I tend to opt for adventures with friends but the circumstances of this year have led to many solo adventures & I've been wanting to attempt a route of this magnitude for a while now—so after seeing the recent submissions earlier this week I decided to give it a go!
All was going great, until it wasn't. I started at Top Spur to get the climb out of Ramona out of the way early and end on a descent. My goal was to keep a steady, maintainable pace throughout the day—push on the rollers/downs, but keep some fuel in the tank for the finish—one of my favorite sections of the trail! The first half flew by & I was ahead of schedule but I made the mistake of not checking my water before heading up the climb toward Lamberson Butte and found myself without water access for quite some time, causing dehydration to set in & my stomach to shutdown. Try as I might to rebound, my stomach had other plans for the day. I slowed significantly & couldn't keep anything down the last 3 hours, making a strong finish impossible—just how these things go sometimes, but I was pleased to see I was still on track to shave an hour off the current time.
All in all can't complain about a day on my favorite mountain. Great weather (albeit a bit warmer than expected), tons of people out (including some familiar faces), and the river crossings were surprisingly smooth! It was also a solid training day for a self-planned 135+ mile adventure my friend Emily and I are attempting this October in an effort to advocate for two important causes—check it out if you feel so inclined: https://adamstohood.com
Can't wait to watch other badass women smash some hours off this time! I suspect it'll get closer & closer to Ladia's supported time as more women go for it.