5K road race start to the day so needed to find a hike that could be completed before any potential inclement weather – and back by 4pm for my first tennis match in years. SUPER Saturday continues!
Started hike from Loveland Pass with high hopes to see snow (none this day, maybe next weekend :(). Trek began with an immediate 1,000 increase in elevation – kinda felt like jumping on a Stairmaster. Had I stayed to the left, would have possibly summited today’s goal destination, Mt. Sniktau. Unfortunately no signs whatsoever. Asked a young couple descending from one of the high peaks on my near horizon. Grizzly Peak. Verified it was a 13er and picked up our pace.
From Loveland Pass (11,992 feet) head eastward following the continental divide to Grizzly Peak (13,427 feet). Doing the math on that might fool you to think it is an elevation gain of just 1,435 feet but there are some ups and downs that push the overall elevation gain over 2,700 feet. Total trip will be around 6 miles with the last ~700 feet having some class 2 scrambling.
Beautiful landscapes & HUGE hills. Ascend almost 2,000 feet, then descend a thousand feet – the Ironman of 13ers. Despite running only a few hours earlier, was actually in a great place both mentally & physically this day and even found myself passing other hikers on the trail. 2 false summits, one huge descent, then stood at the foot of Grizzly Peak.
UP UP UP Ro & I climbed until SUMMIT SUCCESS!
Our third 13er of the summer (& five 14ers) – what an amazing year. Could have never imagined when I started this year’s resolution that I’d be consistently summiting Colorado’s highest peaks by summer’s end. FAAANNNNTASTIC!
Each prospective weekend I assume this could be our last high climb of the season due to weather. Maybe this is motivating/propelling our hike success. Tentative goal for next weekend – Gray’s Peak.
Blog update: Only 30 minutes late to tennis – and I won 6-4 6-3 🙂
Doubles
- 2nd mis-summit (Grizzly vs Sniktau, Torreys vs Gray’s)
- 2nd hike w/ new CamelBak (birthday gift from my friend Kimberly)
Triples
- third 13er summit of 2012
- 5k race, followed by 13er hike, then tennis – SUPER Saturday!
https://www.summitpost.org/
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- landscape is deceptively BIG in Colorado (my Prius is only a speck, right of pic)
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- little patch of glacier (upper left) will be the only snow Ro sees this day
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- (above treeline) 1st false summit; still more than an hour to go
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- 2nd false summit, but Grizzly Peak lies ahead
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- SUMMIT SUCCESS! (loved seeing this family at top)
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- Grizzly Lake – check out that blue. WOW!
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- ‘in-between’ season: cap & t-shirt weather (but no more shorts)
Who sets their alarm for 6am on a Saturday?
Anyone who plans to run a 5k, hike a 13er, then play 2 hours of tennis – talk about a jam-packed SUPER Saturday.
The intention is not to run and hike every remaining week of 2012 – just dumb luck last week’s 10 mile run in Louisville was scheduled back-to-back to the Waneka Classic 5K Fun Run in Lafayette (one of Ro’s regular weekly walks). ALSO, today’s race supported Centaurus High School’s cross-country track team…so came out for a mighty good cause (local youth). And come on…how many races are so close that you can walk there from home? Absolutely no excuses this day.
I competed in the local Citizen’s Race (which kept all varsity track kids out of the field :)). Stayed close and followed a guy named Dale before I blew past him at the 2-mile race marker. Overall, finished 19th!
Ran home, showered, and packed for my next Saturday activity – week 36’s hike challenge starting at Loveland Pass.
Don’t expect another road race out of me again until early December – the ‘ColderBolder’.
Utahan friend Kimberly flew out for Labour Day weekend – arriving soon after my 10 mile road race finish on Saturday. Weekend plans included lunch on Pearl Street in Boulder, dinner at Empire in Louisville, church (received my first church calling – Young Men’s), an all fresh/all homemade/all Mexican birthday dinner (LOVE LOVE fresh veggies, herbs – and everything guac), movie night at the Pypers (where Kimberly stayed w/ Annie, Ted & baby Anders), followed by… my week 35 hike, James Peak 🙂
Since dad had play friend activities over the 3-day holiday weekend, Ro was more than ready for this week’s hike challenge. (Ro did visit the McCaslin dog park Sunday morning so he wasn’t completely neglected.)
James Peak, our 2nd 13er of the year, is located a few miles past St. Mary’s Glacier in Alice (near Idaho Springs). I’m a bit apprehensive when planning hikes with non-Colorado visitors because our high altitude climate generally zaps their strength. Honestly, I want to ‘show off’ my Colorado – not have folks leave [our state] feeling nauseous & exhausted. Kimberly said she was a hiker and wanted a challenging trek. After this day not sure if a 13er was enough…she was SUPER hiker. I’m re-inspired!
Took one shot near the top of St. Mary’s Glacier, then sped past treeline across tundra grasses & willow thickets yellowed by the impending fall season. Winds blew cold this day so pulled on a thermal Henley early and packed gloves – just in case.
Pushed past multiple switchbacks until SUMMIT SUCCESS! Snapped some pics while enjoying our survivalist-style lunch (really gotta beef-up my lunch prep skills when I have guests…argh!) Kimberly checked the time ‘cause she could (ya’ll know I gave up my cell phone last February). We would have to make double time down – Kimberly’s plane leaves at 3pm.
Cairn curse…again. Rock piles just aren’t great trail markers past treeline. Luckily on today’s hike, I had a good navigator along when we needed to bushwhack through a quarter-mile of thicket (ouch – but could’ve been much worse).
Back on trail, hiked down & over a section of melted glacier, then safely/quickly back to the Prius.
Time check – 1:30pm…with an hour drive ahead to Denver. Maybe cell phones aren’t so bad after all – certainly helped Kimberly when she needed to reschedule her return flight to Salt Lake 🙂
No regrets. AWESOME hike day!
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- top edge of St Mary’s Glacier (approx 8 feet deep here)
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- above treeline; Mt Bancroft (just left of today’s hike destination)
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- Utah native Kimberly mastering this 13er hike
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- Steuart Lake (at the foot of Mount Bancroft)
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- cold wind blowing this day – LOVED IT!
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- steep gorge between Mount Bancroft and James Peak
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- SUMMIT SUCCESS!
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- this week’s W-O-W shot
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- pretty colour but tough on body when bushwhacking thru underbrush
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- missed her flight home; no worries SHE has a cell phone
