Frostbite camping in Linville Gorge

Last weekend 9 intrepid souls embarked on another great adventure to Linville Gorge in western NC. A camping trip to be sure but so much more. With temperatures below freezing during a majority of the trip it was also a test of ones love for the outdoors. We survived so I guess we pass. 

We drove west early Saturday morning stopping in Greensboro to pick up Adam and Cheng on the way to Linville Gorge (south entrance). In all, Dan, Mary, Matt, Chris, Will, Cheng, Adam, Taylor and I were among the select few who aggreed to freeze their own butts off in the mountains with a high chance of snow!

 We entered on old N 105 and drove up the West ridge to the entrance of Rock Jock Wilderness where we began a 45 min treck to the edge of the ridge where we happened upon a campsite that we decided to call home. From there we pitched tents (well some of us) and left for a day hike south along the ridge. We came across an awesome frozen overhang with ice cicles all over the place. After some ice cicle sword fighting we we returned to the campsite for some dinner. Since it was below freezing we promptly snuggled into our warm sleeping bags and managed to stay toasty warm all night. 

In the morning, we had a great breakfast of pancakes. Dan and Mary made sausage and biscuits while Matt, Chris and Will managed to pour what non frozen portion of their dozen eggs they had into a plastic bag with cheese and sausage for some big bag omlettes.  After a short hike out we continued north along the ridge to linville falls where we hiked in to see the frozen falls and some of the lookouts. 

Stopping at IHOP on the way home made for some great reflection of our trip and we were all in very good spirits on the drive home. We made it back Sunday late afternoon. Thanks to Dan, Matt and Adam for their parts in making the trip happen. 

LOOKOUT! .... sailing trip

Many changes since my last post of adventure but sailing, fun having and exiting adventure with friends remains as a theme. The weekend before last my lovely girlfriend and I grabbed the Core sound 20 Dawn Patrol and headed for the coast for a weekend of sailing and adventure around the shores of Lookout lighthouse. 

We arrived friday afternoon to a dying breeze but unseasonably warm weather and rowed out of Taylor Creek in Beaufort, NC bound for Shackleford banks to find a campsite for the night. We arrived after dark after being picked up by an evening wind. We set up camp as it began to drizzle and roasted some brauts for dinner over a driftwood fire. In the morning we were trapped until about 9am due to a rain storm that swept over us from the south but it soon passed and we made our way south east past Harkers island through Back Sound and toward Barden Inlet. 

We arrived at Lookout Lighthouse after the wind built to steady 15knots but the current was with us and it was an easy sail in shallow waters for the Core Sound 20. We exlpored the lightouse which was closed for renovations and ate lunch at the lightkeepers museum which was also closed for the winter. We also walked over to the ocean side of Lookout Bight and enjoyed a perfectly clear 65 degree day of sunshine. We shoved off to explore further into the bay and stopped to check out some shell covered beach before crossing to the far end of the bay to find a camp site. 

Here is the photographic trip report taken with the trusty Optio W20. 

We had the whole beach to ourselves and explored all around the peninsula which was covered in flat packed sand and sea grass. Very desolate and beautiful. Macaroni and cheese for dinner and a HUGE campsite all to ourselves was awesome and without a single cloud in the sky it was a perfect night for stargazing. I woke up around 2am to get a shot of the boat beached in the middle of low tide. But in the morning it was bobbing right next to the beach not 20 feet from the dunes.  We made pancakes and hot chocolate for breakfast and packed everything away ready for another day of great sailing and exploration. 

Our clear night didn't come cheap however and the morning also greeted us with a cooler wind shift from the North and gray clouds. We had the boat all packed up just as the rain hit and we watied for a break to shove off back through the inlet.  

The rain POURED as we battled up the inlet in steady 18knots but with the incoming tide we were fully reefed and having great fun but eventually the cold and wet soaked us through and with no sign of letting up at all that day or even afternoon we decided to call it a day and headed back to Beaufort to warm up. After we packed up and warmed up we had fun cruising the waterfront looking at boats and we spent an hour or two in the Maratime Museum in Beaufort. We decided to head home after the museum and to a nice warm bed having explored for the better part of 3 days. 

Iron Furnace Canoe Expedition

Last Sat. we took a break from school work to go canoeing. Thanks to Dan for supplying the canoes and organizing the trip. We paddle/floated down 5.8 miles of the deep river in NC and stopped along the way to visit the Endor Iron Furnace, a civil war era relic that was used to produce cannonball for the confederate army. Here is the trip video, enjoy.

More Ironman Pictures

Enjoy!

You are an Ironman

We did it. Team Norsa members Adam Domanski and Alan Stewart...You are Ironmen. I am finally able to post due to some computer problems. Here goes.

We left for Louisville around 1pm on Thursday and arrived to the friendly greeting of David Wicks also known as PaddleMaker on watertirbe and a multiple time EC finisher. He graciously offered his basement to 5 crazy college studnets. Thanks for everything David. Our party consisted of Adam and myself, my girlfriend Taylor, fellow EOTW crew member Anna Blount and Julie who flew out to Louisville on Sat. Both Adam's and my parents and sister also made it out to the race to cheer us on.

Thursday:
Before we left Raleigh we created the first official "NORSA Mobile". It was a great success and Team Norsa rode in style all weekend.

Master painter Taylor applies tape to the NORSA Mobile


Go TEAM NORSA

Friday:
We spent friday checking in at the Galt House Hotel signing our lives away and receiving our race bags and information packets. We couldn't help but notice that there was not nearly as much swag as we thought there would be for the athletes but we took advantage of what was there and Taylor and Anna took full advantage of the large magic markers and made some beautiful signs to cheer us on. Afterward we walked the streets of downtown and spent some time at the world-fest just a few blocks down with live music and beer. Later we walked down to the swim finish and took a look at the transition area before heading back to the hotel to attend one of the pre-race briefings which was very informative but also somewhat intimidating. There was definatety no turning back.

A side note: while driving around on friday and saturday we enjoyed watching the serious looking racers running or biking around obviously getting in that one last ride or whatever. We especially enjoyed yelling out the window..."SAVE IT FOR SUNDAY!!"

Later Friday night we readied our official Team Norsa Jerseys and also managed to get in a night paddle on the creek just behind Davids house. Anna, Taylor and Adam piled into the multiple EC finishing Pygmy triple kayak that David built and David and I paddled single kayaks. We went about 3 miles total down the river navigating around logs and trees and spiders and had a great time. I'll bet we were the only Ironman competitors that went paddling that night.


OOOooo free sign making!


Horaay for world-fests


T-E-A-M N-O-R-S-A


Tadaaaa

Saturday:
We slept in and then drove over the transition area in the great lawn to drop off our bikes at the mandatory bike drop off and gear bag check in. We were not able to get to our gear bags after this so we had to be ready the day before. After dropping off our bikes and gear we went back to the galt house to pick up a few more signs for Julie and ourselves and then it was off to the airport to pick Julie up.

With a few hours to kill we drove the 12 mile run loop through downtown and then North around LaGrange around the bike out and back and along the LaGrange loop just so we knew what we were in for. We came to the somewhat useless conclusion that this was going to be hard.

Later we finally met up with my parents and sister and Adam's parents at Carrabas and had a great pre-race meal and got to bed around 10ish.

Sunday:
Race Day!
Up at 4:30am. Adam and I redied our final special food bags and donned our swimsuits. We piled in the Norsa Mobile and headed to the Transitions area to pump up the tires and turn in our special needs bags. My parents where there watching which was awesome. We walked to the swim start (about 15 min away), went to the bathroom and waited in line for the elietes to start. Then the groupers. And there we were shuffling toward the end of the dock. There was definately no turning back now. Ironman Louisville is the only Ironman so far to use time tirals starting for the swim as oposed to a mass start. This made the swim infinately less crowded and even enjoyable. A side note is that the finish times don't account for your actual start time so you have to subtract the offset from the final time.


Getting our heads in the game. Waiting in line for the time trials start.

The swim went by very fast. I was out of the water just ahead of Adam but he was out of T1 before me and I never even saw him until around mile 20 of the bike when I led him for about 15 min. I didn't see him again until the first our and back of the run. I felt good throughout the bike except for a little twinge in my knee that went away after a few miles and didn't bother me again.
I kept reminding myself to focus on nutrition and downed goos and powerbars like it was my job. I met my goal bike time of around 7 hours. averaging about 16mph. Adam was about 20 min ahead at T2.

Coming into T2.

The run was shit hard. First was over the bridge in to Indiana and back. I was glad to have a heart rate monitor on as it warned me on several occasions to back the *%$# off in the first 3 or 4 miles with a loud beep beep beep. I listened. It was very hot. about 93 degrees and the best thing in the world was ice cold sponges squeezed all over me. I put sponges under my hat and stuffed ice cubes in my armpits at every aid station for the first 5 miles until I felt ok.


Adam begins the run...walk...run


Alan begins the run...walk....run.

We both ran/walked the marathon. I walked through every aid station and sometimes then some. But I never walked competely from one to the next. I saw adam on the first out and back and again on the second out and back. I felt the best on the marathon in the last 5 miles when I knew it was almost over and I KNEW I was going to make it. Having a massive fan club there cheering us on was easily the best part of the whole race.


Adam Domanski...You are an Ironman


Alan Stewart...You are an Ironman

Goals:
Finish...check
Finish without injury...check
Finish somwhere around 14 hours...close enough...check

Stats:
Alan's Stats
Adam's Stats

Post Race:
Having everyone there at the finish line was amazing. Knowing that you didn't let them down and everyone cheering you one and yelling for you was incredible. After I got out of the finish zone I felt a little weird and said "i think I'll feel better if I go throw up now" and then I did. Into a trash can. Yeah it was hard core. They took me to the medical tent where I proceeded to feel ok and then not so good again and finally was given an IV and took an hour long nap. When I woke up I felt 100 times better and ended up staying with the rents that night in the hotel while Adam, Julie, Taylor and Anna went back to David's place. Monday was a day of driving and recounitng tales on the course. And tuesday we proudly wore our finishers t-shirts for all to see.

Meee-Owwww

Here she is. Hope it makes you as happy as it makes us.

More EYE progress on the Rhodes Reliant

A week of hard work on the boat by the EYE crew has left everyone satisfied that much had been accomplished. In addition to getting the V-berth and main cabin freshly painted the aft cabin, engine compartment and aft storage lockers are all de-greased, scraped and ready for some epoxy paint. With Anna back from China, she was able to hang out with Adam and Ian and I all week and it was the first time that all 4 of us were able to work on the boat at one time. We decided not to hold back when it came to the paint colors and while we left some of the nicer hardwood and brightwork in the cabin unpainted, much of the veneer we decided to brighten up. In the end the V berth became yellow and green and the main cabin a cheery orange and blue with a yellow accent wall! Adam and I put the first coats of color on on friday and after a few minutes once we had a few walls done we just stopped and started laughing for a long time. We decided that that was the reaction that we were shooting for so i think our paint scheme was a success. Photos of the new paint job are on the way. Here are some pics from the week.

In other news, Adam and I managed to get a long ride and a long run in this week in between boat work and also went for a swim at a local pool. We are both still going strong and are very exited. 13 days left.

Weekend of Racing Rafting and Fun

Veteran NORSA members Adam Domanski and Alan Stewart along with Brian Stynes and his girlfriend Julie (now also a NORSA member) returned Sunday evening from an awesome evening of racing, paddling, camping and hiking in the beautiful NC mountains.

Friday evening the crew left Chapel hill after picking up Brian and Julie and headed west to Canton, NC. Arriving late we pitched our tents in the back of the parking lot of the race venue for the 2008 Lake Logan Triathlon (Olympic distance) that Adam and myself were competing in the next morning. We awoke very early to music playing and parking cars slowly creeping toward our makeshift campsite. By the time the cars filled the lot, Adam and I were headed to the check-in after scarfing down a few honey buns. The race start was at 7:00am and we were all ready to go and waiting by the lake with time to spare.

The race went without a hitch for both Adam and myself which was a relief since this was our last planned tri before Ironman Louisville. I saw Adam at T1 about 1 min behind me and then he was right behind me on the bike in the beginning which caused me to pedal faster. On the run I saw him again right after the turnaround at the 3 mile mark which caused me to run faster. We finished almost exactly 1 min apart and both feeling really strong. I finished in 2:39:01 and Adam in 2:40:09. Full results here. Everyone said that Lake Logan was a great venue and we definately agree.



We didn't hang around long after the race and had planned to drive further west on sun and run the Nantahala river on sunday but we were feeling really good so we decided to just go for it and were on the river by 2pm on Saturday. Adam had his ww kayak and Brian and Julie and I rented duckies. We took our time down the river stopping and playing wherever possible.

Saturday night we camped on a dirt road near the put in and in the morning left with plans to check out Mt. Mitchell state park on the way home. On the way we ran into a road block on the blue ridge parkway so we stopped at a picnic area and hiked up a trail called craggy pinnacle to a small meadow summit. Lots of butterflies and blueberries kept us pretty busy.

Another successful weekend in the outdoors. Tomorrow begins the last week of summer camp for me and countdown to Ironman Louisville is T-miunus 28 days.

Ramping up

Back in full swing now after having my wisdom teeth taken out just days ago. Yeah it sucked. I still have some holes in the back of my mouth but that can't keep me from training. Running yesterday and biking to work today and all felt good. Just a few weeks to go.

This weekend is the Lake Logan Olympic Triathlon in Canton, NC. Adam and I are both signed up for this one. This will be out last "shakedown" tri before Ironman.

Excitement...yes
Anticipation...yes
healthy respect for the human condition....definitely
fear...NEVER!

Lazy Weekend

This weekend is a lazy one for me since I got sick on friday and missed work. I'm home and probably going sailing on Saturday with the fam. Last weekend, Adam and I were back to the grind in VA. See the EOTW site (in IE) for more details but we managed to wrangle the old engine out ourselves and save a couple hundred bucks on travel lift fees.

Friday night we also found an unopened blackberry pie while dumpster diving as well as some bagels and rolls that someone had thrown out. We then stumbled across one of those mobile beer trailers in the parking lot that was being used for some club function during the day. There were even cups. Needless to say, a pie fight ensued, we filled up on questionable bread that passed the smell test and we continued to enjoy free beer courtesy of crown pointe marina for the rest of the weekend.

In all seriousness, we got a lot of work done and are very exited about getting the boat back in shape. The next big work week on the boat is scheduled for Aug. 9-17. Feel free to come help out!!