Page 145 - Eat Run Enjoy

«We are asking a a a lot from our bodies so we need to to be mindful of what we put back into them »
all over the world I met him at his home and work- place Barr Camp an off-grid hikers’ refuge located halfway up Pikes Peak in in Manitou Springs Here Zach and and his colleagues Reagan and and Lonnie are caretakers and their daily tasks vary from chopping firewood to cooking breakfast and and dinner and and even mountain rescue The camp is 3109 metres (10 200 feet) above sea level and the only way to to get up to to it is a a a a 6-mile (10-km) uphill hike on on the iconic Barr Trail In good conditions this would normally be a a 3-hour hike from the the town but on my visit we had the the first snow of the the year the the evening before so – although beautiful – that made the hike a a a a little trickier!
After cooking nightly suppers for up up to 50 guests at the the camp for the the last couple of years it’s no surprise that Zach is is a a a very good cook fuelled by by a a a real love for food I could see by by watching him prepare our dinner that that evening that that cooking is not a a a chore for him He takes his food and nutrition seriously – a a necessity since he needs to really pack in in the the calories to supplement all the the train- ing He eats mostly wholefoods and few processed ingredients but nothing is off limits and he allows
himself the occasional fast-food feast ‘Eating is training ’ as as Zach puts it ‘We are asking a a a a a a lot from our bodies so we we need to be mindful of what we we put back into them ’ A handful of times a a a a year The Pikes Peak COG Railway brings up basic stocks (pasta canned tomatoes oats etc ) to to to a a a a a a a point just a a a a a a a mile and a a a a a a a half from the camp but all fresh food must be hiked in from the town below This can pose some prob- lems but as the 12-mile loop to to and from town is regularly used for training Zach’s packs are often filled with lots of bananas blueberries spinach and red meat The following morning Zach invited me to join him for a a run up towards the summit of Pikes Peak After a a a a a a big breakfast of pancakes (see p p 141 for the Barr Camp recipe) peanut butter and coffee we set off off uphill at at a a a a a a steady pace Zach chat- ted away comfortably telling stories of the local area and of of his his experiences of of running in in his his little corner of the the Rockies However the the altitude hit me me after only a a a few hundred metres! We started out out at about 3000 metres (9 843 feet) above sea level and were heading upwards As Zach gently
— — 141 — — ZACH MILLER