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.