Adventures in the Red Rocks: EN Epic Moab Training Camp
Day One: The Adventure Begins
Morning Run in Arches:
We were up at sunrise for a shakeout trail run in Devil’s Garden at Arches National Park. Somehow we lost Jonathan climbing up the canyon. I ran back for him but couldn’t find him and figured he must have turned back. I caught up with Peter and Gary as I ran along the spine of a giant slickrock formation and they had taken a detour below. We continued out to Double-O Arch and then flipped it. On our way back, we ran into Jonathan who had done some bushwhacking. Gary ran back with Jonathan so he could check out Double-O Arch. Peter and I took a detour to see Pine Tree Arch and Window Arch. It was about 4.5 miles running in one of the most spectacular and surreal places on the planet.
Peter at Devil's Garden.
Double-O Arch.
Mid-Day Ride up to Castle Valley:
We refueled back at the condo and then set out on a road bike ride along the Colorado River to Castle Valley. If you watch the HBO show Westworld, Castle Valley is the outside scenes. It was about 20 miles each way with a stout climb into Castle Valley.
EN Crew riding along the Colorado River.
Castle Valley looking for Evan Rachel Wood.
Afternoon Dirt Ride out to Harrah Pass:
Jonathan brought his Open U.P. gravel bike and I had my XC MTB, so we headed out for a chill dirt ride to Hurrah Pass. This is mostly a well-maintained dirt road with the last mile turning into a Jeep road. We rode about an hour up to a mesa and decided to head back for dinner with the crew at Moab Brewery.
Jonathan at the top of the mesa.
Jonathan descending from Hurrah Pass.
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Day Two: Big Bike Day
We got rolling about 8AM for a ride out to Canyonlands National Park with the turnaround point being Mesa Arch. Mesa Arch looks familiar to everyone because it appears in numerous TV shows, movies, and pictures. It's a popular stock Windows desktop image. I also included an optional detour route to check out Dead Horse Point State Park for bonus miles.
We headed up the paved bike path out of town together, and then spread out as we turned to go out to Canyonlands. I’d ridden this before and my memory was a little different. I remembered a grunt climb up some switchbacks and then things level off. It was actually a long almost false flat for a ways after the switchbacks. We had a headwind, so it made it seem long a grinding climb. We rallied at the Canyonlands visitor center at about mile 35. Then we pressed on to Mesa Arch another 7-8 miles away. I saw Peter come zooming back by after about 4-5 miles. I watched Jonathan and Gary’s bikes while they did the quarter mile hike to Mesa Arch in cycling shoes.
My legs were pretty smoked from 4 hours of cycling and the run through Devil’s Garden the day before, so I decided to skip the detour to Dead Horse and head back to the condo. At the turnoff to Dead Horse, I pointed the way to Jonathan. He also did the bonus dirt ride with me the day before but said he may not get the opportunity to see Dead Horse again.
I was the first back to the condo and even got a nap in. Gary arrived next, also skipping the detour to Dead Horse. Peter was back when I woke up. He’d gotten a flat and didn’t have tire levers. He pried the tire off with his bare hands like a boss. The shoulder out there had a lot of debris, way more than last time I rode it. Jonathan rolled in a while later. We were planning to go out to Delicate Arch, but it was already about 4PM. Instead Peter and I went for an easy run from the condo down to the Colorado River. Then we got cleaned up do dinner at a Thai place walking distance from the condo.
Crossing the Colorado River on the way out of town.
Canyonlands entrance.
Canyonlands.
Running along the Colorado.
Day 3: Adventures in Arches and Man Down
We decided to get up early to ride through Arches National Park. There is maybe a 4-6 inch shoulder on the road through the park, so I wanted to get out there early before the waves of tourists descended. The crew was up already up when I woke up, busily repairing Peter’s bike. Luckily, he uses the same Conti GP-4000S II tires I do and I brought an extra.
I picked the Windows as our destination. I’d never been there before but it looked like the right distance. The roads in arches had recently been repaved and it was just an amazing surface. It was a welcome change after getting rattled apart the previous day. This was probably the best ride of the entire trip. The scenery was otherworldly. The Windows turned out to be a really cool location that I need to take my girls next time we visit. It has a travel where you hike under an arch. It was about 34 miles roundtrip from the condo with 2600ft of gain.
Sunrise over Arches.
EN crew at the Windows.
We regrouped back at the condo and had lunch. Then we piled in my MDX and headed back to Arches to tackle Delicate Arch. It is about 1.7 miles each way with about 600ft of vertical up, a steady climb. Peter won the KOM getting to the top first. Jonathan was next but got turned around and came running back down the trail. I told him to follow me. We negotiated the trail cut into the cliff side and popped out to Delicate Arch, one of the most breathtaking sights in the world (no exaggeration). It was busy up there and we had to wait our turn to get pictures standing under the arch.
Me under Delicate Arch.
We took off at a good clip back down the hill. It was about 1.2 miles of navigating slick rock before it hits a dirt trail for the final half mile. I’ve gotten pretty good at downhill technical running and led the charge. I knew Peter would catch me on the trail where pure speed would win, and he did. We regrouped in the parking lot. Gary came in but there was no sign of Jonathan. We were worried he got lost, but then we finally saw him in the distance wearing an Ironman hat. He limped up with a gnarly chunk missing from the skin on his knee. He tripped coming down and bit it hard. The MDX is my wife’s car, and I couldn’t find any useful first aid supplies. Luckily, a stranger gave us some large antibacterial Band-Aids and Neosporin. We flushed the wounded out, applied Neosporin, and bandaged it. The water washed the blood all over the sidewalk, making it look like a crime scene.
Jonathan The Wounded Soldier.
The condo is right across the street from the Moab Hospital, so we walked over when we got back to the Urgent Care. They stitched Jonathan up and he was back in time for dinner.
We headed out to the Red Cliffs Lodge for wine tasting and the grand dinner for the final night. Castle Creek Winery is located on the property. They grow most of the grapes in the area, and the wine is surprisingly good. We got some bottles to take back to our wives as SAU offerings.
Dinner overlooking the Colorado River.
Dinner was at the Cowboy Grill overlooking the Colorado River. We loaded up on steaks and Elk. We also started what will now be a camp tradition: Rocky Mountain Oysters. I’d never had them before, but not bad if you can get past the visual.
Starting a new camp tradition: Rocky Mountain Oysters!
Day 4: Sunrise Run and Homeward Bound
Peter and I were up before sunrise to get in a long run along the Colorado. We both forgot to bring headlamps but it lightened up enough after the first mile that they weren't needed. My legs were absolutely dead from the camp, making it good practice to push through even when I didn’t want to. I felt surprisingly good toward the end of the 9.3 mile run.
Sunrise long run along the Colorado River.
Everyone loaded up and headed home. Peter said it best, “can’t life always be camp?”
Next Year...
I had a blast training and sharing one of my favorite places on the planet with my EN homies. I'd like to make this an annual thing. Next year will be about the same time of year, April or early May. I'll make sure it doesn't overlap with the Mallorca Camp since a few who attended that camp said they'd be like to do Moab. @Peter Noyes and @Jonathan Rothberg want to do some gravel bike rides, so I'll probably incorporate that into the plan. For example, there are dirt roads that take you to remote parts of Arches that most people never see. I also have a road option for folks who want to stick to pavement.Comment below if you're interested for Epic EN Moab Camp 2019!
Although there is something Bad Ass about taking tri bikes into Canyonlands...
@Al Truscott I joked with @Gary Lewis that he may be the only person to ever have worn an aero helmet in Canyonlands.
Sent from my iPhone
On May 24, 2018, at 3:42 PM, Gabe Peterson > wrote:
[Endurance Nation Community]
________________________________
Gabe Peterson mentioned you in Adventures in the Red Rocks: EN Epic Moab Training Camp
@Dave Campbell I am always up of MTBing! I'm not planning to do a road triathlon next year. I'll probably focus on off-road events. I'm thinking each day that there will be a road and MTB option, so folks can pick their poison. The MTBing is unparalleled in Moab, but the road biking is underrated.
@Al Truscott I joked with @Gary Lewis that he may be the only person to ever have worn an aero helmet in Canyonlands.
I still need to post my pics and videos. Hopefully get to it this weekend.
Tagging alumni from last year and the folks who expressed interested @Peter Noyes @Gary Lewis @Jonathan Rothberg @tim cronk @Al Truscott @Mark Stahlkopf
Here are potential dates for the 2019 camp:
- Wednesday, March 6 to Sunday, March 10. I'm seriously considering doing the Austin Rattler on March 30 since @Tim Sullivan has organized a big EN crew. This would be a perfect MTB and/or trail running camp to prep.
- Wednesday, April 9 to Sunday, April 14. I'm also considering doing the Belgian Waffle gravel bike race in San Diego on May 5. This would be a great camp. Perhaps do an epic ride like White Rim in a day (check my signature for a report).
- Wednesday, May 22 to Sunday, May 26. This is probably about as late as we can go before we get into the hot summer months.
For anyone interested in the 2019 camp, give me feedback on your preferences!Thanks for putting this together. I'd be interested in the April dates.
@Brian Hagan
So far we have:
- Wednesday, March 6 to Sunday, March 10. Would work for @Al Truscott and possibly @Dave Campbell
- Wednesday, April 9 to Sunday, April 14. Would work for @Mark Stahlkopf and @Dave Campbell. This date bumps up against the Mallorca camp.
- Wednesday, May 22 to Sunday, May 26. Would work for @Al Truscott and possibly @DavDave Campbell"
To make the camp viable, I'd probably need three ENers (in addition to me) to commit to get the core group in place. Then we can add on the late deciders. So we need one more person to be in for one of the above dates and that would likely tip the scales. I'm always up for a trip to Moab, and I can live with any of the dates.Following. I need to look at some other things before saying what dates would work, but March or April would probably work.
@"Mark Maurer" it would be great to have you join!
Right now I'm leaning towards the March date for two reasons. First, I like the idea of the early season training camp to kick things into gear. Second, it avoids overlap with the Mallorca Camp so I think we'd end up getting more campers.
Who would be in for March 6-10? Give me a sense of for sure, maybe, etc.
I'm pretty sure I can make it.
I'm thinking that is too early for me ... too much potential conflict with ski season AND...have you checked the average temps in Moab that time of year? I think making it into the high 50s after being just about freezing in the morning is the best you can hope for. I bet it would snow at least once (not a dump, but cold and wet for sure) during that week. And Moab is DOWN from all the rides around there, so everything would be colder...
@"Gabe Peterson" The April dates still work best for me although I could also swing the March dates.
Cold isn't a problem for me as I'm usually still riding the fat bike on snow in March here in Wisconsin.
@Mark Maurer @Al Truscott @Mark Stahlkopf thanks for the responses! I was in Moab last March for the Canyonlands Half Marathon, which I ran comfortably in shorts and a long sleeve shirt. You can get some snow up at elevation but it's rare to get it down in Moab. A couple of the days hit 70F. It would probably be chilly in the morning like in the pics above you can see we're wearing jackets but pleasant in the late morning and afternoon.
Here's a pic from my recovery ride after the Canyonlands Half Mary in March this year. I was wearing just EN cycling kit as it was in the 60s. You can see some snow up in the La Sal Mountains but there was none to be found down near Moab.
I've got Wasatch 100 coming up in a week. I'll circle back to this afterwards and lock in a date.
@Gabe Peterson any of the dates will work for me but March or April would work best since we're looking at doing the Pacific Crest Triathlon in June.
Hey gang...made it through the Wasatch 100! I'm settling on Wednesday, March 6 to Sunday, March 10. I'm looking at the Zion 100k in April, so March is a good time for an earlier season training camp.
I'm taking this party to Facebook for organization and planning. I've added everyone ^^^ to the EN Epic Moab Training Camp FB page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/146346169318514/).