14ers/13ers

13er James Peak, no ugly step-sis

Published August 30, 2015

Kicked in the weekend with an early group run ‘round Boulder Rez in North Boulder – a ‘sweet 16er’.

Held sub-8 pace for 10+ miles, then slogged the hills. Group said their goodbyes at mile 13; soloed the remaining 3 at ‘old man pace’. Need to find an 8:30/9-minute pace group – the young guns are killin’ me. That’s all.

2 hour nap, pasta carb loaded – reenergized…hiking tomorrow.

Woke late Sunday (7am), made sleep a priority before hitting the highway. Easy hour half drive – I-70 to Idaho Springs Exit 238, today’s hike destination: 13er James Peak.

[in Colorado] 13ers are often treated like the ugly step-sister…only 14er climbs rank a water-cooler boast. Today’s elevation gain? 4000ft – thousand feet more gain than 14er Bierstadt (my one-day PR: 7800ft, Barr Trail to Pikes Peak in 2012).

Parked at St. Marys Glacier, outside of Alice. Watched local snowboarders pitch up the impromptu ‘slope’…only in Colorado, right? 🙂

Glacier crossed tethered to Ro, then hiked 2 miles across colourful arid landscape: bushy willow thickets yellowed by cool evening temps, late season wildflowers, orange-hued moss – spectacular pallet of early autumn colour.

Beautiful weather: sunshine, temps in the low 50’s, lotta wind.

Followed the CDT (Continental Divide Trail), bushwhacked briefly, then connected with the well-defined trail up James & neighboring Mount Bancroft. Hiked this peak in 2012 – bushwhacked that year too. Consistent I guess 🙁

Wildlife count: marmot, pika & a flock of summer-camouflaged ptarmigan. These birds will go ‘winter white’ over the next 2 months.

Stayed right of the canyon gulch between Bancroft & James at 12,000ft (whatta view) – then pushed UP the remaining 1000 feet over a maze of switchbacks. SUMMIT SUCCESS! Kicked back on a rock shelter & let Ro hunt pika before snapping Peak pics.

One last weekend before fall marathon season. Running my hometown 10-miler Saturday morning, Louisville’s Coal Creek Crossing – then 3 hours of highway to Leadville. Hike goal: Mount Massive, 3^rd highest peak in the continental U.S. Why? ‘Cause it’s there.

Weekend Highs & Lows

Rocky Mountain high – LOVE this place!

‘sweet 16er’ at the Boulder Rez

13er James Peak – 10 mile hike PLUS glacier snow

: St Marys Lake, only 30 minutes from metro Denver – whatta view!

: St Marys Glacier (late August)

: glacier melt magic

: snowboarding in August – only in Colorado 🙂

: beautiful hike day – so much colour

: summer-camouflaged ptarmigan, will go white when the snow flies

: summit SUCCESS!

: good day to be a dog

Posted in 14ers/13ers | Tagged glaciers, hiking, wildlife | Leave a comment

Grays Peak 2015

Published August 16, 2015

Forgotten how good a 14er hike feels. Pre-dawn trailhead drive, first sun pop over the high peak.

Love of everything outdoors, BIG, immense, larger than ourselves.

Hour half on I-70, Exit 221 Bakerville – 8 miles from Eisenhower Tunnel. Five mile dirt-road journey. Struggled to maneuver the pothole minefield UP, secure off-road parking. Not a lotta spots left at 630am, gotta love Colorado hikers. Day starts early here 🙂

I last hiked Grays in September 2012. Trail was lined with yellow aspens and first snow of the season.

Hiking a month earlier in mid-August, today’s views did not disappoint. So much colour – like a Ravensburger puzzle, one of those 1000 piece projects you poke over during the summer. Not just one shade of green – slate green, moss, lime, yellow-green, forest.

Looked forward to the horizon. Stopped, peered back at my progress below – completing the straight puzzle edges first, framing a border, later patch-working the green inside. Two long stretches of boulder incline, but no huge scramble at the end.

Summit SUCCESS! Strong winds whipped so backed behind a man-made rock shelter. Chatted up fellow hikers planning their next ascents – before the snow flies (just a few weeks left). Parade of folks on top at 9am.

Fave quote: “I like your dog. He’s so warm.” LOL>

Return hike always seems longer than the ascent – a hiker mystery. Purposely drove West thru the Eisenhower tunnel, crossed the Continental Divide & lunched in Silverthorne before heading home (a 3 hour I-70 day mare – ARGH!)

Next 14er? Something near Leadville I think.

Haven’t been to the Nat’l Mining Hall of Fame & Museum. [ya’ll are thinkin’] How can I get a ticket, right? 🙂

Snow UPDATE, Wed August 19th: Colorado weather: Snow dusts high country, Denver sets record low

: early a.m. – looming ahead, just waking, peak still under cloud cover

: Colorado steppe: big & inspiring

: hike crossroads – left to Grays, right to Torreys

: so much colour – like a Ravensburger puzzle

: summit SUCCESS!

: good day to be a dog

: sister 14er Torreys – looks close but another hour away (hiker specks on trail below)

: hike reward: glacier play

: Indian paintbrush

: tunneling under the Rockies, crossing the Divide

Grays Peak summit

Posted in 14ers/13ers | Tagged glaciers, hiking | Leave a comment

Nat’l Lampooning up Pikes

Published July 11, 2015

Bowling, “Toy Story” Uno (family game night), Louisville Street Faire – and blink…it’s time for all to go home. Always goes so fast.

HOLD ON – we still have Saturday. Today’s destination: the Springs – Garden of the Gods, followed by mighty Pikes Peak.

Visitors Center, drove the Garden loop, hiked 2+ miles around the God’s infamous boulders – finished at Balanced Rock. Top 10 Colorado destination. LOVE LOVE this place!

Elk burger in Manitou, then a mile drive UP to tram parking – had purchased 6 tickets on the 1:20pm train. Ash & Tom were engaged on Pikes two years ago. Good memories.

Lotta traffic, hmm. Arrived to find our train was cancelled – actually STUCK 12,000ft UP. Argh.

Plan B? Hiked Barr Trail to Pikes (28 miles round trip) in 2013. Rode the railway UP same year – but have never driven. Pikes & Evans are Colorado’s 2 14ers accessible [in summer] by car. Tough on the brakes – glad Sis brought the rental 🙂 Outside temp dropped from 91 to 39 degrees within the hour-half ride up to Summit House. Truly stunning views!

My 2015 memory? Sis at the wheel hugging mountain curves while Tori & Jack screamed/jumped & waved their hands wildly in the back. Apparently we picked up a wasp while at Garden – a wasp not interested in resettling outdoors at 14,000ft in glacial snow. No room to pull the car over. Nat’l Lampoon vacation memory. Pretty funny in hindsight.

Ultimately parked without injury, purchased Pikes’ infamous high-altitude donuts & snapped a few pics before clouds moved in & pellet’d the car with snow. Ranger stopped us 20 minutes into our descent – brakes were smoking hot, 30 minute mandatory wait while they cooled.

Jetted back to Denver – WAIT, day’s not over. Sis bought tickets to Colorado’s MLS team, the Rapids. Been a tough year for the local team, last in our division. This day however, the soccer gods shined on Colorado: a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake. All scoring happened in the last 4 minutes. If you haven’t attended a soccer match – GO! Lotta energy, lotta noise, super fun.

2 Nat’l Parks, 2 14er summits, Garden of the Gods, a glacier hike & glissading, mineral springs swim, train ride thru the Rockies, MLS game (professional soccer), geocaching, shopped Boulder’s pedestrian Pearl Street, hiked Chautauqua’s Royal Arch AND toured a silver mine nearly 1,000ft underground.

For monsoon season, this family filled their days. Miss you already sis 🙁