I brought a variety of warm running clothes with me to work, just in case I decided to go up Green after work. I was on the fence, but in the middle of the day, my friend Bruce gave a call to see if he could join me. Bruce is a bit new to Winter trail running, so I sent him on a pre-run trip to seek out Microspikes. He stopped at REI and they were out, but he got maybe the next best thing, a pair of Yak Trax Pro.
Driving into Boulder, it began to snow quite hard and visibility became a bit reduced. Had Bruce not gone out of his way to meet me, I may have bailed, but since he was there waiting, I was committed.
This was Bruce's first time up Green, so I figured I would take him up the most fun and efficient route, Amphitheater/Saddle Rock/Greenman. Although it had not been snowing long, it was snowing hard and was accumulating quickly on the trail, maybe 1-2 inches in spots. The pace was casual and I was glad to be out in the falling snow, it was so quiet and tranquil, it felt as though we had the mountain to ourselves (we did).
We made it to the summit in 54, chatting all the while. The descent was also casual in the fading light (39).
143 miles/52,120 vertical for the month (since Feb. 10th).
15 full trips up Green (+4 partial summits = 19 visits)
3 x Bear
3 x S. Boulder
Sierra
Sierra
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, 02/27/10 Green, S. Boulder, Bear
In the morning, Allison and I got out for a great trip up Green Mountain. We left Sierra behind and were eager to go up Amphi/Saddle/Greenman for a change. As we were approaching the TH, we noticed our good friend Steve (tippy Steve) running across Chautauqua, so we intercepted him and joined forces.
Immidiately, Allison started getting ahead, putting in an effort to minimize her losses while I hung back chatting with Steve. About 3/4 of the way up, knowing that we were losing ground to Allison, I decided to run the gap between her and Steve, but not long after I started, I bumped into Tony, so we chatted for a bit. Steve kept on cruising and now I had both of them to (try) catch.
I re-passed Steve on the stairs (buried now with snow) and pushed a bit to try and catch Allison, but she had already been on the summit for ~2+ minutes or so when I arrived there in 50. We waited a minute or two for Steve and we all continued down the other side with expectations to bump into Brandon. We eventually saw him ~1/2 mile down trail on his first of two laps, stopped momentarily to chat and continued on at a steady jog.
What a great morning, cool, yet pleasant temperatures, no wind, re-assuring sunlight, great company. Truly invigorating.
Afterward, we hurried home, where Allison had to get ready to go to a baby shower and I ate a second breakfast, in anticipation of a hike up S. Boulder/Bear with Dave (Hale), as he was visiting town with Emily. Once they arrived at the house, Allison and Em were off to the shower and Dave and I left to meet Homie and Joey at the S. Mesa TH.
The day was warming and I was hot at times, being over dressed (as usual). Spring was in the air and mud and slush were the rule lower down, but then the trail became nice and packed, a night and day difference over the previous day.
We took it very easy and I even forgot that I had been up Green that morning. I was content to hike at an easy pace and enjoy conversation with good friends and felt as though I could have gone on for hours more, it was just one of those days to spend it outside.
Immidiately, Allison started getting ahead, putting in an effort to minimize her losses while I hung back chatting with Steve. About 3/4 of the way up, knowing that we were losing ground to Allison, I decided to run the gap between her and Steve, but not long after I started, I bumped into Tony, so we chatted for a bit. Steve kept on cruising and now I had both of them to (try) catch.
I re-passed Steve on the stairs (buried now with snow) and pushed a bit to try and catch Allison, but she had already been on the summit for ~2+ minutes or so when I arrived there in 50. We waited a minute or two for Steve and we all continued down the other side with expectations to bump into Brandon. We eventually saw him ~1/2 mile down trail on his first of two laps, stopped momentarily to chat and continued on at a steady jog.
What a great morning, cool, yet pleasant temperatures, no wind, re-assuring sunlight, great company. Truly invigorating.
Afterward, we hurried home, where Allison had to get ready to go to a baby shower and I ate a second breakfast, in anticipation of a hike up S. Boulder/Bear with Dave (Hale), as he was visiting town with Emily. Once they arrived at the house, Allison and Em were off to the shower and Dave and I left to meet Homie and Joey at the S. Mesa TH.
The day was warming and I was hot at times, being over dressed (as usual). Spring was in the air and mud and slush were the rule lower down, but then the trail became nice and packed, a night and day difference over the previous day.
We took it very easy and I even forgot that I had been up Green that morning. I was content to hike at an easy pace and enjoy conversation with good friends and felt as though I could have gone on for hours more, it was just one of those days to spend it outside.
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