Washing the Dishes…

“Misunderstood with just a pack. A set path, but an uncontrived why. Aid is a blessing of fortune, given in the form of magic by those who embrace the opportunity. No hype, No glory. Prescence, silence, and no bullshit. Just the style of mountain adventures I should have never gotten so far away from in the first place, but here we are.”

July 18, 2020, I slowly rolled down the green tunnel and approached the infamous Frozen Head State Park sign. I’ve seen the documentary and I knew of the Barkley Marathons, but was still naïve to what was about to happen. Twenty miles, how hard could it be. Confident and too arrogant I took off from the ranger station on my first Barkley Challenge Loop (BCL). I’ll keep the story short because it was the experience most of us have out there our first time. I made it to Garden Spot, was out of water, it was 90 degrees, and yeah, I was lost. By the time I found my way I made it to the tower junction, I didn’t even go up for the view. Down south old mac I went thinking where the heck am I.

As I looked at my run on Strava, I wondered why some guy named John from the UK had all the fastest times on the segments and the BCL. Yes, I had seen the documentary but at that time I had no clue/forgotten John had grown up miles from the park. As I drove away from the park though disappointed in my effort, my thought process quickly changed to I’m coming back for revenge and this place felt like home.

I visited the park five times in 2020 and my love for the park was ignited. In 2021, on my 17th activity at the park I got my first CR on an all-out effort compared to what was most likely an everyday endurance effort that was completed on that section by John. From that moment on though I was hooked. I took a few more small segments that year and finished my season with one thought on my mind. 2022 was going to be the year I took the park back. Now when I say take the park back, I thought I would be capable of taking the segment that ranged from quarter mile to 3 miles. Never did I think about the BCL. I always thought I could run around 2:30 and that 1 DBCL was in my wheelhouse. The park itself had other plans for me though.

I dedicated my entire year of running in 2022 to Frozen Head. I was up at 3am on Saturdays driving 2.5 hours out to the park to be on trail Saturday and Sunday. I slowly picked away at the majority of the segments in the park and it did not go unnoticed. The guy from England commented on social media that I had been taking many of his CRs but if I wanted to take the challenge loop, I would have to run the downs. He was right I needed to improve. At that point I had taken none of thedown segments. His words were enough fuel to ignite my fire to become a better downhill runner. I even went on to run a 4:01 mile down quitters’ road.

At this point my coach had been itching for me to run a challenge loop as well as I think John wanted to see what I could do. I myself didn’t think I was ready, fear. I can’t remember exactly what it was that motivated me but I finally went for it. As the story goes, I ran the fastest time… but didn’t summit the tower. Not an official loop. I guess I should have been upset but I thought it was perfectly fitting. What a way to be introduced to the Barkley Community… the fastest DNF.

About four weeks later I went out once again to the park to go after the DBCL FKT. I opened the hatch on my car and I had forgotten most of my nutrition on the counter at home. I decided why not still go for it and I threw some random gu’s and trail snacks I found under the seats in my car and a 20oz bottle of water in my pack thinking I could tough out 40 miles. When I hit Phillips Creek and it was dry I knew I wasn’t going to be running two loops that day. In a change of plans I put my head down and decided to try and shoot for the single loop time and complete it officially this time. At that point I was about 4 minutes behind my previous effort but it was still early in the effort. When I hit Garden Spot, I knew I had the CR in the bag but just didn’t know by how much. I finished a few minutes faster then my DNF effort and sarcastically said to myself, the course was shorter with the tower.

At this point in 2022 I had already registered for Whistler Alpine Meadows 100 but my heart definitely was not connected with that race. I had achieved not only a massive goal at FHSP part I had also developed a strong relationship with the park and the challenge loop. I once again found inspiration from John as I new he had completed 100 miles in FHSP in three days once. I wanted to match that effort. I then realized that no one had completed all four directions of the DBCL and my goal was manifested. 5 days, 10 loops, 200 miles, a bunch of elevation change, and a DBCL in every direction.

I went on to finish the 200 miles on the challenge loop that year. My realization that year was, yes I had accomplished some goals I never thought possible, but the important message the park delivered to me was that my passion for running was found in what made me happy. My connection with the community and park was greater than ever before and I back to those mountain adventures I should have never strayed so far away from in the first place.

            - Joe Jude