Mount Charleston Prelude

Tomorrow morning I'm dragging myself out of bed bright and early to drive an hour northwest of the city to Mount Charleston, home of, well, Mount Charleston.

My plan is to run to Charleston Peak, the highest peak in the Spring Mountains at 11,918'. The route is 8.3 miles in each direction and starts at 7,600'. One website describes the trail as such:

The trail is 8.3 miles one-way, with an elevation gain of about 4300 feet -- from 7600' to 11,918'. Although the trail itself is excellent, the elevation gain, length and high altitude make it very challenging for most mortals.

And that refers to hiking the trail.

In addition, I'll be tacking on another 3.4 miles somehow to hit the 20 miles that I have on my training schedule.

I'm not going to lie; I'm a bit nervous. Partly because I'm going up there alone (though there should be plenty of hikers up there). Partly because of the elevation. Partly because of the elevation gain. Partly because it's 20 miles. Partly because I have a general fear of the unknown. And if running up a mountain is anything for me, it's an unknown.

But I guess there's little gained from dwelling on all of that.

Packing for the excursion I've set myself up with:

• Rain gear consisting of one large trash bag and a ziplock for my phone (20% chance of thundershowers)
• Cool-weather gear (it's generally 20-30 degrees cooler in Charleston than Las Vegas)
• Blister kit consisting of duct tape wrapped around a half Bic pen, Nuskin, and antiseptic wipes (I didn't tie my shoes tight enough the other day and ended up with a blister... boo-hoo)
• Eats: Banana, Cliff Bar, Stinger energy gel, Shot Bloks, Sport Beans, and Sharkies (looking to take in ~300 calories per hour)
• And, most importantly: Wallet with credit card (the Mount Charleston Lodge makes a mean rack of ribs...)

Since I'm planning to start training for an ultramarathon when I'm done with the upcoming marathon, I figure this will give me a pretty good taste of just how badly I'm likely to get my ass whooped.

As the wise Chaka Khan said: "Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall ... I'd gladly risk it all." Not that that makes any sense since I have no intention of "risking it all." But you get the point.


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