"Men wanted for Hazardous Journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."
We are planning on starting from the S. Mt. Elbert TH around 7:15am and taking the East Ridge route. Stats are 11 miles RT, 5,000 vertical and will take the group roughly 8 hours.
Oh, this will be significantly more pleasant than Pikes last August ;).
Sierra
Sierra
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Saturday, 01/10/09 Quandary Peak
Quandary Peak
01/10/09
5.4 miles
3,370 vertical
Jeff and Allison Valliere, John Prater, Kevin Lund, Steve Hoffmeyer, John Broadbooks, Paul Stratmoen, Mike Via, Carol Gerber and Sierra.
5:36 RT
We enjoyed a great Fourteenerworld “Winter Warriors” outing today up Quandary Peak. It was a bit cold at the start (I think Paul said something about -7 or so) and it took me a while to warm up my toes and feet. We made good time through the trees and split into a few small groups that varied moment to moment. It was nice to go casual and enjoy a bit of conversation and picture taking, as conversation would soon become very limited.
As we gained elevation, the winds increased with each foot. Sierra was doing pretty well, but as cold and windy as it was, I was starting to get a bit worried about her paws. She did not seem as concerned, but to be on the safe side, I stopped periodically and warmed her feet.As we were getting close to the summit, I decided to hurry ahead, then get back down quickly with Sierra to get her out of the worst of the elements. As I increased my effort up the final ~1,000 feet, I got pretty warm despite the serious wind/cold and the heat I generated fogged/froze the inside of my goggles. I had no choice but to put them on my head, leaving my face exposed for the final few hundred feet. Fighting the headwind and ground blizzard, this final stretch seemed to take a long time.
I was hoping that there would be the usual wind shadow once we topped out, where I could deal with my goggles and relax a bit, but it was just the opposite, as the wind went from fiercely strong to nearly intolerable. The final ~200 lateral feet to the true summit was probably the worst I have endured, as I had now ditched my completely useless goggles and now had no face or eye protection for a short while. I alternately staggered and hunkered my way across to the true summit, the wind snatching each breath as I struggled to inhale.Once on the summit, I huddled over my pack and quickly swapped my goggles (bringing an extra pair saved me) and tried to dig out my camera for a photo, but my jacket zipper was frozen.
I looked around for Sierra (I could swear she was with me), but did not see her. I was so consumed with my own discomfort, I was not paying attention to her. I was seriously nervous that she may have blown off the top and was frantically searching around the immediate summit area. I did not see her, so I started back, where John confirmed that she was heading down to shepherd Allison to the summit.
Once I dropped off the summit about a 100 vertical, I sat in the relative wind shadow where I put Sierra on my lap to cover her up with my body to warm her which I think worked well. Once Allison tagged the summit and re-joined us, we quickly headed down to get out of the wind and wait for the remainder of the group. It was pretty close to treeline before we found a respite from the wind, as conditions actually worsened on the descent. We passed several groups heading up into the maelstrom and I was very relieved to be heading down.
Due to dog sitting duties, Allison and I, along with Kevin and John had to boogey and were sorry not to finish the day as a group. Despite the tough conditions up high, it was a successful and enjoyable day with all 9 people and Sierra making the summit.
Pictures:
http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/2009_01_10_Quandary/
01/10/09
5.4 miles
3,370 vertical
Jeff and Allison Valliere, John Prater, Kevin Lund, Steve Hoffmeyer, John Broadbooks, Paul Stratmoen, Mike Via, Carol Gerber and Sierra.
5:36 RT
We enjoyed a great Fourteenerworld “Winter Warriors” outing today up Quandary Peak. It was a bit cold at the start (I think Paul said something about -7 or so) and it took me a while to warm up my toes and feet. We made good time through the trees and split into a few small groups that varied moment to moment. It was nice to go casual and enjoy a bit of conversation and picture taking, as conversation would soon become very limited.
As we gained elevation, the winds increased with each foot. Sierra was doing pretty well, but as cold and windy as it was, I was starting to get a bit worried about her paws. She did not seem as concerned, but to be on the safe side, I stopped periodically and warmed her feet.As we were getting close to the summit, I decided to hurry ahead, then get back down quickly with Sierra to get her out of the worst of the elements. As I increased my effort up the final ~1,000 feet, I got pretty warm despite the serious wind/cold and the heat I generated fogged/froze the inside of my goggles. I had no choice but to put them on my head, leaving my face exposed for the final few hundred feet. Fighting the headwind and ground blizzard, this final stretch seemed to take a long time.
I was hoping that there would be the usual wind shadow once we topped out, where I could deal with my goggles and relax a bit, but it was just the opposite, as the wind went from fiercely strong to nearly intolerable. The final ~200 lateral feet to the true summit was probably the worst I have endured, as I had now ditched my completely useless goggles and now had no face or eye protection for a short while. I alternately staggered and hunkered my way across to the true summit, the wind snatching each breath as I struggled to inhale.Once on the summit, I huddled over my pack and quickly swapped my goggles (bringing an extra pair saved me) and tried to dig out my camera for a photo, but my jacket zipper was frozen.
I looked around for Sierra (I could swear she was with me), but did not see her. I was so consumed with my own discomfort, I was not paying attention to her. I was seriously nervous that she may have blown off the top and was frantically searching around the immediate summit area. I did not see her, so I started back, where John confirmed that she was heading down to shepherd Allison to the summit.
Once I dropped off the summit about a 100 vertical, I sat in the relative wind shadow where I put Sierra on my lap to cover her up with my body to warm her which I think worked well. Once Allison tagged the summit and re-joined us, we quickly headed down to get out of the wind and wait for the remainder of the group. It was pretty close to treeline before we found a respite from the wind, as conditions actually worsened on the descent. We passed several groups heading up into the maelstrom and I was very relieved to be heading down.
Due to dog sitting duties, Allison and I, along with Kevin and John had to boogey and were sorry not to finish the day as a group. Despite the tough conditions up high, it was a successful and enjoyable day with all 9 people and Sierra making the summit.
Pictures:
http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/2009_01_10_Quandary/
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Thursday, 01/08/09 Woods Mountain and Mt. Parnassus
Woods Mountain and Mt. Parnassus
1/08/2009
~8 miles
~3,800 vertical
Jeff, Allison and Sierra Valliere
5 hours 52 minutes
Woke up around 7am without a plan, but Allison and I were itching to get up high. Where to go with the least amount of wind? Good question. I have been wanting to get up Woods Mountain for a while, as I have always passed it by on previous trips to Parnassus, so Woods fits the bill perfectly today, as it is close, non committing and there is little if any avy risk. We packed up quick and got out the door by 8:10, then battled…. of all things…. SKI TRAFFIC! What? On a Thursday after the big holiday vacation? Whooda thought?
After a slow drive and a slower prep in the car (the wind was howling, so I think we were both procrastinating a bit), we were on the trail by 10:03am. The first short stretch to the junction had been travelled recently, but beyond that, I had to break trail to treeline. At first it was consolidated underneath, but eventually, following the old track became difficult, yet fortunately most of the new snow had blown away.The temperature was balmy and snow was balling under our snowshoes from the start, but to compensate, the wind was whipping spindrift in our faces a bit as we entered the valley below Parnassus. We took a leisurely ½ hour lunch break in the shelter of a nice stand of trees before we began the tundra walk to the summit, as I was determined not to bonk again like last Sunday on Democrat. I added my warm layers and such while conditions were tolerable, but wouldn’t you know the wind subsided as we broke treeline and I had to go super slow as to not overheat.
We continued upward at a leisurely pace to the summit of Woods and our exposure to the wind increased significantly and I was finally glad to have those layers on. We hung out for a while enjoying the views as it was not too cold and we were in no hurry. On the way back down to the saddle, I proposed heading up Parnassus for kicks and surprisingly Allison bit.
The trip up Parnassus went by quick, yet the wind was reaching ferocious speeds, tossing us around like rag dolls at times. The summit, as is often times the case, was less windy than the ascent and we enjoyed another nice break. The stroll back to the car was easy and uneventful as we lingered from time to time, soaking in such an awesome day. Finished at 3:55pm, just in time for a bit more ski traffic.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Sunday, 1/04/09 Decalibron
Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bross
1/04/09
~12 miles
~4,600 vertical
Jeff Valliere and John Prater
John called me on Saturday to see if I wanted to get out for a high peak or four on Sunday. The weather report looked a bit cold, but doesn’t it always look cold in winter? What else would one expect? He suggested Decalibron, as he had come across some recent info that snowshoes would not be necessary and that was all I needed to hear to sell me on the trip.The drive to the TH was slow on snowy/icy roads and we kept close tabs on the temperature readings…. 1, -8, -14 etc… but at least there was no wind.
Once over Hoosier Pass, there was barely a trace of fresh snow and the temperature slowly climbed to a relatively balmy +1 degree at the winter TH near Paris Mill.Progress along the Kite Lake Road to Kite Lake was no problem without snowshoes as what little snow remained, was nice solid crust that held our weight for the most part. Though cold, we were dressed right and we were very thankful that there was no wind, sure that the banshees were busy elsewhere, harassing Ken on another peak somewhere in the Sawatch perhaps?
After a brief bio stop at the Nolan Warming Hut (sorry Ken, I had no choice ), we made our way up toward the Democrat/Cameron saddle. Eventually, once the slopes steepened, progress was complicated by variable snow, one step might glance off bulletproof crust, the next would be a knee deep wallow. Generally conditions were reasonable, but as I neared the saddle, I started to bonk a bit and was not too keen on stopping to eat, as the wind was picking up and I was hoping to find a more sheltered spot to stop. We plugged along up the steep, loose and snowy rocks, where I was getting mildly annoyed with the crappy conditions and slow going. I assumed that we were getting close to the top, but a view of the true summit, surprisingly far away, almost had me turning tail.
I slowly plodded my way to the false summit, where I stopped to put on a shell, goggles and mittens, but it was now very cold and my hands went numb as a result of my fumbling around with bare hands. I blew off eating and went chasing after John toward the true summit of Democrat where our stay was brief. Soon, we were skittering down the snowy talus to the saddle and quickly found a somewhat sheltered spot to eat as we started up Cameron.I was completely running on empty at this point, but I managed to force down some Chicken Tortilla soup, Heed, Clif Shot Bloks and vitamin I for my now pounding headache. John seemed to be feeling great and maintained a one sided conversation as I could hardly muster a response. Part of me wanted to bail here, but this break provided me with just enough to keep plugging along, “one foot in front of the other” I kept telling myself.
The trip up Cameron was windy and cold, but not horrible, as the trail conditions were mostly good with minimal trail breaking. The winds increased significantly on Cameron, but fortunately, we found a bit of a lull on the way to Lincoln, where we added more layers (a Masque for me and a shell for John). The out and back to Lincoln went quick as expected, then after another short break, we settled in for the long walk over to Bross. Although I had managed to get down some food and drink, I was still not feeling all that great and was just kind of cruising on autopilot, in my own sealed cocoon, beneath all the constrictive layers. The winds on the way to Bross continued to increase and were at moments, gusting to raging banshee level. Fortunately, I had my warmest clothing on where I managed to hide all skin and still had no goggle fogging issues. I think the wind helped with this, along with deliberate forced exhalations. We passed a few signs along the way, but like Ken, could not totally make out what they said .
Relieved to crest our final peak for the day, we did not linger for more than a few minutes and started down the standard route as the wind in my face threatened to rip off my goggles. At first, the trail was mostly windswept and dry which made for efficient travel, but as we descended and rounded the corner, the snow on the trail increased and made for all kinds of slips and slides as it concealed ice, rocks and anything else that made an ankle twist or a foot slip. Progress became painfully slow and my wrists were aching from using my poles to remain upright.After many slips, slides and near crashes, we were relieved to finally arrive at the Kite Lake Road, where the remainder of the hike would be a cruise.
The wind had mostly subsided at the lower elevations, but with the waning daylight, it was still cold, so we opted to not shed layers and just cruised back to the car without stopping.Although I felt really low on energy today and developed a splitting headache, I still had a great time and felt a sense of satisfaction to get in a few new winter 14ers. Although cold and windy up high, it was not as bad as we had expected and certainly could have been a lot worse. As always, it was great getting out with John and I owe him for pushing me along for much of the day and getting my lazy/wimpy a$$ out in the high mountains.
Rough time splits:
Depart from Paris Mill: 8:15am
Kite Lake: 9:20am
Democrat: 11:20am-ish
Cameron: 12:40pm?
Lincoln: 12:55pm
Bross: 1:40pm
Finish: 3:15pm
1/04/09
~12 miles
~4,600 vertical
Jeff Valliere and John Prater
John called me on Saturday to see if I wanted to get out for a high peak or four on Sunday. The weather report looked a bit cold, but doesn’t it always look cold in winter? What else would one expect? He suggested Decalibron, as he had come across some recent info that snowshoes would not be necessary and that was all I needed to hear to sell me on the trip.The drive to the TH was slow on snowy/icy roads and we kept close tabs on the temperature readings…. 1, -8, -14 etc… but at least there was no wind.
Once over Hoosier Pass, there was barely a trace of fresh snow and the temperature slowly climbed to a relatively balmy +1 degree at the winter TH near Paris Mill.Progress along the Kite Lake Road to Kite Lake was no problem without snowshoes as what little snow remained, was nice solid crust that held our weight for the most part. Though cold, we were dressed right and we were very thankful that there was no wind, sure that the banshees were busy elsewhere, harassing Ken on another peak somewhere in the Sawatch perhaps?
After a brief bio stop at the Nolan Warming Hut (sorry Ken, I had no choice ), we made our way up toward the Democrat/Cameron saddle. Eventually, once the slopes steepened, progress was complicated by variable snow, one step might glance off bulletproof crust, the next would be a knee deep wallow. Generally conditions were reasonable, but as I neared the saddle, I started to bonk a bit and was not too keen on stopping to eat, as the wind was picking up and I was hoping to find a more sheltered spot to stop. We plugged along up the steep, loose and snowy rocks, where I was getting mildly annoyed with the crappy conditions and slow going. I assumed that we were getting close to the top, but a view of the true summit, surprisingly far away, almost had me turning tail.
I slowly plodded my way to the false summit, where I stopped to put on a shell, goggles and mittens, but it was now very cold and my hands went numb as a result of my fumbling around with bare hands. I blew off eating and went chasing after John toward the true summit of Democrat where our stay was brief. Soon, we were skittering down the snowy talus to the saddle and quickly found a somewhat sheltered spot to eat as we started up Cameron.I was completely running on empty at this point, but I managed to force down some Chicken Tortilla soup, Heed, Clif Shot Bloks and vitamin I for my now pounding headache. John seemed to be feeling great and maintained a one sided conversation as I could hardly muster a response. Part of me wanted to bail here, but this break provided me with just enough to keep plugging along, “one foot in front of the other” I kept telling myself.
The trip up Cameron was windy and cold, but not horrible, as the trail conditions were mostly good with minimal trail breaking. The winds increased significantly on Cameron, but fortunately, we found a bit of a lull on the way to Lincoln, where we added more layers (a Masque for me and a shell for John). The out and back to Lincoln went quick as expected, then after another short break, we settled in for the long walk over to Bross. Although I had managed to get down some food and drink, I was still not feeling all that great and was just kind of cruising on autopilot, in my own sealed cocoon, beneath all the constrictive layers. The winds on the way to Bross continued to increase and were at moments, gusting to raging banshee level. Fortunately, I had my warmest clothing on where I managed to hide all skin and still had no goggle fogging issues. I think the wind helped with this, along with deliberate forced exhalations. We passed a few signs along the way, but like Ken, could not totally make out what they said .
Relieved to crest our final peak for the day, we did not linger for more than a few minutes and started down the standard route as the wind in my face threatened to rip off my goggles. At first, the trail was mostly windswept and dry which made for efficient travel, but as we descended and rounded the corner, the snow on the trail increased and made for all kinds of slips and slides as it concealed ice, rocks and anything else that made an ankle twist or a foot slip. Progress became painfully slow and my wrists were aching from using my poles to remain upright.After many slips, slides and near crashes, we were relieved to finally arrive at the Kite Lake Road, where the remainder of the hike would be a cruise.
The wind had mostly subsided at the lower elevations, but with the waning daylight, it was still cold, so we opted to not shed layers and just cruised back to the car without stopping.Although I felt really low on energy today and developed a splitting headache, I still had a great time and felt a sense of satisfaction to get in a few new winter 14ers. Although cold and windy up high, it was not as bad as we had expected and certainly could have been a lot worse. As always, it was great getting out with John and I owe him for pushing me along for much of the day and getting my lazy/wimpy a$$ out in the high mountains.
Rough time splits:
Depart from Paris Mill: 8:15am
Kite Lake: 9:20am
Democrat: 11:20am-ish
Cameron: 12:40pm?
Lincoln: 12:55pm
Bross: 1:40pm
Finish: 3:15pm
Thursday, January 1, 2009
2008, The Good, Bad and the Ugly
2008 Highs, Lows and everything in between, some random musings.....
2008 was yet again another great year in the mountains, hiking, running, climbing, camping and enjoying the great outdoors with Allison, Sierra and many great friends.
I have had too many good times this year to list here, but have shared MANY great moments on mountain trails and summits with Allison, Sierra, Dave and Emily Hale, Scooby, Shep and Kiefer (the dog and the 14erworld member), Kevin Lund, John Prater, Hoot, Jeff Kunkle, my parents, my in-laws, George Zack, Dave Mackey, Ken Nolan, Jean A, Steve Hoffmeyer, Gerry and Jennifer Roach, Aron Ralston, Jason Halladay, Dwight Sunwall, Pete K, Rick Canter and many other friends and acquaintances from 14erworld and beyond.
I was also able to guide Allison to the summits of some of her last remaining 14ers this summer. I had a great time in the process, as I feel a great sense of satisfaction about helping her complete the list and achieve her goals. I enjoy this as much or more than I did finishing the list for myself the first time around. We also got in some new centennial peaks, new 13ers, 12ers, LCW peaks etc….
I am also very thankful to have finally healed the patellar tendonitis that had plagued me for most of 2007, which was majorly cutting into my hiking and running. I went under the care of Dr. Jeremy Rodgers here in Louisville(http://www.coloradosportschiro.com/custom_content/103019_jeremy_rodgers_dc_atc.html) in January where he prescribed a regime of strengthening exercises, administered ultrasound treatment, provided a knee brace, suggested minimal hill climbing/descending and gait modification. After two months of diligence and impatience, I got to the point where my aching knee was no longer a detriment to my outdoor enjoyment.
This soon led me back to my daily mountain runs and weekend mountain climbing trips where I felt great to be getting out with no reservations.
The lowest point of the year was certainly the untimely and tragic loss of Dave and Emily’s dog Scooby. Scooby was more than your average dog, he was extremely intelligent, friendly, athletic and was one of our best hiking partners. Hikes without Scooby still feels incomplete, as his absence is still profoundly felt and he will be greatly missed by all.
My running this year improved as well. It helped tremendously both mentally and physically to finally get my knee healed. I also feel as though I have become more efficient with my stride/cadence and also have improved my pacing on my hard runs. I also improved a good bit on my descending which was a bit of a surprise, as it was somewhat unintentional.
I raced several times this year and was happy with my results and fitness. Of course my running goal of the year was the Pikes Peak Ascent, where I had hoped to PR and really felt ready to do so, but Mother Nature had other plans, delivering the worst weather in the history of the race and I unfortunately did not cope with the adverse conditions as well as I had expected or hoped. I have slowly accepted this though and have learned that it is ridiculous to judge an entire season on ~3 hours in mid August. Regardless of Pikes, I did set some personal bests this year that had me feeling quite elated. Some of my proudest running moments from 2008…..
Grays Peak from Stevens Gulch TH in 54:38
Sanitas PR 16:23
Mt. Yale from Denny Creek TH 1:19:24
Green Mountain PR in 33:19 (via Amphi/Saddle/Greenman trails).
Green Mountain from Chautauqua in 36:46 (60:24 RT)
Bear Peak RT PR 1:03:13
Superflag on the road 37:59
Mt. Evans Road Race 2:09:18 (13th overall, 2nd age division).
Finishing "first" in the Basic Boulder Mountain Marathon (4 peaks, 22 miles/7,000 vert. in 3:34)
I look forward to many more great adventures in 2009, new peaks, fast runs, a few races, but most importantly, enjoying the company of Allison, Sierra and my many great friends that make these outdoor adventures all the more enjoyable. Happy New Year!
2008 Stats:
716,446 Vertical Feet
1,936.9 Miles
268 Days
73 Green Mountain
71 Sanitas
39 Bear Peak
38 South Boulder Peak
33 14ers
30 13ers
19 12ers
12 11ers
25 Misc Peaks under 10,000 feet
340 Total Peaks
December 2004 thru December 2008 total stats: (Since I first started keeping detailed records)
2,326,975 Vertical Feet
6,120 Miles
2008 was yet again another great year in the mountains, hiking, running, climbing, camping and enjoying the great outdoors with Allison, Sierra and many great friends.
I have had too many good times this year to list here, but have shared MANY great moments on mountain trails and summits with Allison, Sierra, Dave and Emily Hale, Scooby, Shep and Kiefer (the dog and the 14erworld member), Kevin Lund, John Prater, Hoot, Jeff Kunkle, my parents, my in-laws, George Zack, Dave Mackey, Ken Nolan, Jean A, Steve Hoffmeyer, Gerry and Jennifer Roach, Aron Ralston, Jason Halladay, Dwight Sunwall, Pete K, Rick Canter and many other friends and acquaintances from 14erworld and beyond.
I was also able to guide Allison to the summits of some of her last remaining 14ers this summer. I had a great time in the process, as I feel a great sense of satisfaction about helping her complete the list and achieve her goals. I enjoy this as much or more than I did finishing the list for myself the first time around. We also got in some new centennial peaks, new 13ers, 12ers, LCW peaks etc….
I am also very thankful to have finally healed the patellar tendonitis that had plagued me for most of 2007, which was majorly cutting into my hiking and running. I went under the care of Dr. Jeremy Rodgers here in Louisville(http://www.coloradosportschiro.com/custom_content/103019_jeremy_rodgers_dc_atc.html) in January where he prescribed a regime of strengthening exercises, administered ultrasound treatment, provided a knee brace, suggested minimal hill climbing/descending and gait modification. After two months of diligence and impatience, I got to the point where my aching knee was no longer a detriment to my outdoor enjoyment.
This soon led me back to my daily mountain runs and weekend mountain climbing trips where I felt great to be getting out with no reservations.
The lowest point of the year was certainly the untimely and tragic loss of Dave and Emily’s dog Scooby. Scooby was more than your average dog, he was extremely intelligent, friendly, athletic and was one of our best hiking partners. Hikes without Scooby still feels incomplete, as his absence is still profoundly felt and he will be greatly missed by all.
My running this year improved as well. It helped tremendously both mentally and physically to finally get my knee healed. I also feel as though I have become more efficient with my stride/cadence and also have improved my pacing on my hard runs. I also improved a good bit on my descending which was a bit of a surprise, as it was somewhat unintentional.
I raced several times this year and was happy with my results and fitness. Of course my running goal of the year was the Pikes Peak Ascent, where I had hoped to PR and really felt ready to do so, but Mother Nature had other plans, delivering the worst weather in the history of the race and I unfortunately did not cope with the adverse conditions as well as I had expected or hoped. I have slowly accepted this though and have learned that it is ridiculous to judge an entire season on ~3 hours in mid August. Regardless of Pikes, I did set some personal bests this year that had me feeling quite elated. Some of my proudest running moments from 2008…..
Grays Peak from Stevens Gulch TH in 54:38
Sanitas PR 16:23
Mt. Yale from Denny Creek TH 1:19:24
Green Mountain PR in 33:19 (via Amphi/Saddle/Greenman trails).
Green Mountain from Chautauqua in 36:46 (60:24 RT)
Bear Peak RT PR 1:03:13
Superflag on the road 37:59
Mt. Evans Road Race 2:09:18 (13th overall, 2nd age division).
Finishing "first" in the Basic Boulder Mountain Marathon (4 peaks, 22 miles/7,000 vert. in 3:34)
I look forward to many more great adventures in 2009, new peaks, fast runs, a few races, but most importantly, enjoying the company of Allison, Sierra and my many great friends that make these outdoor adventures all the more enjoyable. Happy New Year!
2008 Stats:
716,446 Vertical Feet
1,936.9 Miles
268 Days
73 Green Mountain
71 Sanitas
39 Bear Peak
38 South Boulder Peak
33 14ers
30 13ers
19 12ers
12 11ers
25 Misc Peaks under 10,000 feet
340 Total Peaks
December 2004 thru December 2008 total stats: (Since I first started keeping detailed records)
2,326,975 Vertical Feet
6,120 Miles
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, 12/31/08 S. Boulder, Bear, Green, Flagstaff, Sanitas
~16 miles
~6,250 vert
Homie, Sierra and I completed the skyline traverse, South to North from the South Mesa TH, over S. Boulder, Bear, Green, Flag and Sanitas. Went pretty casual for the most part, 3:50 to the summit of Sanitas, 4:19 total. Great day, sunny and warm, great way to wrap up the year with a great friend.
~6,250 vert
Homie, Sierra and I completed the skyline traverse, South to North from the South Mesa TH, over S. Boulder, Bear, Green, Flag and Sanitas. Went pretty casual for the most part, 3:50 to the summit of Sanitas, 4:19 total. Great day, sunny and warm, great way to wrap up the year with a great friend.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, 12/30/08 Sanitas
3 miles
1,300 vertical
I was hoping to get out this morning for a lap on Sanitas, but 100mph winds thwarted those plans. The winds finally calmed in the afternoon and the warm sun and calm air proved irresistable. I started sometime around 3:30pm and still had plenty of sun once I got up on the ridge for both the ascent and descent. I felt surprisingly good after my 3 day "off season" and my legs felt strong and springy. The trail on the S. Ridge is completely melted out and it was great to not be wearing scratchy/heavy studded shoes. I went moderate for the first 1/3, then upped it to "hard moderate"/"lower end of hard" for the upper 2/3 and made the summit in 18:31. I certainly felt as though I had more to give which was encouraging, just no sense going too fast right now. I went quick on the descent, but certainly did not feel as though I was pushing and was surprised to be down in 12 minutes for a 30:31 RT.
1,300 vertical
I was hoping to get out this morning for a lap on Sanitas, but 100mph winds thwarted those plans. The winds finally calmed in the afternoon and the warm sun and calm air proved irresistable. I started sometime around 3:30pm and still had plenty of sun once I got up on the ridge for both the ascent and descent. I felt surprisingly good after my 3 day "off season" and my legs felt strong and springy. The trail on the S. Ridge is completely melted out and it was great to not be wearing scratchy/heavy studded shoes. I went moderate for the first 1/3, then upped it to "hard moderate"/"lower end of hard" for the upper 2/3 and made the summit in 18:31. I certainly felt as though I had more to give which was encouraging, just no sense going too fast right now. I went quick on the descent, but certainly did not feel as though I was pushing and was surprised to be down in 12 minutes for a 30:31 RT.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Friday, 12/26/08 Bear/S. Boulder
7 miles
3,500 vertical
Conditions were bare ground or ice (mostly ice) up to the saddle, then frozen granular to the top of Bear. I was in a bit of a hurry due to time constraints and wanted to go quick, but after 4 or 5 strides, I knew I would not be going quick today. Dull studs on ice further complicated matters and I made it to the summit post in 50 and a half, then 51 and change to the true summit. It was annoyingly windy and I headed over to S. Boulder, getting there in 1:04ish, back to Bear in 1:14, then took me 30 minutes from the post to the car going quite cautious, with many slips and near falls. Ughh. We need more snow or a week of 80 degree weather. 1:45 RT.
3,500 vertical
Conditions were bare ground or ice (mostly ice) up to the saddle, then frozen granular to the top of Bear. I was in a bit of a hurry due to time constraints and wanted to go quick, but after 4 or 5 strides, I knew I would not be going quick today. Dull studs on ice further complicated matters and I made it to the summit post in 50 and a half, then 51 and change to the true summit. It was annoyingly windy and I headed over to S. Boulder, getting there in 1:04ish, back to Bear in 1:14, then took me 30 minutes from the post to the car going quite cautious, with many slips and near falls. Ughh. We need more snow or a week of 80 degree weather. 1:45 RT.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Christmas Day, 12/25/08 Green Mountain
5 miles
2,400 vertical
Amphi, Saddle, Greenman
Great morning outing with Allison and Sierra.
2,400 vertical
Amphi, Saddle, Greenman
Great morning outing with Allison and Sierra.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Wednesday, 12/24/08 Bear/S. Boulder
7 miles
3,500 vertical
Homie joined Allison and I for a trip up Bear and S. Boulder from Cragmoor. Was a great day, but of course a bit cool and breezy on the upper ridge. Made the true summit in 58:??, traipsed over to S. Bo, then back. Great way to work up an appetite for a Christmas eve dinner. 2:3? RT. Sierra was sporting her finest Christmas outfit, a red bow, a tree ornament and her usual bell.
3,500 vertical
Homie joined Allison and I for a trip up Bear and S. Boulder from Cragmoor. Was a great day, but of course a bit cool and breezy on the upper ridge. Made the true summit in 58:??, traipsed over to S. Bo, then back. Great way to work up an appetite for a Christmas eve dinner. 2:3? RT. Sierra was sporting her finest Christmas outfit, a red bow, a tree ornament and her usual bell.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Tuesday, 12/23/08 Bear/S. Boulder
7 miles
3,500 vert.
Conditions were prime this morning for a quick trip and my legs felt better than they have in a while. I went reasonably hard and made it to the true summit of Bear in 45:31, carefully picked my way down the back side and headed for S. Boulder, arriving there at 56:37, turned tail and was back on the true summit of Bear at 1:06:?? I changed into a dry hat and was on my way. Made the saddle at 1:15 and carefully pushed the down, hoping to go under 1:30, but fell short at 1:31:37. I was reasonably happy given the conditions and my lack of speed right now, but was hoping for 5+ minutes faster. Oh well, it is the "off" season.
3,500 vert.
Conditions were prime this morning for a quick trip and my legs felt better than they have in a while. I went reasonably hard and made it to the true summit of Bear in 45:31, carefully picked my way down the back side and headed for S. Boulder, arriving there at 56:37, turned tail and was back on the true summit of Bear at 1:06:?? I changed into a dry hat and was on my way. Made the saddle at 1:15 and carefully pushed the down, hoping to go under 1:30, but fell short at 1:31:37. I was reasonably happy given the conditions and my lack of speed right now, but was hoping for 5+ minutes faster. Oh well, it is the "off" season.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday, 12/21/08 Bear/S. Boulder
7 miles
3,500 vertical
It was a touch cold today and I was tempted to stay home. Feeling a bit of guilt after indulging ourselves at Gateaux Bakery in Denver (11th and Speer, I HIGHLY recommend it), I felt the need to burn a few calories more than anything. We started from the Cragmoor TH, Allison and Sierra were going a good pace and the trail conditions are perfect right now, well packed snow and very little ice. Minutes into Fern Canyon, we bumped into Kevin, Nico and their friend, so we stopped and chatted with them for a bit. I was fearing wind on the upper ridge, but fortunately it never materialized and the trail conditions to the summit remained perfect. I think we made the summit in 1:05 including stops. We continued to S. Boulder without pause and soon bumped into Dave and Travis, so we spent some time chatting with them. It was surprisingly pleasant on S. Boulder with a warming sun and calm air, so we relaxed for a bit. As soon as we started down, it seemed really cold again, but fortunately we were well prepared. Spent more time on Bear, then chatted with several people we crossed paths with, I think everybody is getting into the holiday spirit. Back at the car after 2:54.
3,500 vertical
It was a touch cold today and I was tempted to stay home. Feeling a bit of guilt after indulging ourselves at Gateaux Bakery in Denver (11th and Speer, I HIGHLY recommend it), I felt the need to burn a few calories more than anything. We started from the Cragmoor TH, Allison and Sierra were going a good pace and the trail conditions are perfect right now, well packed snow and very little ice. Minutes into Fern Canyon, we bumped into Kevin, Nico and their friend, so we stopped and chatted with them for a bit. I was fearing wind on the upper ridge, but fortunately it never materialized and the trail conditions to the summit remained perfect. I think we made the summit in 1:05 including stops. We continued to S. Boulder without pause and soon bumped into Dave and Travis, so we spent some time chatting with them. It was surprisingly pleasant on S. Boulder with a warming sun and calm air, so we relaxed for a bit. As soon as we started down, it seemed really cold again, but fortunately we were well prepared. Spent more time on Bear, then chatted with several people we crossed paths with, I think everybody is getting into the holiday spirit. Back at the car after 2:54.
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