Exploding Mountain

Figueroa Mountain, CA

Taken with a Sony A7R: 28mm, ƒ/7.1, 1/500s, ISO 100

Chamomile Trifecta

Milky Way First Try

Los Padres National Forest outside Santa Maria, CA

I have taken photos of the night sky as long exposure shots to get the movement of the stars, but I have never tried shooting something like the Milky Way fast enough to avoid the star trails. I spent some time last week learning how to do that, and this is one shot from my first try. It was very fun, but I know I can do better. Still, it is an interesting shot to me, and I’m happy with it as an initial test. The bright “star” is Jupiter, I believe, with Saturn just to the left and slightly higher.

Click the photo to see a larger version.

It has been an interesting year. Although there is a lot to complain about, there are a lot of positives. I found myself going down the rabbit hole of doom-scrolling, watching the news regularly, getting upset about the illogical things people believe without evidence, and generally feeling like I … read more

Episode 34 - Down the Manzana

Need to get away during the pandemic? So did I. So I lost myself in the San Rafael Wilderness for an afternoon. See some creek crossings, jackasses, historical buildings and get some tips to stay positive during the pandemic. Enjoy!

For additional information on the science of COVID-19, please visit:

• cdc.gov
• who.int
• Search for your local city, county, or state public health agencies

All music written, performed, and recorded by Kristopher Madaus.

Episode 33 - Montana Sky (Song)

With the current shelter-at-home order in California, I thought it would be a good time to relearn an old song. I hope you enjoy.

Episode 32 - Pandemic Time

Suddenly, everything has changed. We are just at the beginning of a global pandemic. California issues a shelter-at-home order. It’s scary. That’s difficult to handle, but there are things you can do to stay positive.

Stay safe. Stay home or stay away from people. Be kind. Follow the guidelines found on the pages below from trusted sources.

• Center for Disease Control
• World Health Organization
• Search for your local county, city, or state Public Health Organization. If you live in Santa Barbara County, click here. If you live in San Luis Obispo County, click here.

My First 50 Miler!

Well, that was a crazy experience - the Elevate 12 Hour Run. This race started at 8:45pm and ending when you would expect or when you were finished. The goal was to complete as many one-mile loops as you can during that time. The loop was pretty diverse for being only one mile. More than half of it was on grass or trail, there was a little “hill” on one side covered in lupine that got bigger as the race progressed (not literally), and you needed a headlamp for half the course because there were no lights on the back half. Every four hours, the course switched direction, which added a bit of variety.

At mile 20, I hit a pretty low point. I was nauseated and getting a bit overwhelmed by the fact I still had to run for 8 more hours and 30 more miles. I stopped in my car for exactly 10 minutes (I set a timer, so I wouldn’t fall asleep), which turned out to be a mistake. My temperature dropped, and the nauseousness didn’t go away. But I knew these moments would come, and I knew what I needed to do. I got back on my feet and ran into my friend Paul once again. We were both at a similar low point, but neither of us was going to drop out so easily. From that point, we ran the race together.

That really helped because it took my mind off some of the issues. We continued a run/walk plan that would still give us a pace that would get us to the 50 mile mark before 12 hours passes. It was still about an hour before the nauseousness went away, but it did go away. That encouraged me so much, I can’t tell you. It gave me a second wind. It was also nice that the pain levels more or less plateaued at a certain point. Everything hurt, but it wasn’t progressively getting worse. I didn’t have shin issues, foot issues, issues with my right quad, and only very mild knee issues - all things I was worried about. We could just focus on completing loops and taking in proper nutrition and calories. And of course, we were constantly trying to calculate what time we would finish at the current pace. But the brain doesn’t work the same way when you try to do simple math after 30+ miles at 3:30am in the morning.

It was a surreal experience. I got to meet a bunch of other people with their own goals. Some of them were quite young to be completing such lofty goals as their first full marathon, while other participants were dealing with even more like leg braces or brain cancer. Some people didn’t make their goals and stopped when they needed to, but everyone dealt with challenges. It was inspiring and equalizing.

I was lucky enough to have Jill and the dogs come out to offer support quite early in the morning until the end. She showed up at around 5:15 in the morning when I know that was difficult for her to do. Mari and Jennifer also showed up to cheer me on. I won’t forget that feeling of the sun coming up, knowing I made it through the night. People tend to get emotional when doing an endurance event, and that was happening to me the last 10 miles. It is a feeling of utter surprise that the goal was being reached, gratitude toward the people supporting me, inspiration from the people overcoming obstacles so much greater that me, and an overall gratefulness for the life I’m lucky enough to have.

I ran my last loop faster than all 49 loops before it after a night like that and accomplishing a goal that felt impossible even up to the day of the race is difficult to describe. I couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome.

Huge thanks to Paul for enduring somewhere around 28 miles and 8 hours straight with me. He woke up before 3:00am the day of the race, worked a full work day, and drove for a couple of hours to get home before he started this race. The lack of sleep and fatigue made conversions interesting at times, but it was great to push through all of that with a friend.

All of my race stats can be found here (Strava) or here (Garmin).

Episode 31 - To the Top of Reyes Peak

It has been quite a while since I’ve visited the Chorro Grande Trail. Today was a perfect day to take it to the top of Reyes Peak. It was a beautiful day, and I had the mountain to myself. I hope you enjoy the adventure!

Four Trees

This photo was taken near the top of Reyes Peak in Ventura County. It was a beautiful day. I didn’t see a single person while I was out there.

My First Drone Flight!

Today, I had my first drone flight over at Point Sal. It was incredibly fun! I recorded some video, but I really need to practice more at that. This photo is a record of my first flight. No crashes yet!

#Episode 30 - Running with a Bobcat

I apologize for the video quality on this one. For some reason, the exposure and focus was not good, but I had to share the bobcat encounter. I hope you enjoy despite the quality.

One Foot In Front of the Other by Kris Madaus read more

Episode 29 - New Year 2020

New year. New goals. New perspective.

Today I ran/hiked around Figueroa Mountain. It was a beautiful day. Watch to see what happened.

Episode 28 - Accidental Silver Peak

Sometimes I think it is an oxymoron: Exploration planning. But it is what it is. See how it turned out in this video.

Episode 27 - Gaviota Peak x3

Training for a big race can be hard. On this day, I needed to climb more than I’ve ever climbed in a single day. How did it go? Check the video to find out.

I Guess We Adopted a Kitten

Sunset Road

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We spent about 10 days in Iceland, and it was a trip of a lifetime. I hope you enjoy this video. read more

Maybe Not So Close, Please

I ran into this guy while doing a 14 mile run in San Luis Obispo. It’s not tarantula season, so I’m not sure what this one was up to. Usually, we see them in late-September or October.

A Forced Perspective

Last Night With the Iceland Running Group

We had an excellent dinner tonight at the Viking Restaurant to wrap up an amazing week with Marathon Expeditions. Jenny really nailed this one. As always it was great to see friends from previous trips as well as meeting new people. We still have a couple of days left in Reykjavik, and I have a few more photos and hours of video to share. More to come.

Basking in Icelandic Sunshine

In the Belly of the Volcano