5.5 miles
2,400 vertical
Allison, Sierra and I
Cold, surprisingly high wind, deep snow drifts, stumbling, falling, trudging, postholing, slipping, wallowing.... the occasional swearing. All fun though.
1:07 up Gregory/Ranger
1:02 down Greenman/Saddle/Amphi
Sierra
Sierra
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thursday, 12/04/08 Bear Peak/S. Boulder Peak
7 miles
3,500 vertical
The Pikes Peak Ascent in August prepared me for this day and winter in general....
For some reason, I thought this would be fun in the snow. Fun?.... maybe, but difficult, slow and tedious would be better descriptions. The snow that fell/is falling during this storm is super light and fluffy and it was surprisingly deep at the Cragmoor TH and only got deeper as I went higher, ankle to shin deep most of the way.
I was only able to run the smoother section of Shanahan Trail, but aside from that, this outing was a careful hike. There were some faint footprints as I went up Fern, which helped marginally at times. Near the summit I bumped into Scott E's friend Kevin and we chatted for a bit, mostly about foot traction and what Scott might be up to. Kevin's tracks ended at the summit signpost, so I forged past to the summit. What seemed slippery yesterday, required full on undivided attention today as there was so much pillowy snow covering everything and I was on all 4 most of the time, a touch exciting I must say as I cleared snow to expose steps and ledges that I knew were hiding beneath.
The trip over to SBP was tedious to say the least, as the deep fluffy snow was always providing surprises. I just never knew whether or not I was going to step on solid ground, glance off a rock, or drop off a step. Crabwalking/crawling were frequent means of locomotion, along with some minor galumphing at the summit of SBP. Sierra hung in there like a trooper, she was even having an absolute blast. I took things very cautious on the way out, as the descent off Bear was very difficult, literally every step to every other step resulted in a stumble, slide, twist or near fall as all footprints were now long obliterated. The snow at the base of the slab was chest deep from all the mini spindrift avys collecting at the bottom, very interesting to walk through.
1:07 up Bear
1:29 SBP
2:38 total
3,500 vertical
The Pikes Peak Ascent in August prepared me for this day and winter in general....
For some reason, I thought this would be fun in the snow. Fun?.... maybe, but difficult, slow and tedious would be better descriptions. The snow that fell/is falling during this storm is super light and fluffy and it was surprisingly deep at the Cragmoor TH and only got deeper as I went higher, ankle to shin deep most of the way.
I was only able to run the smoother section of Shanahan Trail, but aside from that, this outing was a careful hike. There were some faint footprints as I went up Fern, which helped marginally at times. Near the summit I bumped into Scott E's friend Kevin and we chatted for a bit, mostly about foot traction and what Scott might be up to. Kevin's tracks ended at the summit signpost, so I forged past to the summit. What seemed slippery yesterday, required full on undivided attention today as there was so much pillowy snow covering everything and I was on all 4 most of the time, a touch exciting I must say as I cleared snow to expose steps and ledges that I knew were hiding beneath.
The trip over to SBP was tedious to say the least, as the deep fluffy snow was always providing surprises. I just never knew whether or not I was going to step on solid ground, glance off a rock, or drop off a step. Crabwalking/crawling were frequent means of locomotion, along with some minor galumphing at the summit of SBP. Sierra hung in there like a trooper, she was even having an absolute blast. I took things very cautious on the way out, as the descent off Bear was very difficult, literally every step to every other step resulted in a stumble, slide, twist or near fall as all footprints were now long obliterated. The snow at the base of the slab was chest deep from all the mini spindrift avys collecting at the bottom, very interesting to walk through.
1:07 up Bear
1:29 SBP
2:38 total
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wednesday, 12/03/08 Bear/S. Boulder
7 miles
3,500 vertical
Had a very enjoyable and leisurely jaunt up Bear and S. Boulder today in the snow and sub 24 degree temps. I felt awesome physically and mentally, but still took things pretty easy as I was trying (without success) to not sweat too much in the cold, plus the fresh dusting of snow (maybe and inch?), made things pretty slick (although not quite set up for studded shoes yet). I took great care to travel very slow and deliberate over the summit scrambles/talus fields and the last bit on Bear seemed truly alpine with the fresh snow and low visibility as the thick cloud ceiling seemed to be hovering aroun 7,700 feet or so. Again I was the only human making footprints between Bear and S. Boulder, but followed the footprints of what I guessed to be a fox most of the way. I felt very solid on the descent, but again went cautious as to not eat it.
49 Bear Summit
1:02 S.B.P.
1:14 back at Bear
1:47 finish
3,500 vertical
Had a very enjoyable and leisurely jaunt up Bear and S. Boulder today in the snow and sub 24 degree temps. I felt awesome physically and mentally, but still took things pretty easy as I was trying (without success) to not sweat too much in the cold, plus the fresh dusting of snow (maybe and inch?), made things pretty slick (although not quite set up for studded shoes yet). I took great care to travel very slow and deliberate over the summit scrambles/talus fields and the last bit on Bear seemed truly alpine with the fresh snow and low visibility as the thick cloud ceiling seemed to be hovering aroun 7,700 feet or so. Again I was the only human making footprints between Bear and S. Boulder, but followed the footprints of what I guessed to be a fox most of the way. I felt very solid on the descent, but again went cautious as to not eat it.
49 Bear Summit
1:02 S.B.P.
1:14 back at Bear
1:47 finish
Tuesday, 12/2/08 Sanitas x 2
5.5 miles
2,500 vertical
The wind had me up most of the night and also had me up early as I thought the roof was going to blow away. It was 55 degrees on the thermometer, so I figured what the heck, i'll head to Boulder and see how it goes. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was completely calm. Went up the S. Ridge super easy, hiking mostly with some light jogging in 21:55. Went down the East side to Hawthorne, then retraced my route, 18:04 back to the summit.
2,500 vertical
The wind had me up most of the night and also had me up early as I thought the roof was going to blow away. It was 55 degrees on the thermometer, so I figured what the heck, i'll head to Boulder and see how it goes. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was completely calm. Went up the S. Ridge super easy, hiking mostly with some light jogging in 21:55. Went down the East side to Hawthorne, then retraced my route, 18:04 back to the summit.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Monday, 12/01/08 Bear Peak, S. Boulder Peak
7.5 miles
3,500 vertical
Started from a new TH today (Stoney Hill Road?) that starts between the Bear Creek Trail and the Cragmoor TH. It is a little longer in my opinion than starting from Cragmoor, but a refreshing alternative regardless. Jogged easy on the lower sections, hiked even easier on the upper sections. 54 up Bear, 1:10 to SBP. Went super easy on the down, as I had 2 left feet and zero coordination today for some reason. 1:58 total.
3,500 vertical
Started from a new TH today (Stoney Hill Road?) that starts between the Bear Creek Trail and the Cragmoor TH. It is a little longer in my opinion than starting from Cragmoor, but a refreshing alternative regardless. Jogged easy on the lower sections, hiked even easier on the upper sections. 54 up Bear, 1:10 to SBP. Went super easy on the down, as I had 2 left feet and zero coordination today for some reason. 1:58 total.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, 11/30/08 2 Laps on Sanitas
5 miles
2,200 vertical
Headed up S. Ridge at a moderate pace. Legs were not all there, so I resigned myself to not pushing too hard and ended up going 19:07, about 20-30 seconds slower than I anticipated. Cruised down the East side to meet up with Allison and Sierra, then went back up and over with them.
2,200 vertical
Headed up S. Ridge at a moderate pace. Legs were not all there, so I resigned myself to not pushing too hard and ended up going 19:07, about 20-30 seconds slower than I anticipated. Cruised down the East side to meet up with Allison and Sierra, then went back up and over with them.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, 11/29/08 Bear Peak/S. Boulder Peak
7 miles
3,500 vertical
To spice things up today, we (Allison, Sierra and I) decided to go up Bear from Cragmoor. At the last minute, I decided that I had to run and was actually excited by the freshly fallen snow. The trail was mostly dry to the Slab and I made good time, very close to PR and was feeling great. As I went higher though, the snow deepened somewhat, but was not too slick and the footprints from people ahead helped a bit. I got to the saddle in good time and kept up a reasonably hard tempo effort up over Bear and then went cautiously quick over to S. Boulder hoping to get there and back to Bear by the time Allison and Sierra got there. The fresh snow on the boulders made things slick and a bit slower than normal, as I was breaking trail the whole way out to SBP. I made it back to Bear soon after Allison arrived (she went up in just under an hour) and we all walked down together. Great day out!
Splits:
Mesa Trail: 10:09
Slab: 14:30ish
Nebel Saddle: 27
Bear Summit: 41:52
Bear/SBP Saddle: 46:30
SBP: 52:52
Bear the second time: 1:04
Finish: ~2 hours
3,500 vertical
To spice things up today, we (Allison, Sierra and I) decided to go up Bear from Cragmoor. At the last minute, I decided that I had to run and was actually excited by the freshly fallen snow. The trail was mostly dry to the Slab and I made good time, very close to PR and was feeling great. As I went higher though, the snow deepened somewhat, but was not too slick and the footprints from people ahead helped a bit. I got to the saddle in good time and kept up a reasonably hard tempo effort up over Bear and then went cautiously quick over to S. Boulder hoping to get there and back to Bear by the time Allison and Sierra got there. The fresh snow on the boulders made things slick and a bit slower than normal, as I was breaking trail the whole way out to SBP. I made it back to Bear soon after Allison arrived (she went up in just under an hour) and we all walked down together. Great day out!
Splits:
Mesa Trail: 10:09
Slab: 14:30ish
Nebel Saddle: 27
Bear Summit: 41:52
Bear/SBP Saddle: 46:30
SBP: 52:52
Bear the second time: 1:04
Finish: ~2 hours
Friday, 11/28/08 Falcon Trail, USAFA
~7 miles
~600 vertical
Hiked with Allison, Dave, Emily, Sierra, Shep, Sophie and Kiefer on the Falcon trail at the academy. Was a funtastic walk with huge amounts of Border Collie energy, chasing and overall enthusiasm. Was great to get out with them again. Hopefully Dave heals that foot soon!
~600 vertical
Hiked with Allison, Dave, Emily, Sierra, Shep, Sophie and Kiefer on the Falcon trail at the academy. Was a funtastic walk with huge amounts of Border Collie energy, chasing and overall enthusiasm. Was great to get out with them again. Hopefully Dave heals that foot soon!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving, 11/27/08 S. Boulder and Bear Peak
9 miles
3,300 vertical
See yesterday, only a bit slower and with Kevin, Allison and Sierra. Had a great walk, super casual, about 1:30 up S. Boulder, a few long stops at the summits. It was pretty cold above 8,000 feet, maybe high teens, low 20's? It was also a bit damp, so it seemed even colder. 3 hours RT, great way to earn that turkey meal.
3,300 vertical
See yesterday, only a bit slower and with Kevin, Allison and Sierra. Had a great walk, super casual, about 1:30 up S. Boulder, a few long stops at the summits. It was pretty cold above 8,000 feet, maybe high teens, low 20's? It was also a bit damp, so it seemed even colder. 3 hours RT, great way to earn that turkey meal.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Wednesday, 11/26/08 South Boulder Peak/Bear Peak
9 miles
3,300 vertical
Sierra and I got out for an easy run today. As per usual, she was being her slow and pokey self, had a false start where I had to run back to the parking lot to get her motivated. I only got her motivated enough to get up S. Boulder at a 1:06 ascent pace. Went over to Bear in 10 minutes, then made it back to the car for 2 hours RT. Either way it was a nice day out. Hoping to get up these peaks again tomorrow from the Cragmoor TH in order to earn a large Thanksgiving meal.
3,300 vertical
Sierra and I got out for an easy run today. As per usual, she was being her slow and pokey self, had a false start where I had to run back to the parking lot to get her motivated. I only got her motivated enough to get up S. Boulder at a 1:06 ascent pace. Went over to Bear in 10 minutes, then made it back to the car for 2 hours RT. Either way it was a nice day out. Hoping to get up these peaks again tomorrow from the Cragmoor TH in order to earn a large Thanksgiving meal.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, 11/25/08 Green Mountain
5 miles
2,400 vertical
Had a great run up Green today and was pleasantly surprised that I am completely recovered from Saturday's vertical fest. Went up the Saddle Rock Trail (instead of the usual Amphitheater start) which is a bit longer and adds an automatic ~2 minutes to the outing. I was feeling pretty good though and pushed at a high moderate pace, bordering on low end hard pace, just zoning out listening to my Competitors podcasts. Made the summit in 36:57 despite the longer route and was happy and surprised with that. I was quite overdressed, as I was cold all day, but 5 minutes into it, I was boiling yet did not shed anything and just got drenched.
36:57 up
58:24 RT
2,400 vertical
Had a great run up Green today and was pleasantly surprised that I am completely recovered from Saturday's vertical fest. Went up the Saddle Rock Trail (instead of the usual Amphitheater start) which is a bit longer and adds an automatic ~2 minutes to the outing. I was feeling pretty good though and pushed at a high moderate pace, bordering on low end hard pace, just zoning out listening to my Competitors podcasts. Made the summit in 36:57 despite the longer route and was happy and surprised with that. I was quite overdressed, as I was cold all day, but 5 minutes into it, I was boiling yet did not shed anything and just got drenched.
36:57 up
58:24 RT
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sunday, 11/23/08 Bear Peak
6 miles
2,800 vertical
Got up Bear today with Nate and was good to catch up as it has been a while since I have seen him. We kept it pretty casual, more of an opportunity to get the dog out and work the kinks out of my legs from yesterday. I was a little tired on the up, but fortunately not really sore, I just did not have much spring in my step. I my quads were a touch sore on the down, but very manageable and I was able to run a bit.
1:03 up
44 down
2,800 vertical
Got up Bear today with Nate and was good to catch up as it has been a while since I have seen him. We kept it pretty casual, more of an opportunity to get the dog out and work the kinks out of my legs from yesterday. I was a little tired on the up, but fortunately not really sore, I just did not have much spring in my step. I my quads were a touch sore on the down, but very manageable and I was able to run a bit.
1:03 up
44 down
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Saturday, 11/22/08 Boulder Skyline Traverse (Less The Traverse)
South Boulder Peak, Bear Peak, Green Mountain, Flagstaff Mountain, Mt. Sanitas
11/22/08
Jeff Valliere, George Zack and Bob Sweeney
26 miles/10,700 vertical
5 hours, 12 minutes running time
George and I had tentatively planned to go run the double crossing of the Grand Canyon this weekend, but at the last minute I had cold feet and we scrapped those plans. As an alternative form of punishment, we decided to run our favorite peaks in Boulder, but instead of link them up, we decided to run each of them individually from bottom to top. We considered stashing water and doing this as a car shuttle, but decided that driving to each trailhead would be “easier” and make a bit more sense from a logistical standpoint (food, drinks, option to bail at any point).
We met at the S. Mesa TH, where George introduced me to Bob, who he had met 5 minutes prior (he heard about our run through the Blogosphere) and we were soon on our way up South Boulder Peak (we decided to go South to North so our climbs would get progressively smaller as we went).
I was feeling like garbage right from the start and even debated cancelling the previous night. I have a laundry list of excuses, but bottom line I was feeling a bit off and behind the 8 ball. I soon learn that Bob is not just any runner, but is on the 100k national team and has won the 100 mile national championships in 13 hrs and 5 minutes, amongst many other big league running performances. Very impressive, but this is very bad news for me, as now I have no chance of slowing George down.
For the entire ascent, I yo-yo off the back, gaining a bit of ground when it is really steep, and losing ground when it levels a bit. My lower back is killing and it hurts like crazy to run upright, yet it exacerbates the issue when I stoop forward. Ughhh. I surge a bit on the final push to the summit from the saddle and catch up. This is by no means a race, but I did want to keep up and put in reasonable times, as this was my idea after all.
George and I take the descent pretty casual and it is soon apparent that Bob is less practiced than us on the steep and technical descent. We wait for him once things ease up and we all jog out together back to the TH. 55:05 for the ascent and 1:36:44 for the RT. I have gone much faster in the past, but the effort today seemed like more than on my fastest day.
Next on the plate is Bear, from the Cragmoor TH. George takes off up the trail like he was shot out of a slingshot and Bob follows. Unfortunately, I had just stuffed 3 Cran-Razz Clif Shot Bloks into my mouth and would gag on them for the next 10 minutes to the Mesa Trail. I had them in sight, but there was a bit of racing going on between them, and even though I was playing things relatively conservative, I was very near PR pace crossing the Mesa Trail. I back off significantly, as I know that for me this pace is suicide. As expected, I nearly catch back on as the trail steepens up Fern Canyon.
Bob and I take turns behind George, as he is charging hard up the final 1,000 feet. We eventually top out and I am pleased to have this one behind us and waste no time starting down. My coordination is good and although not really pushing, I make very quick work of the upper sections of the most technical part of the descent. Once on easier terrain, I just casually cruise back to the car to refuel, half expecting the whole time for George and Bob to catch up. George is a few minutes back, and Bob once again had a tough time on the technical descent, then missed the final turn back to the car. Ascent time 45 minutes/RT time 1:11.
Next is Green. The pace is again high and I am again yo-yo’ing and suffering like a dog. The stinging pace setting eventually catches up with George and he lets us pass. Soon Bob lets me pass and even though I maintained the same effort, I was surprised to put a bit of time on them on the final push to the summit. The intensity, miles and vertical were all starting to take their toll on all of us. I trotted the descent, quick but never pushing, as my legs were starting to feel a little wobbly and I knew I was about to switch to damage control mode.
Ascent 39:25/RT from Gregory TH via Amphi, Saddle, Greenman 1:07:05.
Again, George and I waited for Bob, who struggled on the rough descent. Once we regrouped, Bob was smart enough to call it a day, while George and I soldiered on up Flag. Since we had parked far away, we did not bother to go back to the car to refuel (we should have, as we waited for quite some time at the Gregory lot), but anyways, we started up Flag at a quick walk and jogged the easier sections. Even though I was bonking, I got a second wind about half way up and was having an easy time of it. Eager to get back to food/drink quickly, I pushed the downhill a bit and was feeling surprisingly good. This would be the last time of the day that I would even feel reasonably good. Ascent 24:05/38:15 RT
Once at the car, George arrived a few minutes later and announced that he was done (after taking a few crashes). I could not blame him, as he has an important race coming up on Thanksgiving Day in which he hopes to do well. We enjoyed an extended, two person tail gate party, soaking up the warm sun and chowing on turkey sandwich and Extreme Cheddar Pringles. With my shoes off and feeling quite relaxed, it was somewhat tempting to call it a day as well, but Sanitas was calling.
I drove very slowly over to the TH, enjoying an apple and trying to put off the inevitable. Now that I had eaten and drank copious amounts of water and sports drink, I thought I was recharged (how wrong I was). I immediately attacked the steep trail, but after 30 seconds of this, my wobbly legs screamed out in protest and my stomach cramped up. I was hoping to go under 20 minutes, which on any other day is a pretty casual effort for me, but today I was wondering if I could even make it up at all.
I hobbled, bobbed and weaved my way up through the throngs of humans and dogs, once even bumping into a guy as I worked the crowd in my tipsy state. I apologized and fortunately he took it quite casually, as he was much bigger than I and today would have easily caught me. I topped out in 24:49, certainly my slowest ever time while trying hard. At this point, all I could think about was a big Chipotle burrito, so I turned tail and went down for all I was worth, making the RT in 39:02.
Although not the Grand Canyon, this was a great run. As always, it is always a pleasure to get out with George and push one another and it was great to meet Bob. Although not fast on rocky descents, he is a super strong runner and I hope to get out with him again as well.
11/22/08
Jeff Valliere, George Zack and Bob Sweeney
26 miles/10,700 vertical
5 hours, 12 minutes running time
George and I had tentatively planned to go run the double crossing of the Grand Canyon this weekend, but at the last minute I had cold feet and we scrapped those plans. As an alternative form of punishment, we decided to run our favorite peaks in Boulder, but instead of link them up, we decided to run each of them individually from bottom to top. We considered stashing water and doing this as a car shuttle, but decided that driving to each trailhead would be “easier” and make a bit more sense from a logistical standpoint (food, drinks, option to bail at any point).
We met at the S. Mesa TH, where George introduced me to Bob, who he had met 5 minutes prior (he heard about our run through the Blogosphere) and we were soon on our way up South Boulder Peak (we decided to go South to North so our climbs would get progressively smaller as we went).
I was feeling like garbage right from the start and even debated cancelling the previous night. I have a laundry list of excuses, but bottom line I was feeling a bit off and behind the 8 ball. I soon learn that Bob is not just any runner, but is on the 100k national team and has won the 100 mile national championships in 13 hrs and 5 minutes, amongst many other big league running performances. Very impressive, but this is very bad news for me, as now I have no chance of slowing George down.
For the entire ascent, I yo-yo off the back, gaining a bit of ground when it is really steep, and losing ground when it levels a bit. My lower back is killing and it hurts like crazy to run upright, yet it exacerbates the issue when I stoop forward. Ughhh. I surge a bit on the final push to the summit from the saddle and catch up. This is by no means a race, but I did want to keep up and put in reasonable times, as this was my idea after all.
George and I take the descent pretty casual and it is soon apparent that Bob is less practiced than us on the steep and technical descent. We wait for him once things ease up and we all jog out together back to the TH. 55:05 for the ascent and 1:36:44 for the RT. I have gone much faster in the past, but the effort today seemed like more than on my fastest day.
Next on the plate is Bear, from the Cragmoor TH. George takes off up the trail like he was shot out of a slingshot and Bob follows. Unfortunately, I had just stuffed 3 Cran-Razz Clif Shot Bloks into my mouth and would gag on them for the next 10 minutes to the Mesa Trail. I had them in sight, but there was a bit of racing going on between them, and even though I was playing things relatively conservative, I was very near PR pace crossing the Mesa Trail. I back off significantly, as I know that for me this pace is suicide. As expected, I nearly catch back on as the trail steepens up Fern Canyon.
Bob and I take turns behind George, as he is charging hard up the final 1,000 feet. We eventually top out and I am pleased to have this one behind us and waste no time starting down. My coordination is good and although not really pushing, I make very quick work of the upper sections of the most technical part of the descent. Once on easier terrain, I just casually cruise back to the car to refuel, half expecting the whole time for George and Bob to catch up. George is a few minutes back, and Bob once again had a tough time on the technical descent, then missed the final turn back to the car. Ascent time 45 minutes/RT time 1:11.
Next is Green. The pace is again high and I am again yo-yo’ing and suffering like a dog. The stinging pace setting eventually catches up with George and he lets us pass. Soon Bob lets me pass and even though I maintained the same effort, I was surprised to put a bit of time on them on the final push to the summit. The intensity, miles and vertical were all starting to take their toll on all of us. I trotted the descent, quick but never pushing, as my legs were starting to feel a little wobbly and I knew I was about to switch to damage control mode.
Ascent 39:25/RT from Gregory TH via Amphi, Saddle, Greenman 1:07:05.
Again, George and I waited for Bob, who struggled on the rough descent. Once we regrouped, Bob was smart enough to call it a day, while George and I soldiered on up Flag. Since we had parked far away, we did not bother to go back to the car to refuel (we should have, as we waited for quite some time at the Gregory lot), but anyways, we started up Flag at a quick walk and jogged the easier sections. Even though I was bonking, I got a second wind about half way up and was having an easy time of it. Eager to get back to food/drink quickly, I pushed the downhill a bit and was feeling surprisingly good. This would be the last time of the day that I would even feel reasonably good. Ascent 24:05/38:15 RT
Once at the car, George arrived a few minutes later and announced that he was done (after taking a few crashes). I could not blame him, as he has an important race coming up on Thanksgiving Day in which he hopes to do well. We enjoyed an extended, two person tail gate party, soaking up the warm sun and chowing on turkey sandwich and Extreme Cheddar Pringles. With my shoes off and feeling quite relaxed, it was somewhat tempting to call it a day as well, but Sanitas was calling.
I drove very slowly over to the TH, enjoying an apple and trying to put off the inevitable. Now that I had eaten and drank copious amounts of water and sports drink, I thought I was recharged (how wrong I was). I immediately attacked the steep trail, but after 30 seconds of this, my wobbly legs screamed out in protest and my stomach cramped up. I was hoping to go under 20 minutes, which on any other day is a pretty casual effort for me, but today I was wondering if I could even make it up at all.
I hobbled, bobbed and weaved my way up through the throngs of humans and dogs, once even bumping into a guy as I worked the crowd in my tipsy state. I apologized and fortunately he took it quite casually, as he was much bigger than I and today would have easily caught me. I topped out in 24:49, certainly my slowest ever time while trying hard. At this point, all I could think about was a big Chipotle burrito, so I turned tail and went down for all I was worth, making the RT in 39:02.
Although not the Grand Canyon, this was a great run. As always, it is always a pleasure to get out with George and push one another and it was great to meet Bob. Although not fast on rocky descents, he is a super strong runner and I hope to get out with him again as well.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wednesday, 11/19/08 Grays and Torreys
Grays and Torreys
11/19/08
15 miles
5,060 vertical
Jeff and Allison Valliere, Steve Hoffmeyer and Sierra
I knew we were in for good weather this week and I was itching to get up high. Even though I have been up Grays and Torreys several times this year, I was eager to get up there again, as it is the perfect 14er standby close to home and I never tire of it. I know Stevo has Wednesdays off, so I sent him an invite and coincidentally, that is what he had on tap as well, PERFECT! Planning could not have been easier.
We met at the Safeway in Idaho Springs as has become the norm when meeting Steve and soon we were at the Bakerville exit. We had both heard that the road to the summer TH was still accessible and we were excited that we would not have to walk from I-70. Unfortunately, I failed to relay to Steve that I had heard that there was a very icy section after the first switchback and as such did not bring chains. We gave it an honest try, but with summer tires on his Jeep, it was never going to happen. It was steep enough and slick enough, that we were sliding backwards and any attempt to move forward only got us into more trouble. I jumped out and pushed and we were able to avoid any real mishap. Enough of that sillyness, so we went back down to the parking lot and called it good.
With chains or studded snow tires (along with AWD/4WD and clearance of course), this section could be negotiated as several vehicles proved. Once past this short stretch, the road has very little snow/ice beyond and made for easy walking. We made the summer TH in 1:10, going at a conversational pace and took a short break to add a layer and eat a bit.
Beyond that, the trail was in great shape with very little snow, and what snow existed on the trail, it was very well packed. Snowshoes were certainly not necessary, but if I were to go back any time soon, I would elect for some sort of traction on the shoes (crampons, microspikes or studded shoes), as the upper stretches of trail closer to the saddle were absolute bulletproof ice/snow and progress here was frustrating without traction.
Because of time constraints, Allison and Steve elected to head up Grays, while I wanted to add Torreys, so Sierra and I went ahead, summiting Torreys first, then met them on Grays afterwards. I was sucking wind a bit from not having been up high in so long, a heavy pack and I was also doing a bunch of slip sliding which was quite taxing. The fast mountain runs of summer wearing shorts and running shoes seemed like a world away.
We all arrived on Grays within 10 minutes of one another and lingered for a while, the weather was as perfect as any day, any time of year, hard to believe it is a week from Thanksgiving and we are basking in the warm sun at 14,270 feet! This was one of those days that if I were home, I would stare at the mountains and wish I were there knowing it is such a perfect day. I was so elated to actually take advantage of one of those days, absolutely outstanding. The walk back was a cruise and we were done by 3pm, for a 7:30 day. Great company, perfect weather and great conversation.
Pictures:
http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/2008_11_19_Grays_Torreys/
11/19/08
15 miles
5,060 vertical
Jeff and Allison Valliere, Steve Hoffmeyer and Sierra
I knew we were in for good weather this week and I was itching to get up high. Even though I have been up Grays and Torreys several times this year, I was eager to get up there again, as it is the perfect 14er standby close to home and I never tire of it. I know Stevo has Wednesdays off, so I sent him an invite and coincidentally, that is what he had on tap as well, PERFECT! Planning could not have been easier.
We met at the Safeway in Idaho Springs as has become the norm when meeting Steve and soon we were at the Bakerville exit. We had both heard that the road to the summer TH was still accessible and we were excited that we would not have to walk from I-70. Unfortunately, I failed to relay to Steve that I had heard that there was a very icy section after the first switchback and as such did not bring chains. We gave it an honest try, but with summer tires on his Jeep, it was never going to happen. It was steep enough and slick enough, that we were sliding backwards and any attempt to move forward only got us into more trouble. I jumped out and pushed and we were able to avoid any real mishap. Enough of that sillyness, so we went back down to the parking lot and called it good.
With chains or studded snow tires (along with AWD/4WD and clearance of course), this section could be negotiated as several vehicles proved. Once past this short stretch, the road has very little snow/ice beyond and made for easy walking. We made the summer TH in 1:10, going at a conversational pace and took a short break to add a layer and eat a bit.
Beyond that, the trail was in great shape with very little snow, and what snow existed on the trail, it was very well packed. Snowshoes were certainly not necessary, but if I were to go back any time soon, I would elect for some sort of traction on the shoes (crampons, microspikes or studded shoes), as the upper stretches of trail closer to the saddle were absolute bulletproof ice/snow and progress here was frustrating without traction.
Because of time constraints, Allison and Steve elected to head up Grays, while I wanted to add Torreys, so Sierra and I went ahead, summiting Torreys first, then met them on Grays afterwards. I was sucking wind a bit from not having been up high in so long, a heavy pack and I was also doing a bunch of slip sliding which was quite taxing. The fast mountain runs of summer wearing shorts and running shoes seemed like a world away.
We all arrived on Grays within 10 minutes of one another and lingered for a while, the weather was as perfect as any day, any time of year, hard to believe it is a week from Thanksgiving and we are basking in the warm sun at 14,270 feet! This was one of those days that if I were home, I would stare at the mountains and wish I were there knowing it is such a perfect day. I was so elated to actually take advantage of one of those days, absolutely outstanding. The walk back was a cruise and we were done by 3pm, for a 7:30 day. Great company, perfect weather and great conversation.
Pictures:
http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/2008_11_19_Grays_Torreys/
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