Happy Thanksgiving 2013!
Thankful for so many things – family, friends, great health, sunshine, mountains, snow & my Colorado home (of course).
Found myself completely caught up in the holiday spirit this year. Signed up for not one but TWO 5K charity runs.
The trick was finishing Louisville’s 9am Turkey Trot (supporting Flood Relief) & driving to Boulder in time for the 10am Community Food Share 5K. Backseat full of non-perishables for 9am’s charity & canned goods for the 10am run.
Crazy huge turnout for my hometown Turkey Trot. Excited to see 2 trucks filled with donations. Feel super lucky & blessed that my home & most of Louisville was spared from September’s epic (500 year) flood.
Ran this first 5K mighty fast, almost breaking 21 minutes. Quick photo with Santa — in the car & off to Boulder.
Community Food Share’s mission is to ensure that no one in Boulder and Broomfield Counties goes hungry.
What better mission than to feed our neighbors. Dropped off 3 bags of canned goods. Big smile.
Sunshine, warm weather – and another big crowd, all ready to run. Beautiful view of the Flatirons, just east of CU campus.
Ended the day at M’s brother’s home for turkey & fixin’s. No holding back this holiday – already ran off my calories 🙂
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- Louisville 5K Turkey Trot – supporting Flood Relief
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- 9 a.m. start time – gotta run fast….next charity race starts in an hour
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- finished 10 seconds ahead of the little dog (who photo-bombed my pic – LOL!)
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- quick shot with Santa, then off to Boulder
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- Community Food Share 5k – supporting homeless in Boulder County
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- check out that view – LOVE LOVE Colorado!
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- winter residents
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- 2 5Ks in under 46 minutes – ROCKSTAR day!
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- Happy Thanksgiving 2013!
“The mountains are calling and I most go” – John Muir
Ironman training, right on track. Bad news – really missing the mountains. Gotta find a healthy way to juggle both.
Drove to Loveland Pass – destination Mt Sniktau. Not just hiking, hiking in heavy snow. Big smiles.
And although we haven’t received much snow yet in Boulder County (couple inches in October, 4 or 5 inches last week), the mountains have been getting socked with winter precip. All ski resorts now open – life is good in Colorado 🙂
Sniktau is considered the easiest of our 13ers.
An initial false summit, 2 lesser summits, then BAM – there’s the peak. Hike no more than 4 miles roundtrip.
Ro couldn’t have been more excited. He’s BAAAAACK! Completely covered in snow, ice formed on Ro’s beard & coat – creating doggie dreads. Temps stayed just above zero so found myself jacket shedding early on – well layered this day.
Top of the first false summit – BEAUTIFUL! Quiet, stunning, everything WHITE. A-Basin, Keystone, Breckinridge & Loveland all visible. Grizzly Peak & Torreys too. Better than a class reunion – I missed you guys!
Ro & I pushed passed both lesser summits & caught a glimpse of Sniktau – probably another 45 minutes ahead. Snow flying, visibility diminished, blowing wind. Layered back up – yep, even a jacket.
Quick shot of the peak, good enough – today was about the journey, not the destination.
Ended the day with chili & nachos in Idaho Springs. Mighty good to be back in the mountains.
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- November mountain hike
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- beautiful blue skies (for an hour anyway)
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- Sno’ Ro is BACK! Check out that beard!
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- Hello Paul & Terri – what are YOU two doing here?
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- SPECTACULAR!
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- fast moving clouds
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- yep, all smiles
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- Grizzly Peak
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- Sno’ Ro & Sniktau (another hour out) — we’ll conquer this 13er another day
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- WHITE-OUT hike return
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- proof this boy can eat — chili & nachos…YUM!
Super fun having visitors in town. Trying to get better at not overexerting East Coasters in our high altitude air.
Two days in however, I go stir crazy – gotta get outside & soak up some Vitamin D.
Wanted to hike relatively local this weekend so headed south on Highway 93 to Golden (most trails in Boulder County remain damaged & closed from last month’s flood). Ro took his usual spot & stared down the highway, happy to be in the car 🙂
I’ve often passed North Table Mountain while driving home from weekend treks off I-70, using Highways 6 & 93 to avoid Denver traffic (slows to a crawl every weekend – in winter, folks return from skiing; in summer, return from hiking & camping). Took a quick left into the parking lot. Ro and my friend, Stephen poured out – ready for adventure.
Mildest weekend of October – our first without snow. Today’s trail was jam packed with mountain bikes, runners, hikers – and horses. Beautiful sunny day with highs in the low 60’s – hard to believe it’s gonna snow again on Tuesday.
Basalt cliff pillars, amazing late season colour – SPECTACULAR. Hike duration: 6 miles roundtrip. PERFECT hike for a sunshiny day in the Fall. Not a lotta trees though – do not recommend [this hike] in summer months.
Back home, little guy was fast out for the count. Happy day 🙂
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- North Table Mountain in nearby Golden
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- basalt laced with zeolite — 20 different types — more than any other site in the world
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- tranquil western landscape – BEAUTIFUL day!
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- dogs & tall grass
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- mountain bikes, runners, hikers – and horses too!
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- basalt pillars & lotta late autumn colour – SPECTACULAR!
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- yes, dogs do smile 🙂
