Chris Scotch
Los Gatos, CA
Double Arrowhead Crossing - MN Arrowhead Trail - 270 Miles - In conjunction with the official Arrowhead 135 Ultra, which I successfully finished and recorded an official time.
On Foot (without a kicksled).
Total Time - Monday, January 28 at 7:04 am to Sunday February 3 at 3:20 pm
6 days, 8 hours, 16 minutes.
I carried the mandatory gear required by the race, and all the gear I would need for my return trip, from the beginning of the official race in International Falls. I did borrow a fellow racers sled at the turnaround as my sled had broken during the first leg of the journey. As allowed by the rules of the race, I did purchase food and beverage from businesses along the trail, but returned to the trail in the same spot I left. I did also use the Finish Line and Melgeorge's Checkpoint (halfway spot for the official race) for shelter, as allowed by the race.
On Monday, January 28, 2013 at 7:04 am I started my Double Arrowhead journey of 270+ miles. (Like most ultras, the Arrowhead 135 is actually a bit longer than 135 miles). The first crossing was part of the official Arrowhead 135 race. The finish line is at the Fortune Bay (Lake Vermillion) Casino in Tower, MN. I arrived at the finish on Wednesday, January 30 at 5:19 pm.
I began the return trip on Thursday, January 31 at 12:30 pm. I arrived back to Kerry Park (the start of the official race) on Sunday, February 3 at 3:20 pm.
Total Time - Monday, January 28 at 7:04 am to Sunday February 3 at 3:20 pm
6 days, 8 hours, 16 minutes.
Proof of my trip:
First crossing - My official race time is recorded at www.arrowheadultra.com/index.php/results/2013-results
Return crossing - I left Fortune Bay Casino in the presence of Matt Long of Poplar, WI and Kevin Mackie of Brule, WI. I arrived at the finish in the presence of Anton Oveson, of International Falls, MN.
I have a GPS log as recorded on my Suunto Ambit, but the file has some noise on it and needs to be cleaned up by someone smarter than I. I also have a number of GPS tagged pictures from the trail that I would be happy to provide if requested.
Challenges - the first crossing, during the official race, temps were 25 degrees F at the start (too warm) and on the first night 4-10 inches of heavy snow fell on the trail making conditions difficult. My sled broke around mile 90 of the first crossing. Staying ahead of the cutoff times was in my mind, but never a big fear.
On the return crossing, temps dropped considerably and I was consistently walking into a NNW wind. Temps reached a low of -34 F on Thursday night/Friday morning. Daytime temps didn't climb above 0 degrees F until Sunday. There were periods of light snow on the return trip. Wolves were everyone on the trail (tracks), and while there is no rational fear of wolves, sleep deprivation and darkness can sometimes make you imagine fears that seem real. Same goes for the mountain lion that has consistently been seen near Melgeorge's. Sleep deprivation and general fatigue accumulated and the last 24 hours of the return trip I had trouble focusing on simple tasks, and slowed my pace considerably. (the last 50 miles taking me approximately 24 hours to complete).
Attachments: kml file