Everesting Gibraltar
Two years ago while training for Uberman I ran across this concept of “Everesting” and fell in love with the simple and yet torturous nature of the task. Basically, you pick any incline in the world and you climb up it as many times as necessary until you reach a total of over 29,029 feet of elevation gain, equivalent to the height of Mt. Everest. For my first cycling attempt at Everesting I chose the Hurricane Ridge Road in my hometown of Port Angeles, Washington. It took me just over 26 hours to climb up from the pier to the summit 6 times.
About five months ago my good friend Ron Troupe, a highly involved advocate in the fight against human trafficking, reached out to ask if I would join him for a third straight year for their annual fundraiser. Ron and Sheila have hosted a fundraiser the past 17 years to continue to build awareness and connect people to resources through 1736 Family Crisis Center. I told Ron to give me a week to think it over and pray about it and see what we could come up with.
After reflection, the idea of an Everesting on foot seemed like a notable and achievable challenge to take on. I began doing some climbs up one of my favorite hiking trails, Lake Angeles in Olympic National Park, and over the summer had the opportunity to search out dozens of hikes on our family trip visiting the National Parks here in the US. This last week we had to make some pretty quick progress to make our way from the east coast across three times zones and arrived in Los Angeles a couple days before the event.
Getting ready for a supported ultra-event has a variety of moving pieces and this was probably the least prepared I have been going into a monster experience. Thankfully I have some great friends and connections in the ultra-endurance community in Santa Barbara. The night before the event my good friends Mara and Manley who had just returned from three months in Africa hosted us at their place and offered to host us the evening after the event.
A few things that had come up prior to the event that concerned me were a sprained ankle I had from about a month ago that had been acting up. I stepped on a small piece of glass at a pool about a week out and was unable to get the glass shard out of the pad on my foot. Then, of course, there is the fact that I don’t think I’ve run or covered more than half a marathon distance since my event over a year ago with the Backbone 68-mile challenge.
On Friday morning I woke up at my normal time of 6am and had some coffee and a breakfast burrito that Mara put together. By 8am we were all loaded up for the 45-minute drive to Santa Barbara. The first stop was Handlebars Coffee for another pick-me-up and then we met at the Gibraltar Road origin at 9:30am. At the start of the event we had one of my old training clients and fellow trail runner Greg Lowe, Ron & Sheila Troupe, Phil & Gina for videography, Kristin, Kalea, Hudson, and Brian Sarvis who’s accompanied me on many similar adventures.
After a quick interview and run down on roles and responsibilities I started the event at just after 10am. As I started I had to laugh at how ill prepared I was. I started climbing up the 8.5 mile climb that Greg had mapped out on Strava and my wife went to go pick up the ice, food, and other supplies while Greg went to go get a couple of extra coolers to stash on the course. I was using Brian Sarvis’s Garmin to be my backup tracker because mine of course is packed away at home in my garage. I had borrowed Manley’s running pack, and over the course of the day in a half I borrowed many other items for the event.
Lap #1: This lap made me feel like I actually had a chance of completing the event before me. I was knocking out 16 – 18-minute miles most of the way up Gibraltar and I had in my head that I was going to be averaging closer to 25 minutes per mile. The temperature was moderate and started to increase as we went uphill away from the coastline. There is one turn on the entire climb up Gibraltar right as you crest the hill at mile 7 and head down to the aid station we set up half mile down the hill. Of course I hadn’t looked at the course map before starting this challenge and looking at the two roads I asked myself, “which road is going up” I took the one wrong turn I was able to take and climbed up about half a mile before my phone finally had reception and I could connect with the crew to ask if I had made the right decision. I had Brian Sarvis drive up and take me back down the hill to where I missed the turn and then proceeded the correct way. I remember having this happen a few times on Race Across America years before. The rule is if you go off course your crew can drive you back to the point where you went off route. In this case Brian drove me down hill the 150 or so feet of elevation I climbed up. My wife Kristin brought me up a Backyard Bowl which is a mix of frozen acai berries, fruit, and granola, topped with cocoa nut and honey. One of my favorites in Santa Barbara and if you ever go through and haven’t tried them it’s worth the pit stop.
Lap #2: I had made a drastic error on my assessment of my current ability level… As I was climbing up Gibraltar in the mid-afternoon August heat I started to unravel in between the lightheadedness, the calves that started quivering and then locking up, and the sweat that was dripping into my eyes stinging them to the point where it was difficult to focus at times. I was more than just a little concerned. The first 3 miles of the 8.5 mile is the lowest incline and went fairly smoothly. At the 3-mile mark there is a “No Shooting” sign with a wide shoulder which is where we had our first cooler full of aid. The next 4 miles is the brutal section for me with long exposed climbs and the occasional cyclist and driver passing as they make a similar trek up the hill. Once you hit the 7-mile mark there is an almost half mile downhill where we stashed our second set of supplies with water, Gatorade, granola bars, apple sauce packets and a few other items that I might need. Once I would hit the 7-mile mark I felt a sigh of relief making my way down to the second aid and then the steep mile and a half climb up to the summit of Gibraltar. Once I hit the top of the road, it’s about a quarter mile walk past a closed gate up to the tower at the summit of the hill. I was grateful to have Manley Klassen pace me up on this second climb. By the time I made it up to the tower I was a bit rattled, overheated, and wondering what I had gotten myself into.
Lap #3: After finishing each lap we have about a 25-minute drive back to the base of Gibraltar which, especially on this one, gave me time to crank the AC in the car, refuel and regain my wits about me. I had another local ultra athlete Eric Koenig reach out to my crew to pace me for a few laps so I met him at the bottom and we started hiking up together. The first three miles were still a little warm, but as the climb continued it cooled off quickly. With the company of a new friend the climb was fairly unremarkable, and we reached the summit just after sunset, which made for some incredible views and photographs. In the ultra-world, or at least in my opinion, I’ll take an unremarkable section any day in the midst of these grand adventures.
Lap #4: Now that we had made it through the first day, and I was pretty close to my goal of finishing up three laps in daylight, I moved on to the 3 climbs at night, chasing time to wrap them up before daybreak. Eric joined me for a second lap, and I had to laugh to myself as he carried the conversation for hours. Usually it’s me talking someone’s ear off, and it was a pleasant encouragement hearing parts of his life story, his weight loss journey, shift to vegan diet, and dramatic introduction into the ultra-running world in just this past year. He’s taking on some of the more notable races in the sport one of which being the HURT 100 that he just got into which is a notoriously hilly and technical trail in Hawaii. This lap much like the last went by smoothly. I dramatically slow my drinking at night and take pride in my ability to do manage the transition well at this stage in my ultra-journey. In earlier races I didn’t take into account the changes in temperature quick enough and would find myself having to relieve myself 2-3 times per hour which puts you at a major risk of messing up your electrolyte mix. The general rule of thumb I follow is that you should be relieving yourself about once every 1-4 hours. If it’s quicker than that, you’re in trouble. If it’s more than 4 hours you’re probably also in trouble. Made it to the top right around midnight, and Eric headed home to get a few hours of sleep before he started his shift the next day at work at 4am.
Lap #5: Manley picked both Eric and me up at the top of the mountain and drove us to the base before driving back up to the top to get some sleep while I made my way up solo for the 8.5 mile climb. As a child I was extremely afraid of the dark. I’ve had many times on trail runs where I forget this fact and find myself alone in the dark on some hillside and remember how terrified I am being alone in the dark. I think that I finally broke myself of this a few years ago with some of my night swims. I am way more terrified of deep dark water than dark trails and after spending so much time swimming overnight in Uberman, as I was on the Gibraltar climb I didn’t even think about the darkness, just the rhythm of the climb. The two aid drops were located at great locations for night hiking, and I had plenty of fluids as well as the nice little snack options to give me some extra calories as I made my way up in about 3 hours which was becoming a consistent trend on each of these climbs. As I approached the top of the hill I was going to wake Manley up before heading up to the summit. A few minutes prior a mustang had been zooming up and down the road and had woken Manley up so I didn’t have to roust him from his slumber. It was a good reminder to stay vigilant on each climb always keeping an eye on traffic, and during the day potential cyclists flying down the hill enjoying the fruits of their labor wrapping up the climb.
Lap #6: This lap was the only one I had to fight sleep a little. Manley stayed with me in the car for the first few miles before heading up to the summit to wait my arrival. There was this nice fog that roles into Santa Barbara at times and I had the privilege of experiencing it this morning with a thick layer that coats you in a dew like mist as you work your way through it. I told Manley I was struggling a little keeping my eyes open and seemed to be drifting off. This is very normal for me between the hours of 3am – 6am but still one of the major obstacles I have to overcome on these adventures. This summer I have dramatically reduced my caffein intake. I think I drink about 1/3 of the coffee that I used to and so I find that caffeine has a heightened effect on me lately. I had one “stay awake” pill which has 200 grams of caffeine, equivalent to about 4 cups of coffee. Within about 20 minutes I was fresh as a daisy. It was one of the quickest times I had recovered from what I call the “witching hour,” and I was relieved to be back in my focus zone and cranking up the hill. The sun began to rise over the mountain the last hour of the climb and so when I reached the summit I had to concede that I hadn’t made my goal of getting there before sunrise but grateful that I was only about an hour past my intended target.
Lap #7: I had started to develop a blister on the left pad of my foot at some point between the last lap or so, and it was starting to become more noticeable. My usual tactic for blisters is, stick it with a needle, drain it, tape it, and keep moving. I decided to keep moving as it still felt soft and squishy instead of hard and filling with excess fluid which increases the pain level. I was also starting to develop some chaffing on the sides of my arms from rubbing on the hydration pack and the normal rubbing spots around my undercarriage which I was struggling finding a pair of shorts that would fit right to not continue to exacerbate the situation. My goal for lap seven was to crank it up as steady as I could and finish it up before the heat of the day set in. On that hellish section for me between 4-7 miles in I came up with a game plan for the following lap which was going to be the crux of this whole challenge. If I could make it through lap 8, barring any calamity, I should be able to get to the end of the climb. I made up a list in my head of things for my crew to get. I needed extra ice and a buff that I could wrap around my neck to keep myself cool. I wanted to take a quick cold shower after finishing up lap 7 and change my “kit” as a cyclist would call it. I also asked for another bottle of pickles and had a plan to keep taking my Hammer Nutrition Enduralite tabs, a couple per hour. The last few miles of the climb had started to heat up as I approached the summit. It was still fairly cool and knowing that last mile and a half push is followed by a 25-minute air conditioned car ride makes it much easier to get your head around. My wife brought me up another round of Backyard Bowls which I ate while hiking up the last few miles to the summit.
Lap #8: I took off my watch and the tracker and left them at the base of Gibraltar. Then I got driven the five-minute commute to the Santa Barbara Tennis Club. My good friends Don & Amy MacLeod are members and had given me a guest entrance pass, and so I made my way quickly to the front desk and then off to get myself cleaned up. I told the lady at the desk what I was doing because I could tell she was a little skeptical of my disheveled look. She smiled and courteously told me where locker rooms were, and I thanked her as I limped my way to the showers. For those of you who haven’t done ultras, in the middle of the experience when you take a break for any more than a few minutes it takes a bit to get going and to get the pains in your body to subside and resume your normal movement. I took a nice 5-minute cold shower and reapplied all of the foot creams and ointments necessary to hit the hill again for the last three climbs to be on my way. I got a ride back to the start and put back on my watch and was encouraged by the feeling of being relatively cool and ready to start the last three climbs. I kept telling my crew that this was the key climb. If I could do this well, I was pretty set. I gave myself a goal of 4 hours to climb the hill, and with the extra attention to ways of staying cool, I felt good about the plan. I put on the neck buff, filled it with ice and we were on our way. I had Brian Sarvis park every mile of the climb, and I would take a quick 2-5 minute break and sit in the air conditioned car while he filled up one of my bottles with mostly ice and Gatorade or water. Then I would get out and refill the neck buff with ice before heading back on the trail. I loved having the trekking poles at this point in the event. Early on you don’t really notice whether they are helpful or not, but from about the 3rd climb onward they hadn’t left my hands as I made the way up the climb. The biggest trigger for me to grab my poles is usually when I realize my back is getting a little stiff from leaning over. Poles have a way for me of almost completely alleviating this concern. The first three miles went uneventful, and I remember how grateful I was for this lap to be going smoothly. My main concern over the night that I pondered in my head was how to get through this lap, and our team had found a way to execute the task flawlessly. My miles were right around 25 minutes each including the breaks each mile, and I was pleasantly surprised by the slightly cooler temperature than the day before and the steady pace my body was allowing me to do. The four mile section in the middle that at times was daunting went by without a hitch and before I knew it I was on the final climb up to the summit. Eric who had joined me the night before had gotten off work at noon in Lompoc and made his way out to the course again and ran up a few miles from the start to meet me at about the five mile mark of the hill. At about the 6 mile mark I saw a few Rotarians and good friends Jerry Jen, Peter Smyth, and Joe Chehade, who had all made the journey up from LA to cheer me on. They joined for a few minutes of climbing taking turns driving the car and taking in the incredible views along the way. It was such a blessing to have the company of these close friends and new friends for the last half of the climb. I was able to listen to Erik tell some more stories and catch up with what’s going on in my old Rotary club. It took my mind off the heat of the day and got me daydreaming and living vicariously through others journeys.
Lap #9: The road down the mountain is very windy. Eric was planning on doing another lap with me but was feeling a little carsick after the descent. I thanked him for his company and told him I would be following along with his progress. His upcoming race schedule is incredible, and it brought me so much joy to hear his excitement taking on each of these opportunities.
Ron and Sheila Troupe were there as well. Ron has become a good friend, and I’m always encouraged to see his gentle compassionate face and get this impression deep in my soul that he would go to the ends of the earth to make a positive impact for humanity. Whenever I meet people like that, how could you possibly not keep them close to you. I said goodbye to my Rotary friends who had to make their way back to LA and began my climb back up Gibraltar. As I started the climb I had time to talk with Phil and Gina who had been doing an incredible job capturing the moments of the climb as they always do. It was pleasant getting lost in conversation, but I soon realized I was in a “time loop” where each 10-15 minutes that passed felt like an hour or more. This happens to me often during ultras. I call it being lost in eternity. I trained myself to not let it bother me and to remind myself that I love what I’m doing. I trained for this, this is a joy, and I’m surrounded by my friends, family, and raising awareness by partnering with outstanding people. Repeating mantras like this in my head keep me going in some of those weird moments during ultras. I also found myself texting about a dozen close friends and family every few laps, updating them on my progress. JoDee Ahmann is one that for years has been my first that I reach out to when uncertainty and doubt creep into my mind and the tide turns on me. So grateful for the conversation with the video crew and they got back into the vehicle driven by Brian Sarvis with about 3 miles left of the trek to the summit. After they left, I tried desperately to recenter myself and get my head back on a rhythm, but to no avail. It just seemed to take a long time, and I took it one step at a time. My pace was consistent at just over 21 minutes per mile, it’s just the perception that slows to a crawl.
Lap #10: For the last lap my good friend Greg Lowe paced me up the mountain. I’ve known Greg for almost 10 years as a training client when I worked at Conditioning Specialists, as a hiking and running partner, and as a friendly face every time I go to the many Luis Escobar races that we both seem to attend. The first few miles we were clocking off that same steady 21 minute mile pace and doing well. The blister on my left foot had gotten a little worse but was holding up well. My chaffing was getting pretty uncomfortable, so I decided to do my second “kit” change and put on some new shorts and re-lubricate up before hitting the main climbs. The time never really picked up so I started playing with numbers in my head and thankfully Greg had a few of these chewy caffeine taffy’s which kept me alert through the last climb. Each mile I would mention “less than 5 miles to go”. Then, “less than 4 miles to go.” Then it was that long slow climb up to the hill that leads to the half mile downhill. Kristin joined us in the vehicle for the last 4 miles of the climb with the kiddos sleeping in the back seat. Once we made it over the last hill and onto the little half mile down hill I could feel the end in sight. I looked at my watch and we had been going for over 37 hours and were well over our needed altitude gain. It was such a joyful experience counting off each tenth of a mile in my head and connecting with Greg as we made the last few windy turns up through the trees and up to Gibraltar. Kristin and Manley joined us for the last quarter mile to the summit, and we finished on Sunday, August 28 at 12:02am.
Total elevation gain: 32,913 ft
Total mileage: 86 miles
Total time: 37 hours 53 minutes