Friday, 02/19/10 Green Mountain

Got out with Brandon and his sister Natalie today. The few inches of fresh snow overnight made condtions extra slow, but it sure was pretty out.

Easy hiking most of the way, I ran a bit on the upper section, but it seemed almost pointless to try.

Contemplated a seconds lap (briefly at the start), but opted for Larkburger instead.

Up in 1:02

Thursday, 02/18/10 Green Mountain

Who would have guessed? Another trip up Green? I was planning on running up the front side again, as Allison was planning something shorter and we were going to meet up later. At the last minute, she decided to join me and was following me up the trail. We walked casually and just enjoyed a great morning. My legs were a little tired from the previous day, but not bad. It just felt good to go easy, so I went with it.

Surprisingly no Tony sightings today, but had a surprise Kraig Koski encounter back at the car.

47:31 up Amphi/Saddle/Greenman (still in awesome condition)
45ish down Gregory/Ranger (Gregory sucks, as it is a mix of ice/rock, but is great above)

Wednesday, 02/17/10 Green Mountain

Pushed a bit today up the front side (Amphi/Saddle/Greenman). The snow was in perfect condition for microspikes, nice and packed, very little dry ground or rocks. I felt OK all things considered, but struggled a bit near the top, though I am not surprised at all, as it is only February and I have not been training consistantly (or at all) for several months. Took the descent casual, the conditions again were a major treat. Another blanket of snow to maintain already good conditions would be greatly appreciated.

Splits:

1st jct: 6:45
Scott's 1st overlook: 15:48
Saddle/Greenman jct: 20:48
Summit: 36:29
Descent: 24:58

Monday, 02/15/10 Green Mountain

Took Sierra up Gregory/Ranger after work. Forgot my Microspikes, but luckily Allison had a pair of Yak Trax in the car which actually worked well in the current conditions.

My pace was fairly casual on the ascent, mostly on the high side of easy, low side of moderate with a bit of waiting on Sierra early on. I upped the pace a little over the last few minutes, but was never feeling all that peppy.

I spent a little longer than normal on the summit, taking in the views and taking a pee. I was just about to start down and noticed that Sierra had found something, a doubled over Tony, who had just ran the ascent up the front side in 32:11. Nice work!!

We ended up jogging down together, cruising at a moderate clip, enjoying good conversation. The ~28 minute descent seemed to pass much quicker. Thanks for the company.

Splits:

Cabin: 18:36
4-way: 39:11
Summit: 43:09
Descent: ~28? (estimate)

Saturday, 02/13/10 2 Laps on Green

After a huge meal the previous night at Ted’s Montana Grill, Brandon and I decided that 2 trips up Green were in order.

The first lap up/down Gregory/Ranger was a bit overcast and breezy near the summit. Trail conditions were great most of the way, except for a few freshly drifted sections, but I made Brandon break trail, so it was no problem.

The pace was mellow on the first ascent and also mellow on the descent (Brandon was gracious enough to wait up on me as I was a bit cautious on the down).

After a short break at the cars, I felt great and was raring to go, especially after changing into lighter shoes and ditching some of my warm clothing, as the sun was now shining bright and warm.

We went mellow to the cabin, then I upped the pace a bit to the summit, feeling enthused to be running up a peak with my HR up, though not moving particularly quick.

Though not fast, I felt full of energy and might have done a 3rd lap if I somehow could have avoided running back down, as the second descent down the steeper front side was a bit tiresome on my un-trained legs.

Great day out, thanks Brandon for the great company and added motivation.

Ascent 1:

Cabin: 20:14
Summit: 47:??
Down: 31:29

Ascent 2:

Cabin: 23:00
Summit: 47:18
Down: 28:48

Friday, 02/12/10 Green Mountain x 1.3

Kind of an odd day on Green. Allison, Sierra and I started off from the Gregory TH hiking like any other day. Bumped into Tony, exchanged a brief pleasantry or two and kept on our way. Near the end of Gregory Canyon, Allison decided to check for her car key, which turned out not to be in any of her pockets. We searched and retraced our steps, but had no luck. Back at the car as I was about ready to run home and get the spare key, a woman offered to give me a ride home as she was kind of heading that way.

As I was heading back into Boulder, I got a call from Allison stating that a guy had found her key on the trail, about where we had discovered it missing (must have fell into the snow when grabbing the dog leash). He was generous enough to hike it back to the TH to find her (we had talked to him earlier, so he knew of our predicament) and scrubbed his own hike. It is times like these that re-affirm my faith in humanity.

When I finally returned to the TH, 1:20 had elapsed and we were now tight on time, as the delay was throwing off our plans for the afternoon. I set off running, figuring I would bump into Allison and Sierra near the summit, but ended up bumping into them at the top of Gregory. I kept running, assuming that she and Sierra would turn around soon and I would just meet her at home.

Adrenaline started to wear off around the ranger cabin and my sore (ceasing) legs and less than fit body started to balk at my pace. I backed off some and kept plugging along to the summit, enjoying the perfectly packed trail and reasonable conditions.

I spent little time at the top and started cruising down. Just below the 4-way, I bumped into Sierra all by herself and was a bit shocked by this. We kept running down the trail and I was relieved to see Allison, knowing that Sierra was just ahead of her and not WAY behind me. I accompanied Allison back to the summit, where we hung out for a while, thankful we were not in the blustery looking high peaks.

The descent was a little slow and I was freezing and bonking a bit after being out for longer than I intended, but it was a fun time despite the long setback and we were thankful to have found the car key.

Splits:

Ranger cabin: 17:56
4 way: 38:30
Summit: 42:53
Summit again: ~54

Thursday, 02/11/10 Green Mountain

Met up with Aron for a trip up Green today around 11:30am. The sun was warm and trail conditions were improved over yesterday as the warm sun and additional foot traffic helped to pack things down. Not to mention I wore the Microspikes which helped over yesterday. We took it super easy, enjoying the warm sunshine and good conversation. Spent a good long time on the summit enjoying the calm and warm sunshine. We took the descent pretty easy, jogging mostly, but never too fast.

It was all I could do to keep myself from turning around and doing another lap, as my foot felt great (I even forgot what I was "favoring" the entire time) and it was so rejuvenating to be outside again. Erred on the side of caution though and headed home.

Up: 1:03
Down: Don't know/don't care, but was probably in the mid to upper 30's.

Wednesday, 02/10/10 Green Mountain

48:18 up
36 down

I was down at the Tech Center yesterday and today for a work related class. The class yesterday went until 4:45pm, timed perfect for an epic battle through traffic to get home. I pity those that are "forced" to do such things because of unfortunate circumstances in their life. I couldn't imagine sitting in a car for hours per day, ouch.

Fortunately, today we got ahead of ourselves with our class lessons and got out a good bit earlier than yesterday. The sun was shining bright and hiking/running Green in the fresh snow weighed heavily on my mind. My foot has been feeling better and I had chosen Thursday as my day to get out to give it a little test, but could not resist bumping that up a day with my bonus afternoon.

I zipped home, changed quicker than superman, recruited Sierra to join (not hard to do) and we were out the door.

I started off at a light jog and before long decided to stop and put on my Yak Trax (got a deal on them and figured I would try them, but they were mostly useless today and I regretted not opting for the Microspikes which are far superior). I then stopped for a pee and then stopped to adjust some layers (I overdressed big time). Because of all this and the fact that I was not sure if I was out for a run or a hike, I was having a tough time settling into a good rhythm.

After the second bridge, on the steep section under the powerlines, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye, turned and noticed it was Tony quickly running me down. He slowed for a short bit, then continued on at his pace (his second trip up Green for the day). I upped my pace so I could try and chat a bit, but was quickly winded trying to talk and decided to back off. No need to push things too soon. He of course glided away, looking very smooth and effortless.

I alternated running/hiking at a moderate pace, mostly dictated by lack of fitness and lack of traction. I did not spend much time on the summit before I cautiously jogged/walked back down. Though conditions were not optimal and I was feeling the month off my feet (and the additional ~5-7lbs), it felt awesome to get out on the trails and breath in some long awaited fresh air. I still can't wipe the grin off my face.

Heading back up tomorrow, can't wait!

Thursday, 02/04/10 SuperFlag

SuperFlag
28 miles
2:01

Awoke to grey skies and a dusting of snow and really held little hope that I would be getting outside much today. Around mid morning, the sun burned through the gloom, melted the snow in about 30 minutes and conditions seemed quite pleasant.

I was itching to get out for a ride, so I dusted off the mountain bike and spent a good 30 minutes getting ready. Once out the door, the riding conditions were quite pleasant as the sun was warm and the roads were dry except for a few spots of melt water.

My pace was solid, but I never really pushed, making it to Chautauqua in around 32 minutes. I knew the climb was going to be a slog on the mountain bike, so I just unzipped my layers, geared down and settled into a steady rhythm. I was quite warm on the ascent and full of energy, but by the time I hit the “Super” part of Flag, my lack of fitness (and lack of lunch) was becoming increasingly apparent.

The summit arrived just before my watch clicked over 46 minutes (45:56 from the bridge), an all time PW (personal worst), running or biking, a full 8 minutes slower than my running PR. To my credit though, the road was sandy and wet, I was on a heavyish knobby tire mountain bike and I am fat and out of shape (excuses excuses).

At the summit, I found a dry patch of ground facing the sun and just relaxed for a while, it was so nice just to be out enjoying the fresh air. I froze on the descent, taking it super careful, as the sand is almost as slick as ice at speed on a bike.

Monday, 01/18/10 Green Mountain

Since I work in Longmont and do not get out of work until 4pm, for the past ~2 months I have only been able to squeeze in a trip up Sanitas, with it getting dark on me toward the end for a few weeks. Today I decided to see if I could squeeze in a trip up Green. Since it gets dark around 5:30, I knew it would be tight, especially with the dog and with crappy trail conditions.

We started up the Amphitheater Trail at 4:22pm. The trail was ice and slush, then lots of rock with hard patches of ice. I kept the microspikes on, but they were not ideal with all the rock, but there was too much snow and ice to go without. As I neared saddle rock, the trail became more consistently covered with snow and it was easier going. I was going moderate and aside from a few momentary pauses to encourage Sierra and make sure she was still there, I felt as though I was making pretty good time with minimal effort. My legs were a little heavy, but my lungs felt as though I was hardly working.

I made the summit at 5pm, took ~2 minutes to pee and check out the views and was encouraged by how light it was. I made good time on some of the upper trail, but was soon tip-toeing around rocks and Sierra was starting to lag.

By the time I got down past Saddle rock, it seemed as though somebody flicked off a light switch and it got really dark fast. I had a headlamp and a cheapy flashlight which helped marginally, but really just seemed to be absorbed and it was hard to pick out ice from rock from log. This is where conditions really sucked the worst, as it was lousy having traction, but would have been really dangerous without.
Finished at 5:30 on the dot.

38:46 up
28 down

Sunday, 01/17/10 Sanitas

18:57up
~15 down

Pushed a little on the up. I was over dressed and it was slick from melty muck. Took it easy on the down as my shoes are wearing out and I really need a new pair.

Saturday, 01/16/10 Sanitas

A bit lazy from the previous day and not really feeling like getting ready to hike on icy or muddy trails, we decided that we would run a few errands in Boulder, then come home and take the dog for a long walk from the house. After completing our errands, it became very sunny and warm and we were regretting not coming to town prepared for outdoor activity. Despite wearing civilian clothes, we figured a trip up Sanitas would be fun. We just hiked super easy, enjoying the nice day. My heart rate was probably somewhere between laying on the couch and cooking dinner level for most of the walk. I ran the last few minutes to sneak in under 30 (29:56), but felt/looked silly running in jeans.

Friday, 01/15/10 James Peak

James Peak 13,294ft.
1/15/10
~8 miles
~3,000 vertical
4:39 RT from the St. Marys “Glacier” TH
Jeff, Allison and Sierra Valliere

We waffled big time before this trip. It was Allison’s birthday weekend and aside from the usual getting together with family/friends one evening and a nice dinner at Tibets in Louisville (HIGHLY recommended!!!) Thursday evening, we had no solid plans. We were stuffed to the gills and tired after dinner, so we went to bed early with nothing packed and just figured we would get up whenever and play it by ear.

Next thing we know it is 7:24am, 2+ hours later than I normally sleep. Allison suggested James Peak, so we scrambled to get ready and were out the door in about an hour.

We arrived at the trailhead after a bit more than an hour drive and I paid the $5 parking fee and then got my moneys worth in their well maintained outhouse. We were anticipating a “pleasant for January” day, but the temperature was in the low 20’s and the wind was cranking even down low. I regretted driving Allison’s Corolla, as it is not as roomy as the Element and gearing up outside of the car makes for a cold start (a start contrast to the roomy interior of the Element which doubles as a ski lodge).

Finally, we were on the trail at a not so Alpine start of 10am. I was surprised that St. Marys Lake came after about 10 minutes of walking including a 5 minutes break. At the lake, the wind was howling and the view of the “glacier” was a little disconcerting. Since this was a last minute trip, I did not do my homework and I was unsure as to whether or not the route up the “glacier” was avalanche prone or not. Though it has not snowed in a while, the wind was certainly transporting snow and with the unstable snowpack, steep and seemingly loaded slopes above, it appeared from a distance to not be the best route.

After adding my Gore-Tex jacket, balaclava, Masque, goggles and warm mittens to my already bulked up attire, I could relax a bit and look around. There were very steep slopes and cliffs immediately to the West of the lake, but to the SW, it appeared that one could stay mostly in the trees and out of any avalanche danger if you are willing to work a bit for it. My only concern was that we left the snowshoes behind in the car the going through the woods could involve some tedious post holing.

On the S. end of the lake, I immediately found an old snowshoe track that efficiently took us SW up though the woods where we pieced together patches of trees, bushes and wind scoured ground to get up onto the S. ridge of Pt. 11,716. The wind above tree line picked up and the temperature was in the mid teens. As we crested Pt. 11,716 and turned in the direction of James, the strong and unrelenting wind could not have been more perfectly in our face. Despite this though, I was somewhat thankful of the work the wind had done, as the ground was mostly bare. Once we got down to “Jamaica” and the lower slopes of James, there was consistent snow cover, but fortunately, it was packed solid and walking with Microspikes on our boots made for relatively efficient travel.

Once the slopes steepened, we decided to engage the SE ridge hoping to find some relative wind shadow, rather than loosely follow the summer trail. This turned out to be a mistake, as the snow on the ridge was not well consolidated and the talus was tipsy, compounded by the wind tossing us around. It would have for sure saved us 10-15 minutes had we stayed lower to the left on the packed, low angled snow. The last section of mountain dragged, complete with a false summit or two and it seemed to be taking forever. The summit still looked somewhat far away and my watch read 12:38pm. I was hoping to have been there by now, but hoped we could sneak in before 1pm. I pushed a bit over the last section and arrived at the summit at 12:56 and Allison rolled in a few minutes later, literally stepping on the summit at 12:59:59, just barely sneaking in a sub 3 hour ascent.

I gulped down warm soup from my thermos while trying to huddle in the snow filled summit “shelter”. The cold wind was persistent though and was soon chasing us away, but not before I could snap off a few photos. My hands were numb and I was balling them up in my mittens, swinging them around and slapping them on my thighs to try to warm them up. I had chemical warmers in my pack, but the investment to dig them out was more than I could bear.

Before long though, I was able to warm up sufficiently with steady movement and was thankful the wind was now at our back for the hike out. We made great progress on the return trip with the packed snow and tailwind, slowed only by the minor inconvenience of having to re-ascend over 11,716. We made it back to the car at 2:29pm and I could only look forward to a HOT shower to warm my core and a warm meal.

Though James Peak is relatively short and easy, I felt as though I really worked for it today. I started off cold and never really warmed up. My legs also felt a bit heavy, I am guessing still perhaps a bit tired from pushing myself in the snowshoe race last weekend. Allison however was having a very good day, she was moving strong and giving me encouragement. If I even stopped for a moment, it took me 10-15 minutes to catch up and even that seemed unlikely at times. All in all a fun winter challenge and a great workout.

Pictures

Thursday, 01/14/10 Sanitas

We were busy and largely unmotivated today, so we snuck in Sanitas amongst some errands in the afternoon. Sierra and I hung back with Allison and paced her to a 24:54 ascent, several minutes slower than her best, but not a bad winter time for her, especially since the bottom 1/3 was spent somewhat casual.