My intended traverse route on 6/16 Champion to Oklahoma.
For several years now I’ve argued that I’m not “a runner”, yes I run, but the #1 thing that defines me is NOT running. As with most athletic kids I was forced to run for soccer and volleyball (my two primary sports) and did dabble on the Cross Country team in high school. Though I missed half the Cross Country meets for volleyball matches and always considered Cross Country more of a workout to prepare myself for all day volleyball tournaments. It wasn’t until 2006 that I actually started to run on a regular basis and train for races (La Jolla Half Marathon and Bishop High Sierra 50mi). While this makes me relatively new to running, I’ve been camping, hiking and scrambling around in the outdoors as long as I can remember.
Fun class 2/3 ridge scrambling ahead over Pt13476. I made it to the base of Deer (far left) before getting stormed off the ridge, 6/16/13.
Not much has changed since my youth playing in the Sierras and around Lake Tahoe, the only difference is, I can do it a lot faster and further than I used to. If I have my choice on the weekends I’m off to the mountains to climb a peak, scramble an exposed ridgeline or to find some obscure lake in the middle of nowhere. My average pace usually a pedestrian 2.5-5mph, barely a jog if at all. I carry items foreign to most runners; a map, emergency blanket, emergency light, whistle, garbage bag (a what?), small 1st aid kit and sometimes an ice axe/crampons. But these aren’t the reasons I don’t call myself a runner, it’s how I approach these weekend adventures. I go out for the freedom of the hills, the thin air, the high altitude peaks, the route finding, the scrambling, the adventure of the unknown but most often NOT to run. Sure I end up running on many of my trips because I’ve trained my body to do so, its quicker and allows me to cover more ground in a day, but if it came down to it and I was incapable of running during one of my mountain outings I’d be perfectly content.
Looking back at the ridge and Deer Mt (right), running away from the rain and snow coming my way. 6/16/13.
Even in town, my training consists of endless laps up and down Bear Peak, Green Mt and Mt Sanitas, routes that find me walking and hiking almost as much as running. This is not to say I don’t enjoy running, but I enjoy many activities; volleyball, dance, rock climbing, skiing and many more. All of these items contribute to who I am, but like running, they are not what defines my primary love/ambition in the outdoors.
Me climbing some class 3/4 slab on Giraud Peak in the Sierras, circa 2006.
Hello, my name is Eric Lee and I am a peak bagger, one who’s climbed more than 400 mountains in over a dozen states and several countries in Europe. I run because I enjoy it and it allows me more flexibility to climb many peaks in one go (I once did 14), but what really makes me tick is the adventure of finding one’s way up an obscure rarely visited craggy peak with panoramic views and nothing but silence in the thin still air. Everyone has the right to pick their own labels and to define themselves how they wish, just don’t label me a runner 🙂
Panorama of the North Halfmoon Crk drainage with; Deer, Oklahoma, Massive, K49 in view from left to right. Storm brewing behind the ridge to the left.
A quick note on my training, as I guess I’m tapering now, what for, I’m not really sure. I have not moved on the Hardrock waitlist (still #2), and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t getting nervous that I won’t be running yet again this year (6th year in a row). But it’s out of my control and I feel as though I’ve done everything necessary to get myself ready, I just need Dale Garland’s Golden Ticket. After going big last week I took it back a notch this week, logging a solid 72miles and 21000ft of elevation gain, capping off a four week training stint of 280miles and 97000ft of elevation gain. After suffering some major dehydration on Saturday (6/15) running the Boulder peaks, I took myself up high to attempt four rarely visited 13ers near Mt Massive; Mt Champion, Pt13736, Deer Mt, Mt Oklahoma. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate, so I was only able to complete half the traverse before a blast of snow and rain hit me just after 10am. The mountains will still be there next week, better to play it smart and live to climb another day. Next weekend I’m hoping to make my way down to the San Juans to start my summer project of finishing off the Colorado 14ers, 12 remaining.