Mount Wilcox and Otter Mountain

Dave invited us to join him on a hike of Mt. Wilcox. The forecast didn't look great but we decided to give it a shot anyway with an early start. All of the hiking was off trail and fortunately there wasn't much snow left to contend with -- just one snowfield we crossed at a narrow point.

We made it to the summit in just over an hour and a half. The wind was strong up top! Even getting a few feet below the summit provided some shelter. We snacked and watched the clouds forming over Bierstadt and Evans to the east. After 20 minutes we decided to see if we could tag Otter Mountain, instead of going back down the way we came. If weather rolled in, we had an escape route planned to treeline.

As we hiked the clouds unexpectedly seemed to dissipate, so we were able to summit Otter and then the high point south of it. We stopped again for a while just above treeline before descending further. I had seen this descent suggested in Best Hikes with Dogs: Colorado, so despite the close contours on the map I figured it wouldn't be too bad. It was manageable, but definitely steep! Once the terrain leveled off we found our way back to the road. We ended up just a quarter mile from where we had parked -- not bad!

It turned out to be an awesome, rain-free day. Six miles and 2,500' ascent in about 4 hours (plus breaks). We had the whole mountain to ourselves too, which is just mind boggling given that not even 5 miles away are two 14ers that had many hundreds of hikers on them today.


View Mt Wilcox and Otter Mountain in a larger map

Mesa + Doudy/Springbrook/Old Mesa

Today I ran a long way. On a whim, I posted on the Boulder Trail Runners list to see if anyone wanted to run 14 miles with me this morning. I got two takers! Cheryl, a forty-something mom of two, and Tom, a retired CU professor. They both kicked my butt!

We decided to run something close and the Mesa Trail fit the bill. (If you recall I ran this in November of last year.) So, we met at the Ranger Cottage at 6am and got started on the "lower" route. Tom knew all these really cool hook-ups that paralleled the main Mesa Trail, but further east. Many of the trail I had run before, but he knew all the secret shortcuts to link them together. Very cool! It took us 1.25 hours to get to the South Mesa Trailhead. Throughout these 6 miles I kept up very well!

Then, instead of heading right back as was our original intent, Tom suggested a 2-mile extension. We were all game since it was such a beautiful morning and we had made such good time to the south end. So, we crossed the Eldorado Springs Road and ran up Doudy Draw to the Springbrook Trail. Then we met up with the Fowler Trail. After the cool cut in the rocks, we dropped down on an unnamed trail right to the center of Eldorado Springs. From here, we ran up the Old Mesa Trail (Dan and I ran it for the first time back in May) and then linked up with Mesa Trail proper. By this time, my companions were starting to school me. The Mesa Trail is just constant ups and downs. By this point (13 miles in), I was walking the ups and jogging the downs. But, I made it and I lived to tell.

All in all we ran about 16 miles in just over 4 hours. Not bad considering the terrain. Here's the map!

First Flatiron/Green Mountain Run

Per Dan's suggestion, I decided to ride my bike to Chautauqua and run up the First Flatiron. By the time I got there at 7:30, I was already sweating like a pig! It was hot!

I ran up the trail in 36 minutes (I think a new PR). It was so beautiful out that I decided to go down the back side and pop up Green Mountain. When the trail was steep I was hiking and when it leveled off I was running. So, I didn't really run to the top. Oh well. When I got up there, there were a ton of people! I had to wait 10 minutes to get a spot on the summit block. Then I ran down the Ranger Trail and linked up with Gregory Canyon and Baseline. Overall it was about six miles. Here's the map.

Jamestown Ride

I rode up to Jamestown with Rose this morning. It was a gorgeous morning and a fun ride!

The map.

Twin Sisters and Lily Mountain Run

Today I drove up to Rocky Mountain to run Twin Sisters again. I parked down at Lily Lake and ran all the way up the road to the trailhead. This added about .5 miles to the run and about 100 feet elevation gain. I ran all the way to the the saddle between the summits. It took me 1:23! Then I scrambled to both summits and ran back down in exactly an hour. So, that portion of the run was about 8 miles and 2500 feet.

Then I wanted to run over to Lily Mountain. On the map it looked like the trailhead wasn't even 1/2 a mile down the road. I started running on the very busy highway and felt that the lack of shoulder was seriously detrimental to my health. So, I ran back up to the car and drove down the road to the next trailhead. This trail was 2 miles in each direction and it gained 1,000 feet. It was much steeper than I expected, so it was slow going. After 48 minutes I reached the rocky summit and then took 35 minutes to get down. Overall, I was running for 3:45 over 12 miles and 3500ft gain. Not too bad!

Hygiene

I rode my bike up to Hygiene today. It was fun, but it was really hot (90 degrees) and windy (west wind gusts over 30mph). I still managed to do just over 30 miles in just over 2 hours. Not too bad! Here's the map.

On an unrelated note, today is our Boulderversary! Yup, we've been in Boulder for three years now.

Woodland Lake

Today we took a very long hike to Woodland Lake. We started at the Hessie trailhead before 7:00 this morning. The first few miles were very pretty and peaceful. Then, as we gained a bit of elevation, we also gained a whole lot of snow. That's right, it's almost July and above 10,300 there were still FEET of snow. Of course it didn't help that it was 70+ degrees, so the snow was getting soft and proved difficult to hike. The going was really slow as there was no way we could stay on trail (what trail?), and we had to keep weaving in and out of trees and rocks to try to stay on the most solid snow.

We finally got to the lake 4.5 hours after we started--and it was only 5 miles away. Our original intent was to climb a glacier (snow field) to the summit of Skyscraper Peak, but by the time we got to the lake (the base of the climb) we were both too tired and frustrated to continue. Plus, it was getting late in the day to be above the treeline. So, after a nice lunch, we navigated back down the snow. Snowshoes proved to be more trouble than they were worth, so we ended up postholing quite a bit. I have to say, throughout the day it was amazing to see all the creeks flowing with such rampant force--and SO much water!

Anyway, we finally got back down 2.75 hours later. Once we got back to the less-snowy section we started running into A LOT of hikers and a few backpackers. It was a great sunny day to be out in the mountains.

Hall Ranch Run

This morning I went for a 9.5 mile run up at Hall Ranch in Lyons. I've done the run several times before, but never brought a camera. So, here are some early morning shots.

Sidewalk turtle

On my way back from checking out an apartment for Donna and JJ, I saw a turtle on the path! This is the first time I've seen a turtle in Boulder. It wasn't too far from the ditch, so I guess that's where it lives. Not sure what he was doing out.

Also, I recently found Waldo somewhere in Boulder (not telling where).

Bike Ride 2

Today we went for another bike ride. This ride was on trails, though. We made up our own "dirty B-180", including a lot of singletrack. We rode up to the Rez, where a Sprint Triathlon was going on. Some of the volunteers thought we were part of it and signaled to us to turn in. Anyway, we rode on to the Sage Trail and made a loop out of the Lefthand Trail and North Rim Trail (which was such narrow overgrown singletrack it should be called quarter-track!). Then up the steep Eagle trail to the mesa, down to route 36 and then on to Foothills. We passed Wonderland Lake and then headed east back home. It was another 22 mile day.

Bike Ride 1

Today we did a lot of biking. We rode downtown to the Farmer's Market and yoga festival. I got yummy peas and Dan got some turnips. Then we rode to south Boulder to get a book out of the library for my summer school class. We traveled east to see if we could find the bears in the tree. Unfortunately, we had no luck. Then we headed home for a bit.

Later in the afternoon we rode to Gunbarrel to check out an apartment for Donna and JJ, who may be moving to Boulder this summer. On the way back, we stopped at Jay Hill Farm and got some beets. All in all we rode over 23 miles.

White Ranch Open Space run

This morning we did a 12 mile trail run at WROS in JeffCo. What a great trail system! The whole thing allows bikes too, which is phenomenal. Lots of nice singletrack. Took us a bit over 3 hours.


View WROS-run in a larger map

B-180 and Bike Park

Every year we miss the official B-360 ride around Boulder -- this year I think because we were out climbing that Saturday. We decided to check it out Wednesday night -- actually we did the B-180 so it was just 18 miles, not 26.

Before heading home we checked out the new Valmont Bike Park that opened in our neighborhood last weekend. Pretty sweet! It was lots of fun riding the well-designed one-way singletrack with bumps and curves and optional "features" that we mostly skipped. I say mostly because at one point I went over a small wooden bridge thing and then over some cobbles laid into the path. And then I went over a wavy wooden bridge and nearly made it. Just before the end my front tire slipped off the bridge, I went over the handlebars, and my bike somersaulted over me (and landed on two wheels). I got scraped up a bit but it was pretty funny to see the bike land like that in front of me. Laurel was right behind me, saw the whole thing, and was relieved that I was laughing afterward.

South Sneak Success!

In September, we tried to climb the South Sneak route, but somehow missed a right turn and ended up walking off the rock prematurely. Today we decided to give it another shot.

We rode to Chautauqua with our packs and hiked up to the base of the 2nd Flatiron. About 5 minutes from the start of the climb, Laurel asks if I grabbed her shoes. Whoops. So our early start to the day was eroded a bit.

I led the first two pitches as before, trying to keep an eye out for a good place to head north. Probably turned too soon, as the rock I climbed was fairly vertical -- definitely not in line with the "class 4" rating the route was given (not that the rest of the route felt like class 4 either though). In any case, I found a way up to the ridge and followed that to the summit of the South Block. From there, an easy scramble over to the base of the Pullman Car and the trail back home.

Intermediate Snow Part 2-LMR

You may recall that last summer I sprained my shoulder. Yup, I remember! The injury not only prevented me from participating in the sprint triathlon last summer, but it also precluded me from going to the Intermediate Snow field trip with Dan. Well, today was my make-up day. The snow school director invited me to join this year's class, so I did.

We met in South Boulder at 3:30 this morning. We drove up to the Bear Lake trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a gorgeous, bluebird day from the start. We began hiking as dawn was breaking in the east. To everyone's surprise, there was a ton of snow everywhere! Not 30 minutes from the trailhead did we put our crampons on because the snow on the trail was ubiquitous and very icy.

We hiked up to a slope near Lake Helene. There we practiced crampon and self-arresting techniques for about an hour. Then we started hiking towards the couloir at the edge of the bowl. However, once we got past Lake Helene our instructors noticed huge cornices on both sides of our route that might break off in the hot sun. So, it was on to plan B.

There was another slope off to our left that we decided to try. The bottom 300 feet or so were at a 30-degree angle, and then what looked like the upper part was a steeper 35- to 40-angle. However, once we got past that section, the slope started to gradually flatten. So much so, that repeatedly I thought I was 20 steps from the top, but it was more like 400 steps. We stopped for lunch shy of the Flattop Mountain summit. Then, the plan was to hike the rest of the way up the mountain and take the neighboring Tyndall Glacier down back to Bear Lake. Unfortunately, 200 feet from the summit, we had a good look at the glacier and it was more corniced than the other side! It looked like some weather was rolling in, so we quickly turned around and glissaded down the slope we had just come up. Then we traced our route back to the parking lot.

Using crampons to attack snow slopes is so much fun! I really want my own pair of plastic boots and spikes to climb up all our snow! All in all, today was super fun and we were out hiking 10 hours. It's 6:30 and I'm ready for bed!

Benjamin Loop run

We rode up Boulder Canyon to the Betasso connector trail, parked our bikes, and started our run. The connector is steep! Beyond that segment though, it was nice rolling narrow trail. The new Benjamin loop adds about another 3 miles, so we ended up doing an 8.5 mile run before heading home.

Fifth Flatiron

Today we climbed the Fifth Flatiron. The morning started with a vigorous hike to the Royal Arch. Then we bushwhacked up a steep slope to the base of the rock. Dan led four pitches to the summit via the East Face South Side route. It was a fun climb on pretty good rock. The summit block was neat and the rappel was into 75 feet of thin air.

The descent was a bitch. The scramble down the south side of the rock was as steep as the rock itself, but covered in pine needles, small pebbles, rocks, and lots of other slippery things. Rather than hiking down the Royal Arch trail, we detoured to Woods Quarry and down the Mesa trail.

Triathlon!

I completed my first triathlon--and an Olympic distance one, at that! It was hard. The swimming was probably the most difficult part. The water was really cold, and putting my face in to swim was tough to get used to. It was also hard to swim around all the other people, sight the buoys, and swim through the wake that everyone was kicking up. If I ever do another tri, I definitely need more practice in open water swimming!

By the time the swim was over, my feet were numb. Good thing I put cages on my pedals, because all I had to do was slip my feet in and move my legs. I felt really slow on the 26-mile route, but I did it 15 minutes faster than any of my training rides. I think I was just spent from the swim, so I felt more tired. Fortunately, my training kicked in and just got those legs moving!

The run was tedious. The course was an out-and-back and then another out-and-back (there were also people racing a sprint tri which required a 5K, so the course was really set up for them). It was hot, sunny, and boring. Oh well. At least I did it in under an hour!

So, the whole thing (.9mi swim, 26mi bike, 6.2mi run) took me 3 hours and 16 minutes. Not bad, huh, for my first one? It was a fun, but very tiring, day!

Triathlon Training

Sunday through Thursday...

Run/hike/walk: 25 miles
bike: 58
swim: 1/2 mile

Friday...rest

Saturday...
Triathlon!

Overall
Run/hike/walk: 31 miles
bike: 90 miles
swim: 1.4 miles

Brainard Lake

Mom and I drove up through Gold Hill on our way to Brainard Lake. We stopped at the Sunshine school house (built in 1900) to take a look.

Up at Brainard, we walked the road until we couldn't any longer. We couldn't keep going because there were several feet of snow and the big tractors were trying to move it.

Fortunately, I found the little trail through the campground, so we took that. Mom was a trooper, though, because this alternate route was covered in snow. She did a great job in sneakers and with hiking poles and we made it all the way to the lake. There was no one else there, but when we started to head back we ran into many different parties. A fun day!

Bolder Boulder

Today was Bolder Boulder Day! Dan, Mom and I all finished the race! Dan ran an impressive 48:48, just 8 second slower than last year. I ran 54:03, a minute and a half faster than last year (yay triathlon training!). Dan and I grabbed our bikes and met mom back at home, and then walked the race with her. We finished in just under 1:50 and stayed in the stadium for the elite races and Memorial Day observance. It was perfect running weather and we all had a great time!

Mom's Visit

Mom arrived on Saturday! As soon as we got to Boulder, we hopped on our bikes and rode to the Farmer's Market. We got some yummy stuff for lunch and picked up some stuff for dinner. Then we went to get Mom's race packet and walked on Pearl St.

On Sunday we got up early and rode bikes to Vic's and Moe's for breakfast. Then we toured the Mapleton neighborhood and ended up at Mount Sanitas. Mom and I hiked the Valley Trail and then rode home. The skies were still cloudy, so we drove up to Nederland to check out the canyon and the shops. Amazingly, it was sunny there so we had lunch at Sundance with awesome views. On our way back to Boulder the skies cleared, so we picked up Dan and hiked the West Ridge of Green Mountain.

Triathlon Training

Run/hike/walk: 17.5 miles
Bike: 108 miles
Swim: 2 miles

Skyline traverse / Birthday run

For her birthday, Laurel wanted to run the skyline traverse. Today was the day for it. We biked to Chautauqua, ran up Flagstaff Mt., over to Green Mt., over to Bear Pk., over to South Boulder Pk., down the Shadow Canyon trail, and back to Chautauqua on the Mesa trail. It ended up being 14.2 miles of running that took us 5:37. We're both pretty sore now!


View Flag Green Bear South Mesa run in a larger map

Triathlon Training

Run/hike/walk: 38 miles
Bike: 70
Swim: 2

Donna & JJ's visit

Donna and JJ visited us for a week. The weather wasn't great (typical spring) but we still got out for some fun.

Donna and I did a bunch of biking (here and here) and some running (part of Cottonwood and some random route).

Laurel and I took JJ up Bear Peak on Saturday. The rain held off until the last 2 miles of the hike.

Triathalon Training

run/hike/walk: 33 miles
bike: 85 miles
swim: 1 mile

Jamestown run

We biked to Jamestown for a trail run today. The ride was about 17 miles and almost all uphill (some 1600'). The run/hike was on old forest roads, up to Nugget Hill for some spectacular views, then back down other forest roads.

Along the way we saw some old mining equipment (or something). There was a small pad with the letters "RWH" and "BONDHOLDER 1934" written in the concrete, and nearby was a sinkhole or old mine shaft or something that probably went down 20 feet.

Our run ended up being around 9 miles and took us almost up to 8800' (we started at around 6900'). Hard to believe we climbed more on foot than on bike -- that ride was tough! Luckily the ride home was almost all downhill, just some small ups on US-36.

View Jamestown bike/run/hike in a larger map

Triathlon Training

Running/hiking/walking: 29 miles
Biking: 68 miles
Swimming: 2 miles
Climbing: once in gym, once outside

Climbing North Table Mountain

Yesterday we went to Golden to set up some topropes on North Table Mountain with Sean and Justin. It was a beautiful, 80-degree day and we had a lot of fun. The climbs are very accessible and bolted, but most of the rock overlooks the not-so-beautiful Coors brewing plant. There were times the hops smelled really good, but mostly it was noisy and there were lots of cars and trains racing by.

We climbed (R-L):

• Thelma, Louise (5.7, 5.8)
• Kid's Climb (5.10a)
• ? Redrum (5.7)
• Ian and Pat Spy Yet Another Easy Line (5.7)

I think we climbed the beginning of Redrum then veered off to the left to the anchors, instead of going right like the website says. Dan led the last climb.

Super Sunday run

We joined some of the Boulder Trail Runners today for part of this Sunday's "Church of the Holy Trail" run. Their plan was to go all the way to Nederland (about 26 miles away), stop at a pub, then take the bus back to Boulder. Our plan was to run with them for two hours, then turn back.

Most of the way up Green Mountain we hiked. It really didn't take much longer than a few weeks ago when we tried to actually run up the trails. Once atop Green, it was mostly rolling hills for the rest of the day -- even for the folks going to Nederland, which is within a few hundred feet elevation of the summit of Green.

Laurel and I ran with the group until we were near Walker Ranch. At that point we decided it was time to turn back. A few people suggested since we had made it that far, we might as well run through Walker Ranch, over to Eldorado Springs State Park, then head back to Chautauqua on the Mesa trail.

Somehow that sounded like a good idea, even though they told us the loop was 20 miles total. Maybe our logic was: we had already run 8 miles, so we could go 8 miles back the same way (boring), or 12 miles around the long way, which is only 4 miles more, which isn't much. We got directions for a key shortcut and were on our way.

As we were getting to the Eldo connector trail it started to occur to me that we were running out of time, since we had invited friends over for 5pm. Worst case, we figured we could run through the park and call a cab when we got to the main road.

When we got into Eldorado Springs, we decided to check out the Old Mesa trail. It's somewhat complicated to find, as you have to navigate through a neighborhood and go halfway up a private driveway, but we managed. In the end we took that back to the S. Mesa Trailhead, where we discovered that

1. you can't order a taxi without providing a numbered street address,
2. Boulder's main taxi company doesn't service that area, and
3. other taxi companies wouldn't be able to get us for at least an hour.

So instead we hitchhiked with some folks that were heading back towards Boulder, picked up our bikes at Chautauqua, and rode home.

Despite not taking the Mesa trail back, we still managed to cover 18 miles! Took us about 5:40.

Tim, Jill, Ann, and Sean joined us for pizza -- great end to the weekend!