Author: DaveC
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Summer Trip Report contest
M photo. Summer is in full swing here in the northern Rockies. We haven’t had a day not in the upper 70s or higher for weeks, which means that summer is almost over. Last year we got snowed on two of three days of Labor Day weekend (albeit only above 6000′). Summer is high adventure…
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LaSportiva X Country v. Crossleather
Shoes, my unending obsession. M and I have an ongoing debate over who is more discerning, her and her heels or me and my trail runners. I obviously think the labor of 30+ mile days dwarfs bizarre fashion artifacts, however anatomically barbaric. Top to bottom: brand new X Country, 7 week old Crossleather, 11 month…
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Quiet secrets
Pre-park artifact in Glacier NP. I was all set to go down the South Fork of the Flathead this (for me 3-day) weekend. Hiking, boating, fly fishing, and in sharp contrast to last year, warm weather. Work got done last week, we bought a second car Thursday, and Friday afternoon I ran around, bought food,…
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Paddles
Top: 200 cm all-‘glass Aquabound Shred (40 oz); Bottom: 210 cm ‘glass and carbon Werner Shuna (30.8 oz). I got a new paddle, and it’s amazing. The Shuna was supposed to maybe, just make it in time to go to Alaska, but a train deraillment in the Twin Cities (seriously, it said so on the…
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A Glacier Classic
Lake McDonald to St. Mary Lake. hiking over Gunsight Pass and packrafting the upper St. Mary river. I’ve been meaning to get to this one for a while. The first 4 miles of hiking are in cedar forest, the next two open up with cliffs and alpine meadows on the way to Sperry Chalet. Shoveling…
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Happiness is a complex thing
At the finish, Paige Brady photo. I’ve had zero energy all week, despite eating well and sleeping as much as I want. Time to get out and do some boating, see what changes have happened in my absence, and gradually find my new self again.
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2011 Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic race report
“The will to power would rather will nothingness than not will.” -Nietzsche Paige Brady, and Luc Mehl the zombie. The difficulty I’m having beginning this report well reflects the race itself; the stakes I set myself for both are very high. While in Alaska a few people asked me, both before and after, where I…
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This video sucks (Classic post-game)
Damn you Luc! You beat me, and get better footage! In truth, even after the rain let up late on the third day I kept the camera stowed. Didn’t have the will to get much with it, sadly. These things never come close to doing what they’re meant to, but this one is table scraps…
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Classic Packs
Most of the packs from the race start, minimal editorialization. Ken from Kenai’s MYOG pack. Golite Gust. Rob of Team Heavy’s Exos. Chris’ Granite Gear Blaze AC 60. Don’s Mariposa Plus. Mike Martin’s NRS. John Sykes’s MEC rucksack. Luc’s CAMP pack. Tyler’s Black Diamond. Todd’s Vapor Trail (worth noting that these were the four that…
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Finished
The 2011 Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic is done. I teamed up on route with fellow rookie Paige Brady, and in spite of a storm Monday night that sent us back to wait overnight under a spruce tree for better weather, we finished in second overall at 3 days, 12 hours, and 20 minutes. The real…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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