Sedona (Mile 163) to Schnebly Hill (Mile 180.1)
With our loaded packs we walked out into the darkness to continue on through night two. My body seemed to know what to do, keep putting one foot in front of the other as efficiently as possible. The miles went by faster than I would have guessed and meant we missed seeing the brilliant red rocks of one of my favorite sections. Right after we were able to have enough natural light to navigate we arrived at the Wilson Canyon parking area. I quickly spotted the public restroom and went inside to blow my nose on toilet paper which felt like a luxury.
As we left the parking lot and took the single track under the Schnebly Bridge I was once again off trails I had explored previously. The single track was beautiful, along with the rocks that lined the canyon walls. It was here that we bumped into Scott Rokis, one of the race photographers. I think we all startled each other a bit and Scott ran ahead to snap some photos. He then darted down and across Oak Creek for more photos.
Scott made it look fairly easy and made it appear to be not very deep. Next up Jack went and the reality was for us shorter people it was fairly deep. Then it was my turn. I didn’t make quick work of it and my feet got cold quickly, as I tried to navigate over a hidden bolder midstream I debated turning back.
The water temperature certainly did wake me up some and I was grateful to have stayed upright. Once across it was time to start hiking up Casner Canyon to the Coconino Plateau. I took the lead and it felt like a big day out in the mountains at home with Jack. We shared conversation and then I looked back and we finally got a chance to visually see what we had covered behind us during the night. This turned out to be one of my favorite climbs, fairly steep and sustained over a good amount of distance. Once done climbing we relied a lot on technology to help us navigate as we also tried to identify all of the animal tracks we were seeing. We came across a water drop that was inviting us to waste time, but knowing we both had ample fluid we continued on.
We now were on a long and seemingly never-ending dirt road. I didn’t mind the mindless running and now could see some runners ahead. This made us pick up the pace some wanting to close the gap to see who it was. It was Josh Perry and his pacer who we talked to for a little bit and then also leap-frogged with as our strengths differed. We both entered the Schnebly Hill Aid Station within a minute or so of each other and I tried hello before focusing on what I needed to get from my crew. It was time to change clothes, get ready for another long day of sun, and get a refreshed hydration pack.
Schnebly Hill (180.1) to Fort Tuthill (Mile 211.3)
Now up on the Coconino Plateau it was starting to get hot, the air felt stagnant and the miles behind me were catching up with my body. All my thoughts had to stay in the present, not down the road, and not fixated on what I could have done better behind me. It was good to have some cruise miles that didn’t require too much engagement. When Jack spotted some snow patches we filled my ice bandana to help stay cool. He regrated not filling his bandana and arm sleeves at the same time so we continued to search further down the road. Besides the search for snow, there wasn’t much to note for this section, it was easy in terms of terrain and the last mile and a half on pavement brought us to the town of Munds Park.
Jack went back to driving and Jason was back pacing. We took a short pavement climb, before entering the largest contiguous Ponderosa Pine Forest in the world! We were now past mile 200, which I wanted to feel good about that, but I was feeling a bit overwhelmed knowing how much time the remaining 50 miles could take. I let that thought go as fell into pace with Josh Perry and his pacer. I asked numerous questions about his FKT attempts on the Long Trail and the PCT. Then we came to a zone where there was tree after tree down across the dirt road. I cleared the first one, then on the second put pressure on a broken limb when climbing over which gave out. I fell, and all of the guys took notice. The next tree I did the same thing and once again the limb didn’t hold. You guessed it, I fell again. Okay, I thought, the third time is a charm, and yup this branch broke too leaving me a bit tangled up on all the broken limbs. I was feeling like a liability, but maybe this time I learned my lesson.
Somewhere in the midst of my falls, Mike McKnight went blazing past us like we were standing still and Josh and his pacer took off after them. I continued to do my own thing over the next miles to Fort Tuthill. This section had great single track that was a soft bed of pine needles. This of course made way for some loose chunky rocks, but I was grateful that it then turned back into the cushy single track.
At the Kelly Canyon Aid Station, I knew I was becoming more and more removed from my own thoughts and losing the ability to think. Jason would point things out and I just couldn't see them. “Look at that, there is an elk!” “Over there is the aid station, see all the cars?” I think I called him a liar a few times as I could see any of it. What I could see was Josh P and his pacer which we would reel for a moment for them just to then gap us. This happened several times and was feeling frustrating. This frustration disappeared when I saw the Squirrel’s Nut Butter inflatable arch outside of the Fort Tuthill Aid Station. This meant I was going to get a powerful and a much needed hug from head Squirrel Chris Thornley.