This time last week, I was gearing up for a 60-mile bike ride in the Anza-Borrego Desert with the Triathlon Club of San Diego. Since then, a firestorm has destroyed homes and property and displaced thousands of San Diegans. The blaze, fueled by heavy winds and drought-stricken flora and fauna, continues to burn. Today, one of the multiple fires is 20 percent contained, another only 10 percent. Air-quality experts have deemed the wind-blown ash unhealthy for all individuals.

A week without fresh air has left me in desperate need of an escape. A four-hour drive and raging wild fires separate me from the 800,000-acre Joshua Tree National Park. Tonight after carefully navigating my way out of San Diego, I will sleep outside beneath a clear sky and a blanket of shining stars.

My goal for the weekend: climb hard, ride my bike 50 or more miles and snap plenty of photos and video for another Active Video installation early next week. I hope you all have a great weekend and please be sure to keep the people of San Diego in your thoughts.

My climbing partner, Gil (aka Mountainroad) and I attempted the Palisade Traverse this past weekend which began with a 5.5-mile approach-hike from South Lake trailhead (9,755 feet elevation) on Friday morning. The trail was well-maintained and we acclimated by sleeping in the parking lot the night before, allowing us to hold a quick pace from the start. It began to snow when we reached Long Lake and continued to snow for the remainder of the hike until we reached Bishop Pass (11,960 feet). We knew snow was in the forecast, but didn’t realize it would start so early in the day. The snow let up while establishing base camp (12,200 feet) just below the chute to Thunderbolt Peak, which we planned to ascend at 4:30 a.m. the next morning.

While replenishing our water supply in an alpine lake, the sky became a darker gray and the snow began to fall again, but this time at a heavier rate with steady accumulation. As soon as the sun set, the temperature dropped to the high-20s, giving me the opportunity to fully appreciate the warmth of my brand-new zero-degree down sleeping bag (Thanks, Mom and Dad!).

By morning, a fresh foot of powder blanketed everything in sight, including the chute to Thunderbolt peak, the first on our list of peaks for the Palisade Traverse. It was obvious at this point that we were snowed-out because the route would be too dangerous to negotiate.

Immediately, our focus shifted to staying warm, so we quickly broke-down our camp and packed our bags for the descent. The sun had yet to crest the ridge and it was still frigid. The hike back to the car was gorgeous. We were in a winter wonderland and were motivated by the thoughts of a hearty breakfast at Jack’s Restaurant in Bishop.

After our meal, we headed across the street and rented a bouldering crash pad from Wilson's Eastside Sports for $10 to use at The Buttermilks, a world-class rock climbing area. A crash pad breaks a climber’s fall when climbing without a rope no more than 20-feet in height. It’s the duty of the spotter to redirect the trajectory of a falling climber, so they land on the crash pad and not the ground.

Gil and I climbed in the warmth of the sun at The Buttermilks for the rest of the day. When the sun dropped behind the front range of the Sierra Nevada we set up camp nearby. I’ve crafted an Active Video from my weekend adventure using pictures, video clips and music composed by my manager, Rob Costlow. Enjoy!

In my last few entries, I’ve alluded to an upcoming mountaineering expedition called the Palisade Traverse, where I will attempt to reach the summit of five 14,000-foot peaks in one day.

The Palisades are located in the heart of the Sierra Nevada and include seven mountains that top 14,000 feet. Home to half of the “fourteeners” in California, the Palisades are a mountaineering paradise, and for me and my climbing partner, our very own playground because of its easy access to home base in San Diego.

Thunderbolt Peak (14,003), Starlight Peak (14,200), North Palisade (14,242), Polemonium Peak (14,080), Mount Sill (14, 153).

Rapid elevation gain, a strenuous approach to and from the base of the climb, and approximately 18 hours of constant negotiation of Alpine terrain will make this journey less a test of technical rock climbing skill and more a test of mental and physical toughness from sustained exposure to the elements.

I’d like to take a moment to thank you all for your feedback. Please continue to post comments, whether they are suggestions, questions or words of encouragement, as I am committed to enhancing Active Toby’s Adventure Blog and inspiring you to embark upon a journey of your own.

P.S. I will be equipped with a helmet cam during this next adventure to compile footage for my next Active Video installation. Special thanks to Dave A. and Marc V.

The inaugural Noble Canyon 50K ultra marathon started at 7 a.m. Saturday morning. The event headquarters were based in the small town of Pine Valley, California, which sits at 3,000 feet above sea level and 45 minutes east of San Diego. The air was much cooler compared to earlier in the week, and the forecast called for temperatures to reach the mid-70s by 2 p.m.

My preparations for this race consisted of a month and a half of various outdoor activities, including a 50-mile ultra marathon, a 27-mile high-altitude trek, 33 miles of backpacking in Yosemite National Park and a high-alpine mountaineering expedition to the summit of Mount Russell.These outings were coupled with a series of diverse workouts, including open-water swims, bike-commuting, yoga, trail running, and an hour and half outdoor fitness workout consisting of cardio, calisthenics, plyometrics and flexibility.

Throughout the past month, I’ve experimented with many different energy gels, bars and fuels to devise a strategy for an efficient endurance nutrition plan. I trained with these products to make sure they were right for my body for these high-output activities. During the race on Saturday, my nutrition plan proved fantastic as I felt sufficiently fueled for the entire 33-mile effort.

The course set out in a 16-mile climb to the 6,000-foot summit of the Laguna Mountains. My pace during this steady climb was influenced by a fellow ultra-runner who I met during the Mt. Disappointment 50-miler in August. We ran together for the first dozen miles of Mt. D at a 10-minute mile pace, which proved to be too ambitious for my first 50-mile effort. As I slowed down, she maintained the same pace for the entire 50 miles to finish 15th overall. Saturday was different, as I was able to stick with her at this pace for the most difficult section of the race course. At the 16.2-mile aid station, it was brought to our attention by a race official that we were among the top-30 runners.

Having completed the most difficult section of the course, I knew I needed to settle in and focus on the next 10-mile portion of the race. As I slowed my pace down to ingest an energy-gel packet, my ultra-running buddy pulled ahead and continued her consistent pace (She went on to finish 16th overall). I would only see fleeting glimpses of her as this section of the trail flowed on spectacular single-track, working its way in and out of a forest through beautiful meadows. The field of runners had spreadout and I was alone on the trail. I felt confident and knew that all I had to do was maintain this pace until mile 21, where the trail reconnected to the first portion of the course and began the final descent back into Pine Valley.

After arriving at aid station four (21.6 miles) I was thrilled to begin the steady elevation drop because I had completed the two most difficult sections of the race and this section would pass much faster than the climb that started the day. The descent of the Noble Canyon trail varies greatly in terrain. This is the top mountain biking trail in San Diego County, so there are tightly-packed sections that build speed mixed with highly technical rock sections that slow running to a cautious walk. This continued for the next hour as the sun began to heat up and the finish line gradually approached. I hit the last aid station and took down two small cups of soda to regain mental clarity from the caffeine. I thanked the group of high school cross country runners who volunteered to spend their Saturday in the middle of the woods to help with this aid station and set off in the final section of the race.

The downhill speed was tough on my tired legs but I was in the zone and concentrating on carefully choosing each step to maximize the efficiency of my stride. I emerged from the trail into the parking lot 20 minutes shy of the six-hour mark. The last stretch of the course felt like a dream. I felt like I was floating and could no longer feel my legs as I made my way along the side of the road toward the finish line. The heat radiated from the asphalt surface as I thought about my first 50K in March, which I completed in 6 hours, 15 minutes. That course was much less technical, so crossing the finish line and finishing this race in 5:49 was a major accomplishment. Out of the 134 runners who started the race, 123 finished and I was 27th.

Being one of the youngest in the top 30 and shaving 25 minutes off of my time made me feel really good about my training and the progress I’ve made since the Lake Hodges 50K in March. My recovery time has also improved as I have already begun to feel better. I’m excited for the next adventure, which will take place in two weeks. Stay tuned for more info on the Palisade Traverse, where I will climb five, 14,000-foot mountains in one weekend. Thank you all for your support. If you have any questions about nutrition products, training strategies or trip planning, feel free to post a comment or send me an email.