While the billy boils...

While the Billy boils and I'm getting the next posts ready, enjoy a great video from Bill Merchant- our race director- shot on location on a nice sunny day...during this year's race.

Rumors of my demise are....

The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. Dolly Parton

The recent silent and lack of posting was mainly due to an attempt to keep low and avoid the media feeding frenzy- a curious result of my taking a side trail- off course, and the events that followed.


If you've been following this blog- Unless you were at the international space station, in a cave ( like me) or on the dark side of the moon- you probably heard about my little variation on the official ITI ( Iditarod Trail Invitational) route ( if not, you are welcome to waste the rest of you life reading more then 13,000 Google references) and the subsequent interest in the events.

Now I am sure some folks like so much attention- and I am happy to outsource stardom to them. Me, I reluctantly accepted the 15 minutes of fame quota- but someone got the math wrong- this has been going on for a few weeks now- enough already already.

I will resume posting, and will add my version of events, just so it's on record. I must say it's been fascinating to watch a story take on it's own life, and evolve thru time and space.
Even more so- it's been interesting to read comments and discussions- by experts, well meaning folks, and those who are not afraid to make fools of themselves talking publicly about things they have no idea about- and certainly about events they have not been anywhere near to witness or observe first hand. The best of course- have been the comments filled with humour- such an important element of life and every situation. In particular i enjoyed the following:

From: Bike Snob NYC
Title: When the going gets tough, the smart get naked

.... reading about Mr. Kellner. It turns out he was competing in the Iditarod Trail Invitational, which is one of those ridiculous endurance races in Alaska.

Kellner was riding his Pugsley or whatever other kind of hipster bike those guys use when he fell into a frigid creek. At this point, soaking wet and freezing, he got naked. By the way, a good rule of thumb as you go through life is to always get naked in the event of an emergency.
I do it even if I'm not involved in the emergency myself. For example, when that plane landed in the Hudson back in January, the first thing I did was take off my pants. I'm not saying it helped, but it certainly didn't hurt, and it's a good habit to get into just in case.
Anyway, the next day he made some crampons out of his pedals and climbed a hill. I'm not sure he had to climb the hill, but when you're in a life-threatening situation it's always a good idea to undertake an unnecessarily dramatic task so that it will make good reading if you survive. Also, the article doesn't specify, but I'm assuming he was still naked.
Even smarter, Kellner left a trail of orange Gatorade wherever he went.

This serves two important purposes:
1) it helps the rescuers find you; and
2) it provides an excellent product placement opportunity for the movie.

He also rationed his cheese and energy bars (the article doesn't specify the brand of energy bar, presumably because product placement negotiations are still in progress), holed up in a cave he built out of snow (I assume he used some of his cheese for mortar), and made signals for planes out of his bike's reflectors--which just goes to show that dorkiness can in fact save your life. I'm a little unclear on the timeline, but I think the whole ordeal lasted three days.

At any rate, he got rescued and he's doing just fine. So let's recap. If you ever find yourself in a life-threatening, person-against-nature ordeal with dramatic literary and theatrical potential, do the following:
1) Get naked;
2) Undertake a task such as climbing a mountain, digging a tunnel, or descending into a live volcano;
3) Maximize branding opportunities by incorporating popular products into your struggle to survive.

This should not only get you through unscathed, but also build additional financial value into the experience. By the way, Kellner wasn't the only person to have a tough time at the ITI. Jill Homer, author of the Up In Alaska blog, got frostbite on her toes. (Click here if you want to see frostbitten toes. Click here if you want to see puppies instead.) Now, I'd hate to make assumptions about an event in which I did not participate, but I have to say it sounds like the ITI totally and completely sucks.
I also have to say that, while I respect both Yair Kellner and Jill Homer for their extreme hardiness, I also think they're a dangerous influence. They're skewering people's perception of cold. It's bad enough you can't complain about the cold in New York without hearing from this guy in Minnesota. Now you can't complain about it because you didn't lose a toe or build a snow cave on the way into work. But that's not right. Just because someplace is colder doesn't mean it's not cold here too. Similarly, just because this thing exists doesn't mean I can't say this bike is ridiculous too. We must maintain some standard of sanity!

Link to full post

From the many emails I got- and thank you all- this one made me laugh the most- is by my friend J:

It's titled Drinking In Victoria

Dearest Y

Well any chance of rehabbing my drinking problem was destroyed this weekend. Part of that could be the fact that I was in Daylesford for the gay Chillout weekend which involved a lot of socialising and partying with gay boys............but before all that I went skating on Saturday morning and learnt that you had disappeared somewhere in Sarah Palin's backyard! I had to have a drink to calm myself.

Next thing I knew it was Sunday morning and I was nursing a horrible hangover in the middle of a paddock somewhere in rural Victoria! When I eventually got back into the lesbian capital of a township and cellphone service was regained I had message from my fabulous PA telling me you had been found by a pack of wild wolves or moose or something. Naturally this caused me to have another drink in celebration.....and I continued celebrating for the rest of Sunday! Hello another hangover.

The whole weekend has cost me a lot of money.......and honestly I can't contribute much of that to you.....although I'd like to for the tax breaks! I got back to Melbourne this afternoon and back on the internet only to find you are all over the press. Joan Collins had a tantrum at her Melbourne show and you slept in a snow cave....she's a frosty bitch, you were just cold....still nothing else seems to matter. You were even ahead of the Sydney Mardi Gras.....thousands of gay boys stripped down to nothing to try and make the front page and you upstaged them all wearing more clothes than they have in their entire wardrobe. Kevin Rudd is so relieved.......your story of sliding down a slippery slope has taken the attention off the economy which is heading the same way.....and unlike yourself.....can't seem to pull itself out.

Of course I immediately got on the phone to R and discussed how we are going to sell the book and movie rights to your story. If they can make a hit film about some kids in the slums of India then Oscar glory surely belongs to you next year when the world hears of how you survived on so little food it makes the Indian rubbish scraps look like a banquet.

I'm just waiting on a call back from Madonna to see if I can licence her song 'Frozen' as the theme tune. Of course all hit films now days have to have there token gay character so R, A and I are going to get involved in some bizarre love triangle to add another twist to the film......maybe we'll all end up in the same sleeping bag to keep warm or something.....after all........you put us through all this worry and stress....we deserve some of the glory.

In saying all this crap.....I am very pleased that I will be going to work tomorrow to write insurance policies instead of your eulogy. There are only 2 people in this world that could have survived what you have been through.....one of them is you and the other person is Cher (who is eternal and could survive a nuclear explosion).

I've managed to keep a couple of bottles of wine aside chilling in the fridge ready for your big welcome home party and a long hug!

You are a true champ and make us all realise the value of life and how important great friends are!

It will be great to see you home again.

Lots of love

J

-----
Normal blogging will resume soon.

In the Knik of time

"No journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within."

Lillian Smith

Race Start: Sunday, March 1, 2009 at 2:00 PM Knik Lake

Knik - bus -burger- bike- anticipation- start-
at 2pm- we ride- into white
now you have to switch channel to: http://www.alaskaultrasport.com/results.html

photos by Kathi Merchant

Countdown messages

Yesterday evening had a little pre race get together at Speedway Cycles- Pizza and beer and wine and stuff- the universal get together fitness fanatics 'health food' pre race binge....

and today the pre race briefing- and final checks and details.

It's been snowing steadily since last night- just in time to make the start of the race more, well, interesting....

After the meeting walked home in the white silence- snow falling on me- a quiet brightness- peaceful, feeling ready for the 'big day out' tomorrow.

To close- I thought I'll this email from Bill,

Hello All,

Every year the trail throws something unexpected our way. Part of the "fun" is trying to guess what unexpected suprise we will find each year and be prepared. I was watching the news tonight and Mt Redoubt which has been quiet for several days is blowing off steam again. Never had a volcano blow up during the race before but a dust mask might be a good addition to everyone's kit. On the bright side ash in the air makes beautiful sunsets.

Bill MerchantRace Director/Guide

Gone to the dogs

Yesterday arvo went on a nice long ride with Billy and Bob ' the builder' Ostrom along the Anchorage trail- fully loaded for a final gear check- followed by a dinner at the European B&B where Irene went head to head with the Italian delegation in Sphagbol showdown.. it's now time for an abbreviated taper.
As it happened- today is also the start of the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous- and the sled dog races.

Abit of history
Celebrating the traditions of the Last Frontier, Anchorage Fur Rendezvous is the social event of the year! The time-aged tradition dates back to the early 1900s when trappers and miners emerged from Alaska's wilderness to trade, socialize and compete in survival-type games. Prizes were awarded for the longest fox, the best fox and finest ermine pelts, and the event was officially named Fur Rendezvous in 1937. For more information including a complete schedule of events, http://www.furrondy.net/

A fantastic day- you should have heard the barking noises- excitement plus. Enjoy the pictures.

Detour-Other voices

The article about the ITI in the Anchorage Daily News starts thus:

The loneliness of the long-distance winter race
The hardest race to run is the one waged in your mind, and it is for this reason the Iditarod Trail Invitational is the hardest race in the world.

you can read the rest here

i Tuning

Good morning campers- and some apologies for the lack of posting these past few days- basically spent most of the time fine tuning gear, food, and self ( hence the i-tuning.. bad...) as well as being a tourist for a day in downtown Anchorage- gift shops, BLM ( same as our Parks and wildlife dept) and having my first ever beef tortilla soup- yum.


First things first- but not necessarily in that order;
The 5 day ride and camp at the Merchant resort was a chance to test self, bike and other gear- as well as a fantastic opportunity to learn from Bill and Kathi-an amazing collection of experience and expertise in this magnificent but harsh and unforgiving land- and i certainly gained much thru their kind willingness to share.

It also became apparent that i would probably need a bigger bike frame- and that some items do not work as well as i thought- but that was the whole point. Clear winners in the clothing department are my Merino base and mid layer set - A huge thank you to Chris and Pat from Melba industries for their generous provision of the items ( yes- it's a full disclosure statement- I did get the items free) which were just amazing. even in very sub zero- and after sweating up hills and moguls and pushing a loaded bike- i was warm and comfortable- even when the base layer was wet from sweat- the gear just worked. When we stopped i put on my down coat and the Merino just dried from body heat. An added bonus was the fact that even after 5 days-the Merino does not smell ( and I've been around many poly pro wearers who could not say the same... ya know) so when we headed out to a nice meal- directly from camp-none of the other diners left or collapsed as we entered and set down to demolish a big meal of sushi, pasta, and a Big bowl of ice cream ( but I digress)

Back to the gear- the other winner were my RBH VB gear- socks, and NTS shirt ( Thanks Nancy and the team) which despite the fact that i had to convince myself that these incredibly thin and light items would keep me warm and toasty ( and the fact that you have to wear them with nothing of a very thin under layer underneath-hence NTS Shirt = Next To Skin-you think you'd freeze in the very sub temps- but very quickly you are just toasty)

My Neos over boots proved another great choice- warm, waterproof, snow proof ( even while snow-angel-ing) and as an added bonus- a great place to put glasses, camera, and maps for easy and secure access- and very very warm indeed. As I have mentioned in previous post- my 'room' was fully 'air conditioned' and thus the sleeping bag and Bivvy bag were crucial for a good snooze- and they worked very nicely. ( for those interested i am using a North Face Darkstar -40 S/bag and an Inergral eVent bivvy bag)- links to gear suppliers are on the sidebar.

Thus Spokes Billy
When i got back to Anchor town i called Billy 'kootch' from Arctic Cycle- the master of all things spoked and wheeled- otherwise known as bikes. Aside from being a great guy - billy takes amazing care when putting together race gear- especially when your race- like this one- is a little bit ' out of town' and away from the bike shops. Billy himself is riding to Nome- an insanely long 1000Km plus ride- but then he is a local and i suspect the rumors about the effect of too much Moose meat must be true...

So there i was calling Billy about the bike, and the idea of a bigger frame and some other components- and Billy summoned Tony and me to the AC Command centre- also known as the place he shares with his lovely wife and kids, and we proceeded to discuss options and soon after 7 Pm the master class commenced- lasting well past midnight! 5 hours of focused activity by the end of which Tony was asleep in the car, and i had a new bike fully customised by Billy- and with 100mm tires- an upgrade on the 80mm i rode so far (the skinnies).

After a late night went next day for a test ride with tony up on the hills- including few technical trails -some of which tony rode and i walked/ pushed bike ( for training, not because Tony is a much better rider you understand). I have been riding the bike fully loaded for a number of days- doing some 30- 60 km trails and bike and rider reporting all good. Sweet!

Into the Drop Zone

On Saturday we went to the European B& B- where the (mainly) Italian racers stay and where you can 'drop in' just because you were in the hood ( yeah right) around pasta time( anytime) for a little something and a glass... But the reason we called in that morning was to help Bill and Kathi sort and arrange the drop bags being flown up the trail.

A huge collection of boxes and parcels bearing stamps from around the world gave evidence of the international aspect of this race- and as soon as we commenced to open the boxes and parcels it was fascinating to see some of the items people send to themselves for collecting up the trail. it also gave a great insight into the enormous and very complex organisation effort going into the race- each parcel had to be unpacked-then sorted by drop destination, then packed into larger bags and labeled before taken for loading on the small aircraft.

This process was repeated for each destination ( 3 drop bags are allowed) and it took the good part of the morning to haul the boxes, sort and repack, and load into Bill's van for transporting to the aircraft.

By the time we finished it was beer time ( early) and Irene owner of the B&B invited us all to a beautiful home cooked lunch- which we demolished without much arguments all the while sharing stories and listening to Irene can talk more then me without surfacing for oxygen.)

Bite sizing

One important bit of information I learnt was the need to cut food into bite size- since on the trail most things - especially with some water content- would freeze and be impossible to bite, break, or eat. Even meat and fish are best pre cut- so as you reach for a snack as you ride it's easy to put in your mouth without fiddling.

And so, as i prepared my own drop bags on Friday- I fried and cut and packed what was needed- and added these to my very politically correct selection- you will note that i have included most ethnic groups in my selection of food for the trail- A truly SBS ( if you are Australian) PC approach.

Off course, on a trail/ race such as this- one does not travel without proper medication either- this is the local version of sanitising agent...

Lastly- not quite food but essential- the famous chemical warmers- a nifty air activated disposable porta heaters place where needed. I tried them one night at the resort- it works very noycelee.

After a nice 'cool' ride along the coast yesterday spent last night working with Tony on creating topo maps for printing, and loading my GPS with all the required maps to check along the way- although my main interest is to record the trail for future reference. This afternoon going with Billy on a long final gear check ride- expect to be back after dark- then it's over to the European B&B and hopefully, more posts.
3 days to go. Yum

A few days at 'Club Merchant'

I suppose the sensible would choose 'Club Med', but the smart should opt for Club Merchant. If you are after exotic location, stunning scenery, gourmet food, a choice of activities and great hosts- you can't go past this club. I took a few days to join Bill and Kathi Merchant at the Susitna branch- which turned out to be a great experience.

Upon arrival ( self powered- more on that later) I was given a lovely room with excellent views, fully air conditioned, and with tea and coffee making facilities right by the bed! Main meals were served at a communal facility- an environmentally friendly Eco lodge - [OK, a tent] nicely heated and set up with a folding table and chairs- a comfortable gathering place indeed.

After meeting at the Point Mac car park- a little over an hour out of Anchorage ( and past Sara Pallin's home town of Wasilia- alas-didn't have time to call in) we met Bill and Kathi- unloaded the bikes and followed Kathi down a snowy road- while Bill soon disappeared into the white yonder on a zippy snowmobile- hauling our extra supplies and gear. A few hours paddling later- crossing the little Su river ( frozen) and heading out to Flathorn lake ( frozen) i was starting to get my snow legs- getting used to my Titanium fat bike with 80mm rims- loaded with sleeping gear, clothing, food, and spares- not quite the ultralight style my friend Franco would choose- but in these conditions- essential. The temperature was a hovering around a comfortable -9C, just cosy enough when you paddle thru the snow and generating lots more heat then expected.

We travelled at a nice pace- speed is not a prominent feature of snow biking- and by the time we arrived at the club Bill was already sorting dinner stuff. If i didn't have huge respect for the Merchants already- spotting Bills espresso maker on the stove certainly made me convinced i am in the right place, with the right people.

After we settled into our rooms- Bill pulled out the largest steaks I've seen in a long time- and proceeded to grill them on coals while we had hot drinks and a something a little stronger...

The smell of the grilling steaks wafted thru the woods- and as we were within cooee of the Susitna 50 and 100 race trails- we were watching some of the races go past- being diverted by the invisible wall of smell-except those we labeled ' the vegetarians' who appeared immune to the smells- but only just- they too succumbed to Bill's tease- poor sods.

As darkness fell so did the snow- and we got into the communal space and chatted away- those who know me will be please to know i found my 'talking' match in Bill and Kathy- and my riding buddy Kevin from Canada-who was the quietest of the lot- initially- but a great company nonetheless. Besides being a great guy, an experienced cyclists and kayaker, Kevin also proved to be the master of bottomless bike bags- ever producing more and more treats over the next few days- which were sure appreciated by all.

We talked and ate and drank while stragglers shuffled past- in the dark some from the Su 50 and others from the Su 100- in various states of physical and mental forms- from the happy and cruising to the stunned and exhausted. The deep soft snow did not make things easy this year, and quite a few people who planned to finish hours earlier- were still out there in the dark and cold late into the evening. Sometime after 9- now quite a few hours into the dark- Bill was asked to provide evac(uation) service and help few people out- which meant he had to hitch the sled to the snow machine, and get people and gear into it. I understand that sitting in a skled towed by a machine is not one of the recommended ways to travel- unless you enjoy showering in snow, freezing, and getting constantly whacked from the bumps and moguls on the trail. This was particularly so for the Su 50 participants who were only lightly dressed ( the race in a short course) and di not have to carry minimum gear like those doing the longer Su 100. It took Bill a couple of trips and over 3 hours to haul some folks out- and by the time he got back to camp it was just going on Midnight. We all had another solidarity drink- something called sub zero i think- made in Canada and guaranteed to kill any germs- so we drank for medicinal purposes as you'll no doubt understand.

As soon as we retired the snow decided to go into turbo- and by morning I had to shake over 20 CM of fresh white stuff before emerging. The bikes were covered, everything was pretty frozen- and I discovered Bill had already drank an espresso- alone!- so much for room service.

After breakfast and hot cider we loaded the bikes for a ride to Flathorn lake and the Dismal swamp- a charming little spot about 20 Km from our base. Riding was good-if you were not in a hurry- the terrain very undulating and slippery at times- i even managed to make- according to Kathy- a very nice snow angle - at the first downhill. A snow angle gets made this way:

1. you lose control of your heavily front loaded bike;

2. you do a full endo- fly over the handle bars while the bike sinks into deep snow;

3.you sink into the deepest possible patch of snow- get completely covered, with arms wide spread... Now you made angel.

I guess as the showers were not running that morning ( maintenance called- advised be there in summer)this was the nearest i got to a quick shower- certainly refreshing- before we proceeded to ride towards the white distance- a beautiful landscape without much distinction between land and sky- the snow was still falling having got into the swing last night- and so we made our way across the lake- riding, pushing the bike in places where the snow was just too deep to ride, and stopping to chat with passer bys- mainly on snow machines.

Sometime during the ride my rear tire stopped getting along with the rim- and it appeared they decided on amicable separation- this was not good news for the management ( me) just above- as the now already wide tire became even wider with the inner tube trying to liberate itself- insuring i was soon unable to ride. We deflated the tire and reset the bead- but after about 10 meters ( and after lots of pumping- these tires are BIG) tire and inner disagreed again- so it was off the bike and attempt 2, 3, 4, 5..... We then took both wheels off, removed both tires, swapped them around so the rear was now in the front ( all this while it was snowing and nicely under zero) and it looked promising- the tire stayed on!

for about 10 meters....

I was getting ready fro a very long walk/ bike push back to camp- when Kathi suggested we strap the problematic tire to the rim,- seeing these are run at low pressure ( about 10psi) on snow- we gathered every available strap and so i proceeded to 'ride' cripple style towards the Yentna and Susitna river confluence- and managed quite well considering the resistance, and rubbing this contraption caused.

An hour later Bill appeared- having had his own 'mechanicals' with the snow machine after the night rescue- and having to ride ' cripple style' too back to get a replacement machine- and caught up with us just in time to point out a running creek in a hidden spot- where we could refill our water bottles and survey the damage to my tire. We decided that while Kathi, Kevin and myself headed further out ( just to insure i would have a very very long walk if the tire failed completely) Bill kindly rode back to camp- took a tire off his own bike, and rode all the way back to meet us at Big Su river- where for the umpteenth time that day i deflated the tire- replaced it- pumped it, and finally- RODE like normal ( well, lets just say like everyone else on the ride at least did). we started to head back up the trail- and into the fading light and soon had to turn our headlamps on- the world changed- everything started to close in with the mist and snow- and our world became little pools of lights in the white darkness. we arrived back at base just after 8 that night- and after sorting gear for the night had a fantastic dinner created by Kathy. despite the long day- this was another late night of stories and talk of adventures past and future, and a great opportunity to listen to Bill and Kathi's stories of the trails and races, and rides, and Kayak trips...with Kevin and myself providing the foreigner input about other places and adventures. a great day, and a great evening was had by all, - saved by the straps ( and Kathi, and Bill, and Kevin's endless supply of snacks)

to be continued.....

[ some pictures by Kevin Hilly]

getting into a fat diet

Yesterday afternoon went to Billy Kootch's place to set up the bike and say hi to the family. While we were getting all the bits together and tweaking the equipment- Billy's 4 year old daughter took charge of catering and with a little help from mom produced some amazing marshmallow cup cakes- a lovely treat while we were fiddling with wheels, racks, bags, pogies [hand warmer handlebar oversizes 'gloves']

It was a perfect afternoon cold and sunny- and good snow- to hit the snow and go out for a 'little spin'- and back to adjust seats, handle bars- chains and gearing- but soon enough we loaded the bikes on the truck ( AKA Tony's car) and headed to a pre-race meeting- this was a meeting / briefing for the Susitna 50 and 100 mile races running on the weekend- all participants must bring their gear for check- the is a compulsory min weight to carry- mainly survival gear. everyone got issued with race bibs and shirts- and- as the eruption of Mt redoubt- our rumblings local volcano- is anticipated shortly- everyone got issued with dust masks! not quite your standard race kit.

The race organisers then ran a very funny- but also informative race session- and we then headed to another pub to eat and continue talking to some folks who are racing- it's not a very big place and soon enough i was running into some familiar faces-a nice feeling of being more local then a day ago- when i arrived- you get a lot done in a day!

After dinner went to visit Eric Parson-AKA Epic Designs AKA a great guy who himself done some amazing expeditions in some wild places- the last being a raft/ bike trip along the wild and glacier strewn coast of Alaska- incredible. Between these Eric keeps busy making fantastic bike gear- innovative and smart- and very popular with bike riders everywhere- [i have been the 'Australian' branch for a while]- and it was great to go see Eric in his new workshop- and collect some gear i ordered- which is already on my bike tonight - ready for the ride!

This morning went for a ride along Chester creek trail- heading out to Cooke inlet- pretty much frozen except a narrow channel with fast flowing tidal current. It's been relatively 'warm- just on -9 when we headed out- Tony, my host, [and driver, guide, beer buddy ] and generally a great guy! Nikki and Andy from the UK, and myself- enjoying our first fat chance fat bike experience. riding thru the forest along Chester creek we met quite a few people on skis- dogs, runners, and kids being towed on sleds- a lovely ride ending with a little outing onto the ice of the inlet- then back home for a quick change and headed out towards the mountains north east of Anchorage to drop Nikki and Andy off in a town near the race start ( they are doing the Su 50) and back to Anchortown to set up our own bike- i am heading out for a 5 day riding and camping ( no tents- it's a bivvy bag kinda camp) and with changing conditions, temp drop, and fresh snow expected tomorrow night- should be interesting....we are leaving early in the morning- so the next comm will be when i am back- about 5 days.

Thanks to everyone who's been sending hi via emails and comment on the blog- good to hear from you!

on the ice of Cooke's inlet