Friday, May 18, 2012

I’m Going to Jackson (Wyoming, that is)


Rehearsing, Recording and Running at Altitude

By Bobby McCullough


Despite being home for only five weeks following a two-month tour, I was already leaving NYC again.  

I woke up to see the Challenger space shuttle being ferried by a 747 in the sky over NYC, an event I had been looking forward to all week.  

I, too, had my own flight to make that day, as I would be heading to Jackson for a two-week recording session with Benyaro.

My travels got off to a shaky start after having a heated conversation with a cab driver.  When I arrived at the airport and boarded my plane, the girl next to me got sick multiple times before we even took off!  That only marked the beginning of what would be a very turbulent flight. 

After I landed in Denver for my layover, however, I met and chatted with singer/songwriter Brett Dennen, and since then things have been going better.  

Our recording session is for a new record of cover songs.  This week will be spent arranging, rehearsing and making demos of the songs in preparation for the recording session.  Next week, my good friend Sonny will fly in to be the sound engineer on the project. He and I will move into a house in the nearby ski resort village where the recording will also take place.  

One of the best parts about coming to Jackson is getting to enjoy the Grand Teton Mountains and the surrounding landscape. And what better way to cover some ground than by putting some running shoes on!  

Ben lives close to a community pathway where I usually run—the view is perfect:  the snowy mountains on one side and beautiful plains on the other.  Though I haven’t seen any moose yet on this trip, I did run into some deer on Saturday while on the path.

With Jackson Hole’s elevation being 6200+ ft., it was initially a little more difficult to keep up my usual running pace.  After a few days, however, I didn’t notice too much of a difference.  Also, I have to drink lots more water before and after I run to stay hydrated because of how dry it is.  

With that said, I am excited to be running here in the final weeks before my very first half marathon race!  I know that the more I train in these conditions, the stronger I will feel running on the East Coast, closer to sea level. 

Next week the house we are staying in will be right at the foot of the mountains so I hope to get in some good trail runs and mountain hikes.  Cross your fingers that I get to show Sonny his first Moose!





Bobby McCullough is a touring musician living in NYC, who has recently refocused much of his energy on healthy and happy living. For more information about Benyaro, go to http://benyaro.com.   

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