Sunday, 11/30/2014 One Thousandth Recorded Ascent of Green Mountain

Perhaps a bit anticlimactic, as I had 100 or more ascents of Green Mountain prior to when I began keeping track on December 1st, 2004, but 1,000 sounded like a good round number over 10 years and cause to celebrate.  At the very least, a good excuse to get a group of great friends together for a run on my favorite hill.

Back in October, since we have shared quite a few summits together, Tony and I had discussed the possibility of coordinating our official 1,000 summits of Green milestone, as he was coincidentally only 20-25 behind me at the time and was hopeful that he would catch up in a month or two (normally easy for him to do), but a nagging and recurring shin injury prevented him from closing that gap.  Without really trying and sooner than anticipated, I found myself easily within range of reaching 1,000 in an even 10 years, which sounded good to me and so I reluctantly decided to plan for Nov. 30th.  Ridiculous I know, but since I am no math wiz, these even numbers would make it really easy for me to do the calculations in my head (1,000/10 = 100) ;).  Hopefully I can join Tony for his 1,000th in the next month or two as his shin improves.

When I started keeping track back in 2004, it was primarily to record vertical gain, my fastest times on various routes, different peaks, the mileage I was putting on test shoes, etc...  and was all in an Excel spreadsheet.  I never thought of reaching 1,000 on any peak.  I could go back and get exact numbers (though I don't feel like it), but from 2004-2010, I would typically only run Green between 50-80 times per year, mostly in the Spring, Fall and Winter.  This was mainly because more often than not, we were off to the high mountains for grander adventures.

But, in 2010, we had twins and our opportunities to get to the high country became drastically reduced and thus I ended up doing more running/hiking/adventuring locally.  My usual yearly count then ended up being 150-180 and the total was quickly growing.  Though I often visit the other nearby peaks, I keep coming back to Green, mainly, it fits perfectly into my schedule, when on most days, I only have about an hour.  I guess I could do 2 laps on Sanitas in that time, but I am not a fan of the crowds there and Sanitas quickly feels repetitive.  Bear Peak is awesome, but the added 10-15 or so minutes required is often out of the question for me when I already feel as though I am stretching my limits being out selfishly running.  SoBo is great too, but that takes even longer, especially with the added driving, recent trail re-routes and flood damage in Shadow Canyon.

No matter how many times I get out on Green Mountain, I miraculously never get sick of it and it remains one of my favorite peaks.  Every trip is a new adventure and it never ceases to amaze me how many various routes I can dream up and how much adventure can be found on this peak, only a mile or two from town.  It can feel remarkably and deceptively remote at times.  I have come to know each and every rock and log step in the trail (and now ladder rungs), notice when my right foot steps on a certain rock or log that I am out of sync vs. stepping in the same spot with my left.  I enjoy the consistency, observing changes, tangibly monitoring my fitness on given routes, knowing where to expect ice, lingering snow, water, mud, animals, seeing familiar faces, etc...

Not sure if now I'll work on adding another 1,000 (probably), or check other peak counts and push toward 1,000 in other places.  Most likely though, as is the case with all of my running and outdoor adventures, it will all just come along naturally and without a plan.

Some random highlights, memorable moments or thoughts of note over those years in no particular order (and I am forgetting or omitting many):

• Getting out there and sharing the trails with great friends, sister, father, mother, mother in law, my wife Allison, my dog Sierra and now slowly introducing my daughters to the trails.  
• Running Green the day after my daughters were born and feeling as though I were floating on air with the biggest smile on my face, wanting to tell the World about my good fortune.  I happened to bump into Aaron Kennard near the summit and I could not help but to talk his ear off about it.  I did not PR that day, but I was very close and it felt like nothing.
• Summiting in any weather, be it -15 degrees, 100+ degrees, hurricane force winds, blizzards, night, rain, 1,000 year floods, etc....  Lightning is usually the only meteorological deterrent.
• Carrying my twin daughters up and down the mountain, either both at once, or individually.  It was quite the circus act carrying them both, as well as managing the dog.
• Exploring random routes on the mountain, either planned or on a whim.  Flatiron climbs, scrambles, remote ridgelines, chossy hillsides, boulderfields, poison ivy/oak, bush choked ravines, caves, tunnels, arches, getting lost, getting cliffed out, backtracking and making a game straight lining it to the summit.
• Joining Homie for his last 3 of 10 laps in a day on Green Mountain.
• Running the trails after the floods last year and having the trails entirely to myself.  Parking away from trailheads, wearing earthy colors, never wearing headphones, always on the lookout, staying off trail when necessary, tracking footprints, stealth evading, close calls, exploring washouts start to finish.  It was somewhat disappointing when the trails reopened in an odd sort of way.  
• Not being able to summit, bailing 2/3 of the way up after a blizzard and a few consecutive snowstorms in January 2007.  The snow was just too deep and even with 30" snowshoes, progress was frustratingly slow and tedious.  Not to mention, I carried my skis with me, but chickened out on skiing back down.
• Quick changes in weather, inversions, being above the clouds, sunrises, sunsets.
• Wildlife.  Bears, rattlesnakes, bullsnakes, deer, grouse, fox, owls, eagles, falcons.  I have yet to see a mountain lion, but have tracked them and have been tracked by them.
• Setting a variety of PRs on the hill, up, down, up and down.
• Hill intervals with George.
• Botching a leap off the summit block and being rudely reminded of how hard and unforgiving rocks are.

Some photos from celebratory summit #1,000.  All photos by George Zack, unless otherwise noted.

Pausing to regroup on the ascent.  Andrew and Aron.

Aron and I

The true summit, that Joe contends was heli-lifted there.  Not a "proper" summit, like Bear.

Joe snapping a photo of me.

With a polaroid no less.

(Joe Grant photo)

Clockwise from left:  Aron, me, Homie, Joe, Tony, Andrew, Bruce

We had the pleasure of experiencing an amazing inversion and were above the clouds.

The following two photos I lifted from BoCo Ranger on Twitter, the first from the area near Walker looking toward Eldo.

From Sugarloaf you can see Green just barely peeking above the clouds, center left, then Bear and SoBo in the direct center.

Tailgating afterwards.  Since I am one of two grown men on the planet who does not drink beer (along with Homie), George decided to bring me kid cereal instead to celebrate.

It was cold afterwards, but the storytelling and banter was too fun to pass up.  Especially Joe, he is as good at telling stories in person as in his writing.

The change in weather on this day was incredible.  I had originally dressed in shorts, as it was ~55 degrees as I was preparing to run, but literally in the span of a half hour, the temperature dropped 30 degrees.  It was a good bit warmer above ~7,000 feet and much better in the sun above the clouds.