Planning

 It's easy to declare to the world that you want to try a new route on a long trail. It's another thing to actually set all the pieces in motion for that run. There's a lot more then just heading to the trail head, pressing start on the watch and running. Especially for a route that has not been established yet. That's one of the things that's drawing me in instead of tackling an existing long route. The planning and preparation component of the attempt are what makes it fun. Every day you have something new to look forward to. Every map is a new bit of knowledge to add to the data base.

With that said, I don't think I'll be ready to take on the trail next year. That was my original hope - that I would run Silverheels this year (and hopefully finish!) and then be able to turn my attention to the trail so I would be able to take it on in 2022. But I don't think it's realistic. There's far too much that we don't know. I know the start and the finish. And that's it! The rest is a 140 mile mystery. Besides just learning the trail, we need to figure out access points and what kind of vehicle will be able to reach the trail. How early in the season can we get to the trail without dealing with snow or mud? There are gates that block access in the winter - usually they open around May 15th based on what I've read. Then at the end of the season - hunter's heaven. How bad will it really be for an October attempt? Will it be like Sangre, where the hunters are offended that we are even thinking about running while they are roaring around on ATVS? And how early does the trail get snowed in? The Koko was still on even through the La Salls last year in November. I'm not sure the Uncompahgre fairs quite as well.  So many questions just revolving around access. I think it will take the better part of this summer to figure all that out - if not longer pending what happens at Silverheels. 

Water accessibility throughout the trail is another question. Like Koko, there's some long stretches where there might not be any water at all. One of them comes near the end where we already know that either a mountain bike or dirt bike will be required to truly provide support. There's no access for a full sized vehicle and it's a long 18 miles between access points. I know I'll need to carry my filter - but how much water will there really be out there? How much gear will I need to carry to survive the night? And will I be finishing the trail in the dark of the second night? It's 145 miles according to the data, which could well take me over 40 hours. Which means nearly two days of staying alert and following brown lucite sign posts and the route on my watch. 

These are the things that I love. This is why I have turned my attention away from the Koko. There's so much information out there about the Koko - while not to many people actually run it, let alone attempt an FKT - everyone knows about it. There's maps and outsources and so much knowledge available. Here, even the bikepackers - a hearty lot compared to trail runners - don't have the full details of the entire route. That will be up to me to create. Nick and I have never rushed into something of this magnitude before. When I decided I wanted to take on the Vapor Trail 125 Mountain Bike Race, we spent two summers riding all the of the trails on the course. We knew the route before we even toed the line. This will be no different. I will not start until I am ready - preparation wise, physically and mentally. We need to have all the puzzle pieces accounted for before submitting the route and declaring the intent. Until those pieces are in place, I will camp on the sunny side of the mountain, build my strength and prepare for what may be the hardest thing I've ever attempted.