NoCo/Indian Peaks

Devils Thumb Lake

Published June 24, 2018

Whole lotta high-altitude running first half of June – past 3 weekends, nothing under 8000ft. Body feeling banged up after a busy Marathon Start to 2018. Right heel in particular. Bouncing back slower, plantar fasciitis not better/struggling.

Day or 2 or 3 needed to refresh, mentally spent. Lotta effort push/push/pushing, focused on a single goal. Bighorn now the past, leaves ya spinning/no direction, in-between goals. Same thing after finishing my 50 States in 2016. Like opening holiday gifts. So much planning/purchasing for family/loved ones, decorating home/hearth, cooking Christmas dinner…blink, it’s December 26^th. Not quite ready to talk New Year’s.

Hike high, get small, quiet-wonder intervention. Peaks covered in last season’s winter. Lakes & streams overflowing with snowmelt; impromptu waterfalls borne for the summer. Just what the doctor ordered 😊

4am Sunday start, trailhead parking fills by 6. Backpack outta the front closet. Pup couldn’t have been any more excited. Followed me room to room, back of my heels. No Pup left behind, not today. LOL>

Hwy 119 thru Boulder Canyon, across Ned center, first right toward Eldora, Hessie Trailhead. Other waiting hikers all layered UP, chilly 34 degree Start. FAAAANNNTASTIC! More perfect? 20 minute delay – for MOOSE (Momma/calves). Expecting rain mid-afternoon, just a quick up-n-back peak peek today.

Power-hiked to Lost Lake. Less than a mile in, nothing strenuous. GREAT place for a picnic. 4 miles more to Jasper, day’s second alpine lake. Bit more secluded, distance blessed. Ticking off trail signs, careful not to miss a poorly marked left & inadvertently bushwhack to Diamond (been there, done that).

Early hiker chatter now gone, replaced with the whoosh of rushing water. Alpine flowers, green mountain meadow, tall lodgepole Pine. Good to feel small again. Surrounded by peaks, tall evergreen & remnants of last season’s snow. Just me, my dog & whatever food/water I’m carrying on me back. Negativity flush.

Pup off-leash leading the way, trekking over large drifts of white. Twice was not be able to find the path (left/right/up & over/or valley descent below) but luckily Ro can always tell. Great nose. & Always back to check on Papa. Treat reward, good Pup 😊

Mile-half to Devils Thumb Lake. Drifts dissipated, pushed thru stretches of scratchy willow [Moose candy]. trail below hidden/obscured, slopped thru mud – but not Bighorn mud. Perspective, never lost a shoe. Wind blew cold. AWESOME feeling in June.

Devils Thumb Lake on my right, three sides capsuled by peaks. Planted myself on a long flat rock. Pup disappeared, chasing marmots. Alpine groundhog chirps sharp/short/shrill bouncing off canyon walls. Smell of burrito/Pup raced back, marmots no longer of interest.

Called it b4 the Pass, clouds racing in. Good to feel small again. Just a dot on the immense nature-scape backdrop.

One/two/THREE alpine lakes, FIRST HIKE of Colorado summer. Bring it on! ❤

: Hessie Trailhead

: high hike, snowmelt overflow

: fast-flowing water

: trail sign direction

: early a.m. cloud burnoff

: Jasper Lake

: June SNOW

: marmot

: no Pup left behind

: off-leash LOVE ❤

: chicken soup for the soul

: Devils Thumb Lake 11,138ft

: Home, Sweet Colorado Home

Indian Peaks Wilderness

Jasper Lake

Published September 16, 2017

After last month’s Herman Lake hike on the CDT (Continental Divide Trail), went back to Ash for other hike destinations I may have overlooked. She gave me two: Jasper Lake (Indian Peaks Wilderness) & Whale Peak (off US 285, on the Divide past Gibson Lake).

Next 3 weeks: 2 Colorado hikes, one East Coast marathon. Work hard, play hard. B-I-G life, no regrets.

Late start – 6am Saturday wake-up. In Colorado, that means ‘no trailhead parking’. Circled back 15 minutes into Nederland & boarded the town’s FREE trailhead shuttle service. Me AND my pup. Yep, that happens in Colorado too. Dog-friendliest state of our 50 ❤

Light rain in Boulder, light SNOW in Nederland. Mix of precip, sun darted in & out all day.

First FALL hike of the season, Aspens were a poppin’. Bright Aspen YELLOW. 8.8 miles roundtrip per ProTrails. Ash quoted 10 – Strava would prove her right (shuttle drop-off to Lake & trail return: 10.4 miles).

Ro now off-leash; pup on ‘squirrel’ patrol. Ran wild thru open meadows.

Woodland Lake. Diamond Lake. Stayed RIGHT at both forks. Third & last trail juncture, went against the grain & trekked LEFT. No getting’ lost this day. Perrrrfect directions. (Thanks Ash.)

Arrived Jasper Lake 11am. Gray skies & snow spit. Didn’t stop Ro from taking a quick dip. Brrr.

Reality, this alpine ‘lake’ was a reservoir – being drained in anticipation of next season’s snow-melt. Heavy winter mountain snow = plenty of downstream water all summer long. Front Range Coloradans generally lucky that way.

Today’s hike destination not the sexiest lake…but the journey itself – FAAANNNNTASTIC! Still early – stay or go-go? Option A: mile to Devils Thumb Lake, mile further to Devils Thumb Pass. Option B: bowl of warm chili in Ned. Ya’ll know how this story ends 🙂

Followed by late afternoon take-n-bake pizza. Followed by a double-scoop of PB&J at Sweet Cow.

Maybe should’ve hiked the extra couple miles, huh? LOL>

: Hessie Trailhead (deserted mining town)

: leaves are a changin’

: Aspen YELLOW ❤

: not a fan of trail graffiti — but LOVE LOVED the message 🙂

: taking a DEEP breath

: autumn colour

: quiet, still & AMAZING!

: today’s WOW shot — such a variety a mountain colour

: chilly alpine swim

: 10.4 miles, just under <11,000ft

: post-hike pizza: “take-n-bake” means I spent $17 & cooked at home? hmm?

: post-hike treat (& a pint for later)

Steamboat Stinger Trail Marathon

Published August 13, 2017

Steamboat’s Yampa River

Bib pickup for tomorrow’s trail marathon cutoff at noon. 3 ½ hours door-to-door, Louisville to Steamboat Springs. Early Saturday a.m. trek, breakfast stop in Georgetown (fave diner tradition).

Arrived at BAP, aka ‘the Little Red House’ on Oak Street with an hour to spare. Steamboat-based Honey Stinger sponsors 2 races: Mountain bike Saturday, Trail marathon Sunday. ALL proceeds to charity – the ultimate giving-back event. 10 minute walk to Howelsen Hill ‘Start’.

Last Saturday, ran my first 2017 trail race at Echo Summit (Lake Tahoe’s high Sierras). Tomorrow would trek-up another ski summit. Similarities: high elevation, 4000ft+ vertical gain.

Bridge-walked over Steamboat’s Yampa. Early dinner/early to bed.

RACE DAY: UP UP UP Howelsen Hill, one of Steamboat’s 2 major ski resorts. Unlike last week, first 7 miles were a CLIMB. ALSO caliber of runners today, a HUGE notch up. Pushed hard, lotta energy expended before Angry Grouse (First Aid Station). Refueled, breathed deep, settled in.

UP UP UP thru evergreen & Colorado Aspen. BIG HIKE up Stairway to Heaven, series of switchback climbs thru No Mo’ Blues & Wild Rose, HALF-marathon turnaround/2^nd Aid Station.

Again, stopped/refueled/breathed. So different from road marathoning/super humbling. Mentally ON all race or risk tripping/going down hard. first-HALF GOAL: under 3 hours.

[7-hour time limit today, an hour faster than last weekend’s ultra finish.]

5 miles to Cow Creek (Aid Station to Aid Station). ALL downhill, fastest splits of the day. Flew past tens of runners (June’s REVEL Rockies training). ‘On your left’, jumping over rock. ‘On your left’, bending with tree-limbs as I hugged mountain curves. 11 miles in, 15 minutes under the 2 hour-mark.

Mile-half on dirt road, water stop – then 6 ½ miles of warm trail UP. More hike than jog. Switchback return’d UP to Aid Station 2, ran outta water this leg. Refueled, good 5 minute stop. 7 miles-ish to go. Not a lot left in the tank but well ahead of goal.

2 miles up/over Quarry Mountain then DOWN. Steep rocky drop: ‘Little Moab’, but remainder of the course, easy rolling trail. Let gravity carry my heavy legs forward. Exposed meadows last 3 ½ miles, quarter-mile past the rodeo grounds – marathon SUCCESS!

2^nd trail FINISH in 8 days. Just under 6 hours.