It felt and worked wonderfully.  Hopefully that coupled with some decongestant will help get rid of it.

We still havent really seen the mountains.  We may be able to see Ama Dablam tomorrow if the weather clears.  But, the weather for base camp on Friday looks clear, so that's exciting.

Ok...off to bed.  Hopefully tomorrow's hike wont kick my butt as much and maybe I'll start to feel better.  

Everest Trek - Hike to Everest View Hotel - 5/5 - 12,804 ft

A couple of notes....first, I am really enjoying reliving my trip as I post each of these blog entries.  It was totally the trip of a lifetime, and I hope people are enjoying reading about the adventure.

Second...we got a kitten the day after we got back...typical...haha.  His name is Hubert, he's grey and white with medium length hair.  He's adorable, but he's so skinny and tiny, I'm afraid I'm going to break him.

Ok, back to the travel blog.....

So, the congestion is kicking my butt, and I really need it to go away.  I woke up at some point last night with a really sore throat and needing to pee.  I decided that I should have taken two of my Nepalese Nyquil, since it only put me out for two hours.  I decided to get up and brave the cold and the toilet tent, precariously perched on a small cliff.  After popping actual Nyquil (thanks Heather!), I began my journey.  Almost slid down one flight of stairs, but other than that, made it ok.  The whole experience was a little frightening, I was pretty sure I was going to fall the entire time.  One thing I wont miss - days when getting up to pee at night involves an outdoor bathroom and a parka.  I only had one cup of tea today, so hopefully that will eliminate any midnight adventures tonight.

I woke up at some point later horribly stuffy, to the point that my ear was pounding.  Not fun....cue more Nepalese Nyquil and about a million tissues.  Hopefully the 'easy' day today will help it go away.

Today's adventure was an acclimatization hike up to the Everest View Hotel.  Tough hike up some crazy hills, and some areas that I'm pretty sure weren't part of a trail.  Again, I was thankful for the poles, especially on the way down in the rain.  The way up was pretty tough, especially with the congestion...it really needs to go.

We passed the Tyngboche airport, pretty much closed now, but there was a chopper loading gear that we guess came down from basecamp when the expeditions got cancelled.  On the way back, it was too foggy to see it, but we're guessing the weather was too bad for it to really go anywhere.

The view from the hotel was supposed to be amazing....views of Everest and the rest of the range.  We waited about an hour, maybe a little less for the fog to clear, but it didnt happen.  At that point, we realized that we could make it through the entire trip and never see Everest.  Hopefully bad weather now will mean for good weather later.  We enjoyed $12 cokes and candy bars, then headed back down to Namche.

We were welcomed back with lunch and warm tang (I will miss that stuff), then our guide took us to his home.  He has two houses, one here in Namche and one in Kathmandu.  His house here is steps from the hotel and is a traditional Sherpa home.  It has three rooms - a kitchen, a party room, and a prayer room.  The party room is used to entertain guests and host Sherpa parties, which involve drinking and dancing.  We all left wanting to attend a Sherpa party.  The party room is also used for sleeping if guests stay over.  They have mats they pull out for people to sleep on.

The prayer room was gorgeous - he hand painted everything in the room, and uses the room for prayer and painting.  He told us about the statues in the room, the prayer books, and how they're used.  He also showed us the National Geographic medal his father was awarded for his work on Everest.  He also showed us his paintings, which were gorgeous, and post cards (we all plan on buying those).  Before we left, he answered all of our questions about his religion, Everest, the Dali Lama, and I cant remember what else.

Overall, a great day.  Tomorrow, we depart for Phortse (another village), gain some elevation, and hopefully leave the congestion behind.

Everest Trek - Namche Bazaar - 5/4 - 11,200 feet

Wow....what a day.  The hike was only just over three miles...maybe three and a half, but the total elevation gain was 2000 feet.  There was some scary downhill - slippery slopes and such (very thankful for the poles), but the end was a mile and a half straight uphill.  We took it slow, but it still kicked my butt....whether it was the altitude or the sick, I'm not sure.

The hike ended at Namche Bazaar, the "city" of the Khumbu region.  It's a really cool town cut into the side of a mountain, with stairs everywhere.  Once we got here, I thought we were done with the climbing, but then had to climb up to the lodge where we're camping, snow lodge, I believe.  We're camping on the terraces behind the lodge (because nothing in Namche is flat).  Brian and I are on the upper terrace, maybe ten feet up, with no railing and some steps that I'm sure will be crazy in the dark.  Here's to hoping I don't fall if I make a bathroom run in the middle of the night.

We walked around the village for a little while before dinner - found a couple of places to get a yak bell on our way back through and a coffee shop with free wifi.  I had my first coke in I dont know how long, usually it has way too much sugar, but I must have needed that today.  I also found a pharmacy and asked the woman working there what I should take for a cold during the day and night, and got a decent supply of medicine for $8.  Hopefully Nepalese cold medicine works well (and I can guess the dosage since there arent any directions).

So far the most interesting thing I've seen is cell phone usage.  We're in a very remote area - no roads, no cars, and everything here was trekked in from somewhere else.  But, cellphones are everywhere, and everyone (even the kids) seems to have one.

The things I miss the most - pizza and showers...and probably clean clothes, but I dont think I've had to wear anything twice yet and we might be able to do laundry tomorrow.  The food has been amazing, but I can't tell you how badly I wanted pizza when we got here today.  And of course there's a pizza restaurant down the street, but we cant eat it because we'll get sick from food we arent used to.  The lodge has a solar shower, but the guide warned us not to use it if we werent feeling well because of the heat loss between being done and getting dressed.  The temp also varies - one of our group members got a shock of cold water and had to have someone come fix it.  However, it may become too hard to resist before we leave.

Other than that, its been great getting to know our group.  After only a few days, it's like we've been friends forever.

Everest Trek - Lukla, Phakding, Monjo - 5/3 - 9500 feet

Traveling while sick is anything but fun.  Travel that includes a 4am wake-up call and a 27 minute prop  plane ride over the mountains while sick is definitely not fun.

Flying into Lukla is an adventure, it's basically an uphill runway into the side of a mountain, and conditions have to be perfect or the plane doesnt fly.  We were supposed to leave at 6am, but faced delay after delay due to rain and weather.  After 6.5 hours of sleeping on the airport floor, (I can only imagine what I was breathing off of that floor - luckily or unluckily, I was too sick to care), we finally took off for Lukla.  We had about a 30 minute window to get on the plane, take off, and land, due to incoming weather.  I remember being woken up and having to quickly run out to a bus to get on a plane....complete whirlwind...

The flight was beautiful?  Terrifying?  Probably all of the above.  Beautiful views of the mountains, and then the shortest runway ever....you can see the end of the runway when you land, and the whole thing slants upward.  Google it - it's crazy.  Typically, I'd be terrified, but once again - too sick to care.

Because we got in so late, and not all of our bags made the flight (of course mine was one of them), we spent the night at a lodge in Lukla.  There werent any lights, but there was a bed, a pillow, and a bathroom in the room.  Perfect place to curl up and sleep for fourteen hours...or at least try to.  I feel like I spent more time waking up and rolling over than I did sleeping, but I dont have a clock, so I'm not really sure.  The two rounds of Nyquil given to me by a fellow traveler (thanks Heather!) were definitely a big help.  After visiting the health center behind the sketchy blue curtain at the Kathmandu airport in search of a cold pill, I was wishing I had gone on an adventure before we left.  Although, who says the health center at the domestic terminal in the Kathmandu airport isnt an adventure.....

This morning, we were woken up with hot tea and began packing our bags.  Breakfast was a mix of porridge, hardboiled eggs, and a tortilla looking thing.  Most of which I dont typically eat for breakfast, but did enjoy.

Then, the trek began.  And, other than being sick and sliding down a flight of stairs, it was amazing.  The beautiful architecture of prayer wheels and stupas and prayer flags pop up around every turn.  The local children couldnt wait to give us high fives and call out Namaste as we passed.  Or, they would just follow us down the path until our guide shooed them home.  We were treated to beautiful views of the mountains and steel rope bridges over an amazing glacier river.

I started to feel a little better, thanks to some dayquil from another fellow trekker (thanks Larry!).  But, I was still ready for a rest when we got to Monjo.  We're camping outside of a lodge, but we're allowed to sit inside and use the lighting until we head to the tents.  Tomorrow we have a short hike to Namche, but a huge gain in elevation.  It will be interesting to see how I fare, both with the altitude and the sick.

Kathmandu Airport - 5/2

The start of my trek blog, as translated from my notebook....

I knew from the minute I woke up yesterday that I was catching something.  Of course, I didnt think to bring cold meds and didnt feel like having an adventure to go find some.

The day started out just fine - breakfast, met the rest of the REI group, and went on a tour.  The tour included the rest of the World Heritage sites in Kathmandu, so we were able to see all seven over four days.

Our first stop with the group was a giant Buddhist temple, a stupa.  It was gorgeous - such great architecture and brilliant prayer flag colors.  We also stopped at another art school for a tour.  Since we'd already bought a painting, we just used the bathroom 'happy place', as our guide called it, and went outside to people watch.  So many people to see, both locals in traditional dress and tourists just looking around.

The second stop was Patan Durbar square, the final durbar square in the heritage sites.  It was interesting to see that this site was more of a modern tourist attraction, with vendors selling plastic blow-up figures on sticks and cotton candy.  We walked the square for a bit, and then headed to lunch at another rooftop restaurant.  I still wasnt feeling well, but I was hungry.  I opted to try the sweet and sour chicken and some rice.  Then, it poured....a lot.  Luckily, we were under some cover....some.  A plastic tarp kind of thing, that stayed attached to the deck...sort of.  Haha...at least Brian and I were prepared for rain.

Our final stop was the monkey temple, another Buddhist Stupa.  But, this one had monkeys everywhere.  They were fun, but pretty destructive - we watched them rip down a flag and try to tear off part of the stupa.  Apparently, if the locals leave their windows open at night, the monkeys come in and destroy the house...charming...

On the way back to the hotel, our guide answered questions about his life, family, etc.  He had an arranged marriage (most people in Nepal still do), and told us about his wedding, a multi-day celebration where they had to walk several hours to his fiancee's town.  He told us about his daughter, who he wanted to give a non-common name, so he named her Rachel - something he'd found on the internet.

By the time we got back to the hotel, I really felt awful.  Horrible timing.  I went back and slept for a bit before our pre-meeting with our guide.  I dont remember much from it, other than feeling awful and hoping it wrapped up soon.  I tried to get a milkshake after, thinking it might help my throat, but it was luke-warm milk and ice cream, and I definitely didnt trust it.  So, I pulled the ice cream out and ate that. Dinner took forever, so I ended up having it delivered to my room so I could pack and get to sleep faster.  I skipped my final kind of clean shower since I was freezing (yeah running a fever the day before I leave...) and the water wasnt all that warm.