I felt the excitement of adventure as I snowshoed through the forest hidden in plain sight of Downtown Truckee. After brush-whacking across a creek, I started to see stakes with orange ribbons marked “TRL.” Truckee River Legacy (Trail,) I presume! I was scoping out the route of the future extension of the Legacy Trail, the paved […]
Changing of the Guard
As we enter our 5th year (whoa!!) my focus as DPMR President is on longevity and succession planning for our club and programs. Our founding board members are progressively handing off the reigns, and this is a great time to capture new energy, but requires planning and training as well! First, a huge thank you […]
Snowshoe Running: Start here for free
Max Jones, famous for The Flume Trail and his long-time stewardship of the Spooner XC ski area, once told me that three things are needed for successful winter recreation: plowed parking, packed snow, and winterized restrooms. As you can imagine, these things cost money. California SNO-PARK is one program that provides winter trail access for […]
Just a Little Pub Run
Some clubs do pub runs. DPMR does pub marathons, at minimum. The 3rd Annual Pub run featured Tahoe Mountain Brewing Company from their Tahoe City location to a fun finish at the Truckee location. Almost all dirt trails! Here are a few shots from the festive finish by Helen Pelster.
Friends Don’t Let Friends Get Lost!!
As we approached the new Tahoe Mountain Hub co-working space, it looked pretty darn vacant. I wondered if this GPS education workshop might just be me, my husband Javier, and the four other board members I knew were planning to show up. Then, as if on cue, well over a dozen people entered the room, […]
How to Use GPS Navigation To Improve Your Running
On Tuesday, October 23, 2018 (5:30pm – 7:30pm,) Donner Party Mountain Runners presents an educational series event focused on GPS technology – how to use mapping software like CalTopo, wearable devices like Suunto and Garmin watches, Strava, and referencing apps like Avenza Maps and Gaia GPS to improve your mountain running experience. Event location: Old […]
Member Highlight: Javier Castellar
It’s a huge honor to introduce my favorite DPMR member, Javier Castellar. Without a doubt, his support from day one has been essential in both the founding of the club and the creation of our signature race, the Castle Peak 100k. It’s not always easy being “Mr. Helen Pelster,” but he bears it well, always […]
Inaugural Donner Party Half Marathon & 10k
The Inaugural Donner Party Half Marathon & 10k took place on Saturday, July 14, 2018, and drew a great cross-section of runners from first-time trail racers to runners training for 100-mile races. This free event was a full race experience designed to introduce newer runners to the trail experience, and it seems that we did just […]
Introducing Connie
Connie, short for Conestoga, is the new wagon of the Donner Party Mountain Runners. She was named by founding member Paul Sweeney as he was reading “The Hunger,” a fantasy novel based around the historical Donner Party story. The reinforced storage trailer will serve as a base for race and group run gear throughout the […]
On becoming Trail Mom
This month I have been crew (Bishop High Sierra,) aid station captain (Broken Arrow Skyrace,) fundraising chairperson (Tahoe Donner Summer Concert,) pacer (Western States 100,) and race photographer (all of the above.) But most importantly, I’ve been true to my nickname: Trail Mom. As a very busy month came to an exciting close with the […]
