View of the Sawtooth from the start of the hike
Looking west from the start
JJ on the way up
JJ exploring the summit and start of the Sawtooth traverse
The Sawtooth
Looking far west from the summit
Looking back at the Sawtooth on the descent
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Mt Bierstadt with JJ
Laurel took JJ on his first 14er hike up Mt. Bierstadt. See more pics from JJ.
View of the Sawtooth from the start of the hike
Looking west from the start
JJ on the way up
JJ exploring the summit and start of the Sawtooth traverse
The Sawtooth
Looking far west from the summit
Looking back at the Sawtooth on the descent
View of the Sawtooth from the start of the hike
Looking west from the start
JJ on the way up
JJ exploring the summit and start of the Sawtooth traverse
The Sawtooth
Looking far west from the summit
Looking back at the Sawtooth on the descent
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Triathlon Training
So, the Boulder Peak Olympic-distance Triathlon is in three weeks. I signed up a week and a half ago. Though I "train" year-round, it is nice to have a clear goal for my workouts. Here are last week's totals:
hiking: 10 miles (3500')
cycling: 71 miles
swimming: 2.7 miles
running: 18 miles (2400')
climbing: 1:40
yayog: week 2 complete!
hiking: 10 miles (3500')
cycling: 71 miles
swimming: 2.7 miles
running: 18 miles (2400')
climbing: 1:40
yayog: week 2 complete!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Pawnee Peak
Yesterday I ran up Pawnee Peak in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. I drove up to Brainard Lake and got to the trailhead at 7:15. The 4.8 miles to the pass were absolutely gorgeous -- wildflowers, waterfalls, rugged peaks in the distance -- picturesque Colorado summertime in the mountains.
The first two miles were very flat up to Lake Isabelle. As I started to climb up to the pass I could start feeling the gusty wind. There were a few snowfields to cross, but they were soft and well-trodden. I bumped into some other trail runners and a couple of hikers who had spent the night on the other side of the divide.
At the pass, the wind was blowing a steady 30mph, with gusts definitely at 40. I decided to push on to the summit which was only a 1/4 mile a way. There were times I was getting blown off balance. The shelter at the top was a welcome sight. I had a quick snack and then headed back down, as the wind felt cold when I wasn't moving.
As the morning got later and I got lower, I ran into a lot more people. In fact, by the time I got back to the parking lot at ten of eleven, it was jam-packed.
Stats: 9.6 miles on trail + summit excursion, 1:34 to pass, 1:50 to summit, 3:36 overall. 2400' gain.
The first two miles were very flat up to Lake Isabelle. As I started to climb up to the pass I could start feeling the gusty wind. There were a few snowfields to cross, but they were soft and well-trodden. I bumped into some other trail runners and a couple of hikers who had spent the night on the other side of the divide.
At the pass, the wind was blowing a steady 30mph, with gusts definitely at 40. I decided to push on to the summit which was only a 1/4 mile a way. There were times I was getting blown off balance. The shelter at the top was a welcome sight. I had a quick snack and then headed back down, as the wind felt cold when I wasn't moving.
As the morning got later and I got lower, I ran into a lot more people. In fact, by the time I got back to the parking lot at ten of eleven, it was jam-packed.
Stats: 9.6 miles on trail + summit excursion, 1:34 to pass, 1:50 to summit, 3:36 overall. 2400' gain.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
First Flatiron wandering
While Laurel was hiking a 14er I wandered around the 1st Flatiron, scrambled up around the backside of it to look out at town, then scrambled up a bit of the Sunset Flatironette to look out at the Indian Peaks and the smoke from the Ft. Collins wildfire, then over to the 2nd Flatiron where I scrambled to the summit of the South Block and enjoyed the views for a while.
Mt. Columbia
Ann and Laurel nearly summited Mt. Columbia.
Horrible scree slopes to the ridgeline
Birthday Peak off in the distance
On the way back down
Someone else's trip report on 14ers.com has a picture of Ann and Laurel on their descent (you can barely see them way off on the right edge of the photo).
(Laurel) Let me fill in some more details: Ann and I started at the standard trailhead at 7:00am. The first two miles snaked up along a creek and got us to the middle of a huge bowl amongst the surrounding peaks. The trail was very moderate, but over 50-downed trees certainly added to the adventure. I think we add another half mile going around, under and over them! We passed the camping area where many parties stay to launch an early start.
At this point, we were looking for a turn-off that would take us up the west slopes of Columbia. Now, most people follow the main trail to Harvard and then walk the 13,000ft ridge over to Columbia and then descend the slopes. However, being that we were driving from Boulder and it was our first 14er of the season, we wanted to go with the 10-mile option rather than the 12-14 mile one. So, up the trail we went. About fifteen minutes later we found a very distinct trail that sent off to the east. It snaked through some other campsites, but then popped us out onto the western flanks. We followed some cairns and a path up a descent scree slope. Then, the slope got steeper and the scree got looser and looser. It truly felt that for every step we took forward, we slid back two feet. I decided to go explore a rocky outcropping to the right to see if it was any more stable. It turned out it was, and Ann followed me up.
At this point, we got on the grassy west slopes. We took some bearings and decided to change our descent route so we could stay off the loose crap. We followed the slopes to the ridge that appeared to have a great line to the top. Now, this all sounds pretty easy and straightforward, but I assure you, it was anything but. The wind was blowing a steady 20-25 mph and there were stronger gusts. Since the time we left the shelter of the main trail, we were completely out in the open. Secondly, the cairns and the path disappeared. We were navigating our route by the map, our surroundings, and what we knew of the supposed trail. Fortunately, the weather (aside from the wind) was clear and we weren't being threatened by thunderstorms. We continued to crawl up the ridge for over two hours. At that point, we wanted to know if what we saw as the summit was the true summit or a false one. Once again, I scrambled up above Ann to see what I could. Our summit was false and the true one was another 500' vertical above. We had had it. The wind, the slow progress up the scree, and the route finding did us in. We decided to turn back.
A huge success of the day, though, was our teamwork and route-finding. We were able to get down the nicer slopes (there was still some loose scree lower down, but nothing like the ascent) and find our way back to the trail with our excellent skills. We were very grateful to get back on solid ground again. It's always a bummer when you spend a whole day driving and hiking to not summit your goal, but it was definitely the best choice that day. Next time, Columbia!
Horrible scree slopes to the ridgeline
Birthday Peak off in the distance
On the way back down
Someone else's trip report on 14ers.com has a picture of Ann and Laurel on their descent (you can barely see them way off on the right edge of the photo).
(Laurel) Let me fill in some more details: Ann and I started at the standard trailhead at 7:00am. The first two miles snaked up along a creek and got us to the middle of a huge bowl amongst the surrounding peaks. The trail was very moderate, but over 50-downed trees certainly added to the adventure. I think we add another half mile going around, under and over them! We passed the camping area where many parties stay to launch an early start.
At this point, we were looking for a turn-off that would take us up the west slopes of Columbia. Now, most people follow the main trail to Harvard and then walk the 13,000ft ridge over to Columbia and then descend the slopes. However, being that we were driving from Boulder and it was our first 14er of the season, we wanted to go with the 10-mile option rather than the 12-14 mile one. So, up the trail we went. About fifteen minutes later we found a very distinct trail that sent off to the east. It snaked through some other campsites, but then popped us out onto the western flanks. We followed some cairns and a path up a descent scree slope. Then, the slope got steeper and the scree got looser and looser. It truly felt that for every step we took forward, we slid back two feet. I decided to go explore a rocky outcropping to the right to see if it was any more stable. It turned out it was, and Ann followed me up.
At this point, we got on the grassy west slopes. We took some bearings and decided to change our descent route so we could stay off the loose crap. We followed the slopes to the ridge that appeared to have a great line to the top. Now, this all sounds pretty easy and straightforward, but I assure you, it was anything but. The wind was blowing a steady 20-25 mph and there were stronger gusts. Since the time we left the shelter of the main trail, we were completely out in the open. Secondly, the cairns and the path disappeared. We were navigating our route by the map, our surroundings, and what we knew of the supposed trail. Fortunately, the weather (aside from the wind) was clear and we weren't being threatened by thunderstorms. We continued to crawl up the ridge for over two hours. At that point, we wanted to know if what we saw as the summit was the true summit or a false one. Once again, I scrambled up above Ann to see what I could. Our summit was false and the true one was another 500' vertical above. We had had it. The wind, the slow progress up the scree, and the route finding did us in. We decided to turn back.
A huge success of the day, though, was our teamwork and route-finding. We were able to get down the nicer slopes (there was still some loose scree lower down, but nothing like the ascent) and find our way back to the trail with our excellent skills. We were very grateful to get back on solid ground again. It's always a bummer when you spend a whole day driving and hiking to not summit your goal, but it was definitely the best choice that day. Next time, Columbia!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Grays and Torreys
Laurel ran Grays and Torreys peaks (14ers) with her friends Maggie and Rebekah.
(Laurel) Some more detail: I decided I wanted to run a fourteener (or two) for my birthday. Yes, it's a crazy idea, but why shouldn't I combine two of my favorite things--summitting high mountains and trail running. Fortunately, I was able to recruit two friends. Rebekah is a two-time Boston Marathoner, but new to trail running. Maggie is a seasoned trail runner and we've run together a few times before.
We left southern Boulder at 6:30 and drove up to Idaho Springs. I maneuvered the XTerra adroitly up the 4-wheel drive road to the trailhead. We stepped on the trail at exactly 8:00 and started running. It was a gorgeous, bluebird day and there were only a couple of other parties on the trail. Unfortunately, Maggie was having some GI issues early on, so we split up (against my better judgement, but we put together an excellent plan that I felt comfortable with). Rebekah and I made for the summit. There was some snow covering the trail above 12,000ft, but it was very soft and easily runnable. We headed for Torreys Peak first, and hiked up the steep, rocky slopes. The summit was breath-taking (ha, ha!). It was calm, clear, and we could see for miles around.
After a few minutes, we headed over to Grays. Here, the wind was blowing straight at us and it had frozen the snow on the trail. We put on microspikes and easily hiked to the summit. However, this one was COLD and WINDY. We stayed for a minute or two and quickly began our descent. After about 15 minutes we got out of the wind and enjoyed the rest of the way down. Maggie was at the car sunning herself on a grassy patch reading a book. We wished we had brought a picnic, it was such a perfect day. Overall: 8 miles, 3600ft, 1:56 to Torreys, 3:56 overall.
(Laurel) Some more detail: I decided I wanted to run a fourteener (or two) for my birthday. Yes, it's a crazy idea, but why shouldn't I combine two of my favorite things--summitting high mountains and trail running. Fortunately, I was able to recruit two friends. Rebekah is a two-time Boston Marathoner, but new to trail running. Maggie is a seasoned trail runner and we've run together a few times before.
We left southern Boulder at 6:30 and drove up to Idaho Springs. I maneuvered the XTerra adroitly up the 4-wheel drive road to the trailhead. We stepped on the trail at exactly 8:00 and started running. It was a gorgeous, bluebird day and there were only a couple of other parties on the trail. Unfortunately, Maggie was having some GI issues early on, so we split up (against my better judgement, but we put together an excellent plan that I felt comfortable with). Rebekah and I made for the summit. There was some snow covering the trail above 12,000ft, but it was very soft and easily runnable. We headed for Torreys Peak first, and hiked up the steep, rocky slopes. The summit was breath-taking (ha, ha!). It was calm, clear, and we could see for miles around.
After a few minutes, we headed over to Grays. Here, the wind was blowing straight at us and it had frozen the snow on the trail. We put on microspikes and easily hiked to the summit. However, this one was COLD and WINDY. We stayed for a minute or two and quickly began our descent. After about 15 minutes we got out of the wind and enjoyed the rest of the way down. Maggie was at the car sunning herself on a grassy patch reading a book. We wished we had brought a picnic, it was such a perfect day. Overall: 8 miles, 3600ft, 1:56 to Torreys, 3:56 overall.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Sanitas with JJ
On Saturday JJ and I hiked up Mount Sanitas. It was his first time up this iconic Boulder peak. It was a great day, just a little haze in the plains. He did great on the steep sections!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
SoBo & Bear Take 2
After hiking Shadow Canyon up to South Boulder Peak and Bear last weekend, I decided to run it today It was very cloudy, but not raining at the trailhead. However, that changed the higher I got. In the canyon I was fairly protected from the rain. The dense trees kept the trail dry in spots and just damp in others. Once I got close to the summit of South Boulder, I could really feel the wind blowing and the rain was pelting me. Actually, when I looked more closely I noticed it was actually graupel that high up.
After the quickest summit rest ever (I literally just turned around), I ran over to Bear. Again, the trail was fairly covered, but once I got out in the open is was awful. Nasty winds, rain, sleet...it was awful. I quickly scrambled up the ridge and turned right back. On the way down the rain seemed to be picking up. The sour weather wasn't deterring any hikers, though. There were tons of people coming up Shadow and the lower trails. Surprisingly, many of them were in cotton sweatshirts and jeans. That makes for a soggy day! Stats: 2:47:28 overall--Mesa to Shadow and back.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Hooter Lookers
For a few weeks each spring many people come to look at the owls that nest and roost in our neighborhood cottonwood tree.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
SoBo and Bear with JJ
Today JJ, his friend from work, and I hiked up Shadow Canyon to summit both South Boulder and Bear Peaks. It was a pretty good day--a bit overcast, but the clouds parted a bit when we were on both summits. There were tons of flowers blooming on the trail, but otherwise an uneventful outing.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Colorado Springs
I love serving on this state committee. We get to meet in the coolest places. I spent the last two days in Colorado Springs, and boy did I have fun! (Ok, the work part was cool, too.) I drove down Tuesday after school and met Melanie for an evening run. We ran from her house down to Garden of the Gods, around some trails there, and then back. I love GoG! The rock formations are outstanding and I had no idea there were so many trails down there. I had a blast catching up with an old friend and running in her neck of the woods. Afterward we went out for dinner at yummy Marigold's. They have the best chocolate moose cake ever!
Wednesday morning I woke up and drove to Red Rocks Canyon Park and ran a couple of miles. Again, some of the neatest rock formations. The colors are so unique with the brilliant red sandstone. I quickly got ready for my meetings and then snuck out again in the evening, back for Red Rocks. That night one of my colleagues hosted us all for an awesome homecooked dinner.
Thursday morning I woke up early and drove to Manitou Springs. I parked at the base of the Barr Trail (what we ran up for the Pike's Peak Ascent) and found my way to the incline. This remnant from the mining era is a great hill workout for Springs residents. Essentially it's a mile long staircase that climbs 2,000'. That's an average grade of 41%. I made it up in just under 38 minutes and then cruised down the Barr Trail to the car. What an awesome work trip!
Wednesday morning I woke up and drove to Red Rocks Canyon Park and ran a couple of miles. Again, some of the neatest rock formations. The colors are so unique with the brilliant red sandstone. I quickly got ready for my meetings and then snuck out again in the evening, back for Red Rocks. That night one of my colleagues hosted us all for an awesome homecooked dinner.
Thursday morning I woke up early and drove to Manitou Springs. I parked at the base of the Barr Trail (what we ran up for the Pike's Peak Ascent) and found my way to the incline. This remnant from the mining era is a great hill workout for Springs residents. Essentially it's a mile long staircase that climbs 2,000'. That's an average grade of 41%. I made it up in just under 38 minutes and then cruised down the Barr Trail to the car. What an awesome work trip!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
President Obama
We saw President Obama's motorcade as he left the Boulder airport headed for a campaign speech at CU.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Twin Sisters hike/run
We hiked/ran up Twin Sisters on Earth Day. Great views of the Diamond face of Longs Peak.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Breckenridge
I got to go to Breckenridge for the Colorado Content Collaboratives. Fortunately, there wasn't a big snowstorm while I was there--just an inch or so over night. I drove out there after a concert on Tuesday night. I got in around 10:00. The next morning I was up early enough to explore some of the roads and trails behind my hotel. I discovered a reservoir and some neat neighborhoods. I was really surprised that I found nice trails less than five minutes from my hotel room! After working all day I went back out to explore some more. I ran across the melting ski slopes and got away from town on some meandering trails.
Thursday morning everything was covered in an inch or two of newly fallen slow. I was making first tracks everywhere. I started off by heading downtown and running along a pretty creek. Then I ran up some more ski slopes and hooked up with some other trails. Thursday afternoon I had to leave early for yet another concert, but I made the most of my time there.
Thursday morning everything was covered in an inch or two of newly fallen slow. I was making first tracks everywhere. I started off by heading downtown and running along a pretty creek. Then I ran up some more ski slopes and hooked up with some other trails. Thursday afternoon I had to leave early for yet another concert, but I made the most of my time there.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Foothills runs
We biked to the Gregory Canyon parking area. From there, I ran the Mesa trail (11.1mi in 2:17) and Laurel did a steep run up Green Mountain (4.4mi in 1:52). We met back at the trailhead a couple hours later and headed home. Great day except for the spill I took on a downhill that ripped my hand up pretty bad (it's healed by now).
Saturday, March 31, 2012
South Boulder Peak
We biked to the South Mesa trailhead for a hike up South Boulder Peak. 17mi round trip on the bikes, 7mi round trip hiking. It was clear enough to see Denver, Pikes Peak, and Longs Peak, and we caught a glimpse of a train going through the tunnel on Eldorado Mountain. We ran some of the way back.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
North Table Mountain, take 2!
Laurel and I went back to North Table Mountain today for some climbing. Tim, Adam, and Natalie were all busy instructing and taking the CMC's Basic Mountaineering School (BMS) so we were on our own.
We didn't bring a guide book, since the ones we have aren't very useful, but we were able to get on one of the climbs we were familiar with. I led up Sloping Forehead, which was a more difficult lead than I had imagined it would have been after toproping it last weekend. We both climbed it on toprope a few times, and also climbed Ivory Tower again since it shares the same anchors.
Then we moved over into unknown territory. We found a wall that looked somewhat reasonable and had an easy chimney to the side that I could ascend if the face was too difficult to lead. And that's exactly what I did. I set up an anchor at the top, belayed Laurel up, lowered her, lowered myself, and then we were set for some toproping fun. We both took a few turns on climbs called In Between The Lines and Offline. Supposedly they're 5.9- and 5.8. I guess maybe that's about right, but I don't think I'm ready to lead them, even though I'm leading 2 grades higher in the gym.
Very exciting that we've done so much climbing outside so far this year!
We didn't bring a guide book, since the ones we have aren't very useful, but we were able to get on one of the climbs we were familiar with. I led up Sloping Forehead, which was a more difficult lead than I had imagined it would have been after toproping it last weekend. We both climbed it on toprope a few times, and also climbed Ivory Tower again since it shares the same anchors.
Then we moved over into unknown territory. We found a wall that looked somewhat reasonable and had an easy chimney to the side that I could ascend if the face was too difficult to lead. And that's exactly what I did. I set up an anchor at the top, belayed Laurel up, lowered her, lowered myself, and then we were set for some toproping fun. We both took a few turns on climbs called In Between The Lines and Offline. Supposedly they're 5.9- and 5.8. I guess maybe that's about right, but I don't think I'm ready to lead them, even though I'm leading 2 grades higher in the gym.
Very exciting that we've done so much climbing outside so far this year!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Laurel's 2nd day biking to school!
This has been a very warm end-of-winter and beginning-of-spring! Laurel biked to school on Tuesday the 13th, and again on Friday the 23rd. Both days I met her halfway on the way home. We stopped for ice cream the first time but then realized neither of us had any money. This time we got delicious ice cream from Glacier though! Very nice to be eating ice cream outside in T-shirts in March.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Run with Donna
Donna and I went out for a run around the Twin Lakes on Wednesday. Weather is still awesome, must be outside!!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
North Table Mountain
Adam invited us to climb at North Table with him and Natalie. I led a route called Wholly Holey, Adam led Ivory Tower, and then we all toproped the climbs a few times. At the end I toproped a climb to the side called Sloping Forehead. All of the climbs were rated 5.7 or 5.8 but this crag is horribly sandbagged. Or we don't have a clue how to climb this kind of rock! Or both. It was a fun day, but cut short when the wind started to whip sand into our eyes.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Sharin' O' the Green 5k
Laurel's friend Marcia invited us to run on her team in the Sharin' O' the Green 5k race up in Fort Collins. There were a lot of people at the race -- maybe more than the organizers had anticipated, because the start was a bit of a zoo! We had a good time though, and ran pretty fast. I finished in 23:32 and Laurel in 25:54.
After the race we stopped in at the Devil's Backbone, just south of the Horsetooth Reservoir. We wanted to run up to our turnaround point for the Blue Sky Marathon, but we were both kinda sore so we only ran 2.5 miles. Very pretty up there.
After the race we stopped in at the Devil's Backbone, just south of the Horsetooth Reservoir. We wanted to run up to our turnaround point for the Blue Sky Marathon, but we were both kinda sore so we only ran 2.5 miles. Very pretty up there.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Climbing in Eldorado Canyon
We went to Eldorado Canyon State Park (aka Eldo) for our first time to climb! Our friend Tim had been there before so he was able to show us a few routes. We climbed Boulder Direct and Breezy, each in two pitches, with Tim and I swapping leads. It was just the right temperature for climbing and we had a really good time. Adam and Natalie were there also and climbed a few routes over from us.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Mountains!
I got into the mountains a bunch this week.
The day after we got back from our trip (Sunday 3/4/12) was gorgeous -- beautiful T-shirt weather day, blue skies and sunny. I only planned to run up Flagstaff, but once up there I decided to see what Green looked like. There was a ton of snow on the upper part of the mountain and it was quite difficult to run without any traction, but I continued on anyway. Took me about 2.5 hours for the 10-mile round trip with about 3000' vertical. Biked there and back.
The weather continued to be great during the week. On Thursday I did a 3.3 mile hike around Sanitas. Only took about 30 minutes to summit, but the East Ridge trail on the way down had some horrendous ice! Round trip 80 minutes, around 1300' gain.
Still awesome weather on the weekend, so on Saturday I did another big mountain run. This time I biked to NCAR to head up Bear Peak via Bear Canyon. This time I had my microspikes! The trails were decent but it still took a bit longer than expected to summit -- that last half mile is SOOOO steep. I continued over to South Boulder Peak. There were lots of people on Bear but I had SBP to myself. For the return trip I ran down Shadow Canyon. It wasn't as snowy as I expected, but in hindsight it's a south-facing canyon so that makes sense. 10.5 miles, 3h20m, 3400' vertical.
The day after we got back from our trip (Sunday 3/4/12) was gorgeous -- beautiful T-shirt weather day, blue skies and sunny. I only planned to run up Flagstaff, but once up there I decided to see what Green looked like. There was a ton of snow on the upper part of the mountain and it was quite difficult to run without any traction, but I continued on anyway. Took me about 2.5 hours for the 10-mile round trip with about 3000' vertical. Biked there and back.
The weather continued to be great during the week. On Thursday I did a 3.3 mile hike around Sanitas. Only took about 30 minutes to summit, but the East Ridge trail on the way down had some horrendous ice! Round trip 80 minutes, around 1300' gain.
Still awesome weather on the weekend, so on Saturday I did another big mountain run. This time I biked to NCAR to head up Bear Peak via Bear Canyon. This time I had my microspikes! The trails were decent but it still took a bit longer than expected to summit -- that last half mile is SOOOO steep. I continued over to South Boulder Peak. There were lots of people on Bear but I had SBP to myself. For the return trip I ran down Shadow Canyon. It wasn't as snowy as I expected, but in hindsight it's a south-facing canyon so that makes sense. 10.5 miles, 3h20m, 3400' vertical.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Grand Junction
Laurel had a two-day conference in Grand Junction so I tagged along and worked from the hotel during the days. It was a snowy drive out on the 28th but we made it. So nice to be back at Colorado National Monument -- definitely one of my favorite places.
I worked from the hotel room on Wednesday while Laurel was at her conference. In the afternoon we hiked part of the Liberty Cap trail at Colorado National Monument. We ran out of daylight to make it to the top, but still got to see some amazing landscapes. Hiked 3.5 miles in about an hour and a half.
Thursday morning we got up early for some trail running. We ran the Ute Canyon trail (also at Colorado Nat'l Monument). There was a bit of snow on the trail and more coming down. We made it to our turnaround point from last year when we hiked Ute Canyon from the other side. Ran 6 miles in about an hour and a half.
After finishing our work Thursday we headed back out to the Monument. We hiked a ways up Gold Star Canyon until it got too slippery to continue -- a bit more than 2 miles round trip, in about an hour. The trail gained over 500' in the first half mile!
Friday we both had off. We started by hiking Monument Canyon and looping around through Wedding Canyon. It was a beautiful morning -- about an inch of snow on the trail and some sunshine poking through the clouds.
Our turnaround point was a large monolith:
Following the Wedding Cyn trail on the way back was a challenge! It hadn't seen any foot traffic in a while and was covered in snow. 4.7 miles in 3h20m.
Friday afternoon we drove to Fruita and checked out some mountain bike trails at the Book cliffs. We were just hiking, but it looks like an awesome place to bike! We hiked about 4 miles in just under 2 hours.
On the way home on Saturday we stopped at Copper for a day of skiing. It was windy on the open slopes, surface was mostly packed powder, but we found some fresh powder in the trees and skied some bumps too.
I worked from the hotel room on Wednesday while Laurel was at her conference. In the afternoon we hiked part of the Liberty Cap trail at Colorado National Monument. We ran out of daylight to make it to the top, but still got to see some amazing landscapes. Hiked 3.5 miles in about an hour and a half.
Thursday morning we got up early for some trail running. We ran the Ute Canyon trail (also at Colorado Nat'l Monument). There was a bit of snow on the trail and more coming down. We made it to our turnaround point from last year when we hiked Ute Canyon from the other side. Ran 6 miles in about an hour and a half.
After finishing our work Thursday we headed back out to the Monument. We hiked a ways up Gold Star Canyon until it got too slippery to continue -- a bit more than 2 miles round trip, in about an hour. The trail gained over 500' in the first half mile!
Friday we both had off. We started by hiking Monument Canyon and looping around through Wedding Canyon. It was a beautiful morning -- about an inch of snow on the trail and some sunshine poking through the clouds.
Our turnaround point was a large monolith:
Following the Wedding Cyn trail on the way back was a challenge! It hadn't seen any foot traffic in a while and was covered in snow. 4.7 miles in 3h20m.
Friday afternoon we drove to Fruita and checked out some mountain bike trails at the Book cliffs. We were just hiking, but it looks like an awesome place to bike! We hiked about 4 miles in just under 2 hours.
On the way home on Saturday we stopped at Copper for a day of skiing. It was windy on the open slopes, surface was mostly packed powder, but we found some fresh powder in the trees and skied some bumps too.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
February stuff
Wow we are behind on the blog! We're still climbing in the gym three days a week, sometimes with our friend Tim. I ran about 40-50 miles this month, not too bad for Winter.
On the 4th we snowshoed from Chautauqua up and over the First Flatiron to the Saddle Rock trail, then back to Chautauqua.
On the 11th we skied at Copper with our neighbor Rachel -- fun day!
On the 4th we snowshoed from Chautauqua up and over the First Flatiron to the Saddle Rock trail, then back to Chautauqua.
On the 11th we skied at Copper with our neighbor Rachel -- fun day!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
January stuff
Haven't posted much lately... we have been climbing a lot at the gym. Lots of 5.10's and sometimes we can struggle up a 5.11a or 5.11b. Some biking here and there when the weather is nice. Some running, whether or not the weather is nice.
Laurel got out to Brainard Lake a couple times to cross country ski.
Jan 14th -- we went on an hour+ long bike ride around town, including a bunch of tough hills. Something like 17-20 miles. It was almost warm enough that we could have climbed outside!
Jan 15th -- we hiked around Mt. Galbraith park (and summited the mountain itself). Just a short 4.5 mile hike down by Golden.
Jan 21st and 22nd -- Donna and JJ invited us to stay at their awesome SkiHaus for the weekend. We had 2 great days skiing Winter Park and Mary Jane. There was 5" of fresh snow overnight Saturday, so we had even moar powder to ski on Sunday.
Laurel's down in Colorado Springs for a few days this week at a music teachers' conference.
Laurel got out to Brainard Lake a couple times to cross country ski.
Jan 14th -- we went on an hour+ long bike ride around town, including a bunch of tough hills. Something like 17-20 miles. It was almost warm enough that we could have climbed outside!
Jan 15th -- we hiked around Mt. Galbraith park (and summited the mountain itself). Just a short 4.5 mile hike down by Golden.
Jan 21st and 22nd -- Donna and JJ invited us to stay at their awesome SkiHaus for the weekend. We had 2 great days skiing Winter Park and Mary Jane. There was 5" of fresh snow overnight Saturday, so we had even moar powder to ski on Sunday.
Laurel's down in Colorado Springs for a few days this week at a music teachers' conference.
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