That can’t have been much of a finish line party. “Here’s your medal, now get the hell out of the way!”
For the record, while I grudgingly admire the stamina etc. of the people who can pull off such feats (running from Whitney Portal to the Summit.e.g.) I’m utterly opposed to such events. From 1970 to 1980 Mrs. Cretin and I did a LOT of extreme backpacking in the High(est) Sierra (the area between Bishop to the north and Lone Pine to the South), and buns-up athletic types running intrusive inappropriate marathons on the trails would have angered us beyond words.
A typical trail in the Whites? Heck, you could say “a typical trail in New England”. Freaking Middlesex Fells 10 miles from Boston has trails over boulders & rocky stream beds.
If I got up from my home office right now I could be on some Fells singletrack in about 4 minutes.
And the Fells are like a five-minute drive from a heavily traveled highway. More about the place, which is split by a highway and secondary roads and surrounded by heavily built-up suburbs:
Good!
I’ve read all his books except the last one (Missoula). Would be great to meet him.
God’s Country. Beautiful country. The high Sierra. I always love it there.
Indeed. Marathon runners on the Whitney Portal to Summit trail would be like having demolition derbies in the Sistine Chapel.
I hope this ends my hijack.
Glad to hear your hijack. I agree!
Was not expecting to see so many Middlesex Fells posts in the Everest thread. Hi, neighbors! I can see them from my house (well, the roof as there are trees and houses in the way). Maybe I’ll get up early tomorrow and do Long Pond.
I don’t get it. Why are backpackers allowed on trails but not runners?
Have you been to the Stoneham Zoo?
It’s the Stone Zoo, which just happens to be in Stoneham. It’s not named after the town, but of the former zoo director.
a million times. It used to have polar bears and gorillas and hippos in uhhhhhh not up to today’s standards of zookeeping. It used to be free!
And I know I couldn’t do Everest because after a day at the zoo, walking up where the rocks are, where the goats used to be and the yak and wolves and snow leopard currently are, I’m totally winded. Could not climb a real mountain that kills people.