AES: Picketpost, Getting Pulverized

As mid November drew near, the time came to prepare my mind, body and bike for the next challenge in my pursuit of an AZT300 attempt in 2017.  The Picketpost Punisher event is nothing new to me, as I had ridden the short 36 mile course last year, and had some experience bike packing in the area also.  But, this year I was to tackle the 77 mile long course, known as the PULVERIZER in one day!  The name itself can dissuade even the most avid of cyclists, let alone the ride profile.  It consists of 77miles of remote single track and jeep roads in and around the Gila River Valley; gaining nearly 10,000 feet of elevation in total.  This route is no picnic, nor was it unfamiliar to me, since I had the opportunity to bikepack the route in March 2015 with Mr. Schilling himself.  That being said I was confident I would be able to complete the route.

I started prepping myself a week prior to the event, limited riding and what riding I did was at a casual pace.  No need to break out the sprints or hill repeats for an event like this.  I started by loading my bike, since I prefer to take a frame bag for these events.  I loaded my bladder and began to configure the odds and ends I would need.  I wanted to put as much of my nutritional's in my frame bag as possible, for easy access.  I decided also to take my Osprey as well since I knew not all of my stuff was going to fit in the framebag. Below is a list of things I took and where they were stored.  Admittedly, I take a lot of things when I go out on a ride, but this was a true backcountry adventure and I knew the price for failure was high. 

Frame Bag:
100oz Bladder
TP
3 Enduro bite bars
2 Kates Grizzly bars
2 shot blocks
Firearm

Osprey Pack:
Small first aide kit
Tool roll
Pump
Sawyer Filter w/ Bag
Spot GPS
2 bags Half Evil (2 scoops each)
24oz bottle.
Phone

After I felt comfortable with my bike set up and "fitness" for the ride, I wanted to give myself some piece of mind. Truth be told, the week leading up to PP was a blur between work and some testing for a job application I've been working on.  I kind of forgot to look at the ride detail (waypoints, elevation, bailout opportunities, etc.) to refresh my memory since it had been a while from the last time I was out there.  Actually, I almost forgot to upload the GPX file to my garmin.  Some would say those are major oversights for an event like this, but I always have my mental checklist on hand the night before for that reason.  I also think that not having time to dwell on the task helped me avoid some potential mental anxieties I often get before a ride/race.  I really can overthink things the week before a race, to the point of having panic attacks.  I tell myself that's normal, but who knows, I'm human after all

The night before I decided to camp at the PP trailhead (which I'm not sure is allowed based on signage), I pulled in around 6:30pm and found Hunter was there for the night as he'd rode his bike from home.  We chatted as I set up my tent and got things situated for the morning.  Meanwhile Mike and his wife showed up with their lightweight camp trailer.  We all sat around and swapped stories as is customary at these events.  I had a clean dinner of seasoned rice, chicken breast, banana, and jerky with some herbal tea to warm me up.  I turned in around 8:30pm since I had an early start in the morning. 

I slept decent since it was a cool night, I woke up with my alarm at 4am.  I got suited up and started some water to warm up my eggs and make coffee.  Normally, I avoid coffee on ride days for a number of reasons, but I figured today was going to be such a long day it would be best to just start with something warm and familiar.  Two hard boiled eggs, some rice, a banana, and coffee would be it for breakfast.  As I stood around I noticed there wasn't anyone else in the parking lot.  I thought to myself, if no one shows up for the big ride maybe I'll just do the B ride (55 miles).  But, luckily Jeff and Nancy rolled in about 10 mins before the scheduled start time.  Now there were no excuses, I put on the last of my gear and headed over to the start. Jason pulled up moments later and scrambled to get ready to go.  Soon the time would come to ride.

Five O'clock came and we were off; all four of us, for this epic adventure into the darkness.  We spread out rather quickly; Jason pulled ahead and set into his pace, Jeff wasn't far behind, Nancy and I were nearest, but I was noticing some brake rub and stopped twice to re-align my rotor with little success.  We were in the heart of Alamo Canyon now, I was running my light on low since I figured I'd need some light for the return trip.  I passed Nancy about half way through at a steep wallowed out incline.  Next I saw Jeff as we were exiting Alamo and heading toward a steady climb.  I was comfortable now that I had warmed up, and just kept moving.  I rarely thought about the animals that might be lurking in the shadows. I was either not quite awake or just focused on riding, but knew there was a chance I might see something...  It seemed like a made great distance in the pre-dawn hours I had made it to Telegraph Pass before sunrise.  I kept moving, knowing that if I made it to the overlook in two hours I was on target for time.  As the sun crept up it was hidden behind the valleys, but I was rewarded just after the first cattle gate with a tremendous view. I stopped for a moment to take a picture and have a nibble.  Next was a brief decent and a climb to the overlook and the next gate. 

Riding by candlelight

Morning Glow with a Planet

As I neared the saddle the wind picked up drastically and I decided not to stop until I was sheltered from the wind.  One more quick stop before dropping into Martinez Canyon, I could hear the wind echoing through the trees and rocky ledges around me. The trek through Martinez was quicker that I expected, possibly a tail wind which is not really what you want on some of those switchbacks.   As I passed the final section out of Martinez I decided to stop for a photo and another bite.  The wind was fierce now, even with the rocks as shelter.  As I gazed back across the canyon I could not help but to be in awe like never before.  I even got choked up a bit as I realized what a feat it is just go get to were I was. After putting the emotions back in check, I prepared for the decent to the Gila.  I knew it would be demanding since I'd been here before, but the wind was a whole new element.  At one point I slowed up for a technical feature and almost got blown over as a gust came through.  As I finished the top portion the trail became easier to follow and the wind was less of an issue as I left some of the exposure behind.  As I continued in to the Gila basin I caught glimpses of Jason and even crossed the river right behind him. The water was lower than expected; calf high at its deepest, but plenty cold.  I had another bite of my meal bar and dried off so I could move on to the next challenge.  The rolling hills through Cochran toward Florence-Kelvin Hwy.

Gila Sunrise

It was nine O'clock when I reached Cochran and crossed the railroad tracks, I saw the Coke Ovens in the distance and reminded myself that this is a place to explore not just pass through.  I said to myself, "an adventure for another day".  I recalled many of these hills through this section were not overly fun on a singlespeed, so I opted to walk most of them as needed so I could conserve energy for the return trip.  This desiccation was made easier by the relentless headwinds from the East.  I would come to a stand still as I crested over some of the hills, cursing mother nature and her cruel sense of humor.  As I continued fatigue was slowly starting to creep in on me and I knew my next recovery would be F-K Hwy.  I trudged along riding when I could, hiking when I couldn't. Meanwhile I wanted to check my distance and run calculations to distract my self from the suffering, this is when I realized I forgot to clear the current track on the garmin.  It read that I'd traveled 91 miles.  Doh!  Well I just estimated my trail mileage, I knew Florence-Kelvin Highway couldn't be far.

Martinez Canyon in all its Grace

Finally!  I had made it to F-K Hwy. amidst the headwinds and aggravation.  Now to relax and just let gravity do the rest...   Wrong!!!  The winds were still an issue.  I eventually made it to the Kelvin TH for the AZT after a freezing decent and a brisk HAB.  It was around noon and I was happy to see the river at the bottom of the hill, since I knew I at least needed to top off my bladder for the mid day traverse of the Gila River Canyons during.  I was hoping to filter under the bridge, but had problems with flow from my filter, so I opted for the trailer court. After finding a woman willing to let me use her hose and a quick Q and A from her kids, I was back underway.  This section is very loose in spot with lots of rutted areas. I kept it together and walked as I needed and luckily found my way in the washes quite well.  It was made easier by Jason's fresh tracks in the sand. At this point my right knee was feeling a bit swollen from HAB'ing and constant dismount/mount,I also kept checking the mileage to the next way point (Gila Ascent), and couldn't wait to see the climb since I knew my body needed a solid break.  The trail started to get repetitive as I crossed each wash, but there wasn't much shelter from sun or wind; which had subsided a little, so I pushed on and eventually reached the turn off.  I wanted to top off my water again before heading up, as I remembered the canyon climbs are brutally hot, so I rode to the river.   When I got there I found a family relaxing on the other side, kids driving ATV's around.  I just relaxed and took some Naproxen for my headache and downed as much water as possible.  At this point I knew I hadn't drank enough since my last stop so I took my time and gathered myself, I knew the toughest part was yet to come.  I ate some enduro-bites and had some Half Evil, I knew there would be a lot of walking ahead. After dunking my sun-sleeves and putting my knee warmers back on I  headed off.

The climb from the Gila had plenty of HAB and some riding.  I would hike until a muscle got tight, then I'd ride, and vice-versa.  I did that until the top portion than it was solid hiking as the sun began to set.  As I reached the top I called out in victory, as I began to get hysterical. I stood there and cried for a brief moment as I reflected on how far I had come.  I then started to laugh at myself in an attempt to regain composure.  I now focused on my last real challenge, Martinez Canyon.  It was dusk as I entered and quickly got dark as clouds rolled in. I turned my lights on since I knew this area was known for mountain lion sightings.  I scanned the rocks and ledges above for eyes and kept moving.  Martinez went by fast even with some periodic HAB.  As I rounded the corner to the over look I could see a silhouette, it was a person.  Some day hikers had set up camp at the water cache.  We talked briefly, and they mentioned Jason had passed through about twenty minutes prior.  This was shocking since I hadn't seen him after we crossed the Gila that morning.  I thanked them as they opened the gate for me and I started off again into the darkness.  I knew now that there were eleven or so miles between me and the car, it was reassuring, but I knew I wasn't out of the woods yet.  As I entered Alamo Canyon again I was quickly reminded that the end is never easy. It is very rocky in parts and the trail constantly twists to the contours of the canyon.  I was ready to be finished, as I got closer my garmin died so I guessed I had two miles left. It seemed like eternity, as I hoped maybe someone would still be there to see me finish.  Nope!  As I rolled in to the parking lot 14hr 50mins after the start, not a cyclist to be found. 

That was good actually, since I just wanted to got some food cooking.  I got cooled off and changed while i boiled hot dogs in the Jet Boil.  They tasted so good after eating meal bars a shot blocks all day.  I enjoyed a stiff gin and tonic and reveled in the events of the day.  I had finished.  I had finished my longest day on the bike (time and distance).  I learned a lot from this trip.  I got to be in the backcountry by myself which is a huge mental hurdle for me as I've become accustomed to group rides.  I got to experience real emotions and deal with them.  I think I kept it together pretty well.  I've had some great teachers over the past few months specifically that prepared me for what I might run into on a ride like this. Thank you to those that have shared their experiences and have helped me grow as a cyclist this year.

Now For The Bad News:  I began these AES events to prepare for the 2017 AZT 300. Well I found out the week of this event that I will not be attempting the 300 next year.  Sadly, due to a misappropriation of PTO days  I will have to wait until 2018 to take a shot at the 300.  I'm looking at the positives though. I will have more time and less pressure to prepare and might benefit from the added experience I will gain this coming year.  I intend to continue participating in AES events as they fit my schedule. 

SEE YOU ON THE TRAIL!