This past weekend the XC Gold Team headed down to the Ruby Mountains in Nevada for a fun adventure. We ran/hiked the Ruby Crest trail south to north, which spans about 40 miles through the mountain range. We split the journey up into two days, packing ultra-light with a minimal amount of camping gear. Most of our packs contained a small sleeping bag, a pad, and a lightweight layer. We were individually in charge of our own nutrition and hydration. During the run I fueled with granola bars, some energy chews, and a PB and honey sandwich. For dinner most of us brought precooked packaged food that you would heat up in the microwave, but we ate them cold. I had some rice and a lentil squash mix. For breakfast, it was oats with almonds and raisins.

As for the run itself, I was fairly apprehensive going into it. I’ve been dealing with a lingering knee issue from running cross country in college. I have been really hitting the PT and I have started to see some results and have some long pain free runs. I ended up going back and forth a bit on if I should do this adventure and evidently decided to go for it! I am not always one for the overly long ODs so I really wanted to push myself and get out of my comfort zone.

The first day ended up being quite the adventure as we took a wrong turn and ended up spending about 6 miles bushwhacking up and over a peak to get back to the trail. During that time, we had a rattlesnake encounter… which was a very calming fun experience. We all made it to the halfway point with no problems and camped on a small lake. As I lay awake most of the night, I got to enjoy some incredible stars and listen to the sound of high alpine winds and small waves lapping onto the shore. Day two was very scenic and it was sweet to be able to enjoy a new and unique part of the country. It was a great trip, and I am glad I chose to push some personal limits and do something different.