IN AN ICEBOX

The last four days have been a challenge as we've tried to stay comfortable AND help with pre-race activities, particularly setting up aid stations.

You can't say we didn't have any warning. We saw the huge Arctic air mass inching its way down to southern Texas from Canada for several days before its arrival. We saw news stories on TV and the internet that warned folks about record-breaking low temperatures over ~ 90% of the country. Even mid-Florida residents received days of warnings about sub-freezing weather so they could protect their plants and pipes.

The former Merrick Bar-O Ranch house remains a residence at HCSNA.

One of our full-time RV ultra buddies (who shall remain nameless) was in Huntsville, TX this week. He tried to escape the cold weather by heading as far south in the state as he could: Brownsville, right on the Mexican border at the 26th Parallel.

That didn't work quite as well as he planned -- it was dang cold down there, too!

But it wasn't as cold as the 10°F. to which we awoke this morning in the Hill Country State Natural Area!!! Not only is that the coldest weather in which we've ever camped, it's the coldest weather we've experienced since leaving Billings, MT in early February, 2004.

January, 2004 in Billings, MT:  past time to get out of there!!

I really should have started this web journal at the beginning of 2004 when Jim retired and we sold our house in the dead of winter. It was the coldest of six winters I spent in Billings, although not the worst of Jim's eighteen winters there. We were shocked when the house sold in sub-zero weather; it wasn't even on the market yet! That's the easiest house sale either of us has ever experienced, the perfect combination of our house being perfect for a young couple who wanted to sell their house to friends who had been renting.

For several years we had been researching the perfect (warmer!) place to retire but we hadn't determined where that was yet. That was our first and only full-time RV experience so far.

We left Billings in zero F. temps in our truck and HitchHiker one morning in early February and headed as far south as we could get in one day. I can't remember where we stayed the first night (northern Colorado?) but I do remember it was cold. It wasn't anywhere near 10°F., however.

Tater and Cody enjoy warmer weather and a colorful sunset at our favorite campsite
in February, 2004 at McDowell Mountain Regional Park near Phoenix, AZ. 

That was our inauspicious start to an eventful year when we full-timed in the camper for five months, found what we thought was the perfect place to retire, bought our current house and woods a few miles from Roanoke, VA, and made three more road trips back to the West (two with the HitchHiker) for races and to move our belongings to our new house. It would have made for some interesting journal entries!

But I digress . . .

For the past week Jim and I have been wondering how we'd fare at the HCSNA when the thermometer dipped into the predicted mid-teens for several nights. We just aren't as cold-tolerant as we used to be and the old HitchHiker, although billed as "four-season," isn't all that well-insulated. In fact, it's like an icebox when it's really cold outside.

And here we were -- with no electricity.

HERE IT COMES!

We arrived at the natural area in chilly, foggy weather late on Wednesday afternoon. We set up our camper, went for a quick walk around the small campground, and noticed several trails going off in various directions. Some of the race markers (arrows, signs, ribbons) were already in place. I took this photo on Thursday but the markers were there on Wednesday:

It was dark and getting noticeably colder when we drove down the road a couple of miles to the small group lodge where RDs Joe and Joyce Prusaitis and their core crew members were staying. That is the busy start/finish area for the Bandera races.

The group was eating a late supper so we didn't stay long. We talked briefly with Joe and Henry Hobbs to let them know we were present and ready to help them with the race, then returned to our camper to hunker down for the first of several long, cold nights.

COLD THURSDAY . . .

Thursday saw temperatures ranging from 28-36°F. with winds up to 45MPH. You can imagine the wind chill! Jim and I were already having trouble keeping our hands, feet, and faces warm when we were outside -- and the really cold temps hadn't even arrived yet.

The morning started off gray and overcast. Despite the dreary conditions, eight or nine of Joe's hardy volunteers delivered much of the aid station equipment to our location soon after we got up.

The road equipment belongs to the state; natural area employees graded the U-shaped campground road after the volunteers moved on to set up other aid stations.

I took the next photo out the camper windows as Jim (in blue jacket) went out to help:

He quickly noted to himself what appeared to be "too many chiefs and not enough Indians." There was some discussion about where and how to set up this complicated and very busy aid station where runners come in from one direction, go out for another five miles, and return through the other side of the aid station -- multiple times. It's like two aid stations in one. There were apparently some changes made from last year in an attempt to make the aid station more efficient at handling a larger number of runners.

Jim helped unload the equipment and start putting together the framework. Because the wind was so strong, the group wisely left the tops of the tents on the ground, without ceilings and walls, and finished the job on Friday when the wind wasn't as gusty.

Soon after they got done with the tent frames at our aid station, the clouds blew out and voila! the sky was bright blue (above). It remained very windy all day but at least the sun made it look a little warmer.

Jim and the group went out to the other aid station locations to unload equipment and set up tent frames. Since there were plenty of stronger volunteers available than me, I stayed "home" and went out for two hour-long walks with Cody to explore some of the trails.

COLDER FRIDAY . . .

It was in the low 20s at our campsite on Friday morning. It was still breezy but not gusty like the previous day. That made it easier for Jim and the rest of Joe's volunteers to finish delivering supplies to all the aid stations and put up the tent walls and ceilings. Overcast skies all day and high temperatures around 40°F. made us feel just as cold as we were on Thursday, however.

 

That's our camper just beyond the aid station. Other volunteers parked close, too.

Bare bones above;   Dinty and other volunteers brought lots more equipment and supplies.

We expected our aid station captain, Dinty, to show up with a U-Haul full of aid station supplies in the morning. When he still hadn't come after lunch, Jim went out for a hike with Cody and me. You can see how chilly it was by how much Jim is bundled up:

Later in the afternoon another couple, Jack and Linda, arrived in their trailer to help at our aid station. They parked nearby in the spot just vacated by the equestrians who had been our neighbors for three days.

Henry came back at least once to repair wind damage to the yards and yards of tape he used on either side of the aid station to direct runners into and out of the aid station each time they came through. Jim and Cody walk through the "chute" directing runners into the "OUT" side of the aid station their second time through on each loop:

When Dinty arrived about 4PM we both helped him put up more tent walls and carry in the supplies he brought. Dinty has captained this aid station before and knew how he wanted it set up. Jack and Linda are also veterans at this aid station. Since we've never worked this race before we just followed their directions on how to get organized. Everyone was pleasant to work with and we had a good time.

Although there were half a dozen of us working together, however, we didn't get done in time to drive into town for the pre-race pasta dinner that was free for the volunteers.

Jim tweaks the propane heater, which required about as much care and feeding as the runners!

A further disappointment was discovering that no one had specific assignments at our aid station, either duties or time slots, during the race. We had told Dinty in a previous e-mail that we'd be available during the day and evening but we aren't very good "night people." We reminded him of that on Friday evening and he seemed to think he'd have enough help during the night Saturday for the 100K runners who would still be out on the course.

He and another volunteer spent the night sleeping inside the main tent, trying to stay warm with a big propane heater. They about froze!

COLDEST SATURDAY . . .

That was the night it got down to just 10°F. Don't believe me? Check the weather stats for the race for the past eight years on the race website. One volunteer said his thermometer read 9°F. 

It was our third sub-freezing night this past week -- with no electrical hookups for space heaters, mind you. We went through a lot of propane (furnace, stove, oven), gasoline in the generator (coffeepot, microwave, other things on cloudy days), and solar power (lights, TV, computers) the two days out of four that the sun shone.

As cold as Jim and I were with our furnace running in the camper, I can't imagine how miserable the volunteers and runners were who spent the night before the race in tents and personal vehicles! During the race today the runners should be able to generate enough body heat to stay warm; more sedentary volunteers may not. We'll see.

I suppose Jim and I shouldn't whine. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right? (That's a popular ultra running quote.) We survived OK, the HitchHiker's water pipes didn't freeze, and our frigid temps came without any ice, sleet, or snow. Hopefully today's sunshine will warm things up a bit and we'll have fun volunteering at the race.

Next entry: but did we survive volunteering at the Bandera ultras??

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, and Cody the Ultra Lab

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© 2010 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil