321s on Pikes
12 miles
4,300 vertical
Had a really fun time on my maiden 321 voyage. I almost blew it off because I had a really lousy night of sleep. I went to bed at a decent hour, but it was probably 11:30 by the time I drifted off and I woke up often throughout the night. I was wide awake at 4am and should have just got up, but laid in bed until 4:59am. Was a little slow to get out the door and hit the road at 5:27. Made it to the gate at 7:15, paid my dues (remembered the $2 off coupon) and made good time to the summit. After fiddling around and getting ready, I finally got on the trail at 8:15.
It was interesting to run down the Barr Trail, as I have only run up it in the past. The day was beautifully sunny and the temperature was perfect and there was not a breeze. I took it pretty easy on the way down, making small talk with other runners heading down for the same workout, just taking in the scenery and enjoying the great morning.
My times for the first 3 down miles were 10:52, 7:44 and 9:56. At the A-Frame I tied my windbreaker around my waist, took a quick pee and got down to business. Feeling quite fresh, I started off pretty quick, but was quickly reminded that I was over 12k and I adjusted my pace accordingly. I wanted to just bury myself, but I knew I had to save a little for my 2 and 1, so I went a hard, but sustainable pace. First mile was 15:15, second mile was 13:15, then the third mile was 16:03 for a total of 44:33. I felt great and ran everything save for a very few steps on the 16 golden stairs. If this were all I were doing, I could have put a good bit more into the first 2 miles, but not sure how that would have set me up for the last mile, so it was probably a smart plan.
I went to the car to suck down some gel/drinks and add some more sunscreen, which seemed to take a bit longer than I had hoped. I don’t think it was a good thing to dilly dally, I should have had a quicker turnaround as I think that little break did me no favors.
I went even more cautious down 2, as my legs were feeling the effort and I had no reason to go too fast. 11:42 and 9:18 for the two down. Did a U and headed back up and I was in immediate distress, this was really hurting. My 2 up was just and exercise of survival and any confidence I had from the first 3 was quickly dashed and the effort seemed exaggerated. 14 flat for the first mile, then 18:09 for the final mile. Ouch. At this point I kicked around the idea of bagging it, but a quick drink and swig of gel made me feel a little better and I figured even if I had to walk it, I was going to get it done.
Down to the 1 to go sign in a pokey 12, then turned and just hit it hard to get it over with. “Hey, I actually feel better!” I was able to run most of it, and walked about half of the 16 stairs, but was feeling way better than my last trip through this stretch. Finished in 17:42 to the heckling of Claude who had just finished his trip from Elk Park. I gave him a ride back to his car and headed home.
I felt good today, but not great, I was expecting more out of my 2, but oh well, it was an awesome day on the mountain and this was an extremely beneficial workout which I look forward to doing again.
Summary:
Down 3: 10:52/07:44/09:56 = 28:30
Up 3: 15:15/13:15/16:03 = 44:33
Down 2: 11:42/09:18 = 21:00
Up 2: 14:00/18:09 = 32:09
Down 1: 12:00
Up 1: 17:42
Total: 155:54
Sierra
Sierra
Sunday, July 13, 2008
7/12/08 Green
7.5 miles
2,500 vertical
Social walk with Allison, Dave and Emily and the dogs (Sierra, Shep
2,500 vertical
Social walk with Allison, Dave and Emily and the dogs (Sierra, Shep
Friday, July 11, 2008
Tribute to Scooby in Dave's words.
Tribute for Scooby
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -- Will Rogers
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -- Will Rogers
Friends:Thank you so much for your heartfelt expressions of sympathy, empathy, condolence, and consolation on the recent loss of Scooby. Emily and I have cried and smiled over the many kind posts, lively anecdotes, and fun photos in this thread…and our hearts have been warmed by your support of us (including Shep!) and by your fond memories of Scooby. We have also received many PMs, emails, cards, and flowers from our FourteenerWorld friends...again, thank you so much for your support and generosity. Emily and I also offer reciprocal thoughts to all of you who considered Scooby a friend and welcomed him as a climbing partner, and who now feel his loss.The remainder of this post is my tribute to my best climbing buddy and forever friend, Scooby. I'll provide some of his history, list his mountaineering accomplishments, describe the circumstances and aftermath of his tragic demise, and expound upon his legacy. As a consequence of my psychological state, eloquence escapes me at the time I need it most... I hope that these words, photos, and recollections will comprise a worthy remembrance and farewell to such a loyal friend and incredible spirit.Emily and I brought Scooby home in July 1997, just after returning from our honeymoon. He was my first dog. Scooby lived with me in College Station, TX; I was on the faculty at Texas A&M University while Emily taught at a high school in Dallas. Scooby went to work with me every day (a two-mile walk each way), and sat in the office with me or went on walks with many of my students (he cheerfully served as a "surrogate" for those who missed their own dogs back home). He was a great traveling companion for my twice-monthly trips to Dallas, as he sat bolt upright in the passenger seat, enjoying the open Texas road and the passing scenery. This first year of our friendship, we established a clear pattern: nearly constant companions, separated only when I was in class, in stores, in restaurants, or on interviews.Scooby's mountaineering career commenced when we moved to Colorado in 1998. Tabeguache was his first fourteener; unfortunately, his sore feet precluded Shavano becoming his second fourteener that same day. Shep arrived in January 1999, so Scooby's big-brother job was to show him the mountain-climbing and trail-hiking ropes from the four-legged and low-center-of-gravity perspectives.During the summers of 2000-2004, canine-frisbee competitions limited our mountain-climbing activities. Both dogs were great performers in the toss-and-catch and distance events, and Emily and I each formed two teams paired with Scooby and Shep. Scooby won many first-, second-, and third-place awards in state and regional competitions. In 2001 and 2002, the Scooby-Emily team won several awards for long-distance catches; and, for several years, they held single-digit world-record placing among female competitors. My proudest canine-frisbee moment was in 2003, when the Scooby-Dave team won the season's Hershey Memorial Award for racking up the most points in toss-and-catch competitions. We also did frisbee demos at events for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and for a charity for the families of the Littleton-based flight crew killed on 9-11. And, Scooby and I were part of an intermission show at the 2001 Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials. Scooby's frisbee catching was shown on a Colorado Springs newscast and in photos published in The Gazette and in the Academy Spirit (the U.S. Air Force Academy newspaper). We "retired" from canine-frisbee competitions and events four years ago, as we decided to spend most of our time in the mountains rather than on city athletic fields.The incredible endurance, natural agility, fierce loyalty, and gentle demeanor characteristic of the border-collie breed pre-adapted Scooby to be a tireless hiker, nimble climber, devoted companion, and gregarious friend. He clearly took these innate attributes to higher levels in his love of hiking and mountain climbing, in his devoted partnership with Emily and me, and in his enjoyment of other human and canine company. We packed many many many outdoor times into our ten years in Colorado. Over the last several days, my review of personal notes, trip reports, and hundreds of photos allow me to derive the following list of mountaineering accomplishments for Scooby:-- 47 of the 59 Colorado fourteeners listed on the FourteenerWorld climbers page (he lacked Eolus, North Eolus, the Bells, Capitol, Longs, Sneffels, El Diente, Mt Wilson, Wilson, Little Bear, and Crestone Needle)-- 146 total fourteener ascents-- 11 winter fourteener ascents-- 5 traverses of the Sawtooth Ridge, including 1 in snow and 1 at night-- 3 ascents of the Kelso Ridge-- 19 ascents of 18 centennials, including a winter ascent of Cronin-- many other 13ers, including the Spanish Peaks, Apache, Squaretop, Organ, Baldy Alto, and Sheridan-- snow climbs of the Y Couloir, Little Italy Couloir (5X), Lost Rat Couloir, Angel of Shavano (4X), Queen's Way, south-face couloir on Democrat, north-face gully on Challenger (2X), and "Cincinnati Couloir" on Pikes-- dozens of climbs of local 9ers (e.g., Eagle, Herman, Blodgett)-- backpacking trips to the Rawah Wilderness, Buffalo Peaks Wilderness, Lost Creek Wilderness, Chicago Basin, Lake Como, Capitol Lake, Willow Lake, Navajo Lake, Snowmass Lake, Cochetopa Creek, and Barr Camp2008 was developing as a banner year for Scooby in the mountains. As of July 3, his high ascents for the year thus far were Rosedale, Sherman, Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross (2X), Grays (2X), Torreys (2X), Tiptop, Morgan, Santa Fe, Sullivan, Hope, Ruby, Cooper, Pikes, Castle, Wetterhorn, and Uncompahgre. Unfortunately, our long-anticipated plans for Wilson, El Diente, Sneffels, and The Needle this year will not be.
Before this tragedy forever changed our lives, we were already dealing with the potentiality of Scooby's imminent mortality, as he was diagnosed with a large hepatic tumor on June 30. The recommended surgery had a 10% mortality rate, and the survivors' prognoses depended upon a number of factors, not all of which were in Scooby's favor. With the vet-internist's approval, we delayed the lobectomy surgery a couple of weeks for the sake of our long-planned backpacking trip to Navajo Basin…sort of a "Make-a-Wish Foundation" outing for Scooby, and a way of giving him the most rewarding summer possible. He would have been out of climbing commission for several weeks after the surgery.The Fourth of July was the last day of Scooby's awesome life. The actual day was a relaxing and breezy time of sitting on the porch with coffee, running to a local park for a prolonged frisbee session, and driving to various stores and other destinations. He and Shep sensed the excitement of our late-afternoon cul-de-sac party, and they looked forward to canine partiers, more frisbee, loving children, and dropped food. My last sight of Scooby alive was of him awaiting a frisbee toss from one of our neighbors. Approximately three minutes later, as the aerial fireworks reached a crescendo, I noticed he was gone; we were very concerned, but had no idea that he had disappeared forever.Frightened by the fireworks, Scooby had bolted from the party, and apparently ran and ran and ran. A jogger saw him running on the primary road in our subdivision, and briefly grappled him to read his identification tags. Unfortunately, even though she held his tags, she failed to realize that he had a Ruff Wear collar under his happy tie-dye bandana, and he pulled away from her as a salvo of bottle rockets exploded overhead. This was the last chance for him to be saved. We frantically searched most of the night and all the next day. I quickly created a flier with his photo, and posted dozens of copies at local stores, on light poles, on street signs, and on "multi" mailboxes.As I was searching west of the interstate late Saturday afternoon, I received the sobbing phone call and crushing news from Emily: "Sharon found Scooby...and he's dead." I rushed to the scene (on the northbound lane of Interstate 25, approximately 200 feet south of the Baptist Road interchange), and ran across 75-mph traffic to where he lay. The beautiful and effortlessly bounding form I saw the previous day on the summit pitch of Wetterhorn was now incongruously reduced to a broken still body, with dusty and grass-littered fur blowing in the tailwind of each passing indifferent vehicle, enveloped in the malignant sound of tires on pavement. His laughing eyes were now cloudy and unseeing, and his expressive ears hung randomly. We carried him to the car on a blanket, and took him home. We let Shep say goodbye to Scooby in the garage...I then bagged his bloating body, and sullenly iced him down.This whole situation has been so completely unreal for Emily and me, and I keep expecting to wake up from my worst f--king nightmare. This is such an incredibly painful time...we miss Scooby so much, and still can't believe that he's gone forever. All that's physically left of him now are a few woofs of his fur (we trimmed off his white tail tip as a keepsake) and a small wooden box with his ashes; it's hard to believe that such a wonderful dog and boundless spirit have been distilled to a few ounces of sullen gray material.Scooby's life was tragically cut short, and Emily and I deeply mourn the trails that will not be walked, the peaks that will not be climbed, the frisbees that will not be chased, the new friends that will not be made. And, there are so many little Scooby things that I'll miss so much: his happy face at the front window when I came home from work; his fuzzy butt in my face in tiny tents; his head between the front seats of my truck as he watched the road; the black and white double dogpile at the bottom of stairs when Emily and I slept late Sunday morning; his joyful "woo woo woo woo woo" as we loaded into the truck for a mountain trip; his paw on my knee (at home) or shoulder (while driving) when he wanted something; his snoozing under my desk when he came with me to work; the way he and Shep often walked down the sidewalk and trails shoulder to shoulder, in the fluid coordinated motion reminiscent of figure skaters; him waiting patiently for the last veggies in the bowl; our weeknightly runs. But most of all, I will simply miss his loyal companionship, his comforting presence, and his endearing personality now that our 11-year streak has been forever broken.Over the last ten years since Tabeguache, Scooby and I have walked together on a long mountain trail that ended on Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre last Thursday. The two of us, along with Emily, Shep, Matt, Sharon, Jeff, Allison, Sierra, Hoot, and many others, have had many wonderful times together on the trails and peaks, and I will treasure these memories forever. The death of my loyal friend is the single worst event of my life…I have never experienced such profound sadness and crushing loss. But I derive great joy in reminiscing about the countless good times and from considering how he immeasurably enriched my life over these years. Scooby will no longer actively appear in my trip reports and photos…but, he will always be with me on the hikes and climbs.Finally, I close with appropriate mention of Scooby's special buddy, Shep. Several of you have asked about Shep...Emily and I are making a concerted effort to help him through this trying time. Clearly, he is disturbed, but we are not sure how much he understands. His demeanor is undoubtedly a combination of his own sense of loss and of the grief emanating from Emily and me. He made me choke up Monday night: I was working on the computer, while he was on a sleeping bag next to our bed. He suddenly jumped up, and bolted down the upstairs hallway to the far room....he either had a dream or heard something, and was desperately looking for Scooby...
Below is the most complete list of Scooby's FourteenerWorld climbing partners that I can recall right now. Thanks to all of you who considered him a friend and welcomed him as a trail partner over the years. I know that his outdoor experiences were enriched by the many friends he encountered on the trails and peaks. If I've left anyone off the list, please let me know...I'd like for this post to be record of his many friends.
Before this tragedy forever changed our lives, we were already dealing with the potentiality of Scooby's imminent mortality, as he was diagnosed with a large hepatic tumor on June 30. The recommended surgery had a 10% mortality rate, and the survivors' prognoses depended upon a number of factors, not all of which were in Scooby's favor. With the vet-internist's approval, we delayed the lobectomy surgery a couple of weeks for the sake of our long-planned backpacking trip to Navajo Basin…sort of a "Make-a-Wish Foundation" outing for Scooby, and a way of giving him the most rewarding summer possible. He would have been out of climbing commission for several weeks after the surgery.The Fourth of July was the last day of Scooby's awesome life. The actual day was a relaxing and breezy time of sitting on the porch with coffee, running to a local park for a prolonged frisbee session, and driving to various stores and other destinations. He and Shep sensed the excitement of our late-afternoon cul-de-sac party, and they looked forward to canine partiers, more frisbee, loving children, and dropped food. My last sight of Scooby alive was of him awaiting a frisbee toss from one of our neighbors. Approximately three minutes later, as the aerial fireworks reached a crescendo, I noticed he was gone; we were very concerned, but had no idea that he had disappeared forever.Frightened by the fireworks, Scooby had bolted from the party, and apparently ran and ran and ran. A jogger saw him running on the primary road in our subdivision, and briefly grappled him to read his identification tags. Unfortunately, even though she held his tags, she failed to realize that he had a Ruff Wear collar under his happy tie-dye bandana, and he pulled away from her as a salvo of bottle rockets exploded overhead. This was the last chance for him to be saved. We frantically searched most of the night and all the next day. I quickly created a flier with his photo, and posted dozens of copies at local stores, on light poles, on street signs, and on "multi" mailboxes.As I was searching west of the interstate late Saturday afternoon, I received the sobbing phone call and crushing news from Emily: "Sharon found Scooby...and he's dead." I rushed to the scene (on the northbound lane of Interstate 25, approximately 200 feet south of the Baptist Road interchange), and ran across 75-mph traffic to where he lay. The beautiful and effortlessly bounding form I saw the previous day on the summit pitch of Wetterhorn was now incongruously reduced to a broken still body, with dusty and grass-littered fur blowing in the tailwind of each passing indifferent vehicle, enveloped in the malignant sound of tires on pavement. His laughing eyes were now cloudy and unseeing, and his expressive ears hung randomly. We carried him to the car on a blanket, and took him home. We let Shep say goodbye to Scooby in the garage...I then bagged his bloating body, and sullenly iced him down.This whole situation has been so completely unreal for Emily and me, and I keep expecting to wake up from my worst f--king nightmare. This is such an incredibly painful time...we miss Scooby so much, and still can't believe that he's gone forever. All that's physically left of him now are a few woofs of his fur (we trimmed off his white tail tip as a keepsake) and a small wooden box with his ashes; it's hard to believe that such a wonderful dog and boundless spirit have been distilled to a few ounces of sullen gray material.Scooby's life was tragically cut short, and Emily and I deeply mourn the trails that will not be walked, the peaks that will not be climbed, the frisbees that will not be chased, the new friends that will not be made. And, there are so many little Scooby things that I'll miss so much: his happy face at the front window when I came home from work; his fuzzy butt in my face in tiny tents; his head between the front seats of my truck as he watched the road; the black and white double dogpile at the bottom of stairs when Emily and I slept late Sunday morning; his joyful "woo woo woo woo woo" as we loaded into the truck for a mountain trip; his paw on my knee (at home) or shoulder (while driving) when he wanted something; his snoozing under my desk when he came with me to work; the way he and Shep often walked down the sidewalk and trails shoulder to shoulder, in the fluid coordinated motion reminiscent of figure skaters; him waiting patiently for the last veggies in the bowl; our weeknightly runs. But most of all, I will simply miss his loyal companionship, his comforting presence, and his endearing personality now that our 11-year streak has been forever broken.Over the last ten years since Tabeguache, Scooby and I have walked together on a long mountain trail that ended on Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre last Thursday. The two of us, along with Emily, Shep, Matt, Sharon, Jeff, Allison, Sierra, Hoot, and many others, have had many wonderful times together on the trails and peaks, and I will treasure these memories forever. The death of my loyal friend is the single worst event of my life…I have never experienced such profound sadness and crushing loss. But I derive great joy in reminiscing about the countless good times and from considering how he immeasurably enriched my life over these years. Scooby will no longer actively appear in my trip reports and photos…but, he will always be with me on the hikes and climbs.Finally, I close with appropriate mention of Scooby's special buddy, Shep. Several of you have asked about Shep...Emily and I are making a concerted effort to help him through this trying time. Clearly, he is disturbed, but we are not sure how much he understands. His demeanor is undoubtedly a combination of his own sense of loss and of the grief emanating from Emily and me. He made me choke up Monday night: I was working on the computer, while he was on a sleeping bag next to our bed. He suddenly jumped up, and bolted down the upstairs hallway to the far room....he either had a dream or heard something, and was desperately looking for Scooby...
Below is the most complete list of Scooby's FourteenerWorld climbing partners that I can recall right now. Thanks to all of you who considered him a friend and welcomed him as a trail partner over the years. I know that his outdoor experiences were enriched by the many friends he encountered on the trails and peaks. If I've left anyone off the list, please let me know...I'd like for this post to be record of his many friends.
Jeff and Allison Valliere, and SierraHoot GibsonBrian FreiburgerMatt HaleKevin LundSue PersonettHeather MusmannoRyan MishmashJerry ShustrinJohn PraterKevin BakerSteve Hoffmeyer and Terri HorvathKen NolanJean AschenbrennerGerry and Jennifer RoachDoug HatfieldKate Decker and Paul StratmoenJeff and Jean Kunkle, and DenaliDwight SunwallBeau JeanmardDerrill RodgersBen OsbornJeremy HakesDoug ShawMark BrownForrest Thorniley, and LupineBob DawsonSharon AdamsSteve NichollsSteve CassinKeith and Beth BershaderCarol GerberJohn BroadbooksFerenc JacsoPete KrzanowskyJames JustGeorge BarnesNate StutzkeJoey LutherRyan Schilling and Erin BurrJamie PrincoRicky CarrJim WiseKevin and Diana CraigJared WorkmanJohn and Renata CollardMike Via
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Green Mountain
6.5 miles
2,500 vertical
45:40 up
31 down
Met George at Chautauqua, ran easy blabbing about all kinds of things, mostly training, Pikes Peak and of course Scooby and how much we get attached to our dogs. Legs a bit heavy from hard workouts the previous 2 days.
2,500 vertical
45:40 up
31 down
Met George at Chautauqua, ran easy blabbing about all kinds of things, mostly training, Pikes Peak and of course Scooby and how much we get attached to our dogs. Legs a bit heavy from hard workouts the previous 2 days.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Fairview Track
5 miles
0 vertical
After months of idle threats, I finally got to the track this morning for a good "speed" session (speedy for me).
I biked in from home, 7.25 miles at a casual pace which served as a good warmup. Warmed up on my feet for 2 laps easy, then did an 800 in 2:42 (1:17 at 400). I felt blown and discouraged, so I jogged around the field to find a place to pee and of course a truck of construction workers pull up as soon as I start the flow. A quick stop and casual trot makes it look as if I am just jogging around.
Back to the track, another slow lap, then I try for a mile. 1:22 on the first lap, 2:43 for 2, 4:12 at 3 laps then 5:32 for 4 laps.
I do a cooldown lap, then run a 2:40 800, cool down for another lap, then do another mile. 1:29?, 2:40, ?? for the 3rd then 5:39 for the mile. Not great, but better than I was last year.
Cooled down for a lap, then ran a 1:17 lap.
I find that I can't go much faster for 1 lap than I can for multiple, I just seem to have one gear.
I quit here, as my knee was talking to me a bit, which is the first time in months.
Ended up getting in 30 miles on the bike today.
0 vertical
After months of idle threats, I finally got to the track this morning for a good "speed" session (speedy for me).
I biked in from home, 7.25 miles at a casual pace which served as a good warmup. Warmed up on my feet for 2 laps easy, then did an 800 in 2:42 (1:17 at 400). I felt blown and discouraged, so I jogged around the field to find a place to pee and of course a truck of construction workers pull up as soon as I start the flow. A quick stop and casual trot makes it look as if I am just jogging around.
Back to the track, another slow lap, then I try for a mile. 1:22 on the first lap, 2:43 for 2, 4:12 at 3 laps then 5:32 for 4 laps.
I do a cooldown lap, then run a 2:40 800, cool down for another lap, then do another mile. 1:29?, 2:40, ?? for the 3rd then 5:39 for the mile. Not great, but better than I was last year.
Cooled down for a lap, then ran a 1:17 lap.
I find that I can't go much faster for 1 lap than I can for multiple, I just seem to have one gear.
I quit here, as my knee was talking to me a bit, which is the first time in months.
Ended up getting in 30 miles on the bike today.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
In Memorium of Scooby
My great climbing friend Dave had the terrible misfortune of having his dog Scooby run away due to being scared of home fireworks on the 4th. They found Scooby the next day dead on the side of I-25 in Monument.
Scooby was an 11 year old Border Collie and he, along with his brother Shep were 2 of the best dogs one would ever have the pleasure of meeting. Along with Sierra, these 3 dogs were an awesome team of happy doggy pals in the mountains and shared countless adventures together over the years. Scooby had climbed something like 50 unique Colorado 14ers and many other peaks. If you count repeats, Scooby probably had something close to 200 14er ascents. An amazing dog.
I put together a collection of my favorite pictures of Scooby and his friends over the past 3 years that I have known him. He will be missed greatly and leave an unfillable void.
Tuesday 7/8/08 Green Mountain
6 miles
2,400 vertical
37:46up
25 down
Wanted to do some sort of interval training today, but was not sure what until the last minute. I ended up doing 11 minute on/minute offs. Started from the Gregory TH and had a nice easy warm-up for 8 minutes up Gregory Canyon. The whole time I was fearing the pain that I knew I was about to go through. The first 2 efforts I felt as though I would explode and the minute on dragged forever, while the minute off seemed like 10 seconds. Things got progressively worse through effort #5 and I was thinking I could do no more, but then things came around and I felt consistently good on efforts 6-10 and then put in an unplanned 11th interval. This brought me to just below the first switchback before the 4 way junction. I jogged a moderate pace the remainder of the way to the summit and then came down the same way in an easy 25.
2,400 vertical
37:46up
25 down
Wanted to do some sort of interval training today, but was not sure what until the last minute. I ended up doing 11 minute on/minute offs. Started from the Gregory TH and had a nice easy warm-up for 8 minutes up Gregory Canyon. The whole time I was fearing the pain that I knew I was about to go through. The first 2 efforts I felt as though I would explode and the minute on dragged forever, while the minute off seemed like 10 seconds. Things got progressively worse through effort #5 and I was thinking I could do no more, but then things came around and I felt consistently good on efforts 6-10 and then put in an unplanned 11th interval. This brought me to just below the first switchback before the 4 way junction. I jogged a moderate pace the remainder of the way to the summit and then came down the same way in an easy 25.
Monday 7/7/08 Enchanted Mesa Skunk
~6 Miles
~1,000 vertical
~1hr
Started with the intention of heading up Green, but at the last second, took a left on Bluebell-Baird to the 1st access trail, over to the base of the 2nd and down the 3rd access trail to Mesa. S. on Mesa to Skunk, then put together bits and pieces of trail around Enchanted Mesa and back to Chautauqua and up to the car. Felt crappy to start, then OK once I was out for 15 or 20 minutes. Did not feel like going the least bit fast and just took it completely easy.
~1,000 vertical
~1hr
Started with the intention of heading up Green, but at the last second, took a left on Bluebell-Baird to the 1st access trail, over to the base of the 2nd and down the 3rd access trail to Mesa. S. on Mesa to Skunk, then put together bits and pieces of trail around Enchanted Mesa and back to Chautauqua and up to the car. Felt crappy to start, then OK once I was out for 15 or 20 minutes. Did not feel like going the least bit fast and just took it completely easy.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Saturday, July 5th, 2008 Eva, Flora, Parry, Bancroft
Flora, Eva, Parry, Bancroft
7/05/08
~12 miles
~5,000 vertical
Jeff and Allison Valliere, Kevin Lund and Rick Canter (for part of the way) and Sierra
At the last moment, plans came together to meet up with good friend and fellow 14erworld member Rick Canter at Berthoud Pass for a bit of hiking. Allison, Kevin and I had plans to cruise the divide for a ways while Rick would play things by ear and use the day for acclimating.
We agreed that we would eventually go our separate ways and try to rendezvous later for the return trip as we started up Mines Peak at 8:00am. Rick warned us that he might be hurting having only been in Colorado for a day after arriving from Maryland, but… Rick was moving quite well all things considered and cruised along no problem as we chatted about all things related to mountains. I love talking with Rick and especially admire his passion for the mountains and ambition to make trips out here to Colorado every year on his own and climb as many peaks as he can fit in. Even though he lives on the East Coast, he is a Coloradan at heart.
Sadly, we parted ways with Rick near the top of Mines Peak as we set off for more distant peaks. We made the surprisingly distant (but very easy) summit of Flora around 9:40ish and took a 25 minute break. Eva looked further away than expected and the drop to the saddle was a little bit more significant, however turned out to be a very easy walk.
Once on Eva, Allison and Kevin announced that they were done for the day, but I was eyeing Parry and Bancroft. They said they would meander back as I ran over to tag the other summits. Made Parry in 20 minutes, then another 13 to Bancroft. I took a 5 minute break and eyed/seriously contemplated running over to James, but did not want to have my hiking mates waiting/worrying.
I gassed it pretty hard on the way back and got back to Flora in about 40 minutes where I again met up with Allison and Kevin. There were a few dark clouds building and I was hoping to catch Rick on the way down, so we jogged most of the way.
Unfortunately, we never caught Rick as he was long gone when we returned to the pass at 1:45. I talked to Rick later and he had made it up Flora, but called it a day there.
As an aside, that evening we got a terrible phone call from Dave informing us that Scooby had passed away. After 3 years of countless climbs and great times with Scooby, Shep, Dave and Emily, it struck us particularly hard as we have become very attached. Scooby was in all ways one of the best dogs I have ever come across and we all loved him. If it is this hard on us, I just can’t imagine how bad Dave and Emily feel. Rest in Peace Scooby, your presence in the mountains will always be felt and never fogotten.
Pictures:http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r...on=tageditmany
7/05/08
~12 miles
~5,000 vertical
Jeff and Allison Valliere, Kevin Lund and Rick Canter (for part of the way) and Sierra
At the last moment, plans came together to meet up with good friend and fellow 14erworld member Rick Canter at Berthoud Pass for a bit of hiking. Allison, Kevin and I had plans to cruise the divide for a ways while Rick would play things by ear and use the day for acclimating.
We agreed that we would eventually go our separate ways and try to rendezvous later for the return trip as we started up Mines Peak at 8:00am. Rick warned us that he might be hurting having only been in Colorado for a day after arriving from Maryland, but… Rick was moving quite well all things considered and cruised along no problem as we chatted about all things related to mountains. I love talking with Rick and especially admire his passion for the mountains and ambition to make trips out here to Colorado every year on his own and climb as many peaks as he can fit in. Even though he lives on the East Coast, he is a Coloradan at heart.
Sadly, we parted ways with Rick near the top of Mines Peak as we set off for more distant peaks. We made the surprisingly distant (but very easy) summit of Flora around 9:40ish and took a 25 minute break. Eva looked further away than expected and the drop to the saddle was a little bit more significant, however turned out to be a very easy walk.
Once on Eva, Allison and Kevin announced that they were done for the day, but I was eyeing Parry and Bancroft. They said they would meander back as I ran over to tag the other summits. Made Parry in 20 minutes, then another 13 to Bancroft. I took a 5 minute break and eyed/seriously contemplated running over to James, but did not want to have my hiking mates waiting/worrying.
I gassed it pretty hard on the way back and got back to Flora in about 40 minutes where I again met up with Allison and Kevin. There were a few dark clouds building and I was hoping to catch Rick on the way down, so we jogged most of the way.
Unfortunately, we never caught Rick as he was long gone when we returned to the pass at 1:45. I talked to Rick later and he had made it up Flora, but called it a day there.
As an aside, that evening we got a terrible phone call from Dave informing us that Scooby had passed away. After 3 years of countless climbs and great times with Scooby, Shep, Dave and Emily, it struck us particularly hard as we have become very attached. Scooby was in all ways one of the best dogs I have ever come across and we all loved him. If it is this hard on us, I just can’t imagine how bad Dave and Emily feel. Rest in Peace Scooby, your presence in the mountains will always be felt and never fogotten.
Pictures:http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r...on=tageditmany
Friday July 4th, 2008, Jasper Peak
Jasper Peak (12,923)
7/04/08
6.6 miles RT
2,860 vertical
Northeast Slopes from 4th of July TH
Jeff and Allison Valliere, Kevin Lund and Sierra
Had an awesome hike on the 4th of July from the 4th of July TH (this was not a novel idea we observed on the way out, as there were cars parked down the road for nearly a mile!).
Started around 7:15am and got a good parking spot at the TH. Cruised up the trail to the Jasper Lake turn, dropped a bit of elevation to cross the creek and found the short lived trail on the South side of Middle Boulder Creek. From the end of the trail, it was a short and simple bushwhack to tree line.
We followed Roach’s route description to the small lake and then the crashed plane.From the plane, we headed up the NE slopes to the ridge. We could have avoided snow all the way to the ridge, but opted to cross a few patches as it is relatively low angle, the snow was perfect for kicking steps and we had axes.
We were kind of wishing we had brought crampons and started an hour earlier as there are ample moderately angled snow climbing opportunities here.Once on the ridge, we could peer over toward Snow Lion, Snow Leopard and Gaiteraid.
I was secretly wishing we had opted for Snow Lion, but it would have required a bit more planning and a much earlier start on the day (there was a significant amount of rocks littering the route, some as big as kitchen stoves).From the saddle, it was a snow climb up the ridge, not too steep, but with snow it was enough to keep your attention and we were happy to have our ice axes just for peace of mind.
We made the summit around 10:45am at a very leisurely pace and lounged for quite some time.The descent back was a breeze and involved some top notch boot skiing. All too soon we were on the main trail passing the masses, a stark contrast after spending most of the day by ourselves, only seeing 2 others briefly on the summit.All in all an awesome way to spend the 4th, topped off by going to a friends house for the requisite top notch BBQ.
Pictures:http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r...lliere/Jasper/
7/04/08
6.6 miles RT
2,860 vertical
Northeast Slopes from 4th of July TH
Jeff and Allison Valliere, Kevin Lund and Sierra
Had an awesome hike on the 4th of July from the 4th of July TH (this was not a novel idea we observed on the way out, as there were cars parked down the road for nearly a mile!).
Started around 7:15am and got a good parking spot at the TH. Cruised up the trail to the Jasper Lake turn, dropped a bit of elevation to cross the creek and found the short lived trail on the South side of Middle Boulder Creek. From the end of the trail, it was a short and simple bushwhack to tree line.
We followed Roach’s route description to the small lake and then the crashed plane.From the plane, we headed up the NE slopes to the ridge. We could have avoided snow all the way to the ridge, but opted to cross a few patches as it is relatively low angle, the snow was perfect for kicking steps and we had axes.
We were kind of wishing we had brought crampons and started an hour earlier as there are ample moderately angled snow climbing opportunities here.Once on the ridge, we could peer over toward Snow Lion, Snow Leopard and Gaiteraid.
I was secretly wishing we had opted for Snow Lion, but it would have required a bit more planning and a much earlier start on the day (there was a significant amount of rocks littering the route, some as big as kitchen stoves).From the saddle, it was a snow climb up the ridge, not too steep, but with snow it was enough to keep your attention and we were happy to have our ice axes just for peace of mind.
We made the summit around 10:45am at a very leisurely pace and lounged for quite some time.The descent back was a breeze and involved some top notch boot skiing. All too soon we were on the main trail passing the masses, a stark contrast after spending most of the day by ourselves, only seeing 2 others briefly on the summit.All in all an awesome way to spend the 4th, topped off by going to a friends house for the requisite top notch BBQ.
Pictures:http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r...lliere/Jasper/
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Green Mountain
5.5 miles
2,400 vertical
41:57up/30 down
Felt like absolute crap today, like I had cinder blocks attached to my feet. Even though I immediately knew it was not my day and I resolved to go slow, it still seemed like a disproportionate amount of effort just to make it to the summit, never mind the time.
Excuses excuses for today:
A 17 hour straight moving/unpacking Ultramarathon on Monday
Crappy sleep all week
Crappy eating all week
Biking hard yesterday (not having been biking at all for a long time)
Skipping breakfast (I bonked hard near the top to add insult to injury)
2,400 vertical
41:57up/30 down
Felt like absolute crap today, like I had cinder blocks attached to my feet. Even though I immediately knew it was not my day and I resolved to go slow, it still seemed like a disproportionate amount of effort just to make it to the summit, never mind the time.
Excuses excuses for today:
A 17 hour straight moving/unpacking Ultramarathon on Monday
Crappy sleep all week
Crappy eating all week
Biking hard yesterday (not having been biking at all for a long time)
Skipping breakfast (I bonked hard near the top to add insult to injury)
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Green Mountain x 1.5
~8 miles
3,500 vertical
Got out with George today for a trip and a half up Green. Up the front, down Greenman to Ranger, back up to summit, met Allison and Sierra, then down Ranger/Gregory. Never really even checked times. I think I had 41:51 up the standard route from Gregory TH.
3,500 vertical
Got out with George today for a trip and a half up Green. Up the front, down Greenman to Ranger, back up to summit, met Allison and Sierra, then down Ranger/Gregory. Never really even checked times. I think I had 41:51 up the standard route from Gregory TH.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Green Mountain
6 miles
2,400 vertical
51 up
Got out with Allison and Sierra today up Gregory/Ranger. It was surprisingly cool. Stuck with Allison and went fairly easy, but she was working a bit hard due to time spent slacking at sea level. Lots of awesome butterflies out today.
2,400 vertical
51 up
Got out with Allison and Sierra today up Gregory/Ranger. It was surprisingly cool. Stuck with Allison and went fairly easy, but she was working a bit hard due to time spent slacking at sea level. Lots of awesome butterflies out today.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Green Mountain
5 miles
2,400 vert
37:18 up/25 down
Day 4 in a row on Green, I just don't get sick of it for some reason. It is so quiet and peaceful. The trail is a good gradient and offers a good bit of variation and some fun views along the way.
Went moderate today, never pushed at all, but never really slacked either, just kept it steady. Felt good from the first step and felt better with each step up, felt like I could have really poured it on this morning, especially on the upper half, but refrained. Near Saddle Rock, I passed an older gentleman who I have seen many times in the past few weeks, probably in his 60's. He was moving pretty quick and it took me a little longer to pass than I anticipated. On the way down, he was already at the last wooden step before the final switchbacks. Pretty amazing, I sure hope I can stay that fit and active at that age.
2,400 vert
37:18 up/25 down
Day 4 in a row on Green, I just don't get sick of it for some reason. It is so quiet and peaceful. The trail is a good gradient and offers a good bit of variation and some fun views along the way.
Went moderate today, never pushed at all, but never really slacked either, just kept it steady. Felt good from the first step and felt better with each step up, felt like I could have really poured it on this morning, especially on the upper half, but refrained. Near Saddle Rock, I passed an older gentleman who I have seen many times in the past few weeks, probably in his 60's. He was moving pretty quick and it took me a little longer to pass than I anticipated. On the way down, he was already at the last wooden step before the final switchbacks. Pretty amazing, I sure hope I can stay that fit and active at that age.
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