Base Camp

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Hiking with Jax and Kobae

Could also be labeled "It was the best of time and it was the worst of times." I'll let you sort out which is which.

Not long after Moab 240 staff pulled out two helicopters landed on the road at one of the narrow spots on this side of Hurrah. A truck had gone off. Some disc golfers showed up on side by sides and said there was a guy and his dog that blew by them. The truck went off Hurrah a long ways down. I have some more pictures and video coming in from people that were here and I'll put it up when I get it. The guy didn't look good. I saw the video when they pulled him up and he had arms and legs hanging in directions that probably wasn't right. The dog survived, got out, and when the helicopter came it was scared off. After the driver was extracted the hunt was on for the 30 pound lab. Jax is a very good tracker if he's not bored, let me say he has a really good nose. Getting him to track is a little more work. Jesse, Jake, and Craig all took off to find the dog who was found right when they got to the wreck site.

Eclipse

The cut off time to arrive at Base Camp for the 240 was 2am. Three runners got here right after that with no way to get back to town. The sweepers came through at 2am having followed the last runners to here and picking up markers of the trail. Arriving there were three sweepers to take the next shift leaving here. The vehicle had just enough room for the sweepers and the Emergency Rescue guy who's side by side was screwed up enough not to be able to go anywhere. So Teresa gave up her room for the runners. None of the staff from the event wanted to drive Hurrah in the dark so they all stayed and with added incentive. As one event ends for Base Camp another begins. Guests, staff, and runners all came outside to view the eclipse.

Looking up on Hurrah Pass it was a solid wall of people watching the eclipse. A bit eerie it made eclipses of the shadows of the plants.

Moab 240 and some more

Teresa and Craig took some additional pictures. Teresa was going up the hill to get some pictures of runners coming and going and found the trail not too well marked so she stayed for two hours directing runners the right way as they were beginning to drift all over the place. Some lights are stars and the rest runners coming this way with their headlamps on.

Craig was here doing some work around the lodge and playing some disc and got these.

Moab 240

Every year about this time 200 to 300 runners pay $1,500 to run 240 miles. Though the first runners came through Friday evening and finished yesterday evening (Monday) way more than half the field is till running as I typed this Tuesday mid day. We are a first aid station but way more. The runners are re-freshed with a vast assortment of food, snacks, and drinks. When theyleave us they still have 210 miles to go. The winnter this year came in at about 70 hours. You can look it up at https://www.destinationtrailrun.com/moab

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In prevous years the race has had staggered starting times beginning at 6am but that made for a lot of runners going down Lockhart where they are least reachable and normally hot. So while in the past the first runners have gotten here in the noon neighborhood this year the start was delayed until noon and they started getting to us around dark.

I was just thinking that I wouldn't have to take anybody over Hurrah Pass to meet the ambulence when a call came in from the wire set up they have from HQ in town saying the Emergency Rescue Vehicle was stuck off the road in Jackson Hole as four runners came up the drive way and said "We tried to get him out pushing but he was too deep. He's 3.1 miles into Jackson." One of the 240 guys got in the side by side with me and we're off. We passed 20 or so runners on the way out.