Day 1 - looking for my friends

Hewett got me to the start on time.

After staying with family in Berthoud, CO last night (a wonderful stay with shish kabobs on the grill), we made it to the tiniest town of Henry, Nebraska by 10am.  South of town our map showed the Oregon Trail crossing a paved road just 1/3 mile from the state line. We thought that must be the place. Driving the road twice, we finally found a granite trail marker indicating where the trail crossed the road. SCORE!

I was surprised to see what was being the marker: an-over-your-head field of corn.  No tracks going in. No path to follow. I'd been warned about this, that much of the Oregon Trail crossed farmland and that it would either be too confusing or impossible to follow.  This was the case here. Taking some parting photos, we then picked the nearest dirt county road and started the run at 11 am.

It was a hot day with a moderate head wind which helped cool things somewhat.  I ran while Hewett drove ahead and looked for the best route to work our way to Torrington, the first town in Wyoming.  We zigzagged our way west and north on these dusty roads and got to town within a couple of hours.  It was really getting hot now.  A bank digital sign read 94 degrees.   Pushing ahead I got 8 miles down the road to the little town of Lingle.  Three kids were running a lemonade stand. This is when it was the heat of the day.  I don't carry money with me but the thought of ice cold lemonade sounded great. I told the kids that I was running across the state and that my friend was up ahead with my money.  They smiled and said, "Oh."  Gotta love a dedicated businessman.  I left with no lemonade.

The rest of the afternoon I made my way up a highway near what used to be the major thoroughfare for 200,000-300,000 migrants.

As I came across the first 30 miles of the state, I found myself looking for evidence of this trail at every turn.  Suddenly, I had a feeling reminding me of a time years ago in middle school.

When my grades weren't on solid ground in 7th grade, my parents encouraged me to repeat that year. Trying to make things easier for me, they also encouraged me to switch schools. I began attending a private Lutheran school where no one knew me.  For the rest of middle school and high school, I wondered what happened to all of my friends from one year ahead, whose house they were going to, where their parties were.  I had a new group of friends now.  Running this section of Wyoming, I felt that same loss - though these migrants came by here 160 years ago, I felt as though I had also just missed them by a year and that the track from them had faded before I could keep up.

This gives me something to look forward to, however.  Further on, I'm expecting to see sections of trail where the wheel ruts are 6 feet deep in sandstone.  Perhaps then I'll have a connection to the land and the people that I'm seeking out here.

Running backroads and highways today, I was initially disappointed with my trip along the Oregon Trail. Eight hours of running past me now, I realize that this is really just a stark reminder that it is all the more important to continue to preserve what little still exists.  Of the 1700 miles from Missouri to Oregon, only about 15% of the original trail can still be seen today.  I haven't seen it yet, but in the coming days, I sure plan to.

In Guernsey, Wyoming tonight.  May get to Glendo Reservoir tomorrow. Then Douglas, Casper, Muddy Gap, Sweetwater Station, Lander area, South Pass, Farson, Kemmerer, and Evanston.  Hope to finish now by Friday, Sept 14.  

Sponsors, Partners and Products, Oh My

My upcoming run across Wyoming has brought out some great people I need to thank for their support. See what the Summit Hut, Back Country Rescue and Red Rock Running Company have done for me!

The Summit Hut has graciously offered their support on yet another one of my epic runs. They helped me on my run of the Arizona Trail, my run across Iowa, Nebraska and Nevada all on the American Discovery Trail and now Wyoming on the Oregon Trail. This year, they are my official food supplier and I will be capping off each 40+ mile day of running with 2 or 3 (4?) two-person yummy freeze dried dinners.  Thanks Summit Hut!


Back Country Rescue was a huge help for my last run across Nevada. They supplied me with a great crew member and wilderness EMT Hewett Brown who tended to my feet, diet, and hydration issues. He has been sent out into the field once again and will be my primary support crew on this trip across Wyoming.  Thanks BCR!

Red Rock Running Company joined me to support my run across Nevada. This awesome Las Vegas based running store supplied me with my awesome Mizuno Wave Ascend shoes across Nevada and they're along for the ride in Wyoming as well.  Thanks Red Rock!

Besides enjoying the beauty of travel on these trips, I love it when my running can have a positive impact on the people and places I run.  That's why I was so pleased to hear that two environmental organizations were going to be working with me to promote this trip and preservation efforts along the trail I will be running. These are the Wyoming Outdoor Council and the Alliance for Historic Wyoming.

As much of the remaining Oregon Trail is largely unchanged from what the travelers experienced 160 years ago, potential energy development is literally on the horizon and I'm hoping future generations will be able to experience   the trail as I will be able to - seeing and hearing just what the settlers experienced.

Thanks WOC and AHW! I also need to thank many great people at the various BLM offices who have sent me information, answered numerous questions and lent their support of this trip.  Special thanks goes to Gary Long, former BLM manager for his assistance.

Happy trails to all of my supporting organizations and individuals!

Whoa! It's already time to run again?

This is my 40th year being alive.  And it has been an incredible year so far.  Following the record-setting run across Nevada last summer, I got busy with my job giving environmental education presentations in area schools. I love my job and I really loved not running 10 hours a day for a season.

But all of that training from a year ago didn't stick around forever and when I should have been gearing up for my next run across Wyoming, I instead got busy with a crazy self-designed money-making scheme (www.milliondollarsteps.blogspot.com) and making plans for an epic trip with the family. For the curious, the money thing really does work. In just a few months I went from $1 to $2k finding and reselling treasures at yard sales, but the work takes time and that has grown short this summer and fall.

This past spring, my family was invited to a wide range of places and activities: reunion, big birthday, wedding, camping.  We didn't want to decline any of them but they were all in different corners of the country.  Rather than racking up credit card bills with airfare for four, we instead decided to drive our two young kids in a 6,000 mile van and camper road trip.

Part of the money making scheme was to earn enough money to buy a camper for this trip. Then, two weeks before departure, a neighbor gave us theirs. I love it when things work themselves out.  The plan was to go as a family but my wife didn't have as much vacation time as I did so she flew in to meet us a few times.

So, single dad in the driver's seat, two kids in the back, and off we went. We drove from Tucson to northern Wyoming. Went camping for a week in Grand Teton and Yellowstone.  Caught Devil's Tower and Mt. Rushmore, Wind Cave and Wall Drug.  Got to Wisconsin to see family, Indiana Dunes, and my own mom's wedding and attended my grandmother's 100th birthday in Indiana.  Stayed with family in Chataqua, New York and saw Niagara Falls.  Then our final event was a family reunion on a homestead cabin in Vermont near Dartmouth College.  With wife having joined us, we headed over to the ocean for fresh lobster in Portland, Maine and the family flew home from Boston.

After 7 weeks alone in the car with the kids, my wife said I had "earned" a week to drive home solo.  I chose to take the coast. Saw my brother in Delaware and made a short side trip to Georgia.  17 years ago I hiked the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia.  On that trip, I only had 72 miles to finish the 2,100 mile trail.  Then I got sick. It was November and I was still using my summer sleeping bag. Body got run down and I had to leave the trail a few days early.  This was the first chance I'd had to get back and I wanted to run the remaining miles.  Starting at the northern Georgia border, I ran the final 72 miles in 2 1/2 days, never expecting the rugged conditions of the trail in that state.  I finished on day 3 at 1am, marking a 40 mile day when I arrived at my van in Amicalola Falls State Park.  I was quite sore and exhausted but that's a good state to be in when you have to drive across the entire width of Texas.

From Georgia I made it home in 2 more days and had just a few weeks to piece together my 500 mile Wyomathon on the Oregon Trail.

Now, I'm at the Phoenix airport, about to board a flight for Denver, where I'll be picked up by my crew to start state number 29 tomorrow morning at 10 am.  Eastern border of Wyoming just east of Torrington on the Oregon Trail.  40 mile days?  It's gotta be easier than that summer drive with the kids, right?

And Why Haven't I Been Running All Winter?

After months last spring trying to secure a sponsor for my Nevada run, I came away mostly empty handed. I seem to be able to get product sponsors but not much in the way of defraying travel costs, which are often the most expensive parts. Rather than spend every spring trying to convince a whole new group of sponsors that I am worthy of their support, I slowly came to realize that perhaps it would be easier if I just earned the money and sponsored myself instead. I know it sounds novel, but I wasn't interested in going about this in a 9-5 job kind of way. I already have that.  I needed to find a way to make additional money that could grow quickly and provide a means to fund these summer trips.  I'm smart enough (I think) to know to avoid all late-night get rich quick infomercial programs.  Someone is getting rich but it ain't you, if you buy those products.  Sorry Tony Robbins and Suze Orman.  If you've got it all figured out, why don't you guys just get married without a prenup and see what happens? That's a reality show I'd like to watch.

I decided that I would get a million dollars and let that support my running.  But I didn't want to do anything illegal. Or immoral. Or make me take a red-eye from Weehawken on 6 hours notice. I wanted it easy. What I found fits that criteria, mostly.

I've been at it for three months now and I'm well on my way.  

There's even a separate blog about this whole effort.  Check it out: Brian's Big Money Making Plan

2012 Old Pueblo 50 Mile Trail Race Report - A Visit to Pleasantville

This report is a bit of a catch up on my blog, an apology for my absence to the few random people who stumble across this page on occasion, and a glowing review of this year's Old Pueblo 50 Mile Endurance Run.  Enjoy.

Way back in July 2011, I ran my heart out in Nevada, covering 500 miles with 28k feet of climbing, 14 mountain ranges, 6 state parks, and 5 wilderness areas all in just 11 days. During the trip I expected a windfall of publicity and fanfare.  The end came and went but the exposure never did. I fault myself for (still) not having posted a decent video about the whole thing online. I also moved back to Tucson after the trip, which as everyone else has also experienced, can be a major distraction.  But the spring running of the Old Pueblo 50 Mile Endurance Run fills up quickly in the fall and by the time my checking account showed the deduction of my $125 race entry, I was too thrifty to stay on the couch on race day, regardless of my absence of any training. Typically, I like to get in at least 3 long runs before a race like this and despite my best efforts not to run all winter, I almost met my quota.