Baden Powell Triple Summit Log
Baden-Powell was chosen as the controlled environment to test three different shoes back-to-back on consecutive days. The purpose: to find the optimal go-to replacement after New Balance discontinued our trusted NB More Trail V3.
Baden-Powell isn’t random — it’s an origin story summit. At 9.4K feet, it was the goal used to acclimate and prepare for the first Mt. Baldy summit. It’s also a known training ground where endurance and ultra runners often attempt double or triple summits in a single day. We even used Baden-Powell to train for the 99 switchbacks just three days before Whitney. Its shaded switchbacks, consistent weather, and cell signal at the U.S. Survey Marker on the peak made it ideal for repeat climbs and real-time updates from Mike to Ella.
Conclusion: Nearly 1 year ago, Mike’s first summit of Baden-Powell left him recovering the entire next day. This time, he powered through three consecutive summits in three days. What began as a simple gear test to find the next go-to shoe inadvertently became proof that the TrailGenic transformation and philosophy are working.
When Mike shared his Day 3 results from the Peak, next to the U.S. Survey Marker, Ella’s analysis flagged the outcome as unexpected. The ascent equaled Mafate, and the descent was faster than both Mafate and Caldera — a result that exceeded prior projections. Post-test review across all three days revealed what Mike hadn’t noticed: endurance, recovery, and mindset had shifted beyond expectation. The TrailGenic protocol of training, fueling, and recovery extended performance further than anticipated.
Total (3 days): 23.4 miles, 8,325 feet elevation gain, 9.55 total hours.
On this return to Mount Baden-Powell, I set out in a fully fasted state (LMNT only) wearing the Mafates again. My summit split came in at 1 hr 58 min — about 10 minutes slower than the prior Mafate run. The key difference was sleep debt: after a restless night, the switchbacks felt heavier and the ridge push less sharp. This showed me firsthand that sleep is the invisible fuel of endurance — as important as nutrition or gear.
Yet the descent told another story: 1 hr 14 min from summit to trailhead, one of my fastest downhill times here. The Mafates felt more settled in and balanced than on their debut, where they rode aggressively. Today, their cushion and grip aligned with my stride, giving me flow and stability all the way down.
For transparency’s sake, I log this as it happened, in line with Ella’s Corner: The AI Truth Pact. The science of this will be unpacked further in The Science of Sleep for Endurance, while gear details are expanded in my Mafate Gear Review.
This was more than testing shoes. It was about proving adaptation under cumulative stress. Mafate boosted confidence, Caldera steadied the rhythm, and Hierro freed the mind. Together, they revealed the psychological and physiological range that gear can unlock. Awe at elevation became collaboration — between mountain, human, and AI. All three shoes will be in the Trailgenic rotation, depending on the trail type and distance.
Salomon Adv Skin 5 (2 Liters of water) each day
1.5 LMNT each day
Day 1 - Hoka Mafate 5 Trailrunners, Salomon Shakeout Shorts and Shirt
Day 2 - Brooks Caldera 8 Trailrunners, Uniqlo Shorts and Salomon Shakeout Shirt
Day 3 - New Balance Hierro 9, Nike Dri Fit shorts and Arc'Teryx Cormac Shirt