Now is the time of year that the evenings are pretty nice when the wind isn’t howling off the coast.  Occasionally we can even sit out in the evening and enjoy a barbeque, and a cool drink.  It’s also a time to brush up on the little things we take for granted like setting a tent up in the dark, testing out that new back packing stove, and giving that sleeping pad a tryout. 

My daughters have become enamoured with lighting a campfire and are keen to help clean up any sticks and twigs that may have blown into the yard that week.  They arrange their tinder and try their hand at lighting their creation.  good practice in case they are ever in a situation where a campfire will be necessary.  Siince they didn’t grow up with wood heat only, they don’t have the daily practice I did growing up.

Well it just became more enjoyable to start a campfire in the backyard.  Last Fathers Day, my gift was a beautiful, enclosed fire pit made by an FFA student at Orland High School in Glenn County, CA.  Now when the girls light a fire, I can get rid of the ashes with the pull-out ash drawer, and as the fire crackles I can be reminded of what awaits in the mountains of Wyoming this September.

we gave it it’s first good heat up this month..

I always wondered what made the dogs all start barking in the middle of the night, when we had their kennel out behind our bedroom. it wasn’t until i was out chopping thistles the other day that i discovered the culprits.

A den of foxes has set up shop in the blackberry bushes just 200 yards friom the house. In the evenings the pups come out and roughhouse with one another. I was able to get a few photo’s the other night.

Many times parents are unsure when to introduce their young children to archery.  My opinion has always been to have the children around when you practice or go to a league night, and the interest will come…

Example :  My youngest, Sydney had her first exposure to archery when she was only 2 weeks old, at our 3-D league in 2006. 

In 2007 she was able to attend the dinner portion of the shoots with my wife.  For 16 weeks.  She would meet the girls and I after we shot our League . 

So this year, she discovered a small bow as she toddled around the barn and began emulating her sisters.  So it wasn’t long (Memorial Day Weekend) until she got into the act herself.  Check out the You Tube Video below of Syd’s first time shooting a bow. 

Monday - Since we ran 18 miles on Sunday, I met some of my team mates for a recovery margarita at a Mexican restaurant.  Surprised I was not as stiff and sore as I thought I would be.  “Yes, please, Extra Salt on that margarita…I’m in training!”.

Wednesday - Managed to get a 50 minute run in while attending the California Animal Nutrition Conference at California State University at Fresno.  While everyone else was enjoying the social hour I was running around the University farm grounds.  I sure felt better after my run. 

Saturday - Today’s run was an hour, for roughly 6 miles, in Santa Rosa.  We got our travel documents for next weekend.  My flight leaves at 8:40 am out of SFO on Saturday.  That means the 5:00 am shuttle from Petaluma.

Next time I update this Training log willl be after the Marathon..

The latest installment of Blacktail encounters from Northern California…. 

This Doe had me BUSTED…

Then a nice buck stuck his head out…

Then the BIG Guy stepped out…

but not for long….

I’ ll see them again soon I hope. 

Monday -Weather is forcast to head to Highs in the 90’s and 100’s this week, but it was pleasantly cool for my “recovery run” .  Good Fast run, with no soreness from the trail running last weekend.  5 miles in 40 minutes as usual. 

Tuesday- Uh-oh it’s definately getting warmer.   I really had to work to .keep my pace and I seemed to have trouble getting my breath.   The evening heat didn’t help any.  Normally I can count on a evening breeze to keep me cool.  I ran my 6 miles in about an hour, but it wasn’t easy. 

 Thursday - in the words of my buddy Doug “DAYYYMN”, it was hot.  105 on the covered dock at work at 5 pm.  Since the rest of the family is off showing cows, I have to cover a few chores at home.  First a water hose break, then a bunch of heifers decide to try to escape.  By the time I look up, It’s 6:30 and I missed track practice.   Oh well…I got a long run on Sunday.

SUNDAY- Left Cloverdale, headed south to Geyserville on the frontage road.  It’s 9 miles to Geyserville, and we have a 4 hour run slated for today.  I made the first 10 miles in under 1:30.  I am Smokin’!  So is the pavement…The longer I’m out there the hotter it is getting!  I covered the next five miles at a steady jog, with the mantra of don’t stop, keep running as the sweat lays a trail a blind man could follow.

Historic Note:

Last year on this run I got sick and got picked up by the SAG wagon at mile 14.  Since then I have had this monkey on my back that this run is tougher than me…I was determined to not wave a white flag.

I was good…I drank water at all the support stops, I did a Wilderness Athlete BLAST! gel at miles 5 and 10 and 15.  But my quads were screaming…and I had to walk…

From mile 14 to mile 17  I WALKED.  Now granted I was able to keep a 4MPH pace walking ( I run a pretty regular 6mph pace).  Each time I would try to break into a shuffle or a run, my stomach would slosh, and I could feel my calves twitch ready to cramp….So I walked…

At mile 17 I saw our starting point in the distance and I utterered a string of epithets that is still hanging in the air over Asti, and I made my self run the last mile. (This is called the BITE ME! mind set. Any distance runner can tell you about the bite me zone) My coach ran it in with me praising me like a well behaved dog.  I ran up the steps of the Cloverdale Transit depot and did my Rocky Marciano dance, before a leg cramp convinced me to take a salt tablet, drink some water, and find some shade…

After about 1/2 a gallon of water and a handful of pretzels I was feeling back to my old self.  I made a note to pack salt tablets for any run I do without my Wilderness Athlete Hydrate and Recover drink mix.  The lack of Sodium and Pottasium  had slowed my water uptake, and my profuse sweating had me dangerously close to dehydration .  At the end of the day I ran/walked 18 miles in 3:45. (about 30 minutes longer that I should be running…)   Sources assure me that I won’t encounter hot weather like that in San Diego in two weeks. (Average start temp 60 deg F avg finish temp of 70 deg F)

Later I found out it was 87 degrees in the shade, and I saw runner after runner brought back in the SAG wagon, and I was thankful that I had beaten the Geyserville Run Monkey off my back. I gave him a good kick as I swaggered to my car and had a recovery meal of a Nauvoo Blue Cheese burger and a Blue Moon Ale at Mike’s At the Crossroads.
Weekly mileage 28 miles
2 weeks to race day!

It is an infrequent occurrence but when an archer shoots at the same target with identical form, it is possible to hit another arrow in the target AKA the “Robin Hood”, or also referred to as “tubing an arrow”.   Usually it is unintentional and results in the first arrow being damaged and unfit for use.  An expensive outcome with quality arrow shafts costing from $90 up to $300 per dozen for target shafts.

Le Earl Rugland’s You Tube video  shows the tricky shot in action from 25 yards…Where he is able to shoot a smaller arrow inside of a large aluminum arrow shaft

So for the target shooter shooting at a single small target,  pin nocks are a good investment to protect arrows from close hits, as well as from direct rear collisions like this one:

If these arrows had pin nocks installed the only damage would be to the plastic nock, rather than the entire arrow shaft such as the photo below.  Ensure the pin is still straight, replace the $.80 plastic nock and you are back in business.

 SAFETY ALERT! From John…

Care must be taken when arrows start slapping together on the target, that the archer examines the arrows, and nocks for cracks.  An unnoticed crack in the nock causes the nock to disinegrate on release, resulting in a wayward arrow and lots of terse words from the archer.

In fact, this year at Redding’s Western Classic Trail Shoot I received a lesson in that very thing.  After a target where myself and my fellow archers had all grouped together quite well in the dot, I neglected to inspect my arrows for damage closely enough.  The broken nock caused my arrow to impact 10 yards short of the aiming point, effectively eliminating me from contention in my class.  It occurred once more, a week later during a practice session in the barn.  At that point I decided that that particular brand of pin nocks was prone to crack unnoticed and I decided to switch pin nock brands…

Keep an eye out for a future post on Pin Nock Performance.  Until then, Shoot straight!.

May 18th is the last day for California Archers and Youths to bag a turkey.  The general shotgun season ended Sunday, May 4th, but bowhunters and licensed youths under the age of 16 have an additional 14 days to fill their 3 bearded bird season limit.  Hunters can bag only one bird per day in California. 

The next chance for California Hunters will be a brief 2 week season, with a one bird limit in November. 

In Marin County around the middle of the day, I heard multiple gobbles from the ridgetops, so the birds are still talking.   If the toms are getting your goat, tage some tongue in cheek advice from our friend Phillip at the Hog Blog…after all he is a “profeshunul”, as he puts it. 

These Toms were not shy strutting just outside of Petaluma.   I actually had to stop to let them cross the road. 

I’m keeping an eye on a group of blacktail bucks, watching them grow through the spring.  Don’t ask where…., Cause I ain’t tellin’…

Check out the growth in the last 3 weeks…

April 23rd 2008

 I call this one “Stub” .  His right antler is misformed.  He is the lookout. 

This is “E.G.” short for Eyeguards.  I think he is already 16 inches wide.

May 8th, 2008

There are three bucks in the bachelor group.  Stub is on the left, and E.G. is the furthest right.

Look at the growth “E.G.” has put on!  Any guesses on width?

From the Sitka Gear Website “about Sitka Gear”Founded by Jason Hairston and Jonathan Hart in 2005 Sitka Mountain Gear™ was an idea spawned by necessity. Having just climbed 3000 vertical feet in the dark, with intermittent snow flurries and driving sleet, we hunkered down behind a gnarled White bark Pine to get some reprieve from the elements and a little food in our bellies. Cold and wet with sweat from our climb, we knew we didn’t need to be this uncomfortable in our gear. So, on that September morning, at timberline, surrounded by bugling bulls, we decided to create a company to fulfill this need. Utilizing our personal experiences in mountaineering, we set out to design clothes built to tackle mountains.

This Christmas I received a Sitka Summit zip neck shirt and Mountain pants from my family.  I finally had the opportunity to give them a try on our turkey hunt in April. 

The Summit Shirt is a base layer shirt that is perfect for most of our California early seasons by itself. If additional layering is needed, it may be combined with the insulating layers of the Mountain shirt, Timberline Vest or 90% jacket. It works to manage moisture by pulling it off of the skin, but with a looser fit than you might experience with a compression product like Under Armour. The Summit shirt is treated with an anti microbial product to reduce the “funk” that high exertion hunting and other active tasks might create after a couple of days in camp.

I found the Summit Zip neck T to be ideally suited for my training runs along the coast in 40-60 degree weather. It was a nice balance of breath-ability, and sweat management. I’ve worn it under a wool shirt for lower intensity chores, in the 30’s and 40’s with good results. and it will get the nod when bow season opens this Summer as well.

The mountain pants fit well with two way stretch, and an articulated (pleated) knee that reveals its self when you bend down to check out a track the first time. The material is quiet, and rugged, but holds up to brush amazingly well for its light weight. I would liken the fit to that of a pair of relaxed fit Wranglers. No slop in the thigh with a low rise to stay out of your pack belts way.

If you are like me and are tired of your shirt tails coming untucked during physical activity, you will love the somewhat tacky rubberized strip on the inside of the waist band of the pants. No matter what you do, it holds your shirt tails in without cinching your belt so tight that it digs into your hip bones.

The dew that morning beaded up and rolled off easily which makes me think that these pants will do well in high country cloud bursts. The Sitka tests have even proven that the material will dry in about 20 minutes. It is nice knowing also that my sweat won’t be soaked up to chill me later like cotton would.

This pant is going to get serious use in the upcoming fall seasons. Just add a good wool or synthetic base layer below for temps in the 50’s to 30’s and I think it can’t be beat.

You can find Sitka Gear at a number of online retailers, as well as many of your local outdoor shops. I have seen it in numerous archery shops in California, and even Sportsman’s Warehouse has pieces to get your hands on. The new line for 2008 will be appearing in June so keep you eyes peeled for the latest and greatest from Sitka Gear