Bear Peak run/hike

Laurel and I rode over to the Shanahan Ridge trailhead for a run up Bear Peak. It was a gorgeous day and the trails weren't too snowy or icy, but we did need our microspikes in a few places.

Along the way I noticed a rock that I thought looked like a buffalo, and Laurel saw one that looked like a prairie dog. Honest, we're not crazy!

We ran along the Mesa and Big Bluestem trails until we got to the bottom of Shadow Canyon; from there we decided to hike to the ridge. It's a very steep trail, so even if you think you're running it, it's more like a fast hike (for us anyway). We skipped South Boulder Peak and instead headed to Bear. The summit was wonderful -- no wind, blue sky, fairly warm. We had great views of the Indian Peaks and could even see Pikes Peak far away to the south...

... and Longs Peak to the north.

After enjoying a snack break on the summit we hiked and ran down Fern Canyon, then ran back to the trailhead. In all we did about 8.5 miles on foot and 11.5 on bike.

Cottonwood snow run

Laurel and I got up before the sun for a snowy run on the Cottonwood trail. Not only before the sun, but before the plows too, so lots of fresh snow to crunch through! It was a beautiful cold morning. This and another early-season snowstorms dumped 8+ inches each of wet heavy snow, so quite a few tree limbs were down. Not as bad as the northeast, but pretty bad. We sprinted the few times we heard branches cracking overhead!

Green Mountain Run

This morning Dan and I rode bikes to Chautauqua. We ran the Baseline Trail, hiked most of the Gregory Canyon Trail, and then ran/hiked the Ranger Trail to the summit of Green Mountain. It took 1:25, not bad for mostly hiking.

Sugarloaf Mtn. in the foreground, Mt. Audubon behind it. Paiute just to the left of Audubon and Sawtooth farther to the right.

It was quite windy at the top! Still a lot of people out enjoying the day though. We ran down the E.M. Greenman Trail to Saddle Rock and then Amphitheater.

Dan zooming down the Amphitheater trail.

It took about an hour to get down, and then we fought the foot traffic for the CU/Oregon game on the bike path back home. The leaves are still beautiful around town and the weather was in the upper 60s. Nice!

Dirty Bismark Run

I rode my bike to Marshall Mesa and ran the entire Dirty Bismark Loop--15 miles. It was surprisingly hot and sunny. It took me 3:10 and then I biked home. I was totally sunburnt--yuck! I only put sunscreen on my face, but I definitely should have know better! A fun run, though.

Isabelle Glacier Hike

On Saturday Dan and I drove to Brainard Lake for a little hike. We parked at the Long Lake Trailhead and hiked up past Long and Isabelle Lakes. The Isabelle Glacier Trail continued for miles up into a very rocky and snowy bowl.

It was surprising how far we were able to follow the trail. It took us to the base of a good-sized couloir that seemed to gain the ridge. Though the sun was beginning to set behind the peaks, we began up the snow slope with our ice axes in hand.

About half way up, Dan suggested a practice with a few steps down the steep snow. Good thinking! It was scary and I'm glad we didn't go all the way up.

Steeper than it looks!

We turned back and made it to the car before it was completely dark. About 10 miles and 7.5 hours overall. A great day!

Dan's Parents

Dan's parents visited from the end of September until the second weekend in October. They did a lot of fun hikes on their own, and a few with us. One day we took them up the Anne U. White trail. It was really beautiful and there was evidence of quite a large water surge. Another day all of us, including Donna and JJ, hiked from the yoga ashram up and around that area for five and a half miles. Lots of fun!

Blue Sky Marathon

We did it! We both completed the Blue Sky Marathon in Fort Collins, despite record-high temps.

See photo albums from the race.

Dan's runners' "tan" after the race.