REPORT: Hatfield on Steroids – 10 Gorge Peaks

Christof Teuscher

I was unusually nervous to start this adventure because of some shin discomfort after racing the Hagg double last weekend. That turned out to be the smallest issue I should experience over the next 21 hours and 28 minutes. Besides the terrifying nervousness before the start, one mainly has some glorified version of a trail running adventure in mind: gorgeous trails with a smooth surface, chirping birds, crystal-clear giardia-free streams, amazing views, no-ticks forests, romantic sunsets, energizing sunrises, and rainbow-farting unicorns. But alas, the real experience is quite different: sheer endless amounts of physical discomfort that you never imagined you could endure. But more of that later.

As announced, the 75mi-challenge consisted in tagging 10 of the most prominent Columbia River Gorge peaks on the Oregon side: Mt. Defiance, Green Point Mt. , Tomlike Mt., Chinidere Mt., Indian Mt., Tanner Butte, Nesmith Point, Larch Mt., Devil’s Rest, Angel’s Rest. The start is at the Starvation Creek trailhead and the finish at the Angel’s Rest trailhead. Sean and Jim made a very impressive attempt in 2014, but had to bail out after about 46mi and more than 20h on the trail in miserable conditions.

hatfield_plus

I started the climb up Mt. Defiance at 8pm on Fri, Feb 20, 2015. For a change, I took the Starvation Ridge trail and soon ended up on the summit that I knew all too well. The temperature was colder than I expected. On the way to Green Pt. Mt., very thick fog set in. With the headlamp, I was able to see about 10 feet. Both the fog and the heavy pack made it difficult to move fast. Several times I had to check the Hatfield track on the Ambit2 to make sure I was on the right trail. Changing into navigation mode should later lead to some crisis.

Also, not checking my map at intersections I thought I knew where to go, which is against my innermost principles, led to some detours. For example, I was sure I had to go to Rainy Lake, but forgot that the trail turns off before it. Luckily that was just a quarter-mile or so detour. But I used it as a reminder that it’s better to double-check the map even if you think you know exactly where you are and where you have to go. The mind is not always clear during all-night adventures.

Except  for Tomlike Mt., I had previously been on the other peaks or knew at least the turnoffs. That’s why I decided that there was no need to modify the Hatfield GPS track to include all the peaks. Well, that was a mistake. I was unable to find the trail to Tomlike Mt. in the dark and the fog. When I finally got to the intersection I thought I had to be at, the signs were either not legible or had info that did not match my map. After much contemplation and search, I hopped on a trail that I thought was going to Tomlike. Well, it didn’t. I ended up at the bottom of Chinidere instead. Frustrated, cold, and tired, I decided not to go back 1mi and to restart my search. Instead, I enjoyed the pitch-black, foggy, windy, and freezing views up on Chinidere. It was a severe blow to my confidence that something went wrong so early in the game, when things should have gone smoothly.

After checking a more detailed map at home, I realized that what looked like one big intersection on my color-photocopied map was actually two that were a few hundred yards apart. And had I read this description more carefully instead of just glancing at it quickly, I would have tagged Tomlike too. Anyway…I motored on into the increasingly cold night despite the setback.

Last year I accidentally ended up on Indian Mt. on the way from the Bridge of Gods to Timberline. It sucked badly back then, but now turned out to be a welcome experience. The massive cairns on the ridge after the trail leaves the PCT were completely hidden in the fog. I was really glad I knew my way. Just before the summit I wanted to drink some Tailwind. To my surprise, all bottle valves were frozen solid. Hmm, I didn’t quite expect sub-zero temperatures. It was so cold and windy on the summit that I had to put on all my layers, including the rain pants. Moving was the only way to stay warm.

For the entire night I had dreaded the Eagle Creek crossing. Yet, it turned out to be a no-brainer. The water was by far not as high as it could have been in the Spring. When I reached Tanner Butte, the sun was up, the birds were chirping, and the views were quite amazing. That was the closest I came to my glorified trail running vision. Yet, the rocks that were all covered with a thin layer of ice—probably because of the nightly fog—catapulted me back to reality quickly.

I motored on toward the Tanner Creek crossing. At some point, the Ambit2 switched mode, but I didn’t pay attention and thought I had touched a button. Soon I should find out what was wrong. The descent from the Dublin Lake turnoff was steep and slow and the 431 trail does not allow for much running either. The Tanner Creek crossing was straightforward as well. I was mentally well prepared for the steep and long climb on the other side. It was quite pleasant actually. At least until I realized that I had forgotten about Moffett Creek.

When I finally made it up to the Nesmith turnoff, the Ambit2 made some noise again and I realized what was wrong: it was out of battery. That was the beginning of a major crisis. First I thought about navigation, but was able to put my sleepless mind at easy because I had a map and knew all the trails of the remaining part. Then I started—for no good reason—to do some math on how long it would still take me to finish. Very quickly I came to the conclusion that the fuel I had left would never be enough. I sat down for the first time on some mossy rock and stared for a minute or two into a pitch-black hole. After collecting some of my remaining sanity, I decided to continue. Well, I didn’t really have another option where I was. I tagged Nesmith Point and thought it would all be downhill to the Bell Creek trail turnoff from there. But alas, once again, I forgot about some major creeks. I felt low on energy, but decided to ration the food so that it would maybe still get me to the finish. Needless to say that I finished with several gels left.

When I got to the long-awaited Bell Creek turnoff, my feet were hurting very badly. For the first time I unwrapped them. What I smelled was equally unpleasant as the sight. Dirt had collected in the deep wrinkles and caused very painful friction. Luckily the skin was still there. I really wished I had a clean and dry pair of socks. But I didn’t. So I cleaned things as much as possible, taped them up, and was on my way again.

For the first time since I started I saw a person on the Bell Creek trail. The guy had a massive axe on his shoulders and had just finished cutting nice steps in a log that crossed the trail. I was the first person to actually use them and thanked him for his work. He asked where I was coming from and I said I started at the Starvation Creek trailhead. It took him a while to realize how far that was and I’m still not sure if he really believed me.

The feet felt worse once I made it up on Larch Mountain. At that point, I had no clue how I would ever make it down again. But I eventually did. Maybe it was because I was finally able to smell the barn. I also realized that I was much faster than my flawed math had predicted near Nesmith. I thought I could even make it before sunset. To celebrate, I ate a 2x-caffeinated gel. That got me up to Devil’s Rest like a devil on steroids. Not much later I arrived at Angel’s Rest. No one was cheering, but the crowds were nevertheless motivating. Passing several runners gave me one last and well-needed boost of energy.

Thanks to modern communication technology, Ursina was there to pick me up shortly after I arrived. At that point I was thinking beer, roesti, and sausage already. So that’s how it all ended. Neither in perfection nor in disaster.

It was most definitely one of the more intense adventures. I’m bummed that I wasn’t able to tag all peaks, but that leaves room for others to go out and try it on their own. There is certainly room for a much faster time as well.

For once,  I decided not to carry a camera, so there are no pics or movies. If you want to get some impression of the route, you can always watch the 2014 Hatfield clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDluU1TKdLE

To wrap things up, I wanted to add some insight on what I think are key elements to be successful on long unsupported solo adventures. In my limited experience, four things need to align:

  • Navigation
  • Fueling and hydration
  • Foot care
  • Staying warm and dry

If one of these elements fails, you’ll likely have to abort. All of them can be trained individually, yet, it’s much harder to take care of all four of them at the same time, especially when you are running solo and unsupported. No one will be there to help you troubleshoot, no one will encourage you, no aid station will magically appear out of nowhere, no fresh shoes and socks will be waiting in a drop bag, and no car or fire will warm you up.

In any case, it’s a mystery to me how one can be so dedicated and passionate about endurance challenges that have no relevance in the big scheme of things. The human mind must have some special wiring, possibly related to the dopamine reward system. E.g., see “The Neuroscience of Perseverance” (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201112/the-neuroscience-perseverance) for an interesting (popular science) read.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — Nelson Mandela

Lessons learned:

  • Carry an extra pair of socks.
  • Wet feet lead to wrinkly feet. Wrinkly feet lead to unhappy feet. As Ted Keiser is quoted in Fixing your Feet: “If my feet are wet for a long period of time, they get wrinkled, much like a person’s fingers when they are wet for a long time. There is a spot on the ball of both of my feet where the wrinkle is so deep that it feels like a knife piercing the skin with every step.” That describes what I felt quite accurately.
  • The Ambit2 navigation mode is a battery sucker. If you use it, make sure to turn it off quickly.

More details for the gear and food junkies:

Fuel:

  • 1,800cal of Tailwind (1,400cal consumed)
  • 20 gels (16 consumed, 1,760cal)
  • 1 PowerBar Performance Energy Wafer Cookie (consumed, 170cal),
  • 4 Honey Stinger Waffle (all consumed, 640cal)
  • 3×2 fig bars (all consumed, 660cal)
  • 25 peanut butter pretzels (all consumed, 440cal)
  • A few ginger slices and chocolate-covered coffee beans
  • Total consumed: 5,070cal
  • Per hour: 236cal/h

That’s an unusually high amount of hourly calories that I can’t really explain. In the past, I’ve been more around 180cal/h on similar adventures.

Gear:

  • Salomon 12 set ultra vest
  • Pearl Izumi N2 trail shoes
  • Black Diamond Z-Poles
  • Waterproof Mountain Hardware gloves
  • Pearl Izumi gloves
  • Buff
  • Compression socks
  • Salomon waterproof jacket
  • Raid-Light waterproof over-trousers
  • Salomon compression shorts
  • Salomon compression shirt
  • Salomon long-sleeved 2nd layer
  • SPOT transceiver
  • Suunto Ambit2
  • Phone
  • Petzl Myo headlamp with 3 sets of 3 AA spare batteries
  • Emergency kit + space blanket
  • Maps

GPS data:

hatfield_plus_spotSPOT track data.