5.5 miles/2,315 vertical
Got out with George today and had a great run. Went fairly easy up the S. Ridge, totally conversational pace. Averaged 161 bpm, probably would have been lower if we were not talking so much, but we always have a lot to talk about, especially when we only run together every few weeks or less. We need to run more, so we are not always catching up, then we can hammer each other like normal. It always starts off as "yeah, let's go mellow or moderate" and before long, we are hammering. It is great to have somebody out there in person pushing you and motivating you. Just the kind words of encouragement from somebody of George's caliber gives me added motivation to be my best. Anyways, from the summit, we headed down the East ridge, down the valley a bit and noticed a trail heading West, then South up to a quarry. We followed this until it petered out above the quarry and turned into social/game trails. It was steep going, but I love the steep and feel most at home. Soon we were on the main trail and zipped up to tag the summit a second time.
My achilles was feeling good and I think I am over the knee thing, so I turned it up a bit to test things out and felt really good. We headed back down the ridge to the TH.
Thanks George! Another great run and conversation.
Sierra
Sierra
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
3/31/08 Sanitas
3 miles/1,300 vertical
21:15 up
15 down
Thought I was over the achilles thing today, but a few hundred feet up Sanitas I was reminded of it. I slowed to a walk and just lightly jogged the less steep or flat sections. I think I did a good job of balancing a bit of exercise and not making it worse as it does not hurt at all tonight. I think I'll stick to the flatter terrain for a bit.
21:15 up
15 down
Thought I was over the achilles thing today, but a few hundred feet up Sanitas I was reminded of it. I slowed to a walk and just lightly jogged the less steep or flat sections. I think I did a good job of balancing a bit of exercise and not making it worse as it does not hurt at all tonight. I think I'll stick to the flatter terrain for a bit.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Summary for the past week.
Not much to speak of other than it was a skimpy week due to an aggrevated right achilles. I noticed it after hiking S. Boulder at an easy pace with Allison last week. I totally forgot about it overnight, then the next morning engaged in nearly 2,000 feet of vigorous frontpointing which seemed to flare it up a bit. Took monday off, felt OK, went easy Tues, where it hurt again, especially on steps. I then decided to completely take a few days off which was facilitated by poor weather and other obligations. Yesterdays peaks had me feeling the achilles again, but just enough to remind me there is something there. Today I feel great, but figure I will use the poor weather this morning as an excuse to rest up one more day. Spring is in the air.
3/29/08 Cooper and Ruby Mountains
Cooper Mountain (12,782)
Ruby Mountain (13,277)
3/29/08
~9.8 miles/~3,600 vertical
~7hrs RT
Participants:Jeff and Allison Valliere, Dave and Emily Hale, Jeff and Jean Kunkle, Keith and Beth Bershader, Kevin Lund, Piper, Steve Nicholls, Steve Cassin, Sharon Adams, Dave Gibson, Carol Gerber, Scooby, Shep, Sierra and Denali (did I miss anybody? Hope not!).
Last week, Dave and I had such a great Spring day on nearby Santa Fe Peak and we were itching to come back and further explore the area. A few e-mails quickly saw this grow from a party of 4 or 5 to a party of 15! Sweet! A 14erworld Spring gathering/climb!
The group rendezvoused at the Peru Creek TH around 7:30am, geared up and we eventually started our way up the well packed trail around 8am. The pace was casual and we all enjoyed catching up with old friends and making new friends.Before long, we reached the turn for Chihuahua Gulch, put on our snowshoes and headed up on Dave’s track from his previous day’s climb up Grays and Torreys. When we came to the arrow Dave had stomped out the day before, we headed up the steep hillside to gain the SW ridge of Cooper. The going here was quite steep and provided ample opportunity to hone our wallowing skills. Hoot, Kunkle and I took turns breaking trail and eventually we gained bare ground.
Once on the ridge, I was a bit surprised at how far it was to the summit of Cooper. I was expecting an easy cruise, but the ridge was a bit more rugged than many of us were expecting and there were several false summits. Nothing too difficult, but the fresh snow on top of ice made things a bit interesting in spots and provided a few class 3 moves.The summit of Cooper was a complete whiteout, and the winds were increasing.
We followed Kevin down to the saddle and on to Ruby, which was quite a bit easier terrain than the initial ascent up Cooper. There were a few brief glimpses of the surrounding terrain and the remainder of the route up Ruby which fortunately looked pretty easy.As anticipated, the hike up Ruby was cake, but the increasing winds added a bit to the challenge. Once the entire group made the summit, we turned tail and boogied back down to the Ruby/Cooper saddle, where (inspired by Sarah T’s TR from last April), we got in some nice glissading/easy walking down the well consolidated S. facing snowfields, as avalanche conditions were rated as low.
We were all thankful to not have to retrace our steps back down the SW ridge of Cooper and were back down to the valley floor in no time flat. The walk out was quite enjoyable in what now seemed to be somewhat “Florida” like weather as Dave likes to say. As always it seemed twice as far walking out, but nobody seemed to mind.Despite the inclement weather up high, this was an amazing day with a great group of friends. I feel inclined to note how cohesive this group of 15 was. It was so cool how everyone stuck so close together and helped one another. All in all another great day out!
Pictures:http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r...valliere/Ruby/
Ruby Mountain (13,277)
3/29/08
~9.8 miles/~3,600 vertical
~7hrs RT
Participants:Jeff and Allison Valliere, Dave and Emily Hale, Jeff and Jean Kunkle, Keith and Beth Bershader, Kevin Lund, Piper, Steve Nicholls, Steve Cassin, Sharon Adams, Dave Gibson, Carol Gerber, Scooby, Shep, Sierra and Denali (did I miss anybody? Hope not!).
Last week, Dave and I had such a great Spring day on nearby Santa Fe Peak and we were itching to come back and further explore the area. A few e-mails quickly saw this grow from a party of 4 or 5 to a party of 15! Sweet! A 14erworld Spring gathering/climb!
The group rendezvoused at the Peru Creek TH around 7:30am, geared up and we eventually started our way up the well packed trail around 8am. The pace was casual and we all enjoyed catching up with old friends and making new friends.Before long, we reached the turn for Chihuahua Gulch, put on our snowshoes and headed up on Dave’s track from his previous day’s climb up Grays and Torreys. When we came to the arrow Dave had stomped out the day before, we headed up the steep hillside to gain the SW ridge of Cooper. The going here was quite steep and provided ample opportunity to hone our wallowing skills. Hoot, Kunkle and I took turns breaking trail and eventually we gained bare ground.
Once on the ridge, I was a bit surprised at how far it was to the summit of Cooper. I was expecting an easy cruise, but the ridge was a bit more rugged than many of us were expecting and there were several false summits. Nothing too difficult, but the fresh snow on top of ice made things a bit interesting in spots and provided a few class 3 moves.The summit of Cooper was a complete whiteout, and the winds were increasing.
We followed Kevin down to the saddle and on to Ruby, which was quite a bit easier terrain than the initial ascent up Cooper. There were a few brief glimpses of the surrounding terrain and the remainder of the route up Ruby which fortunately looked pretty easy.As anticipated, the hike up Ruby was cake, but the increasing winds added a bit to the challenge. Once the entire group made the summit, we turned tail and boogied back down to the Ruby/Cooper saddle, where (inspired by Sarah T’s TR from last April), we got in some nice glissading/easy walking down the well consolidated S. facing snowfields, as avalanche conditions were rated as low.
We were all thankful to not have to retrace our steps back down the SW ridge of Cooper and were back down to the valley floor in no time flat. The walk out was quite enjoyable in what now seemed to be somewhat “Florida” like weather as Dave likes to say. As always it seemed twice as far walking out, but nobody seemed to mind.Despite the inclement weather up high, this was an amazing day with a great group of friends. I feel inclined to note how cohesive this group of 15 was. It was so cool how everyone stuck so close together and helped one another. All in all another great day out!
Pictures:http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r...valliere/Ruby/
3/25/08 S. Mesa Loop
7 miles/1,300 vertical
Started at the S. Mesa TH and headed North, putting together a random loop of misc. trails. Bumped into Claude, talked to him for a while. Went fairly easy, as my achilles has inexplicably been hurting for a few days.
Started at the S. Mesa TH and headed North, putting together a random loop of misc. trails. Bumped into Claude, talked to him for a while. Went fairly easy, as my achilles has inexplicably been hurting for a few days.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Tiptop Peak 12,053
Morgan Peak 12,474
Santa Fe Peak 13,180
Sullivan Peak 13,194
3/23/08
~7 miles/~3,300 vertical
4 hours and 50 minutes
Jeff Valliere, Dave Hale, Scooby, Shep and Sierra
This came about at the last minute, as we really had no solid plans for the weekend. Dave was spending the weekend up in Keystone, so I quickly looked at the map and checked to see what was near Montezuma. I recalled Sarah T’s TR from last April, so I re-read it to get the scoop (thanks for the valuable info Sarah).
We decided that it would be best to set up a car shuttle to avoid having to walk back on the road with the dogs and left my car at the winter closure South of Montezuma and headed back to town in Dave’s truck. Both Dave and I are quite ready for spring and we were lamenting the -4 reading as we started up the hillside at 8:13am, what the ….?
We were both dressed a bit light and quickly stopped to add warmer mittens and face masks etc.A short distance up the road, before the first switchback even, we noticed a nice set of ski tracks heading straight up the hillside. Just what I was hoping for and we followed them straight up the fall line.
It was steep, but quite efficient.Despite a few lengthy stops for gear adjustments, we still passed treeline in an hour even and took a short break on Tiptop to take in the stunning scenery. Morgan looked far, but came up on us quickly, where we took yet another one of many picture breaks. It was a bluebird day with hardly any wind. The cornices along the ridge were some of the largest I have ever seen, quite impressive. We were careful to keep the dogs and ourselves far away, as a mishap in many places would have been a touch rough.
The trip up Santa Fe was a breeze, even with the several false summits. Our original plan was to continue on to Landslide, but both Dave and I were happy to call it a day after Sullivan and sneak home before ski traffic.
We dropped down a low angle gulley between Santa Fe and Sullivan (closer to Santa Fe below the Silver Ware(?) mine). Although there were some avy prone slopes nearby, and the lower part is in an avy chute, avalanche danger was quite low and we were careful with our route, mostly sticking to rocks and grass on the sides. I would not attempt this descent when the avalanche risk is higher.
The trip out was a breeze as we followed a welcome snowmobile track, then a longer than expected dirt road. What an incredible day to be out in the high country!
Pictures: http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/Santa%20Fe/
Morgan Peak 12,474
Santa Fe Peak 13,180
Sullivan Peak 13,194
3/23/08
~7 miles/~3,300 vertical
4 hours and 50 minutes
Jeff Valliere, Dave Hale, Scooby, Shep and Sierra
This came about at the last minute, as we really had no solid plans for the weekend. Dave was spending the weekend up in Keystone, so I quickly looked at the map and checked to see what was near Montezuma. I recalled Sarah T’s TR from last April, so I re-read it to get the scoop (thanks for the valuable info Sarah).
We decided that it would be best to set up a car shuttle to avoid having to walk back on the road with the dogs and left my car at the winter closure South of Montezuma and headed back to town in Dave’s truck. Both Dave and I are quite ready for spring and we were lamenting the -4 reading as we started up the hillside at 8:13am, what the ….?
We were both dressed a bit light and quickly stopped to add warmer mittens and face masks etc.A short distance up the road, before the first switchback even, we noticed a nice set of ski tracks heading straight up the hillside. Just what I was hoping for and we followed them straight up the fall line.
It was steep, but quite efficient.Despite a few lengthy stops for gear adjustments, we still passed treeline in an hour even and took a short break on Tiptop to take in the stunning scenery. Morgan looked far, but came up on us quickly, where we took yet another one of many picture breaks. It was a bluebird day with hardly any wind. The cornices along the ridge were some of the largest I have ever seen, quite impressive. We were careful to keep the dogs and ourselves far away, as a mishap in many places would have been a touch rough.
The trip up Santa Fe was a breeze, even with the several false summits. Our original plan was to continue on to Landslide, but both Dave and I were happy to call it a day after Sullivan and sneak home before ski traffic.
We dropped down a low angle gulley between Santa Fe and Sullivan (closer to Santa Fe below the Silver Ware(?) mine). Although there were some avy prone slopes nearby, and the lower part is in an avy chute, avalanche danger was quite low and we were careful with our route, mostly sticking to rocks and grass on the sides. I would not attempt this descent when the avalanche risk is higher.
The trip out was a breeze as we followed a welcome snowmobile track, then a longer than expected dirt road. What an incredible day to be out in the high country!
Pictures: http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/Santa%20Fe/
3/22/08 S. Boulder Peak
S. Boulder Peak
8 miles/3,000 vertical
1:15 up
Allison, Sierra and I went to the S. Mesa TH with no real plan, other than staying in the sun and avoiding steep, icy, snowy trails. Before we know it, we are heading up Shadow canyon just to see how far we could go before snow and ice became an issue. It never became an issue, as we could avoid the icy spots and before we knew it, we were on the summit, a bit surprised as we had no intention of heading up here. All in all a great day out with the wife and dog. Once back at the car, I saw Jesus, well not really, but it looked just like him, mostly naked too. I was a few hundred feet away and speculated that it was Anton Krupicka, but what would he be doing in Boulder? I just checked his blog and sure enough it was him, just as I suspected. Not too many guys out there that look like him. Although it was decent out yesterday, it was still only in the 40's and I was wearing pants, long shirt, jacket, wool beanie and gloves. Not sure I am ready for just shorts, maybe I'm just a wimp.
8 miles/3,000 vertical
1:15 up
Allison, Sierra and I went to the S. Mesa TH with no real plan, other than staying in the sun and avoiding steep, icy, snowy trails. Before we know it, we are heading up Shadow canyon just to see how far we could go before snow and ice became an issue. It never became an issue, as we could avoid the icy spots and before we knew it, we were on the summit, a bit surprised as we had no intention of heading up here. All in all a great day out with the wife and dog. Once back at the car, I saw Jesus, well not really, but it looked just like him, mostly naked too. I was a few hundred feet away and speculated that it was Anton Krupicka, but what would he be doing in Boulder? I just checked his blog and sure enough it was him, just as I suspected. Not too many guys out there that look like him. Although it was decent out yesterday, it was still only in the 40's and I was wearing pants, long shirt, jacket, wool beanie and gloves. Not sure I am ready for just shorts, maybe I'm just a wimp.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
3/20/08 Sanitas and change
3/20/08
4 miles/1,800 vertical
18:41 up (167bpm)
I still have heavy legs from Tuesday's run up Green in the snow, so I went moderate today (maybe a bit on the high side) for one lap on Sanitas. On the trail I bumped into a few 14erworld members (Steve, Paul and Lincoln), so I ran down to meet them hiked back up. We all started down together, but soon the wind changed and it really got cold, so I said my goodbyes and took off for the car as I was not dressed very warm.
4 miles/1,800 vertical
18:41 up (167bpm)
I still have heavy legs from Tuesday's run up Green in the snow, so I went moderate today (maybe a bit on the high side) for one lap on Sanitas. On the trail I bumped into a few 14erworld members (Steve, Paul and Lincoln), so I ran down to meet them hiked back up. We all started down together, but soon the wind changed and it really got cold, so I said my goodbyes and took off for the car as I was not dressed very warm.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
3/19/08 Father, Son and the Holy Ghost or something like that.
3/19/08
9 miles/1,288 vertical
1:17 142 bpm ave
Went for an "easy" run with George today. My legs were trashed from trudging through the snow the day before, so it seemed a bit harder, especially on the downhill and toward the end. Long conversations with George, mostly about Pikes made the run feel like 15 minutes. As always, it is great running with George. If we are not killing each other, the conversation is always entertaining.
9 miles/1,288 vertical
1:17 142 bpm ave
Went for an "easy" run with George today. My legs were trashed from trudging through the snow the day before, so it seemed a bit harder, especially on the downhill and toward the end. Long conversations with George, mostly about Pikes made the run feel like 15 minutes. As always, it is great running with George. If we are not killing each other, the conversation is always entertaining.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
3/18/08 Green Mountain via Bear Canyon
~9.5 miles/~3,350 vertical
1:17 up (154bpm ave on the ascent)/42 down
Listened to some great Phil Liggett interviews today on the mp3 player that I downloaded from the Competitors http://www.competitorradio.com/. I never thought I would be one of "those guys" who would do such a thing, but after downloading something like 50 podcasts from the Competitors, I am hooked like crack. It is so cool listening to friends/acquaintences such as Andy Hampsten, Tyler Hamilton, Greg Lemond, Matt Reed, Hunter Kemper and others who I have raced with, or met in the past (like Phil Liggett, Dave Scott, Alexi Grewal, Lance etc...), the list goes on and on.
The mp3 player makes 2 hours of running go by in a flash and I am wishing for more time so I can run another 2 hours and listen to more shows. I enjoy the entertainment while I run, but I have noticed a few things. 1st, I get so distracted, I have trouble focusing on maintaining a steady effort and truly focusing on the task at hand and my surroundings. I also tend to not pay close attention to my body's needs, whether I need food, water etc....
Oh yeah, I also had a bit of a taxing run today up Green. Parked at Chautauqua and on a whim decided to go up Green via Bear Canyon. The Mesa trail is a complete mess, mud, slush, packed snow, loose snow.... you name it. Once I turned into Bear Canyon, there were a few sets of old footprints for a short ways, but soon I was breaking trail in shin deep snow. Knowing the trail well was quite helpful, as it would have been easy to stray. I did not see another person from NCAR to the Gregory TH, and the only tracks I saw on the ascent were a rather large set of tracks made by a huge cat, maybe a few hours old. This had me turning down the volume and looking over my shoulder a few times. I was going an OK pace on the ascent, nothing too demanding, but the trail breaking made things slow and a bit tiring. Made it to the top in a very slow 1:17. The descent was even more of a mess. The studs on my shoes were of little help and I took it slow and cautious (42 minutes back to the car). For some reason, my quads were really cramping toward the end, must have been the deep snow.
3/17/08 Sanitas
5 miles/1,800 vertical (including 2 mile warmup)
20:30 up (159bpm for the ascent)
Had a nice warmup over red rocks to Canyon and back. Not sure what I was really warming up for, but I guess I was not too eager to get to the steepness of Sanitas.
The trail was slushy and slippery with the fresh snow and I kind of lollygagged as I was listening to my new mp3 player.
20:30 up (159bpm for the ascent)
Had a nice warmup over red rocks to Canyon and back. Not sure what I was really warming up for, but I guess I was not too eager to get to the steepness of Sanitas.
The trail was slushy and slippery with the fresh snow and I kind of lollygagged as I was listening to my new mp3 player.
3/15/08 Ski Train to Winter Park
Jim Creek
~8.5 miles/1,500 vertical
Kevin got Allison and I free tickets for the ski train as his company Whiting Petro rented 2 cars. We wanted to ski, but $65 per lift ticket was a bit stiff (not to mention Spring Break/weekend crowds). We just figured we would go and enjoy the train ride, free breakfast/dinner and enjoy a day of snowshoeing. We headed up Jim Creek toward James Peak. We briefly entertained the idea of climbing up to the divide, but we were a bit ill-prepared for above tree-line travel, not to mention we could not afford to miss the train. We just went up the valley, and wallowed in the deep snow for a while until we came to a nice sunny clearing with great views. We lingered for some time, then took our time getting back. The return trip seemed long, as there was hardly any vertical gain on the way up, and now gravity was of little help on the return trip.
~8.5 miles/1,500 vertical
Kevin got Allison and I free tickets for the ski train as his company Whiting Petro rented 2 cars. We wanted to ski, but $65 per lift ticket was a bit stiff (not to mention Spring Break/weekend crowds). We just figured we would go and enjoy the train ride, free breakfast/dinner and enjoy a day of snowshoeing. We headed up Jim Creek toward James Peak. We briefly entertained the idea of climbing up to the divide, but we were a bit ill-prepared for above tree-line travel, not to mention we could not afford to miss the train. We just went up the valley, and wallowed in the deep snow for a while until we came to a nice sunny clearing with great views. We lingered for some time, then took our time getting back. The return trip seemed long, as there was hardly any vertical gain on the way up, and now gravity was of little help on the return trip.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
3/13/08 2 More Laps on Sanitas
3/13/08
6 miles/2,600 vertical
1st lap 20:04up/15down (161bpm, up only)
2nd lap 19:50up/14down (174bpm, up only)
I know, boring, more laps on Sanitas. When it comes right down to it, I am craving sunshine and a dry trail and Sanitas delivers. Tried out my new mp3 player today for the first time. It makes time go by faster, but does not make me go faster. Entertaining, but I feel that I lose focus easily and am all over the place. Good for rambling easy runs, but I don't think I'll use it when I feel I need to focus. Felt a little crappy today, seemingly more effort than expected to produce slow times. I think I am a bit tired from my efforts on Tuesday. Will probably take tomorrow off and rest up for weekend adventures suffering in the mountains.
6 miles/2,600 vertical
1st lap 20:04up/15down (161bpm, up only)
2nd lap 19:50up/14down (174bpm, up only)
I know, boring, more laps on Sanitas. When it comes right down to it, I am craving sunshine and a dry trail and Sanitas delivers. Tried out my new mp3 player today for the first time. It makes time go by faster, but does not make me go faster. Entertaining, but I feel that I lose focus easily and am all over the place. Good for rambling easy runs, but I don't think I'll use it when I feel I need to focus. Felt a little crappy today, seemingly more effort than expected to produce slow times. I think I am a bit tired from my efforts on Tuesday. Will probably take tomorrow off and rest up for weekend adventures suffering in the mountains.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
3/12/08 Sanitas
3/12/08
3 miles/1,300 vertical
Sierra and I got out for a lap on Sanitas. I was hoping to do 2 laps, but she was really "dogging it" today for some reason. Made it up in 23:44 at 144bpm going pretty easy. It was just a good day to be out enjoying the sunshine.
3 miles/1,300 vertical
Sierra and I got out for a lap on Sanitas. I was hoping to do 2 laps, but she was really "dogging it" today for some reason. Made it up in 23:44 at 144bpm going pretty easy. It was just a good day to be out enjoying the sunshine.
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