The start Joe Prusaitis on the left, Deb right in front of me.
More of the start....Kyle Skaggs is already a mile ahead of us all.
Back of the pack
The REAL back of the pack... Leonard Martin in blue shirt, Jim Sweat in green jacket.
I like it back here....Craig Wilson on the far right walking with Billy Simpson.
Mark Heaphy with wife Margaret on the left. Deb in the center (The one that looks real little)
John Prohira with Silverton in the background
Runners going across Nute Chute
More Nute Chute
...and more...
Hans leading Deb across Mineral Creek
John anticipating the creek crossing with a big smile
Steve crossing Mineral Creek with Kathy Lang, Mark and Margaret Heaphy in front. (Photo by Lynn Ballard)
Matt Mahoney crossing
Kristina Irvin sitting while Joe Prusaitis smiles
Heading up the Bear Creek trail #1
Sun's coming out now
Don Platt, Craig Wilson, Billy Simpson, Joe Prusaitis and Hans.
Deb on a steep climb
Matt Mahoney and Don Platt coming up behind me.
Herd of Llamas to the left
Gary Knipling always smiling
Gary and Hans, two 60+ year old runners at Hardrock
Margaret Heaphy, Hans, Mark Heaphy and Steve McClung climbing up the big hill at Putnam. Steve basically ran with me all day long and finished just 6 minutes behind me!
It sure is pretty out here!
Finally reach the top....the first 13'er.
More action behind me
Where we are headed next...straight down! (That's Kamm Traverse on the grassy hillside across the Gulch, above the trees.)
Kamm Traverse
One of the creek crossings....this is Ice Lake Creek.
Closeup of the former picture. I went to the left to avoid the waterfall.
Niiiice....view to our left.
Runners going up the Ice Lake Trail towards Grant Swamp Pass
This is what we view all day long, Dan Fox up ahead of me...
...and behind me....
More of what I can see down below me.
Looking up.
Yes, that's Joe Pr-USA It Is!
More of Joe and Kristina coming up behind as I stop to fix my shoe.
Top of the scree trail to Grant Swamp Pass
Island Lake
Baaaaa!
My first Mountain Goat sighting ever!
He was interested, but cautious....
As I went to the trail heading down the scree slope, he ran away. Baaa-haaaa!
Patty Bryant, who I ran with for a bit.
Greg Loomis, who I ran with a lot!
Patty again...
Greg walking down the trail to Chapman. This is one of my favorite sections of trail on the course, I have this same picture with Dennis Herr from 2004.
Here's a picture that Greg took of me just before I took the prior picture.
Looking back at Grant Swamp Pass from the bottom of Oscar's Road.
Liz Bauer and Scott Brockmeier coming up the road behind me.
Robert "Mongo" Andrulis
What I am seeing up here....luckily it's getting breezy and cooler.
Scary snowfield. If you slip here, you plunge hundreds of feet below into the rocks.
Craig Slagel and others coming up behind me, about to do the snow.
At the top and over the other side, even more snow!
Take a left and down the Wasatch Trail
Looking at where I'm about to run. Notice the line in the snow where the trail is.
Leaving Telluride with Rick Hodges up ahead.
Goodbye Telluride!
Telluride from up above
Another Aspen forest with Greg up ahead
Greg "Loomdog" Loomis heading up into the Mendota Saddle
Looking back....
Looking back some more as we climb higher....the sound of Chuck Wilson vomiting was echoing off the mountain walls.
Greg pondering the climb ahead
That little opening in the center of the photo is Kroger's canteen, our next aid station.
Coming up behind is Steve McClung again...
Greg doing some more pondering....(we have to go there?)
Last assault on Kroger's Canteen
Coming up behind is Mongo, Liz, Craig Slagel and Scott Brockmeier.
Greg's smiling because he's made it and can sit....but wait until he sees what's next!
Kroger's canteen, named for Chuck Kroger, Hardrocker, climber.
Liz Bauer
Glissading down the other side
Governor's Basin aid station, 3 miles from Kroger's and it's now into night #1!
Looking back down at Grouse Gulch as I climb up to Grouse American basin and Handies. This is the start of Day #2...
Top of Grouse/American Basin
Huge snowfield up there...Handies is straight ahead behind the sun.
Summit of Handies, the only 14'er in the race.
Looking down into Grizzly Gulch and where I'm headed next. THIS is God's country....
Marmot not letting me by...
Some goats licking the water on the Burrow's Park roadside.
The hot Annette Anthony, Sherman aid station captain.
Columbine at the top of the Cataract Trail
Pole Creek Section....heat and wet feet.
More of Pole creek
...and more. This may look easy, but it's up over 12,000 feet!
My walking partner, David Larson
David cranking it out....3 MPH!
Looking back at Maggie Gulch aid station after leaving. We came from the saddle to the upper right and straight down the hill.
Buffalo Boy mine below
Trail up high....many tired runners passed through here.
The Green Mountain section
More of Green Mountain
Just before the drop down into Cunningham...and then the last climb is across the gulch to the left. Yes, straight up!
DAMN! That was what I said after kissing the rock at 43 hours and 25 minutes after starting Friday morning. (Photo by Lynn Ballard)
