Continental Divide

First non-run weekend in a few.  Alarm set, 5am buzz, shower, backpack ready – HIKE day!  Hour-half to Georgetown, pup peering o’er the console.  Rocky Mountain altitude.

destination: Guanella Pass.  13 miles from town center; trailhead start for Bierstadt.

9-mile Jeep trek ‘til snow towered 15 FEET high.  ROAD CLOSED.  Two weeks from Memorial Day, don’t expect the Pass ready before mid-June.  Mountains still socked-in, whole lotta snow.  Maybe a rafting trip this summer (water should be FAST) 😊

Parked.  Pup tethered to my belt.  2 ½ miles followed a path created by hikers past.  Quiet.  No people, wildlife still hibernating.  Untethered Ro past tree-line.  Less threat of mountain lion on exposed sheets of high snow.  Bear season too – though none yet spotted per the online Ranger report.  Mule deer & Bighorn, only tracks seen all day.

Broke trail last mile-half.  Just me & Ro, only heartbeats this high this week.  Amateur navigated (not great with a compass).  Used tops of road signs & later, roof of a trailhead outhouse.  Stovepipe & triangle apex pushing outta the snow.

Gosh.  Good to be HIGH.  Thin air.  Blowing skies.  Nowhere better.  PERMA smile.

Soaked in peaks while Ro wildlife-explored.  Marmot chirp.  Never sunshine-showed (stayed burrowed), just teasing Pup.

Dig hiking high.  Only 2 marathons calendar’d Independence Day to Labor Day.  No cell signal, weekends in-between.  Craggy rock &  snow-melt rivers.  14er summits, Ponderosa pine, Engelmann spruce.  “The mountains are calling & I must go.”

First HIKE of 2019!  LOVE LOVE my Colorado life ❤️

 

 

Guanella Pass 11,670ft

 

 

New Dions, fresh snow.  This year I’m thankful for Steamboat!

Quick Friday turnaround, still bloated from prior day’s feast.  Up early, I-70 West to Silverthorne (same exit as Ash & Tom’s 2017 wedding venue) then another hour-half north on Hwys 9 & 40.  Only option to Steamboat, Trail Ridge Road closed for the season.  I-70 would shut-down at 11am today, Silver Plume exit (11 miles before the Tunnel).  White-out conditions.  PERFECT day to scuttle early & only hear ’bout highway closures (while comfortably snacking on the other side of the Divide).

Elevation climb.  Snow DUMP thru Rabbit Ears Pass, then an easy roll into Steamboat.

Cabin with Pup privileges.  VRBO-booked while flight connecting in Philly last September.  Turned a flight delay frown/upside down.  Lemons into Lemonade.  Sometimes I really dig technology.  Reward for banging out another crazy long run season, no more than two-a-month in 2019.

Mountain crib did not disappoint.  VRBO is kinda pricey (ton of add-on charges) but just like my Hawaii digs in Kona – FAAANNNNTASTIC!  Fenced-in yard & a day bed for Ro.  One better?  Dog friends next door.  Waited outside ‘til I let Ro play.  SNOW.  Chicken soup for the mountain soul ❤️

Saturday: 16 inches of white.  Snowshoe HOLIDAY.  Nixed the pre-planned hike in Walden.  Steamboat’s Howelsen Park would do just fine.  Kept Pup leashed 20 minutes, then realized it was just US & blowing snow.  No people traffic.  Think I could explain that logic with a ranger.

Mexican eats, hot shower, lazy fireplace comforts – dog show for Ro, Christmas flic for dad.

It really is a Wonderful Life 😊

 

 

Steamboat Springs 2018

 

 

First day of AUTUMN.  That perfect time of year when Aspen blaze yellow & we don morning jackets.

Smack in the midst of Fall run season [marathoning Cheyenne tomorrow] – no time for hikes?  How bad do you want it?  Autumn’s once a year, summer’s retreated.  Anything is possible 😊

4am crack-of-dawn start Saturday a.m.  Backpack readied outside my front hall closet.  Bottled water, snacks for Pup.  No 14er attempt this day, purposely staying tree-line.  Leaf peep slow-soak.

West on I-70, HIKE DAY destination: Silverthorne.  Haven’t been since May last year, Ash & Tom’s Colorado wedding.  Town will always tug at my heart.  Whatta life memory!

Fast forward 15 months: mountain HIKE, no wedding.  Angler Mountain.  Trailhead start tucked outside a residential subdivision, notta lotta parking.  Arrived early – early enough to watch the sunrise/crest the Divide.  Slow, deep breath.  Magic.  Colorado HIKE celebration.

Sunshine poured thru tall naked groves of Aspen.  More leaves on the ground than on the trees themselves.  UP, UP, UP.  We’d hike 2 ½ miles above Silverthorne, snap scenic shots of Lake Dillon – and SURROUND ourselves with YELLOW.  Colorado aspen ablaze.

Filled an old swag bag with mementos of the season while Ro ran off-leash.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter – all celebrated, shared with family & friends.  Why not Autumn?  Idea💡

Purchased cards in Georgetown.  Stuffed each with a piece of the day – Aspen leaves, pine cones, burnt thistle.  8 of you received impromptu LOVE from Colorado.  Gonna DOUBLE that count next year.

‘Tis the season, my personal fave.  Happy Autumn 2018! 🍂🍁

 

[Confession: day’s hike – Ash’s plan.  They’d repeat my trek Sunday morn with Grandpup Marty.]