Sierra
Sierra
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Friday, 08/13/10 RMNP
Took my sister Darcie up to RMNP along with Allison. Walked around Bear Lake, then to Alberta Falls and a little beyond. Was dreaming of climbing Longs, maybe next week.....
Thursday, 08/12/10 Green Mountain
With Brandon and GZ for most of the way up Gregory/Old Trail/Ranger, down Ranger/Greenman/Saddle/Amphi. Bumped into GZ again, Tim, Lucho, then Tony.
46 up
?? down
46 up
?? down
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Wednesday, 08/11/10 Green Mountain
Got out of work early again today and headed over to Green. It was pretty hot out and I took it very easy again, hard to get too motivated in the heat (at least for me). Went up Gregory to un-named trail, to Greenman to summit, back down standard front, easy on the down as well.
Up in 44
Down in 25
Up in 44
Down in 25
Tuesday, 08/10/10 Flagstaff
I was short on time and it was hot, so I opted to do something a little shorter than normal and not too steep. Ran Flagstaff from Eben G. Fine Park and went super easy. Running this easy pace ended up taking almost as long as doing Green, but it was a nice change of scenery.
31 up
20 down
31 up
20 down
Monday, August 9, 2010
Monday, 08/09/10 Mt. Audubon (13,223ft.)
08/09/10
7.8 miles/2,730 vertical feet
56:24 up
42:26 down
1:38:50 RT
Everything came together for a Monday morning run up Audubon, a Brainard pass with one day left (thanks to GZ), some use it or lose it PTO I needed to take and the desire to get up high for more quality training. I left the house at 5:12am, arrived at the TH at 6:08, then spent some time in the outhouse lightening up and getting ready in the car. The sky was quite overcast and the Front Range forecast was sketchy at best, but the report for Longs stated a 30% chance of storms after noon.
As I started up the trail at 6:23am, it was starting to sprinkle, but was not too cold and it was calm at least. I went pretty moderate early on, just trying to feel things out. My legs were a little heavy and I was sure I would not be anywhere close to my 55:?? minute PR, so I just plodded along, enjoying the morning and tranquility. Above treeline, the rain started to pick up in earnest and I figured as long as I did not hear any thunder, I would just continue up. The precipitation intensified as I approached the saddle a bit more and the wind started to blow from the West. The rocks were very slick, even with a nice and grippy new pair of shoes. I was surprised to arrive at the saddle in 47 minutes, 1 minute ahead of PR pace, crazy since I was not really pushing at all and being cautious not to slip.
Above the saddle, I was careful to follow the cairned route, but with my dilligence of watching the slick rocks, the rain and wind, I followed a cairned trail that wound a bit SE instead of the proper trail the went SW, then S on the ridge. As many times as I have been up here, I am not sure I ever take the exact same variation of cairned "trail".
I pressed hard over the last few minutes, but this was tempered by caution on the slippery, lichen covered rocks. Stopped the watch in 56:24 despite having last minute visions of pulling a PR out of the bag.
I spent a very short moment taking in the very limited views, as the cloud ceiling was low and thick, then started the tricky descent on the trail I should have taken up. I was not really dressed for the weather with shorts, tee shirt and a light (but hooded at least) non water proof windbreaker and was careful to not have any mishaps, as there was nobody else on the mountain on this dismal Monday morning. As I descended, the rain continued to pick up and was just short of pouring for a good period of time. I continued to go slow and cautious back down, and of course as soon as the thought creeped into my head that my feet were being quite accurate, I stubbed a toe and flew through the air, but fortunately pulled out of it. Back at the car, the thermometer read 50 degrees and the rain was steady with some frozen precip mixed in. Despite the poor weather, it was a really fun run that built character, I had the whole peak to myself (not a great thing today) and was an excellent workout.
Splits:
TH: 0:00
Start of climbing at switchbacks: 8:28
Treeline: 15:57
Jct.: 19:38
Saddle: 47:2?
Summit: 56:24
Descent: 42:26
RT: 1:38:50
7.8 miles/2,730 vertical feet
56:24 up
42:26 down
1:38:50 RT
Everything came together for a Monday morning run up Audubon, a Brainard pass with one day left (thanks to GZ), some use it or lose it PTO I needed to take and the desire to get up high for more quality training. I left the house at 5:12am, arrived at the TH at 6:08, then spent some time in the outhouse lightening up and getting ready in the car. The sky was quite overcast and the Front Range forecast was sketchy at best, but the report for Longs stated a 30% chance of storms after noon.
As I started up the trail at 6:23am, it was starting to sprinkle, but was not too cold and it was calm at least. I went pretty moderate early on, just trying to feel things out. My legs were a little heavy and I was sure I would not be anywhere close to my 55:?? minute PR, so I just plodded along, enjoying the morning and tranquility. Above treeline, the rain started to pick up in earnest and I figured as long as I did not hear any thunder, I would just continue up. The precipitation intensified as I approached the saddle a bit more and the wind started to blow from the West. The rocks were very slick, even with a nice and grippy new pair of shoes. I was surprised to arrive at the saddle in 47 minutes, 1 minute ahead of PR pace, crazy since I was not really pushing at all and being cautious not to slip.
Above the saddle, I was careful to follow the cairned route, but with my dilligence of watching the slick rocks, the rain and wind, I followed a cairned trail that wound a bit SE instead of the proper trail the went SW, then S on the ridge. As many times as I have been up here, I am not sure I ever take the exact same variation of cairned "trail".
I pressed hard over the last few minutes, but this was tempered by caution on the slippery, lichen covered rocks. Stopped the watch in 56:24 despite having last minute visions of pulling a PR out of the bag.
I spent a very short moment taking in the very limited views, as the cloud ceiling was low and thick, then started the tricky descent on the trail I should have taken up. I was not really dressed for the weather with shorts, tee shirt and a light (but hooded at least) non water proof windbreaker and was careful to not have any mishaps, as there was nobody else on the mountain on this dismal Monday morning. As I descended, the rain continued to pick up and was just short of pouring for a good period of time. I continued to go slow and cautious back down, and of course as soon as the thought creeped into my head that my feet were being quite accurate, I stubbed a toe and flew through the air, but fortunately pulled out of it. Back at the car, the thermometer read 50 degrees and the rain was steady with some frozen precip mixed in. Despite the poor weather, it was a really fun run that built character, I had the whole peak to myself (not a great thing today) and was an excellent workout.
Splits:
TH: 0:00
Start of climbing at switchbacks: 8:28
Treeline: 15:57
Jct.: 19:38
Saddle: 47:2?
Summit: 56:24
Descent: 42:26
RT: 1:38:50
Sunday, 08/08/10 Green Mountain
Met up with Homie and GZ at the Gregory TH, went up Amphi/Saddle/Greenman, conversational pace and ended up walking 1/2 to 2/3's of the route, light jogging otherwise. We spent a few minutes on the summit, identifying peaks, chatting it up and then went down Greenman/Gregory for something a little different.
40:2? up
31ish down?
40:2? up
31ish down?
Friday, August 6, 2010
Friday, 08/06/10 Grays and Torreys
Got an early start with Nate. Drove to the summer TH in the Corolla and it did great, as the road is in pretty good condition. There were a surprising amount of cars which required us to park down the road a little bit, crowded like a Saturday and way more cars than last Friday.
Nate was ready to go, so he hit the trail, as I took care of some business in the woods and took my time getting ready and warming up a bit. Began my run at 7:51am and it felt like I had started off a bit hot. I backed off a some and was able to regain my composure along the flatish section below Kelso. I was moving good, but I could tell I was not at my best and had a sneaking suspicion that a PR was not in the cards today. I continued to push myself, running when I could, but power-hiking often on the upper sections. I eventually caught up to Nate not too far below the summit and he put up a strong effort, running more than I was for sure, but my legs were about had and I was stooped over, hands on knees and breathing very hard. Relieved to see the vacant summit, I collapsed on a rock in a heap, huffing and catching my breath after a 55:58 ascent (~1:20 shy of PR).
Nate arrived a few minutes after and with only a minute or two pause, we began the traverse to Torreys. The rocks were a bit wet from a very recent hailstorm/rainstorm, but the “super-computer” was firing at full speed and I made quick work of it. Crossed the very low point of the saddle in 5:18 and felt pretty solid heading up Torreys and topped out in 15:18, which was a traverse PR for me by 20 seconds. I could see that Nate was not on his way up, so figuring he had cut off at the saddle, so I turned on the jets to chase him down. Arrived back at the saddle in 4:??, then ripped the descent until I caught him at around 13k. I was feeling good and having a fun time with the down, so after a few words, kept on cranking back to the TH, setting a descent PR of 34:57.
Though I missed PR up Grays by 1:20, I was not at all disappointed, as I was not really committed to it from the start. I am really feeling acclimated, especially on the traverse to Torreys, it really felt smooth and effortless (OK, not really, but I felt very good). Everything seems to be coming together and I am looking forward to August 21st.
Splits:
Summer TH 0:00
Sign: 17:??
Kelso cutoff: 22:05
Grays Summit: 55:58
Grays to Torreys: 15:18
Torreys back to TH: 34:57
Total RT: 1:46:14
Nate was ready to go, so he hit the trail, as I took care of some business in the woods and took my time getting ready and warming up a bit. Began my run at 7:51am and it felt like I had started off a bit hot. I backed off a some and was able to regain my composure along the flatish section below Kelso. I was moving good, but I could tell I was not at my best and had a sneaking suspicion that a PR was not in the cards today. I continued to push myself, running when I could, but power-hiking often on the upper sections. I eventually caught up to Nate not too far below the summit and he put up a strong effort, running more than I was for sure, but my legs were about had and I was stooped over, hands on knees and breathing very hard. Relieved to see the vacant summit, I collapsed on a rock in a heap, huffing and catching my breath after a 55:58 ascent (~1:20 shy of PR).
Nate arrived a few minutes after and with only a minute or two pause, we began the traverse to Torreys. The rocks were a bit wet from a very recent hailstorm/rainstorm, but the “super-computer” was firing at full speed and I made quick work of it. Crossed the very low point of the saddle in 5:18 and felt pretty solid heading up Torreys and topped out in 15:18, which was a traverse PR for me by 20 seconds. I could see that Nate was not on his way up, so figuring he had cut off at the saddle, so I turned on the jets to chase him down. Arrived back at the saddle in 4:??, then ripped the descent until I caught him at around 13k. I was feeling good and having a fun time with the down, so after a few words, kept on cranking back to the TH, setting a descent PR of 34:57.
Though I missed PR up Grays by 1:20, I was not at all disappointed, as I was not really committed to it from the start. I am really feeling acclimated, especially on the traverse to Torreys, it really felt smooth and effortless (OK, not really, but I felt very good). Everything seems to be coming together and I am looking forward to August 21st.
Splits:
Summer TH 0:00
Sign: 17:??
Kelso cutoff: 22:05
Grays Summit: 55:58
Grays to Torreys: 15:18
Torreys back to TH: 34:57
Total RT: 1:46:14
Thursday, 08/05/10 Green Mountain #100
Today I celebrated my 100th ascent of Green Mountain thus far in 2010 and GZ and Sierra were kind enough to join in the festivities, which really added to the enjoyment. Took George up a new route (for him) that he was impressed with, got to start hitting this one more. I think I had 43 on the up from Gregory over the convoluted route, spent some time enjoying the summit, then came down Ranger/Gregory, not sure how fast, as I was too busy chatting to look at the watch or care. Another awesome day in Boulder.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
08/04/10 Green Mountain #99
Hit up Green this morning with Sierra, as she has obviously been itching to get out for some exercise. Up Gregory/Ranger very easy, down the front very easy. Sierra was busy checking out all the new changes ("improvements") on the front side, it was interesting to see her stop and say to herself "what, where are the rocks that used to be here? This log is new..... torn up ground? This was never here before..."
Today was trip #99 up Green for me this year, #361 since I began accurate record keeping in December of 2004. A careful guestimate puts me at ~520 total ascents since I moved to Boulder in 1996.
If anybody wants to celebrate trip #100 for the year with me tomorrow, I plan to start from Gregory at 6:30am (easy dog jog).
Up: 44ish?
Down: 26?
Today was trip #99 up Green for me this year, #361 since I began accurate record keeping in December of 2004. A careful guestimate puts me at ~520 total ascents since I moved to Boulder in 1996.
If anybody wants to celebrate trip #100 for the year with me tomorrow, I plan to start from Gregory at 6:30am (easy dog jog).
Up: 44ish?
Down: 26?
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
08/03/10 Green Mountain
Met GZ at Chautauqua at 5:45am and headed up Gregory/Ranger, easy pace, chatting the whole way of course. We slowed to walk a short section and of course got busted by Tony. Chatted with him for a bit. 53 up from Chautauqua, 1:33 RT (I never stopped the timer for social stops/dog stops/summit break). Great morning.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Monday, 08/02/10 Green Mountain
Had a most excellent run this evening after work. Started up Amphi/Saddle/Greenman around 4:25pm, it was sprinkling a bit and nice and cool. Went easy up Amphitheater, got to the jct. in a very unpressed 6:39 and upped the pace a little bit. 14:53 to the overlook, 19:mid to the Greenman jct.. I felt as though I was getting stronger the higher I went, instead of the recent fading from the start. Made the summit in 33:34 which I was happy with given the distinct lack of effort, the heavy shoes and the floppy hiking shorts.
It was raining pretty steady on the upper half of the mountain, but it was so refreshing and invigorating, I took the long way back via W. Ridge to SuperFlag, then down Long Canyon to Gregory. 11 to SuperFlag, 22 to the cabin, 33:07 down, just barely quicker than my ascent time. Even the 35 minute drive home (should have been 12-15, but there was a major traffic jam on 36) could not dampen my mood.
It was raining pretty steady on the upper half of the mountain, but it was so refreshing and invigorating, I took the long way back via W. Ridge to SuperFlag, then down Long Canyon to Gregory. 11 to SuperFlag, 22 to the cabin, 33:07 down, just barely quicker than my ascent time. Even the 35 minute drive home (should have been 12-15, but there was a major traffic jam on 36) could not dampen my mood.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Saturday, 07/31/10 Green Mountain
Up/Down Gregory/Ranger
Took Sierra up Green, started at 7:17am and it was already starting to get pretty warm. Allison dropped us off at the TH and she drove further up to hike Long Canyon, but Sierra could not be convinced that she was not following behind, so Sierra would continually stop to wait. I ended up doing a lot of stopping, backtracking and encouraging. Total time to the top was 53 minutes, a solid 10 of which was spent waiting/backtracking. She was still slow on the descent as it warmed, 35 down.
July stats:
182 miles
77,680 vertical
7 14ers
1 12er
1 11er
12 x Green
3 x Bear
2 x SoBo
Yearly stats thus far:
1143 miles
429,665 vertical
96 x Green
13 x Sanitas
12 x Bear
10 x SoBo
21 x 14ers
160 total summits
Took Sierra up Green, started at 7:17am and it was already starting to get pretty warm. Allison dropped us off at the TH and she drove further up to hike Long Canyon, but Sierra could not be convinced that she was not following behind, so Sierra would continually stop to wait. I ended up doing a lot of stopping, backtracking and encouraging. Total time to the top was 53 minutes, a solid 10 of which was spent waiting/backtracking. She was still slow on the descent as it warmed, 35 down.
July stats:
182 miles
77,680 vertical
7 14ers
1 12er
1 11er
12 x Green
3 x Bear
2 x SoBo
Yearly stats thus far:
1143 miles
429,665 vertical
96 x Green
13 x Sanitas
12 x Bear
10 x SoBo
21 x 14ers
160 total summits
Friday, July 30, 2010
Friday, 07/30/10 S. Boulder/Bear Peak
Casual dog jog, more of a dog hike really.
Started with Sierra from S. Mesa at 8:10am, headed up Homestead to Shadow. Jogged super easy to the mouth of Shadow, hiked up to SoBo, jogged to Bear and then jogged casually down, waiting often for Sierra and taking long stops at the creeks.
Shadow: :25
Saddle: :55
S. Boulder: 1:02
Bear: 1:14
Finish: 1:55
Started with Sierra from S. Mesa at 8:10am, headed up Homestead to Shadow. Jogged super easy to the mouth of Shadow, hiked up to SoBo, jogged to Bear and then jogged casually down, waiting often for Sierra and taking long stops at the creeks.
Shadow: :25
Saddle: :55
S. Boulder: 1:02
Bear: 1:14
Finish: 1:55
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Thursday, 07/29/10 Grays and Torreys (PR!)
Grays and Torreys
07/29/10
12.5 miles/5,600 vertical
Partners: Nate Bahrenburg, Dan England
For my weekly installment of 14er running, Nate and I, along with Dan headed up to Grays and Torreys. Both Nate and Dan are preparing for their first Pikes Peak Ascent. After an enjoyable drive getting to know Dan and talking about mountains and twins/kids (Dan has twin girls), Nate dropped me off in Bakerville and I got running at 7:22am as he and Dan continued on to the summer trailhead.
After some recent lackluster training runs in the mountains, I was not sure what to expect today and certainly did not have my hopes up for a great run, I just figured I would take it one step at a time and see how the run would unfold with no real expectations. I left the heart rate monitor at home and figured I would time my run, but not really get too focused on splits and just enjoy the day.
I felt good, but not great running up the road and just enjoyed the warming up process. The air was cool, but not cold and I was thankful that the sky was overcast, perfect running conditions. I was having recollections of our run 2 years ago, where Justin and I started off WAY too fast and was in no danger of doing that again today. I reached the TH in 30:58, stashed some bottles and was on the far side of the bridge at 31:30, feeling much stronger than 2 years ago and ready to up the tempo a bit on the upper half. The trail was quite wet from recent rains which required some puddle and creek dodging, but it was actually kind of fun. My feet were moving quick and accurate, I felt great and was moving toward that level of bliss that can only be achieved on those perfect days when everything comes together.
Eventually, I caught and passed Dan beyond the Kelso cutoff, then Nate, not too long after. The trail steepened and instead of trying to fight it, I just leaned over and settled into a good power hike. Occasionally I ran, but was concentrating on shifting gears frequently, keeping as efficient as possible.
As always, the watch sped up with altitude and I was not entirely sure where I would end up. It seemed more and more likely that I might be able to sneak in under 1:30, but it all just seemed too good to be true. I dug in over the final ~500 vertical and hit the summit in 1:29:29, a full 4:03 faster than my run with Justin 2 years ago. It all just felt too easy. I am inclined to say I could have pushed harder, maybe at times, but I’m not sure pushing harder would have led to running a faster ascent. I paced myself really smart today, conditions were perfect and my head was in exactly the right place. If only every day could be like today.
I’m trying not to put too much stock in what I did today, just like I try to not let a bad day get me too down either. It is what it is, but it sure does feel good!
Oh yeah, the rest of the day….. I waited on the summit of Grays for Nate, who was not too far back. We hung out waiting for Dan, who we still could not see and decided to head over to Torreys without him. I went fast, but was not really knocking myself out and made it to Torreys in a few seconds over 16, waited a few minutes for Nate and we headed back down to the saddle, where we bumped into Dan. He did not want to hold us up and decided to bail on Torreys, but we encouraged him to go for it, as we were not in any hurry. Nate and I decided to wait for him at the car, then wait at the saddle, then before we knew it, we simultaneously decided to accompany Dan back up Torreys. From there on it was very casual, conversational pace hiking up and running down (maybe just under an hour back to the TH? I did not really look).
Splits:
Bakerville: 0:00
Far side of bridge at summer TH: 31:30
Grays Summit: 1:29:29 (57:59 split from summer TH to Grays)
Grays to Torreys: 16
07/29/10
12.5 miles/5,600 vertical
Partners: Nate Bahrenburg, Dan England
For my weekly installment of 14er running, Nate and I, along with Dan headed up to Grays and Torreys. Both Nate and Dan are preparing for their first Pikes Peak Ascent. After an enjoyable drive getting to know Dan and talking about mountains and twins/kids (Dan has twin girls), Nate dropped me off in Bakerville and I got running at 7:22am as he and Dan continued on to the summer trailhead.
After some recent lackluster training runs in the mountains, I was not sure what to expect today and certainly did not have my hopes up for a great run, I just figured I would take it one step at a time and see how the run would unfold with no real expectations. I left the heart rate monitor at home and figured I would time my run, but not really get too focused on splits and just enjoy the day.
I felt good, but not great running up the road and just enjoyed the warming up process. The air was cool, but not cold and I was thankful that the sky was overcast, perfect running conditions. I was having recollections of our run 2 years ago, where Justin and I started off WAY too fast and was in no danger of doing that again today. I reached the TH in 30:58, stashed some bottles and was on the far side of the bridge at 31:30, feeling much stronger than 2 years ago and ready to up the tempo a bit on the upper half. The trail was quite wet from recent rains which required some puddle and creek dodging, but it was actually kind of fun. My feet were moving quick and accurate, I felt great and was moving toward that level of bliss that can only be achieved on those perfect days when everything comes together.
Eventually, I caught and passed Dan beyond the Kelso cutoff, then Nate, not too long after. The trail steepened and instead of trying to fight it, I just leaned over and settled into a good power hike. Occasionally I ran, but was concentrating on shifting gears frequently, keeping as efficient as possible.
As always, the watch sped up with altitude and I was not entirely sure where I would end up. It seemed more and more likely that I might be able to sneak in under 1:30, but it all just seemed too good to be true. I dug in over the final ~500 vertical and hit the summit in 1:29:29, a full 4:03 faster than my run with Justin 2 years ago. It all just felt too easy. I am inclined to say I could have pushed harder, maybe at times, but I’m not sure pushing harder would have led to running a faster ascent. I paced myself really smart today, conditions were perfect and my head was in exactly the right place. If only every day could be like today.
I’m trying not to put too much stock in what I did today, just like I try to not let a bad day get me too down either. It is what it is, but it sure does feel good!
Oh yeah, the rest of the day….. I waited on the summit of Grays for Nate, who was not too far back. We hung out waiting for Dan, who we still could not see and decided to head over to Torreys without him. I went fast, but was not really knocking myself out and made it to Torreys in a few seconds over 16, waited a few minutes for Nate and we headed back down to the saddle, where we bumped into Dan. He did not want to hold us up and decided to bail on Torreys, but we encouraged him to go for it, as we were not in any hurry. Nate and I decided to wait for him at the car, then wait at the saddle, then before we knew it, we simultaneously decided to accompany Dan back up Torreys. From there on it was very casual, conversational pace hiking up and running down (maybe just under an hour back to the TH? I did not really look).
Splits:
Bakerville: 0:00
Far side of bridge at summer TH: 31:30
Grays Summit: 1:29:29 (57:59 split from summer TH to Grays)
Grays to Torreys: 16
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