Though it needs more, this Hawaiian Island has only one roadway tunnel.
Before the tunnel was built, an impassible headland forced travelers to either swim or climb over. The 5.5mi Lahaina Pali Trail bypass was built between 1830 and 1850.
Though the trail is well signed, I managed to get lost within the first 10min, scrambling the wrong ridge until I intersected the trail. The vegetation is both itchy and thorny!
As my guidebook recommended, I climbed only high enough to get a good view of the only windmills on Maui. Then backtracked.
Not one of the best hikes in the world, but I enjoyed the vistas during the late afternoon light, returning to my vehicle just in time for sunset.
I’m happy to have survived. And fairly happy with my time of 1hr 12min, or so.
Since I’d not done any distance “running” since June, I placed myself at the very back of the pack for the start. That way I’d not suffer the indignity of little girls passing me en route. (The winner of the 2008 5km Women’s division was 13yrs-old.)
For the first 4km I took it very easy, unsure whether or not I’d hit some kind of 8km “wall”. Like most at the back of the pack, I walked some of the steeper sections when I felt walking would be as fast as a slow jog.
At about the half way point I started to feel GREAT and began to push the stride length. Started passing lots of people.
The XTERRA course trails are infamous for loose volcanic rock. But I found this one fairly tame. No chance of a sprained ankle, even on the steeper descents. There was a fair bit of elevation but no huge hills.
In my ignorance I didn’t know that the last mile or so was along the ocean. Soft sand and jagged rock. Heat, humidity and sand sucks your energy. I passed almost no one on my “kick” though I felt strong.
Though billed as something of a fun run, there are some very serious runners. Mike Tobin, past winner of the XTERRA triathlon, was slumming it in the 10km. And he only came 3rd!
I just attended a clinic with some of the favourites: Julie Dibens, Melanie McQuaid, Nico Lebrun and Conrad Stoltz. Yesterday I listened to Shonny Vanlandingham and Josiah Middaugh. Inspiring!
At 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 25th, a maxed-out field of 550 international racers will embrace the annual challenge of XTERRA’s most grueling course – and in the ensuing hours put their mental and physical toughness up against Mother Nature’s arsenal of sun, sand, water, kiawe, and lava. …
Athletes from more than 20 countries and 40 states will gather on Maui – the spiritual birthplace of XTERRA – having competed all season long for the right to be at the World Tour’s culminating event. …
$105,000 in pro prize money is up for grabs and for age groupers, the title of XTERRA World Champion. All the action will be filmed for a one-hour TV special, and on race day, friends, family and fans from around the globe can log-on to http://www.XTERRA.TV for live updates from Maui.
Good luck to my teammates Jeni, Andy and Dave who are competing at Nationals for the first time. It’s in Texas.
(Me? I’m still in stealth training mode.)
From Jeni by email:
Race start is 7a.m. Friday, and cut-off is 1p.m. Saturday (although many, many of us may still be racing long after this time…). Last year only 10% of the teams finished the race before the 30 hour cutoff…
For those unfamiliar, adventure racing is like triathlon meets ‘Survivor’. There is no course specifically, and you don’t know which events or in what order they will be until start (or even sometime during the race!). Co-ed teams of 3 must navigate their way using only topo maps and compass through approximately 75-100+ miles of rugged terrain using mt bikes, kayaks, and trekking/running.
Often ‘surprise’ events (like swimming with your bike, climbing, solving puzzles) appear along the way just to make sure no one gets bored. Team members must stay within 50 feet of each other at all times, and all members participate in all aspects of the race as one unit. …
When I gave up on carrying a water filter, I gave up on Nalgene wide mouth bottles.
In recent years I’ve simply carried a soft drink bottle. It’s fantastically reliable and fits more easily into my pack pocket than a Nalgene.
Crow recommends …
… a 20 ounce “Vitamin Water” bottle. I wanted a wide mouth bottle because it’s easier to add drink powders to them. …
I have been using the same bottle for years. That’s the thing about “single use” plastic bottles, I don’t care how many years I have carried the same bottle, nor how many times I have dropped it, nor how rough its life has been. I have never, ever had a “single use” plastic bottle fail me.
They are light, dependable, and cheap. “Single use” plastic bottles are what I use for all my water carrying needs.
I travelled and hiked over the past summer with 4 wicking t-shirts:
→ Patagonia
→ Adidas
→ Nike
→ MEC Rapidi-T
The best (and cheapest by far) was the MEC Rapidi-T.
On return to Canada I stocked up, buying 4 more short-sleeved. And 1 long-sleeved. (You never know when this product will be discontinued or the fabric changed.)
$18.00 CAD (US$16.80) – Made in Canada
Search the Mountain Equipment Co-op website (MEC.ca) for Product Number: 5014-990.
If you see me on the trail you’ll be near guaranteed that I’ll be wearing this shirt. MEC Breeze unlined nylon pants. And MEC Seamless Classic Briefs.
I was surprised to see two male orphaned Grizzly Bears on display at the top of Grouse Mountain, very much in the city.
Grinder was found orphaned June 5, 2001 in Invermere, British Columbia. He was wandering alone on a logging road, dehydrated, thin, weak and weighing only 4.5 kg. His mother was never found so how he came to be alone is unknown. …
Coola was found orphaned at the side of the highway on June 29, 2001 near Bella Coola, British Columbia. His mother had been hit and killed by a truck. Of her three cubs, Coola was the only one to survive. …
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