mineral-springs

a hike, a soak & a DNF

Published October 9, 2016

Felt a bit chained to my work desk this week – month’s first week is always a busy one.

Needed to get in an outdoors fix…but couldn’t imagine another 4am alarm buzz. Settled on a nearby glacier hike – snow, thin air, just over an hour away…yep, that’d do.

Would be my 4th trip to St. Mary’s Glacier, 20 minutes off I-70: Idaho Springs exit 238. 10am start – still early enough to secure a spot in overflow parking. Warm, sunshiny day…MUCH better weather than the trek last summer with my Sis & family. Cold rain fell all week that July (rare summer precip in arid Colorado)…luck of the Grecos 🙁

Seven-tenths mile UP. UP boulders, ‘cross thin dirt trails thru evergreen cover, more boulders…then clear, pristine St. Mary’s Lake, edges iced – lake located just below the glacier, ringed by bristlecone pine & thick willow. Snapped Colorado landscape, then started the next trek UP…thru a long willow thicket, glacier loomed LARGE ahead. Scaled loose rock & scree ‘round the lip of St. Mary’s.

Hiked another half-mile, peered down at decades old ice, thinly covered by the previous day’s snowfall. Early season snowboarders skimmed the glacier’s rough surface.

Air breezed cool. Kicked back & lunch snacked. Napped 20 minutes..little piece of heaven.

Glissaded a short stretch & made snow angels on the hike return. FAAANNNTASTIC!

Short 15-minute drive away, mineral soaked in nearby Indian Hot Springs. Dated enclosure but the springs’ hot water muscle-soothes whatever ails ya. Great day end. Head back in the game, tomorrow a.m. marathoning local at the Rez.

: edges iced on St Mary’s Lake

: glacier snow angel #noregretlife

: chilly sip: glacier melt-off

: hot soak before tomorrow’s run

SUNDAY – early start…but the closest commute of my marathon journey to date. 20 short minutes away, running the Boulder Reservoir today (the Rez). 4 laps ‘round, home before noon.

Unfortunately wasn’t feeling it this day. Good first 10K, started puking between miles 11 & 12. Finished the first Half; took a prolonged sit-down in nearby port-a-john. Felt dizzy/unsteady, morning sun & nausea zapped. Walked, jogged, started lap 3. Struggled mentally, tough time. Called it a day before mile marker 15. DNF (did not finish). Returned my timing chip. Dejected, headed home.

Quick shower, hunkered down with Ro, slept the afternoon away. LOVE LOVE my pup. Would reset & regroup the ego tomorrow. Whole ton of excuses – but at the end of the day, I didn’t finish. Failing is a tough pill to swallow.

: all smiles Start

St Mary’s Glacier (melt-off sip)

Posted in Boulder County, Continental Divide, Marathons/Ultras | Tagged glaciers, hiking, mineral-springs | Leave a comment

Yellowstone 2016

Published July 22, 2016

Work day done, on the road by 6pm. Thursday night in Casper, up early Friday & another 4 hours to Yellowstone – Ash & Tom’s first Park visit. geysers, Rocky Mtn peaks, travel ‘cross 4 U.S. states – Colorado, Wyoming, Montana & Idaho – what’s not to love?

Could’ve travelled the traditional 8-hour route [I-80 West to Rock Springs, 2 hours north to Jackson] – but added an extra hour crisscrossing Wyoming, in search for Sacajawea’s grave site. No regrets 🙂

traditional story: in 1805, the 15-year-old Shoshone travelled with Lewis & Clark and her French fur-trapper husband & an infant son. She died in 1825. Her son, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, lived among Anglos, travelled Europe, led a group of Mormons to California & later settled in Montana.
the myth: after the Lewis & Clark expedition, Sacajawea resettled to the Dakotas with two children, no husband – remarried & lived out her life with the Comanche. After her husband’s death [in 1860], she returned to her people, the Mountain Shoshone, and died near Fort Washakie, Wyoming.

Fuel fill-up & another bag of pork rinds later, back on the road. Drove thru a forest fire just outside of Dubois, before entering Grand Teton National Park – 45 minutes later, Yellowstone. Tagged front-row benches at Old Faithful & experienced a first rate show – hot water sprayed from the Earth a full 5 minutes. Sharing the moment with Ash & Tom, even better. GREAT memory.

Walked the Upper Geyser Basin, passing named geysers along a wooden boardwalk — like visiting a ‘geyser’ zoo. Morning Glory Pool, Castle Geyser, Rocket Geyser…each unique, each its own story – some erupt, others shake, simmer & boil. Caught a 2^nd viewing of Old Faithful before car hopping further.

Fave place of the Park – Midway Geyser Basin – in particular, Grand Prismatic Spring. Reds, yellows, blues, greens & oranges – minerals rainbow-coloured the landscape. Steam from these geysers created a hot humid mist – like walking thru a steamy billowing fog.

No place else on Earth – gotta/hafta/MUST see.

Spent our remaining daylight exploring a family of geysers – Artists Paintpots – before exiting west into Montana & another hour north to Ennis, where our 2-day cabin digs awaited (lotta driving, thanks Tom).

No marathon tomorrow. historic Virginia City, Grizzly Discovery Center & a 2^nd half-day in Yellowstone – still must see the Falls!

: ever get that feeling someone’s looking over your shoulder?

: Sacajawea Grave Site

: 15-year-old Shoshone guided Lewis & Clark westward to the Pacific

: fire on Hwy 26 – just east of the Tetons

: road closed remainder of July

: the Tetons

: Old Faithful

: never miss: erupts every 75-90 minutes

: Morning Glory Pool

: Grotto Geyser

: Upper Geyser Basin

: Castle Geyser

: stayed long enough to catch a 2nd eruption — FAAANNNTASTIC!

: Midway Geyser Basin

: two of the largest hot springs in the world

: Excelsior Geyser

: vents boil & churn water within the crater, creating a dense layer of steam

: Grand Prismatic Spring

: WOW, WOW, WOW!

: rainbow-coloured landscape

: my favourite place in the Park

: geyser basin sunset

: an hour north of Yellowstone, our sleep digs for the next 2 days

Yellowstone: Part 1 – Great Geysers

Posted in Rocky Mtn West | Tagged cemeteries, forest-fire, geysers, mineral-springs, nat'l-park | Leave a comment

trains, rains & glissading

Published July 8, 2015

Super excited to host my sister, niece & nephew last week – their first visit to Colorado.

[Gotta say though, made myself a wee bit crazy cleaning & painting before their arrival. 2 downstairs walls were ‘in-progress’ when I learned they were coming – 6 different splotches of green, blue & slate ‘til I decided on a colour.]

Been an unusually wet summer for my arid home state. Couple that with my sister’s natural string of luck – and we’re talking monsoon rainfall with high in the 50’s…in mid-July. Yep, without bad luck, my sis would have no luck at all. HA>

[Day 1’s hike shortened due to lightning. Horseback riding in Estes cancelled. Rocky Mountain Nat’l Park – fog, rain & snow – Alpine Center closed. Waterworld? Folks were wearing fleeces all week…bathing suits? Not so much. I’m telling ya…she’s got some luck.]

After 3 days of touring the USA’s 2^nd most sunniest state – in the rain – I decided to take a day from work to join in the fun.

Wednesday’s forecast – 100% rain, heavy at times. Yikes.

Met up with my family in Boulder, dropped the car at a Park N Ride, and travelled an hour-half west on I-70 to Silver Plume. Train ride in the Rockies & tour of a silver mine – rain or shine, there’s a lot to see & do in Colorado 🙂

[Thanks to a few thrift store purchases the night before, we arrived warm & appropriately layered.]

Colorado rail lines were created in the mid- to late 1800’s when silver mining was the state’s most profitable export. Easy 4 mile ride to Georgetown. Scenic path cut thru lodgepole pines — pretty views. The mine tour however…now that’s a reason to write home. Hippie Mike, our guide, was crazy knowledgeable. Lot of the original [mining] equipment remains abandoned underground. Got a tutorial on mining, learned ’bout Tommy Knockers & nabbed a sizeable stone to remember the day (rock garden addition) 🙂

Next up – St Mary’s Glacier. Who doesn’t wanna see snow in July, right?

Parked, geo-cached & WHOOSH – welcomed by a deluge of rain. My family are good sports – no fuss, no muss – hiked a mile in elevation & heavy precip. Just past St Mary’s alpine lake, another 500ft UP – SNOW, whole lotta snow. FAAANNNTASTIC!

Glissaded down a glacier swath with my nephew – Colorado fun in July 🙂

Glissading is the act of descending a steep snow- or scree-covered slope via a controlled slide on one’s feet or buttocks

Wet & cold – no worries, got it covered. 20 minutes away, finished our day at a mineral springs in Idaho Springs. Temps topped out at 115°F. Hot, soothing & relaxing – super end to a super fun day.

Friday’s plans? Mt. Bierstadt, my family’s first 14er.