Bob Open 2017

and it begins.

Just going to throw it out there.  Ive never done anything off trail like this, this far.  If anyone is looking for a partner that has experience that wouldn’t mind me tagging along, Id love to do this.

Andy

P.S. I can provide the beers after we finish….

Andy, I haven’t looked at this route but there are plenty of trails to follow in the Bob Marshall wilderness. The real challenge is dealing with weather, snow, and water crossings.

…let the madness begin.

Oh my. Now THIS one I like :)

Sweet!  Looking forward to seeing everyone in May :)

A few things to keep in mind about the finish:

No overnight parking at the Lake Inez boat launch.  Instead park near the first bathroom as you drive into the campground.  There are several pullouts and parking areas, none of them very large.  Minimize the space you occupy with your vehicle.

Plenty of private property in the valley heading toward Lake Inez.  Have a GPS or map with current info and only cross private land with permission.

Here’s a link that shows where the public and private lands are located, along with occasional POC information: http://svc.mt.gov/msl/mtcadastral/

Someone please let us know if there’s a better resource.

That’s the best place to get land ownership info in Montana, Derek.

Nice.  I was a bit concerned the Open wouldn’t continue with the move to CO.  Let the route planning begin!!

;)

I may or may not be at the start, I may or may not do the full route, and most especially the whole thing may or may not be somewhere totally new in 2018 (or late 2017).

Sounds good Dave, looking forward to it

Andy , where in mich are you located? Ive been watching the bob open from a distance for four or five years ,  and finally decided this is the year – have several buddies planning on it as well . Our location is south west mich , dont know if thats close to you ?

I will have to pull out my maps tonight.  I’m feeling the itch again.

I vowed after last year’s trip that I would not attempt the Bob again without a packraft.  But, with the pains of the 2016 trek long forgotten, I might make the trip west on I-94 again.

Dan – I’m in portage/kalamazoo area.

ill shoot you a pm

Is this still on considering Dave’s recent move?

Mike M.:  Emailing you with some questions about this if you’re still in for this year.

yup -it’s definitely a go :)  got your email and replied

Thanks Mike!  Really hoping I can make this work this year.  I suspect this might be Dave’s last one in MT so it’s probably now or never for me.

as Dave pointed out on his blog, it’s definitely not too early to begin training for the Bob Open- it’s only 5 months out!

besides trail running, I put a lot of miles in elk hunting this fall w/ a 25-ish lb pack- these were long days, tough terrain w/ lots of gain/loss- while my goal was to fill the freezer (which didn’t happen), the training turned out to be very germane for the BMO

with our recent snows I’ve turned my attention to snowshoeing and backcountry skiing on weekends, suitable training as well

hope everyone’s training is progressing and enjoying good health! :)

Sounds good Mike.  I’m looking forward to our first snows here….should be some coming tonight.  I’ll be backpacking/hunting again this weekend, trying to log some harder cross country miles also.  Not sure if this storm is going to produce enough to need snowshoes…will likely just get mixed nasty conditions- slush and mud and snow.

How much are you weightlifting these days?  Curious what your routine is.  I know you didn’t get your guns only trail running and elk hunting….PM or email me if you don’t want to derail this thread…

Is anyone else in CA planning on doing the Bob?

slush, mud, snow = worse than just snow :)

I’m strength training twice a week

one session is with weights- usually bench, squats and deadlifts, been doing a 3×5 routine that seems to work pretty well, will also do dips, pullups and core with this workout; the other one is a push-up, pullup, sit-up, air squat “round robin”- 10-20 sets

both are under an hour

nothing very hardcore, but seems to give me pretty good functional strength

slush, mud, snow = worse than just snow :)

Definitely.  I spend a lot of time in an area at the 5000-6000 foot level, which always ends up being mixed conditions.  33 degrees, raining, with a mix of snow, slush, and mud on the ground is pretty much the crappiest set of conditions I know….but it sure helps dial in gear.  Dry cold snow is pretty easy by comparison.

Thanks Mike…I’m experimenting trying to find a sweet spot between strength training and doing endurance mileage.

Heading there in May from Portland (via Mexico) with Chase, who’s experiencing trouble with access to his BPL account (it was deleted it because he failed to renew his subscription and BPL customer service can’t figure out why he is unable to post with his new subscription, or something like that).

^ good deal :)

obviously a ways out, but snow pack in general is a little bit above average thus far (temperatures have been obscenely well below average sadly)

… (temperatures have been obscenely well below average sadly)

Oh, bah, Mike!  It’s been a great test of my cold weather gear lately.