Jornada del Muerto

Christmas in Las Cruces NM!  With all the presents and feasting over, my brother Dirk and I decided to go for a run.  I have been planning an attempt of the Jornada del Muerto or the Journey of the Dead (Man) for quite a while and thought it would be a good time to give it a partial go.  The Jornada del Muerto is a desolate, waterless 90 mile section of the El Camino Real in southern New Mexico.

On the Camino Real

While at some point I would like to run the whole length, we only trail blazed the first 28 miles. Gearing up our Raidlight packs with some food and about a gallon of water each we started at the Ft. Seldon ruins.

Ready to roll

Fort Seldon Ruins

Jogging along the Rio Grand in the cool 28 degree weather was quite refreshing and little like what those traveling this road would have experienced centuries ago.  After crossing under I-25 we swung north and started our cross country journey.  While the trail is over 400 years old there are very few remnants of it remaining. One can see portions of it on Google earth, these showing up as dark lines of vegetation across the desert.  We dipped and dogged around the thorny mesquite bushes for almost 18 miles, stopping occasionally to alter our course to try and stay on what we perceived was the trail.

Heading North to Point of Rocks (just above Dirk's head)

At around mile 11 we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of four nice Oryx about 250 meters away.  These African antelope were introduced into New Mexico in the 1970's as an exotic hunting species and have adapted well, no real predators like lions to worry about!  They are very good to eat!

Wary Oryx (third one just visible on the right)

Pushing on we eventually ran across the first human we had seen since the start.  A polite Border Patrol agent which we had a two minute chat with.  I think he thought we were crazy after explaining our plans.  We continued on and since we were making some good time over open country, Point of the Rocks was finally getting closer

Looking Good - Feeling Good

About at mile 20 the trail merged with existing county roads and the going got much easier.  Our stopping point was to be the Point of the Rocks Trail Head and the last 7 or 8 miles was quite uneventful.

About 2 miles from the end my wife Lisa, my daughter Megan and Tawny the dog along with Dirk's daughter Claire met up with us.  We jogged into the trail head and called it a fine run.

End of the trail - for  now

Me and the girls

Tawny Dog overlooking the Jornada del Muerto (sandy swell in background)

Next up will be the section from Point of Rocks to Engle...

Winter Has Come

It has taken me some weeks to adjust to the ending of daylight savings time, guess I am getting old.  I believe most people would prefer that we didn't mess with our sleep cycles twice a year for whatever reasons we do it.  So now it is dark early and it takes more motivation to lace up the shoes and head out for some miles.  This week it got even worse with the arrival of our first big winter storm - wind, snow, ice and cold.  I think it will be a much harder winter than last year and the miles will taper off.   Looks like I am going to have to start running more during lunch or break out the head lamps (along with all the winter running clothes)!

Mont-Bell Ex Down Jacket

With the requirement for a "light down jacket" upon me I set out on a search for an optimized solution.  After some internet research I vectored in the direction of the Mont-Bell Ex Light Jacket.  This no frills garment meets both weight and functional criteria for a stage race piece of equipment.  Not mil-spec but quite light.

I was fortunate enough to find a discontinued/last year model at a reduced price and in my size so I jumped on it (being not too wrapped around the axel about color orange was OK).  Weighing in at under 6 oz the jacket is quite impressive and provides sufficient warmth.  It also packs down quite small in the included stuff sack.  I have worn it out and about in 35+ F conditions without complaints.  Should be just fine for relaxing after a hard day's stage!

With the impending winter season I am sure I will get the opportunity to do further trials with the Ex.

ROX (Roundtop Overlook X-Country)

Just so happen to be down in Las Cruces, NM this weekend and noticed that Mark Dorian was putting on another series of trail runs along the Sierra Vista Trail. The Roundtop Overlook X-Country (ROX) Trail Runs consisted of events ranging from 4 miles to 50 K.  Weather was great but a little windy later in the day.

I decided on doing the 27 mile run and not the 50 K since I have been a little beat down since the Palo Duro Trial 50 and I am on my "off season" for a couple of months.  Had a good time and meet Mike McCorgary from El Paso out on the course.  Found out he too is signed up for the Grand to Grand Ultra in 2014!  What a small world.  Looking forward to some training runs in the future Mike.

Initial Equipment Assessment

Reviewing the required equipment list for the G2G it is apparent that there are some differing requirements for this event compared to the MDS.  Here is what is posted:

MANDATORY EQUIPMENT TO BE PROVIDED BY PARTICIPANT:

• Backpack
• Sleeping bag rated  0 Celsius (32F) or warmer. Note: the manufacturers label must be intact and reflect that this minimum requirement is met.  No alternatives (e.g. silk liner) will be acceptable.
• Sleeping pad
• Light down jacket
• Compass
• Knife with a minimum 5cm blade
• Signal mirror at least 6cm in diameter
• Whistle
• Space blanket (at least 2.2 metres by 1.4 metres in size)
• Two head lamps with spare batteries, minimum 80 lumens
• Red flashing light (to be afixed to backpack for night stage)
• Participants must supply their own containers for water 
• 2,000 calories per day and a minimum of 14,000 calories at the start of Stage 1

Several items may/will require new purchases.......

Sleeping bag rated to 0 Celsius/32 Fahrenheit:  This one could hurt.  My Western Mountaineering
Highlight bag is rated to 35 Fahrenheit.  Hopefully there is some leeway with the requirements (about 3 degrees) so a new bag will not need to be procured!

Light down jacket:  Current front runner is Montbell EX Light Down Jacket at less than 6 oz ($200, ouch).

Knife with minimum 5 cm blade: While my Leatherman "Style" multi tool was functional and sufficient during the MDS, it's blade is about a centimeter short of the required length.  If this requirement can not be waived, then I am seriously considering a 15 gram Baladeo folding knife ($25).  If this is required I will seriously consider bring my "Style" just for their scissors.

Signal mirror at least 6 cm diameter: For the MDS my signal mirror was a small one inch diameter mirror.  Most signal mirrors are not round and thus surface area comparisons are in order.  6 cm diameter equates to just under 30 square cm or 4.5 square inches.  Any mirror 2x2 inches or larger meets this requirement.  The StarFlash signal mirror is 2x3 inches and weighs in at 0.8 oz.  the SOL Rescue Flash Signal mirror is the same size but weighs in at 0.32 oz.  Nothing major, just a little bit more weight.

TWO headlamps with spare batteries (80 lumens minimum):  This one has me baffled.  While I understand the necessity of a great headlamp, the need for two is a little over the top given the reliability of LED lighting.  Perhaps there is concern of losing one.  Anyway I am currently intrigued with Cabela's XPG RGB II headlamp (by Princeton Tech).  This runs on 3 AAA's and can throw 120 lumens on high.  Included are red, green and blue low level LEDs for various applications.  It also weighs in slightly lighter than my 80 lumens Petzl.  At $45 I my have to give it a try, just in case I misplace my other headlamp.  Lithium batteries of course.

Red Flashing Light: not required for the MDS however I have found an excellent model by Nathan that fits the bill on size, weight and performance (Clip-on LED Safety Strobe, $10).

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I'm In

Application has been sent and accepted.  Deposit made and received.

A new Raidlight Evolution 2 pack has been procured.  This model is now "end of line" and can be had for around €30.  I like this one and can't complain about the price.  My old one is still acceptable but one NEEDS a spare for training, etc.

Initial evaluation of the equipment list may require some additional purchases.

Next Endeavor

Upon my successful completion of the MDS this year I have come to the conclusion that I really enjoy self supported stage racing.  To that end I have been looking at various offerings from around the world and have settled on participating in the Grand to Grand Ultra in 2014.  My decision to pursue this event was based on location (northern Arizona and southern Utah, beautiful and close by), cost (no expensive air fair), relatively new (this is its third year), limited field size, and late season schedule (September).  This last attribute will allow me to focus on some other races and efforts on my list and hopefully they will place me in acceptable condition for this difficult event.

While going to other ends of the earth is appealing, I just could not justify it at this time.  However I am planning to go back to Morocco in 2015 for the 30th anniversary of the MDS, perhaps with my brother in tow.

Stay tuned here for more info on the application of my MDS experiences to this local adventure!

You can find out more about the Grand to Grand Ultra at their web site: www.G2Gultra.com