Outside Features

Paddling at Hosmer LakeSEA KAYAKING THE HIGH DESERT
 
Who woulda thunk that Central Oregon could be a Mecca for sea kayakers? On a recent morning bike ride up to Mt. Bachelor, I was passed by approximately 30 rooftop kayaks enroute to various Cascade Lakes. Just a couple of weeks ago, some avid kayakers I know had to park along the highway and drag their boats across the snow to put in at Sparks Lake. Now, there is good access to all of our lakes and it is prime paddling season.
Sparks Lake, the closest lake to town for a decent paddle, is especially good in the early season. It is a shallow lake that dries up as summer progresses, but right now it is full and fun. It offers nooks and crannies to explore, paddle-up campsites and is a wonderful lake from which to watch a full moon rise behind Bachelor. I remember one magical full moon paddle when we were accompanied by a deer swimming across the lake. Hosmer Lake is another favorite of kayakers and fly fishermen alike. It is a beautiful sinuous lake filled with gorgeous yellow water lilies and reflections of South Sister, Broken Top and Bachelor. The water is clear and the fish are plentiful. There is a special treat if you manage to navigate the maze of reeds to the inlet- a sparkling waterfall. I also enjoy taking a lap or two around Elk Lake followed, of course, by an ice cream cone at the lodge. Other great lakes for getting your sea kayak wet include Cultus for a woodsy feel, Crescent if you like sandy beaches and Waldo if you're ready for the potential of bigger conditions.

Let’s get physical. GLUTEUS MAXIMUS, MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, MAX FACTOR
 
About 6 years ago, I founded the Bend Adventure Racing Klub (www.BARKracing.com). We were assembling Team BARK to race our first 24-hour Cal Eco event. Dave Schneider and Tom Schill were committed, and I was our token female, but we needed a third guy. We "interviewed" two candidates, including Max King. None of us knew Max, but he had expressed interest. He was very young and very understated, but there was something about him we liked, so we chose him. A few days later, we all piled into Dave's truck, pulling a trailer brimming with gear behind us, and headed out on the long drive to Central California. I remember our first rest stop about three hours later. As the rest of us stiffly climbed out of the truck, Max took three long graceful strides and hurdled a nearby picnic table. We all looked at each other with astonished expressions and wondered just who we had signed up. As it turned out, Max was a recent Cornell graduate who had been a stellar collegiate steeplechaser. Burned out on the track and field regimen, he wanted to try something new. I can tell you, Max is a stellar adventure racer too. There were times he had our entire team in tow, and he weighed less than any of us. He has an unflappable nature (extremely useful in adventure racing!) and he is bright, quickly mastering the art of navigation. After a couple of years having fun with adventure racing, Max returned to competitive running and dedicated himself the past two years to training for the Olympic steeplechase. He took time away from his job at Bend Research and away from his wife Dorie, living and training in Eugene. Too often in our lives we don't chase our dreams. Max finished sixteenth in the Olympic Trials in Eugene last week, but in my mind he's a hero just for giving it a go.

A WOMAN'S TOUCH
Paul Van Camp awaiting a wave with Haystack Rock in the background.On Thursday mornings, for years if not decades, I've
grabbed a Source and flipped immediately to this page to catch Bob
Woodward's commentary, usually enriched by a story connecting past and
present and occasionally spiked with an edgy throwdown. More recently,
I've enjoyed Kevin Grove's tales of mountaineering adventures and
appreciation for our natural environment. Well, Woody's written enough
articles to fill a library and Kev's roaming the country skiing Hood,
Ranier and other mountains. At a time in our country when the glass
ceiling is being broken, it seems appropriate for the Source to bring a
woman's touch to the Outside column.
On that note, kudos to
Pine Mountain Sports and Trek for the women's bike demos and ladies
night earlier this month. I happened to be out at Phil's Trail during
the demo and it seemed like a huge success. Riding there another day, I
pulled aside for a young woman riding uphill. She had a big grin on her
face as she followed her friend and huffed, "This is my first mountain
bike ride!" You go, girl.

What's With All The MTB 'Tude?
 
Many longtime local mountain bike riders are scratching their heads wondering what's behind the current rise in blatant bad attitude on trails. You know, fast riders scowling as they bear down on you at mach speed, riders not warning you when wanting to pass or passing, riders screaming at you to get out of their way, riders not yielding the right-of-way on hills, etc.
There are probably all sorts of reasons for the growth in "'tude" but many more reasons for putting an end to it. We have a tremendous resource in the local trail system, so why ruin the good vibe with "'tude." Smile and enjoy being out there, greet fellow riders and keep the fun in the local mountain biking scene.

The best riding is still ahead of usMore Techy Trail? You Bet
 
Thanks to the efforts of the 150 volunteers and 21 trail crew leaders who showed up to work during COTA's annual Spring Fling, there's a lot of new trail under construction as well as some revitalized existing trail and some promising reroutes.
One of the more interesting reroutes is on COD just above the Inn of The Seventh Mountain on the south side of Century Drive. There, a relatively boring and sandy section of trail has been blocked off and a reroute offering much more technical challenge has been added.
"The Forest Service was much more amenable to having a more technical section of trail when we walked the land to lay out the reroute," said COTA trail building and maintenance honcho, Chris Kratsch.

SUP
Stand-up paddle surfing
Stand up guys(SUP) is a relatively new sport making waves around the country and in Central Oregon. Stand-up paddlers make use of a long handled paddle standing on top of a longboard surfboard. The paddle is used to propel the surfer out past the surf break in the ocean and to catch waves. It can also be used like a rudder for steering once the surfer is on the wave. The sport has also taken off as a flat-water paddle sport. Stand-up surfers in Central Oregon can be found cruising the Deschutes or one of the mountain lakes. A small, core local group of paddlers has been quickly increasing in numbers. Last year, a group of 10-12 gathered on a weekly basis to paddle up and down the Deschutes after launching near Alder Creek. The group has now exploded to 45-50 folks that may show up for the Wednesday afternoon "sessions."
I met up with a bunch of SUP-ers a couple weeks ago to find out more about the sport and to learn why it's popularity is rising so quickly. A few of the initial core group were present including Peter Miller and Randall Barna and it is easy to see the passion glimmer in their eyes as they talk about their growing sport.

COTA volunteer Dave Caplan repairs the Farewell Bend trail at last year’s COTA Spring Fling.COTA Spring Fling
 
Thanks to last week's rains, the mountain bike trails are in prime shape. With mountain biking on the mind, it's a good time to support the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA) Annual Spring Fling and BBQ that takes place Saturday, June 7. CogWild, Green Energy Tours, and WebCyclery will provide shuttles to the work site, leaving at 8am from WebCyclery. Trail crews will build and repair trails until 1:00 pm, then volunteers will be shuttled back to town for the after-party BBQ. Volunteers should bring plenty of water and wear sturdy footwear and clothing, including gloves and glasses. The after-party begins at 2:00 pm at WebCyclery on SW Industrial Way. Food and beverages will be provided by COTA and Seventh Mountain Resort, while Blackstrap will play live bluegrass, and COTA will announce awards including the Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award. Trail crew volunteers will receive free food and beverages at the BBQ. The public is also invited to join the after-party and to become a member of COTA. All new and renewing members will be entered into a drawing for a Niner EMD 9 Twenty9er bicycle frame. For event details and membership information, go to www.cotamtb.com.

Max King competing in the 2008 Oregon RelaysMax King
 
Max King's running resume spills onto a second page as he quietly continues to rack up national level finishes, World XC Championship team selections, and impressive steeple chase finishes across the country and around the globe. Two main goals he's been working toward are qualifying for the 2008 World XC team and for the 2008 Olympic Games in the 3000 meter steeplechase. King checked off his first goal in February, finishing seventh in the senior men's 12 km race at the National XC Championships in San Diego. This earned him a spot on the World XC team and a trip to Scotland in March to compete against the World's best runners from 78 countries. King finished 55th overall in the 12 km race, crossing the line as the fifth of nine American racers. King also traveled to Japan in 2006 to race on the World XC Championship team.
Max began competing in the steeplechase in college. He graduated from Cornell University and was an All-American in the 3000 meter steeplechase in 2002 by finishing ninth in the NCAA Div. I National Championships. Even more impressive, Max competed at this level while completing a degree in Chemical Engineering. He worked full time as a research chemical engineer at Bend Research, Inc. out of college and took a couple years off of competing in track. After missing the competition, he started jumping back in post collegiate races. He has worked part-time the past two years at Bend Research while working full-time on steeplechase.

shortly after landing in their invisible jet. Pole Pedal Paddle
 
"It's hot, it's damn hot!" This classic line from O Brother, Where Art Thou must have played over and over again in the minds of many of the PPP racers on Saturday. Scorching temperatures reaching up into the 90s made for one of the hottest PPPs in history. This sentiment was the main topic of conversation among competitors after Saturday's race.
"Even the two skiing legs were hot today," said Colin Mahood, one of the first competitors to begin the journey down from the mountain, competing in the men's elite division. Jenny Ruiter was happy to cross the finish line and proud of finishing her first individual PPP race. "The run was so hot." She added that the kayaking stretch was a relief, as she was able to dip her hands in the water to cool off. Jen and Josh Newton, who competed as a pair in the race, echoed most everyone I talked to. "The sun was just beating off the rocks toward the end of the run. Sorry if I'm a little spacey right now, but it was just so hot out there!" exclaimed Josh. Brad Bond also discussed the difficulty during the run due to the lack of shade on the course. Overall, he was quite pleased to knock around five minutes off his individual time from last year. "I think I would attribute all five minutes to better borrowed gear," joked Brad. Brad and his wife Amy Peterson came up one kayak short. In order to both complete the race as individuals, Bond and Peterson simply shared the one kayak. After crossing the finish line in second place overall in the women's elite division, Peterson couldn't talk to the press as she had to trek back to the kayak exchange to complete her last leg of the day: the kayak transport.