Another Superbowl and Another loss to the Giants...

... not much to write here. Its going to be tough to get over this..

Kentucky Derby Marathon by garmin_mayur at Garmin Connect - Details

Kentucky Derby Marathon by garmin_mayur at Garmin Connect - Details

16 miles in Percy Warner Park- A Runners diary

....its not a run, its a right of passage....

that's how everyone in Nashville views the Percy Warner Park 11.2 mile loop.

Let me make a feeble attempt to paint a picture for you. The loop has a net elevation gain of about 1300 ft. Two massive hills, the 9-mile-hill and the 3-mile-hill cover half of it. Both the hills have an insanely steep climb of approximately 250ft spread over a mile(or slightly under). The remaining 900ft elevation change is spread over constantly undulating mini-hills. Throughout the entire run one is constantly running either uphill or downhill, you have a better chance of finding life on mars than finding a meaningful flat section.

To get the extra distance you go outside the park and run through an absolutely flat and gorgeous golf course. This gets you the extra 3/5 miles depending on if you are running the 16 miler or 18 miler. Running a 8:15/8:30 pace on this flat 3/3.5 mile section feels like a walk in the park. Well to be fair the golf course, like any other suburban golf course, is strictly OK. But its all the endorphins and adrenaline pumping in you veins, that transport you into the realm of Lothlórien.

Most runners don't run Percy Warner, they endure it. Our trainer wisely places this run towards the flag end. You are either running to test how strong you have become since the last time you ran it. Or to test if you are fit enough to run the full marathon. Very few worry about the pace. The idea is to run at a slightly uncomfortable pace and then in the end compare your times with previous runs.

Like the rain in Forest Gump, here too there are different kind of runners.

There are the crazy ones - Who simply blast the uphills like it is '2-mins-to-Apocalypse' and Noah is waiting with a stop watch on the top of that hill; summoning the last call. For them its a slap if the face if slopes slow you down. They live in a pre-Newtonian era, where the concept of gravity has not yet been discovered. If you stick with the fastest group till the base of first hill, you can witness these mad-men flying up the steep slopes. It is both awe-inspiring and highly emasculating.

There there are smart ones - For whom the climb is simply too long and simply too steep. Hence they simply walk up the hill. For them the run is like a game of chess. They gauge their opponent for weaknesses, walking the steepest section, running the moderate ones and prodding along anything in between.

Then there are runners like me - who are speed demons on flats and think of the hills as a necessary inconvenience to go from one side of the park to the other. For us it is simply a battle of wills between you and the mountain. Its a all or nothing battle where there is only one victor. If you are able to make it to the top without stopping or walking then you've won else the mountain gets to keep the scalp. Your ego being the scalp. If you win, your victory gift then is a long winding downhill, which you can fly down feeling the cool breeze caress your face, drying out the sweat and leaving behind battle scars. And by battle scars I mean the white salt residue which unfortunately you can't keep intact for show-and-tell :)

PS: I will chronicle my run in a later blog post.

Just an interesting article I found whilst trolling the internet. Its a fun read if you are interested in the history of technology

Chronicles of Conflict: the History of Adobe vs. Apple

PS: Geek alert

Shipping up to...

I haven't posted anything for the past six month. Every week I get a traffic report from sitemeter reminding me that I have a blog site and every week I am surprised to find about 25-30 visits to the blog. Every week I resolve to write a blog and every week ends with a failed promise...

.... except this week :)

To end the story on a happy note, and it was indeed very pleasant trip. I will mention the bad stuff first.

I think to maintain karmic balance my trip had to end on a bad note. Watched 'How to train your dragon', for all you dirty minded perverts its a kids animation film; grow up :B. Followed by the Oscars (or was it the reverse order). Anyways, Swati was sensible enough call it an early night. Me and Me2 sketched plans for the Zion camping trip and then went to bed earlyish too. I had a 7 o'clock flight the next day. All was fine and dandy till I woke up with stomach cramps, bloating and nausea; in the middle of the night; at 2 am. I will spare you the gruesome details but would like highlight Me2's compassion.

Awaked by my discomfort he came out to check on me. Actually to be blunt, my barfing would have woken up the neighbors as well. At 3am in 20F temp dude went out to find a store that would be open to get some meds. That, it was Providence did not help matters. With no shops open we were left with no choice but to find some home remedy. Whilst I was curling up in a fetal position on the sofa, he was looking up online. Finally his labours bore fruit and a hot pack subdued the pain and I was able to get some sleep. The next morning faced with a daunting task of flying 4 hours with an upset stomach. I armed myself with all the meds I could lay my hands on at the airport store.

As if the night's fiasco wasn't enough, my connecting flight was 2 hours late, it had to fly slow due to bad weather, went through a horrible turbulence and the pilot failed to land the plan in first two attempts. Never have I been happier to step off a plane.

The troubles aside I had a great time over the weekend. Every time I go there I get the feeling of going back home. I can see a few eye balls rolling on this comment. Let me tell you just because I haven't gone home in 5 years, does not mean that I have forgotten the feeling. OK! :p. Some highlights from the trip.

• Bhabhiji and Jaini as always were the most gracious hosts. Enjoyed every minute and had lots of fun reminiscing about the past. Hoping that they move to Raleigh.
• Nice to see Me2 and Swati staying as if they are in a 'live-in' relation even though they are married.
• Nice to meet ole roomies.
• Got a chance to lay my hands on the new 'PS3 Move' motion controller . Played on a home projection system and with audience :) sweet!!!!. It was interesting to get a glimpse into the psyche of ancient Romans. Archery, Tennis, Volleyball and Disc Golf were the least popular amongst the audience, Gladiator fights however were cheered the loudest.
• Driving, with the country side covered in snow.
• The 2 hundreds scored showed why the ODI format needs to be preserved. It gives true maestros enough time to showcase their art. Sachin scored his 47th ODI hundred and even though we snatched defeat from the jaw of victory after having snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. India was lucky to walk away with a point.
• Shopping @ Wrentham.
• and keeping the best part for last playing with JD (and his toys, sorry JD forgot to get a gift for you this time).

Just your regular day by the pool

I was a 100% sure the keys were in the car's trunk. Well where else could they be. We had searched the chairs by the pool, we searched around the tables, we had looked with squinted eyes at the bottom of the pool and we had searched mine and all of my friends bags. (After what ensued I am using the term friends very loosely). And it was a giant bunch of keys, very difficult to stay hidden. The last I remembered was opening the trunk to get my bag, so I've had to have left them in the trunk. Funny thing about memory it plays tricks on you and desserts you when you need it the most.

After our lame and futile attempts to wedge-in a long cane stick through the door, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and pay the auto mechanic 50$. Having gone through the ordeal before (read caused). I knew it was a 2 min drill. Wedge the door slightly, insert the inflatable air pillow, pump it up and create enough opening for a hook to go in and press the unlock key with the hook. The car goes bonkers with the safety alarms (as it rightfully should). But it is at times like this you feel the need for circuits with artificial intelligence. Circuits that can discern between an actual break-in and a much needed "authorized" break-in.

I however digress, coming back to the 2 min drill. Wedge the door.... yati yati yata... and unlock the car. Then you quickly get in the car, pop the trunk door, get you keys and stop the alarm. It is absolutely imperative that all the step after unlocking the car are done with surgical precision and lightning speed. If you fail the security alarm will, and I am not kidding, they will wake up the dead. And trust me you don't want to be dealing with the zombies and a bunch of angry friends at the same time. So the mechanic came and did his part, the piercing sound attracting attention even from the bats. I did my part with "surgical precision". Popped open the trunk and.......

I am trying to build up suspense, but by this time you would have guessed that the keys were not there in the trunk. I should probably have told you earlier that this was my friends car and he is an outdoors kind of person. He had so much stuff in his trunk that you can take the car in the middle of no where and not only survive, but also start you own civilization. With the sounds blaring at the background we were scurrying through the trunk to find the keys. One of my friend bravely decided to run by the pool and take a quick look again. Maybe she was looking for the crack that might have opened up in the ground and swallowed the keys. A potential homicide was averted when she got a "ohh my gwad, it's so comical" comment from a girl at the pool. Meanwhile back at the car I was trying to fidget with the locks to stop the alarms, but to no good. The auto mechanic was grumpy cause we were 12$ short so he had called the towing shop. My friend after being scorned at the pool took the call. The towing guys apparently inebriated thought it was a good idea and great timing to make a sales pitch for his 500$ Celebrity Chrysler. We had called a friend who live in the same apartment to loan us the 12$. He duly obliged (for which I am very thankful, and I you one), but was very happy to be a spectator.

It was amidst all the chaos I had my epiphany. I walked across the pool over to the trash bin and peered in. There it was cosily nestled in a pile of beer cans, cushioned in what I am desperately hoping to be ketchup.

PS: After reading the blog over I do realize that you have take your girlfriend with you in the middle of no where to have a outside chance of starting a civilization.

VEGAS BABY!!!!!!

So many tales to tell, So many stories to write..... Sigh, cant do it because of the law of the land..

Rocking in the rockies.. part II

...I try my best to stick to what I say, and I know I had promised to write part II of the Rockies trip but haven't done it. So, I should either learn to keep my promises, or shut my pie-H@*#...

But its better late then never, so here it is. Of all the great memories from the trip this is probably the one that's etched in forever...

...a single lane road meandering through a lush green valley flanked by ragged mountains on one side and rolling meadows on the other..... the black tar chugging along the footsteps of the mountains, marking a boundary between the Mountain kingdom and the Meadow kingdom....a peloton of bike riders lining the road's edge like spring flowers....driving alongside the bikers feels like being in one of the team cars in tour de france.

The only thing missing; crazy european spectators.....

..preparations

I had packed light for the Denver trip and was not carrying my hiking gear, so had to stop by REI. While deciding on a trail I would highly recommend talking with the local hikers (along with some online research). Most of them are very approachable and are more than happy to share their opinions and experiences something that is difficult to find online. I met with a few during the day and then after talking to the folks at REI narrowed my options to 3-4 trails. The folks at REI were really helpful, I do however have to give special thanks to Jenny. Jenny was awesome, not only did she give all the information about the trails, wildlife, local hazards etc. She also gave me a details about which routes are the most scenic to drive through and which ones to avoid for traffic. Armored with my gear and the information I needed I was all set for tomorrow.

* I am being very liberal in my use of the term gear, it was nothing fancy just a backpack, poles and crampons..

..the night before... or should I say the dawn off..

What was supposed to be a 2 hours trip to Red Rock Amphitheater turned out to be a late late night excursion. More details about the concert are in my previous blog. By the time we reached home it was 3-4 ish. I say 3-4ish because when you come home that late 3or4 its all the same. Having no energy to even stand, packing was not even and option. I just hit the sac with the hope of getting up on time to start early..

(hahaha early. I had initially planned to start the drive at around 6:30, what a fool..)

..the hike

Miraculously I woke up on time. Shawn, a friend of the guys I was staying with was going to join me. But, he too had late late Friday night out and bailed out on me. Having come this far I was determined not to let this opportunity pass by, so decided on doing the hike alone. Ticked off items on my hiking checklist, purchased food from Krogers and was on my way out, sharp 7:45. What I liked about Denver the most was; 30 mins of driving on the interstate and you are out in the country side. I had the GPS with me, but decided to take the route given by Jenny. And I thank her again for that. My whole drive was spent like a deer at a water pond, half my attention was on the road.and half on the landscape I was driving through. Stealing as many glimpses of the beautiful country side.

Though the snow clad peaks of the Rockies are visible even from the city, the first real glimpse from up close left me speechless and speechless is an attribute rarely associated with me, my friends will attest to that ;). While driving along the forest road the pine trees on the left suddenly cleared and there they were rising majestically across the valley, their peak still covered with pristine white snow. The COLORADO ROCKIES!!!!! I had read in one of the travel journals that the Himalayas and even more breathtaking. The first thought that came to my mind was, what a fool I have been to stay so close and still haven't see them, perhaps in the near future. From then on the peaks followed every where I went, all the way up to the trail head.

The hike, with and elevation gain of about 700 feet over 1.8 miles can honestly be rated as an easy-moderate. But luckily for me the trail was covered in snow which added to the difficulty :). On good thing about hiking is you can either choose to hike alone and no one with bother you. Or you always meet people to hike with. That's how I met Joel and Lucy. A very charming old couple maybe in their mid 60's. Our conversations ranged on a wide variety of topics. Their most fond memories were from their hikes to Mauna Kea, the highest summit in Hawaii. Having lived in the Rockies all his life Joel knew a lot about the regions geology and history. Needless to say the whole hike was very educational, I learnt a lot about the mountains, the region's native American history and also got some much needed pointers on snow hiking. Its not rocket science, but if you are not careful you can get into serious trouble. Now that I have completed a snow hike, the winters are open to hiking as well ;)

(Thank god my mom does not read my blogs)

..the Trail Ridge pass and the drive back

On my way down, lack of sleep for the past 3 days was finally catching up on me. Rather than risking driving into a ditch I decide to pull over and take a nap. Waking up refreshed I took a quick snack and was on my way to Trail Ridge pass. I was in no hurry so was pulling over every chance I got to soak in the scenic landscaped. Added elks to the list of wildlife I've seen in the wild. Trail ridge pass is the highest pass in US and crosses the continental divide. This comes with very high recommendations from Joel and is a must do, if you are in the rockies.

As you move up the pass the trees thin out and are non-existant at the top. Extremely hostile weather and high wind speeds make it almost impossible for anything but shrubs and grass to grow here. Years of wind erosion have given the mountain a bald look. A very narrow single lane road hugs the mountain slopes. With no trees to block your view you can see the road snaking up all the way to the top. No banking on the road make you feel exposed to the elements and you have to be really careful driving up the steep gradients and winding roads.

Certain sections have 20-30 feet tall snow walls flanking the road. Its a constant reminder of the amount of snow accumulation that happens over the winter. Its no surprise that the pass is closed all through winter and opens up only on memorial day. Huge show ploughs/cutters are employed to literally carve out the road.

I parked at the top and did a small 1 mile hike. It was a surreal feeling to have the almost hold you up when you lean into it. Spent some time taking pictures and admiring the beauty. Since it was getting late I decide against doing the complete loop. The drive back was uneventful and no matter how much time I spend in the mountains, I am always sad to leave them behind.

Instead of doing injustice to the picturesque mountains by describing it, I would do injustice to it by positing the photos I took. Its at time like these I wish I had half-way decent skills, either as a photographer or as a writer to capture the essence of the amazing places I get to visit.

(But then if I had a wish, I would really wish to be a billionaire)

A Rocking time.. part 1

Rocking at the Academy....

This was one experience which is almost impossible to describe in words and any attempt would almost certainly paint the wrong picture. So if interested I will narrate it to you when we meet in person.

Rocking at the Red rock amphitheater...

Sadly and oddly enough this was my first concert in US. Sadly because since coming here I have passed up golden opportunities to watch some of my rock idols. And oddly because I know that a live concert never fails to give you your moneys worth.

With wide eyed bewilderment I can hear you asking.... "Tell us why, oh wise one".

Ok, if you insist on knowing the reasons, here are two that come to mind..

a. A good crowd can turn a half-decent band into legends of rock and historic venues always attract great crowds,

b. Not every Tom Dick and Harry gets a chance to play at these venues...

The Red Rock amphitheater has a 3rd thing to add to its list "Location". It is quiet literally carved into a red rock cliff and is flanked by two huge rocks providing perfect acoustics. A panoramic view of Morrison valley and the glittering lights of downtown Denver on the horizon create a surreal experience. Needless to say the concert was a memorable one. I will spare you the details but will leave each one of you to walk down memory lane and relive your memorable concert.

However, I would like to share a few lessons learned.

Lesson #1 - If a group of girls (with no guys with them) ask your help to chauffeur them to the ticket stands, to buy tickets for a friend who decided to join them last min. For that moment you are a hero, cash in on the moment and get tickets for yourself too...duh..

Lesson #2 - If 2 good-looking-bordering-on-hot girls (again with no guys) passionate about the venue, plead (well almost plead) you to attend the concert and sell you on the idea. Don't just get tickets; get their numbers too so that you can hook up with them during the concert... duh..

Rocking in the Rockies..

...coming soon... :)

The anecdotal value of your life

I know its Saturday noon and before you start rolling you judgmental eyes , in my defense I would like to point out that its raining outside and my leg is hurt. So my macbook is my best friend, and while trolling across the internet saw this interesting clip.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Malinky2Stoatir#p/u/1/wTsZwN1hPAg

Now that, the perennial geek that I am, I had to put it in a stupid graph to explain this theory :)

As the graph shows (based on fundamentally sound and well researched data). The anecdotal value of any event is inversely proportional to the life itself. I know the term "successful life" is a cliche and is open to interpretation as one may deem fit. But, to me (more importantly for the sake of theory), living a successful life means amassing as much anecdotal wealth as you can whilst staying alive to encash it.

My thoughts going in to the race...

just wanted to pen my thoughts before the big race.

Fact:

....I haven't done any serious long run for about 3 weeks now

....the leg is all taped up and even though its does not hurt while walking its still not a 100%

....at some point during the race I know the leg is going to start hurting.

......But......, the fact also is I don't know HOW MUCH (hehehehehe).. So the question really is how many miles am I willing to endure the discomfort ---- 1 mile or 26.2 miles.

Well, there is only one way to find out. :)

PS: Isn't it scary to be a rationally crazy person.

Choice - Both A problem & A Solution

was talking with a friend of mine and got these choices from him... :)

A. under 4:10

B: under 4:30

C: just Finish

A few weeks back I was training for a sub 4 hrs time, now I would kill of choice C :)

Camping in the Smokey

as it is with most of my last minute plans this too began with a simple phone call. Come to think of it, all my last minute trips are with Hobbes. I cannot help but sense an emotional undercurrent here :). But sorry Hobbes I draw my boundary at married men. This boat has sailed off. Well an apt metaphor would be, 'You have sailed off, on a yacht with silver sails and a golden mast, leaving me stranded on this desolate isle'. At least thats how he sees his marriage and me.. :)

I was going to miss my weekend training run so Hobbes floated the idea of us catching up and camping. I quickly called up Divya and Winny to see if they were interested. And just like that the plan was set. The logistics were ironed out soon and we were all set for camping in the Smokies. Divya had been warned by Abhilash about going on a camping trip with me. She still decided to throw caution to wind and join in, atta girl!!!. Winny not sure if anyone had warned you, but I am really glad you came. Hobbes knew what he was getting into, but by now he knows how to handle/manipulate me :).

So it was, in the year of twenty-ten the 2nd day of April. On a bright spring noon 4 members of fellowship set sail in opposite direction to meet for one quest 'Camping in the smokies'.

*(membership open for the remaining 5 spots, condition apply, please read the offer document very carefully)

Here are a few anecdotes from this trip. I am just listing a few of them right now, stay tuned to the comments section for more... from me... and others from the group

The Story.......

......of poker in a tent....

Now I know some of you would say whats poker got to do with camping. To them I say, good point :). But what better way to spend a warm beautiful spring day than play poker in the tent. Trust me as absurd as it may sound it really is a lot of fun. We set all the comforters inside the tent and made a nice sitting are. To make it interesting, we decided to play for money. $5 entry fee and winner takes all tournament. We played 2.

I won the first tournament by shear luck. Got pocket aces and did the mistake of going all in post-flop. I should have done that pre-flop to scare them away, with so much money already in the pot they had no choice but to go all-in and see the turn and river. Luckily my pair prevailed and I won. The second time Hobbes got sucked into a bad hand against me and later Winny put Divya out. Since me and Winny had a fairly similar stack so decided to split the winnings.

.....of the fox slaying knights

They went to the trash can and there saw a fox trying to steal the trash bag. They tried to scare away the fox by making a loud sound but that didn't work. Hobbes thinking quickly on his feet blinded the fox with his flash light. He outwitted the fox.

Now I have not the fortune to bear witness to this chivalrous act by the two sires, Sir Winny Wilson of Raleighshire and Sir Hobbes of Durhamshire. Me thinks they are just being modest.

Me thinks this is what really transpired. Imagine an evil fox, more evil than the Big Bad Fox who killed Red Riding Hood's grandma ( I know, I know; it was a wolf, but come-on grant me some creative liberty here). Our nobel sires were carrying a potion to save the prince. While crossing the dark forest the Big Bag Fox attacked them and tried to take the potion. A fierce battle ensued, Sir Hobbes drew his sword and blinded the Fox and Sir Winny leaped over (did a few flips mid-air) and landed on him and in one Legolaseaque motion dragged the sword through the beast's heart. The prince was saved and the princess was happy and they lived happily ever after...

....of tents, campfire, river-side rock, noodles and bisibelabath

having gained extensive expertise on his Grand Canyon trek, Hobbes allowed the novices (us) to try our hands at the subtle art of tent pitching :). It was difficult at first because of the darkness, but we improvised by using our car's parking lights. Once the tents were up we padded the floor with comforters and were ready to hit the sac. (Now I know what you are thinking, comforters and camping don't necessarily go together. Well, you have a point, BUT if you need a good nights sleep I suggest you break this cardinal rule of camping.)

We were not really in wilderness and even though the occasional flash from a car's headlight zooming by bore a constant reminder of our closeness to civilization, the campground was cosily nestled between two small hills. And a shallow river flowing in between the hills completed the scenery. After pitching our tents we located a nice flat rock not too far away from the river bank and made our way onto it. Soon conversations flowed over the soothing sound of the gushing river. A starlit sky providing just enough light to illuminate the white foam against the dark river. Hobbes checked in early followed by Winny and then after a while by Dviya and me. Winny couldn't sleep inside the tent, so he decided to spend the night in the back seat of the car.

The morning after Hobbes prepared crapy coffee :) and we hiked up to get some firewood. Hobbes demonstrated his skills in starting a campfire, he has now two scout merit badges one for campfire and other for tent pitching.

Another day, another campsite. We wanted to go kayaking but by the time we got to the campsite and pitched our tents(again Hobbes staying out of this) it was way past noon. So we decide to stay put and just relax. Went for a small hike. Later once the campfire was up...again.. :) Hobbes and Winny prepared the most delicious bisibelabath I've ever had. Eating by the campfire made it tastier. A bag of marshmallows would have been icing on the cake.

.....of Tiger Woods of mini golf

its was booze night, and this story has 4 lead characters. Well, alright alright, 3 main characters plus one designated driver.

Winny aka the man waiting for midnight.

Divya aka the margarita queen.

Hobbes aka the experienced drinker, barf free since 03.

Me aka the designated driver.

It was booze night but we couldn't goto a pub till midnight. Winny was waiting for the clock to strike midnight for the lent to get over. We were in Gatlinburg early so had some time to kill. And Hobbes wanted to win back some pride after getting trashed in Poker, he was the first one to be out both the time. So he took us to his domain; mini golf and boy did he win back some pride.

Now I can see people rolling their eyes and thinking mini golf is just kids play. To them let me tell you this, it has 18 holes. One cannot sustain purely on luck for that long. I am a living testament, I hit a hole in one on hole one, and was leading by 2 shots till hole 9. But luck could carry me just that far. Hobbes showing Tiger Woodesque abilities came back strongly from 3rd place to win comfortably by 9 shots.

.....of partying in Gatlinburg

I was told by some that Gatlinburg was a very happening town. Nothing could be further from truth, at least on that night. The pub that had the best reviews was a wine and beer only pub. The 2nd best rated pub 'The Ship Pub' was 15 mins outside the town but closes at 12:00. Another pub highly recommended by the guy who ran the mini golf place had such bad reviews that we didn't even dare check it out. To top it all we were told that all pubs close at 1:00 and last call is 12:45. So much for its reputation of being a party town.

We had already wasted 15 minutes of drinking time by going to The ShipPub. Bar hopping was not really an option so we had to pick one and stick to it. We chose this bar because it had a gallery and lots of lights :). However, even this couldn't dampen out spirits. The night began with a round of shots and was followed by pitcher(S) or margarita. Fearing that I would screw up the order Divya escorted me to get the first round of drinks. Hobbes got 2 Cuban cigars (really dude just 2, even though I don't smoke you should have gotten me one, at least for keeps sake, I am really pissed :).

We settled into a nice corner spot on the gallery. Divya and I both tried the Cubans, Hobbes however got the cool point for smoking the cigar in style and Winny almost got the smoke rings going. By 12:50 we had ordered our last pitcher, shared some with a localite, and were being pushed out so gulped down the rest. Rounded the night of drinking with shots. Everyone has their own account of what ensued :)

Some stories are good in print and then there are some stories that are good when told in person, better when the details are fuzzy/non existent and best when the yarn spinner is a bit intoxicated. The following stories fall under that category..

The story....

....of songs with deep meanings.....

....of camping in a coupe....

....of steady-hand photographers and swingy swings...

...of walking the white line.....

....of brotherhood with girls....

....of cuban cigars and smoke rings.....

....of 137 "visible" stars.....

Moral of these stories:

No matter where you are, not matter how badly you are prepared. When you are with your friends you always find a way to have a great time. And I for one had one of my best "camping" trips.

PS: Reading through the blog, I just noticed that there are a lot of grammatical mistakes. Please drop me a mail if you notice any.

........I should have gone with the tattoo, at least the pain dies away.........

Hobbes's Thoughts....

I stand here accused in the 'Trial of trail' and have been given a fair chance to defend myself; and I do plead guilty. Guilty under insanity - HIS! Evidence? He ran 10 miles in the Vegas desert the day before the hike.

The plot: Now It all started with a phone call. (This part, incidentally, is collaborated by the previous post.) And then everything went awry. The hike was initially planned to be on the first weekend of November. Due to non-availability of permit it was pushed to 3rd week. The "owner" of the blog was supposed to be Phoenix but conveniently moved to Tennessee. A third person was going to join us but could not. And to top this North rim was closed. So what started out as a 3 day rim-to-rim hike, turned out to be a 2.5 day rim-to-rim-to-rim in colder weather.

A 5 hour flight dropped me in Phoenix the day before the hike and I rented a car and drove to Flagstaff and stayed in a hostel on Route 66. The breakfast was a pleasant 2 hr affair due to the fact that Mayur's flight from Vegas was not going to land till 1 pm (and it finally did at 2.30) and I met some very nice folks from Boston and England who were travelling for the last 18 months. I had been reading travelogues but listening it directly from the travellers made it a lot more interesting.

I left Flagstaff at about 10 and reached Grand Canyon airport at 12 only to learn that the dude was still in Vegas giving me a laundry list of items to shop for the hike. For good or bad, his flight was further delayed so he was able to do the shopping himself while I spent about 45 minutes eating a wonderful pizza. (The next time you visit south rim, do stop by at the pizza place opposite the airport. Wonderful pizza). I spent another 45 min in the airport reading waiting for him and hearing stories from the guide who was going to take folks to the canyon. While we were talking someone from lobby dialled 911 so the airport folks came asking both of us if we did it. No, they were not profiling us. It just so happened that we were the only 2 people in the airport.

Anyway, by the time we registered at the canyon office, did final round of shopping and actually started the hike it was 4 pm. A daylight of about 1.5 hrs. Since we were climbing down fresh it wasn't a problem. Both of us did the 5.5 mile hike comfortably in about 3 hours. Pitched tent, had wine and dinner and called it a day. Next day started at 5 am. Breakfast at 5.45 and on the trail to cottonwood, a 7 mile hike. Right at the start of the hike we were told that water was not available in cottonwood campground, so at the last minute we filled a bottle of water for cooking and decided to hang it on my backpack. Not until quite later did I realize this added weight dangling across the backpack at an ackward angle was throwing off my balance making it an effort whenever there was a climb. This aggravated a lot more about the last mile to the ground. The awesome views were heavenly though. This with the unpleasant weight on the back tempted me to take it easy and not do the north rim. But hey, you never know when you are going come back.. and the sweet thought of dumping about 10 pounds.

So we started again and within 3 miles I knew it was going to be tough. I might have probably pushed myself but knowing the fact that I had about 11 mile hike the next day again with a 35 pound backpack and a time deadline of 6 pm to reach south rim (we had to reach Phoenix again by 10 pm for our 12 am flight) made me turn back. And after few minutes I realize that my jacket, gloves, flashlight was with him so it essentially meant that I had to reach back to campground, pitch tent, eat and crawl into the tent before sunset. The alternative was a pitch dark 25 F which wasn't a pleasant thought. And hence, the tent pitching!!! (Attn: Ashwini Tantry)

The third day, after a good night's rest started nicely and in good time both of us made back to Phantom ranch by 12 and after lunch when we were just about to leave got to know that the climb up was not 6 miles but 9. Take that!! That meant 9 miles, elevation gain of about 4700 and time left 5 hrs. So off we set again. Now, carrying a 35 pound backpack is a nice way of being introduced to lot of new bones and muscles. I can't say it was all pleasant. But it was good to know they were all there and working to take me to the top. By now both of us were on our own pace. He was definitely ahead of me (I would later find out that he reached the top about 45 min ahead)

This part of the hike was pure will power. Any climber/ hiker will attest this. There comes a phase were you are tired to think much and all you do is see one leg go in front of other. This is also about the time you decide you are not going to hike anymore for the next x number of days (Never happens). At about 4.45, with Mayur long gone I realize that I had about 45 min of daylight and I just keep walking. At about a mile from south rim, I meet 2 Indian guys who were hiking up from phantom ranch and they tell me that they had met Mayur some time back and he had said that if I don't reach the top by 6 he was going to start down again (Told you he was insane, but insane in a nice way). Normally, I would have liked to pulled out my flashlight but knowing that any delay would make me miss the 6 pm deadline I just kept walking and finally reached the trail head 3 minutes before 6. Finally.

Took a shuttle bus to the car parking area and found Mayur there waiting for me with a veggie wrap (100 bonus points). Drove 4 hrs, returned the rental car and barely had enough time to catch the flight. 3 days of no shower with all the sweat and dust ensured me a seat on the last row of the plane with no one next to me.

So there. A wonderful trip which would not have happened for a little nudge, a little insanity and whole lot of help from the dude. Where next?