Aid Stations

Aid Stations in 100 mile runs come in every imaginable size from water only to a dizzying variety of food and drink.  Sometimes they even have a "theme."  My first 100, Pinhoti, was pretty basic except for the aid stations atop Mt Cheaha at Bald Rock in Mt Cheaha State Park, at mile 40.9 and Adam's Gap at mile 55.3.  Up until Cheaha, the aid stations had water, Heed, coke, chips, cookies and fruit.  I am not sure what other types of food was available at Cheaha but there were a bunch of people there offering all kinds of help.  I grabbed my drop bag and changed into warmer cloths for the sub-freezing night, put on my headlamp and left my cue sheet and flashlight in the bathroom at the state park.  I didn't take time to eat anything except maybe a banana.  One mile later I was descending "Blue Hell" as it is known in the Cheaha 50K just as the sun was setting and it was beautiful.  That was also when I realized I did not have my flashlight and cue sheet.   The Cheaha 50K runs in the reverse direction over much of the same trails as the Pinhoti so it climbing up the 1,000 foot, one mile long section, to the top of Cheaha called "Blue Hell".

Here are a couple of the "basic" aid stations from Pinhoti.

I think this is Aid Station #1 at miles 6.7

Chandler Springs aid station #12 at mile 65

Some of the aid stations at Wasatch were just as basic as you will see below.  Again, most pictures are from Chihping Fu of Fremont, California.  I did get his approval to use them.  Thank you, Chihping.  He is running the Bear 100 this year, which I had planned on running until Saturday.  I received an email from The Tahoe Rim Trail 100 that slots had been added and everyone on the waiting list could register.  I registered immediately.


At Wasatch, Most of the aid stations are very hard to reach.  Some, like Grobbin's, Swallow Rock and Pot Bottom require serious four wheel drive vehicles.  Rock Springs requires carrying everything in, along a miserable and very steep 2 mile long ATV trail.  Almost all are very remote and require a drive up 8 or 10 miles of steep, dirt roads.

 Aid Station #1 Grobbin's Corner at mile 13.35

Aid Station #2 Francis Peak, mile 18.76.

Bountiful B Aid Station, mile 24.

Another shot of Bountiful.

 Swallow Rock Aid Station at mile 34.9.

Alexander Springs Aid Station, Mile 47.4. Almost half way.  That is I 80 in the background and the location of Lamb's Canyon aid station.  The mountains in the background are the peaks above Park City and where we are headed.

Big Mountain Aid Station, mile 39.4.  Marye Jo was there waiting on me.

This is Pole Line Pass Aid Station located at mile 83.4.

Rock Springs, mile 87.3as it looked when I arrived.  Remember, everything had to be carried in from two miles and about 1,000 feet below.

The next post I will show some of the other extreme.