out there & UP: Brainard Lake

Published November 18, 2018

Chapter close, new door opened. Finished 8 consecutive weeks of marathoning yesterday in Mississippi. Today at 10,300ft, ANTARCTICA training begins. YES! #luckyinlife

Post-midnite arrival in a rare Colorado ice storm. Sleeping in; can’t pick up Ro before 10am from his Fall kennel home. Surprise awaits when Papa shows – HIKE day! ‘though Denver suffered a quarter-inch ice, heavy SNOW high-elevation & SUNSHINE forecast’d Sunday. FAAANNNNTASTIC!

Sunday pup pick-up, day destination: Brainard Lake.

Local altitude, short 45 minute drive. Boulder Canyon to Nederland, chose Peak-to-Peak highway. Better to avoid Ward in winter season. Only one road climbs thru town – UP.

No drama arrival. Road plowed, parking secured. Lot FULL with shoers & Nordic lovers. Lodgepole pine. Precip base thigh-deep. Thin air. Welcome home soldier, marathon season over.

5 miles roundtrip today. Ever see a dog SMILE? Off-leash heaven. Heavy snow kept Pup trail-contained. Sunk to his neck early on chipmunk patrol, stayed close day remainder. LOL>

Backpack light, training day ONE. Need to manage 75lbs comfortably by mid-January. Paced slower than goal too – but my head, out there/up there SOULFUL.

LOVE LOVE my Colorado life. Heart SOAR ❤️