Halloween Skyline Convention

[Ellen]

Howdy All

I pulled into the museum about 5:20 -- by 5:30 there was a regular Skyline convention in the parking lot with lots of familiar faces as well as new folks. We left at 5:34 and I followed the headlamps of the speedsters as long as I could. By Shade Rock I knew I had a good pace going if I could maintain it. The Never Ending Ridge sapped my energy as usual I was gratified when Jean told me that section got on her nerves as well Pulled into Flat Rock, looked at my watch, and thought "Holy cow, I may break 5 hours."

Unlike my previous fall Skylines, I felt good grinding up through the manzanita. Once I reached the traverse, I thanked God for the revitalizing cool breeze. Ran into Cy and Maria -- always a treat It was great to see Robert again as well. Worked my way carefully through the eroded section and yelled "woo hoo" when I reached Coffman's Crag. Like Jean, I'm not fond of slipping backwards in the sandy, steep sections -- these are very energy intensive.

Right as I reached the Notch, I heard Mark yelling "You've shattered it!" I was ecstatic to learn that my time was 4:43. Mark set a PR as well -- 4:37. I was very glad that I did not catch him after Flat Rock as this meant he was making tracks. We regrouped at the tram bar and celebrated the great day. Walt -- thanks for the beer -- my treat next time. Lance arrived after bagging San J from the tram and kindly provided Tyler's taxi service for myself, Tina and Brad back to the museum. We returned to the lower station tram and picked up our hiking friends and completed the festivities with a fabulous meal at Las Consuelas.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[zippetydude]

Wow Ellen! Great job! Sounds like you're peaking at just the right time! I had planned on going myself, but my knees hurt just walking up the stairs at home, so I figured I'd better give them a few days to heal up before the 7th. Still, I would have loved to be there and cheer for you. Again, great job, and I'll see you soon!

z

[tinaballina]

congrats to you and mark on your pr's.
i made it safe and sound after another back to back weekend. brad, fernando and myself had a leisurely day on skyline yesterday. we did a lot of trail maintenance and i was able to put more decorations on my tree.
looking forward to this coming weekend.

[Marknhj]

It was a memorable day on Skyline! I've never seen so many people in the Museum parking lot and never before hiked up where the group go individually at their own pace. My pr was an unplanned surprise as I haven't felt too comfortable the past two trips up. I followed Mike and Brad up sections of the first half, although they were way too fast for me to hang onto. And, it was awesome to see Steve's headlamp disappear upwards at such an incredible pace! Got to 4300' in 1:58 and Flat Rock in 3:10, so knew I was on for a good time and was determined not to blow up. That cooling wind was a godsend, as Ellen mentioned.

Congrats to Jean on her first Skyline! Walt - I noticed the look in her eyes at the bar too. You could be in trouble, mate! Great to see Robert again at Flat Rock and at the bar. He's hooked! Said a brief hi to Cy and Maria, but couldn't risk stopping at that stage, and Doreen and Sid earlier. Congrats to you too, Doreen! Tina, it goes without saying, always a pleasure my dear...

Ellen - I was bloody glad you didn't catch me too! The last time I spotted you was around 5000' but knew you'd be charging up behind me. I made the conscious decision to not look down to see where you were after Flat Rock! Kathryn's adventure certainly provided a chuckle when she eventually showed up, thank goodness. However, I'm unsure what the most memorable sight was: her sitting on Ellen's lap in the car coming down, or starting a Skyline hike in full Arctic gear, replete with an extra jacket tied around her waist!

btw - I tried a new diet strategy. I replaced my usual Friday evening dinner of pasta and garlic bread with a Carl's Jr $6 Jalapeno burger and large fries, and my pre-hike breakfast of a banana and yogurt with an apple fritter of mind-boggling density! For good measure I squirted an Espresso Love gel (x2 caffeine) into my coffee at 4.30am

See you all on Saturday...

[magikwalt]

Congratulations Ellen and Mark on your new PRs. Very impressive and a sure sign that the training is paying off. I also noticed the recovery rate has really improved as well. Jean's time really surprised me. Her first shot is less than an hour behind my best ever. She has been very consistant in her training and I'm sure this will give her some new goals.

I sure like the $6 Burger diet a whole lot better than our pasta dinner. Thanks to all for making it such a great day!

[Zé]

nice job on the PR's!

[Ellen]

Howdy All

I look forward to hiking Skyline for the fun and camaraderie again now that I have one under five hours After last Saturday and the upcoming Terrible Two on Saturday, I think I'll want to do different hikes to enjoy the wilderness

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[EMan]

Ellen said:

"After last Saturday and the upcoming Terrible Two on Saturday, I think I'll want to do different hikes to enjoy the wilderness. "

1st sane thing I've read on this board in weeks!

Seriously, best of luck to all you crazies. May the force be with you.....

[Ellen]

Howdy Ernie

Look forward to seeing you back on the snowy slopes of San J (and other saints) this winter Enough of the heat, I want to play in the white stuff.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen