A Day on the White Rim Trail

2 years ago I stood at the Grand View Point Overlook scanning the incomprehensible landscape that stretched out in front of me.  I noticed a dirt road down on the lower rim of the canyon and another visitor told me it was a 100 mile loop.  Well, that was convenient.  I had recently finished the Leadville 100 and although I wasn't ready for another 100 the seed was planted.

David, Walter, Brandt

I love Canyonlands National Park.  It is massive and the 3 districts are distinctly different.  There is an eerie aura about the area.  It feels ancient, desolate and forbidden.  There are oasis's, rock art and secrets from the past.  The place reminds me of the old Western movies and Louis L'Amour novels that I loved.  The park is dry and hot and after a few days in the Canyon you feel exhausted.  Spending time here clears your mind and lifts your soul.  By the time you leave you are ready to go but it always pulls you back.  When you are there nothing else maters.  In the canyon and desert you live in the moment.

I was excited about this run.  It was going to do something I love in a place I love.  Canyonlands proved to be unforgiving and offered me humility like many others who have come before me.  I learned lessons about myself and shared an adventure I won't soon forget with two friends.

Shaffer trail

David bought into this idea early on.  I was happy to have him along.  We have raced together several times and spent many miles on the trail training.  He is a stronger runner than me but we are pretty compatible running partners.  Brandt, a friend of David's from Chicago, had recently moved out to Denver and he volunteered to drive around in a jeep and crew us.  He is a really solid guy.  It was great to get to know him and he was an awesome crew and driver.

We rolled into Canyonlands and set-up camp near the park entrance before heading down into town for some last minute supplies and a rental jeep.  We woke up at 5 am, ate breakfast, packed up the car and headed down to the base of the Shaffer trail.  At 6:15 we started.

We headed up Shaffer trail in the dark.  This is a windy, dirt road that climbs over 1,500 feet to the top of the canyon wall.  As we reached the top the sun was rising and we felt good.  The plan was to take the paved road about 8 miles to mile 14.  At that point we would swing 13 miles down a long dirt road to Mineral Bottom.  We made quick time as we finished the first 26 miles in 4 1/2 hours.  That is a little fast for a 100 mile distance but the weather was cool and we didn't feel we were exerting too much effort.

Drop down into Mineral Bottom

We dropped about 1,000 feet to the bottom of the canyon at Mineral Bottom.  This point along the Green River is where we hooked up with the White Rim Trail.  It is also the lowest point of the course.  We got to the jeep and I changed my shoes.  I still felt good.  I had some tightness in my quads but nothing out of the ordinary.  Our next stop would be 8 miles down the road.

We got through mile 33 in 6 hours.  That is when the heat started taking it's toll.  It was probably in the low 80's down at the bottom of the canyon but there was no relief.  There was no shade.  Until you have been in the desert sun you can't really appreciate the way it feels on your skin.  The air was so dry and staying hydrated is a challenge.  There is always a thin veil of dust in the air.  Ultimately, I think it was the heat and dryness that was my downfall.  It hit me like a truck.  By the time we hit the jeep again I was experiencing leg cramps.  They weren't just tight, they were cramping.  That is very rare for me during a run.  It was concerning and I was walking.

Rolling Aid

David, was running a lot stronger than me.  He still had a good bounce to his step and was pulling me along.  We made it another 5 miles before our next stop at the jeep.  I was just starting to come around a bit at that point.  I changed shirts, pumped a lot of fluids and ate.  I had a pretty good 3 miles and I was super excited to have bounced back but it was short lived.  The mile before we came to the next aid stop I was slowed to a walk again.  My legs were cramping severely, my kidneys hurt and I was dehydrated.  I couldn't keep ahead of the hydration.  I made it another 5 miles before I dropped at mile 52.

I didn't have much of a choice.  I sat down.  I felt terrible.  David had held up for me and I probably put him about 5+ miles behind where he would have been without me.  It was so early in the run.  I never thought it would have ended here.  I really thought I had a honest shot at sub-24 hours.  I had underestimated the Canyon.

Views like this everywhere

David made it another 10 miles and dropped at 62.  I think he would have finished if I had kept up my end of the bargain.  We drove a mile down Murphy's Hogback and found a rock to put up camp for the night.  We sat there in the heart of Canyonlands.  There was not a light or person in sight.  We were alone with the stars and canyon walls.  The silence of the Canyon was amazing.  I can honestly say I have never experienced silence like that in my life.  This is one of the special moments that Canyonlands can offer.  We had a couple beers and called it a night.

It took us 6 hours to drive 38 miles out of the canyon the next day.  It took a couple of days for my kidney pain to go away.  I still feel depleted but other than that I am no worse off.

I learned a couple of things about myself this past weekend.

- After dropping  you go back and you think of all the things you could have done differently.  You play the "what if" game.  I'm sure I could have done a few things better but it boils down to the fact that I am not a 100 mile runner.  I finished Leadville but it was brutal.  I don't mind pain and suffering but I don't need it anymore.  At least, I don't need it for 24-30 hours.  I really love the 50k - 50 mile distance.  My body doesn't react well after that.

- 100 miles is amazing.  I get why people do it.  I think about it often.  I would be lying if I haven't thought about going back to the White Rim in past couple days.  I don't like to fail.  I think about moving along slowly at night and battling my body and mind.  Unfortunately, I shut down.  I'm ok with this.  I experienced finishing and failing at 100 miles.  I won't die wondering.  I can accomplish most adventures I want to do in 50 miles or less.

- Heat kills me.  I can handle heat for a couple of hours but I can look back on some of my most epic suffer fests and heat played a major roll in most of them.

- I'll be back to Canyonlands.  There are several runs that are still on my dream list.  I love it there.

- It's good to have friends that are crazy enough to join me on something like this.  Thanks David and Brandt!

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit"

Edward Abbey

Muscleman Arch

September

Lone Peak - The Rut

September was all about The Rut and preparing for the White Rim Trail.  I didn't get in as much climbing as I probably would have liked the month before the Rut but I had a solid training run up Greys and Torreys 2 weeks prior.  Coming into the race my legs felt really fresh.

The Rut is unlike any race I have ever run.  The race runs 32 miles with 11,019 feet of climb over some very rugged mountainous terrain.  The race was the Sky Runner Series Championship so the field was stacked.

They let you ease into the first 10 miles before really climbing.  My fueling and energy levels were pretty solid throughout the day.  I am really happy with my race management.  If I run it again I think I could improve on the last 8 miles of the run but I don't think I would knock too much off my time.  It took me 8:53 to finish which is an outrageous time for a 50k especially considering how I well I ran.  The race is that challenging.

The was one mile that took me 53 minutes!  The picture to the right shows the ridge line.

It's a great race, unlike anything I've run in Colorado.  The race management was great.  I would love to go back.

I took it easy the week after the Rut and then put together my best training week ever.  I stuck to rolling terrain without major climbs.  The White Rim Trail climbs just over 7k over 100 miles so I wanted my training to be similar in profile.

I ran 90 miles in one week which broke my previous record by 16 miles.  I ran 100 miles in 8 days which is the goal I set out for myself.  Over that 100 miles I climbed 7,758 which is almost exactly the same profile as WRT.

I'm currently tapering.  We run on October 11th.  I feel pretty fresh.  I'm working through a strange pain in my left foot but I don't think it will be an issue.  I am excited to see what I can throw down.  David and I are hoping to finish sub-24 hours.

August

Mt Harvard

August was a crazy month.  We sold our house and moved all our stuff into storage.  We moved the rest of our stuff to my folks place where we will be living for the next 6 months while our house is being built.  I also transitioned into my new position at work.  It was tough to get my miles in but it still ended up being a pretty good month.

I managed 182 miles.  David and I knocked Mt Harvard off the list.  I ran a 5:48 mile on the last mile of my 6 mile run while in Dallas.  That is a PR for a mile.  The highlight of the month though was pacing Tim F during the last 50 miles of the Leadville 100.

Hope Pass

Tim was shooting for a big buckle.  I wasn't sure he would be able to pull it off.  The altitude takes a toll and the climbs of Hope Pass and Powerline have a way of taking people out.  I picked Tim up at Winfield and I really enjoyed Hope Pass.  It was nice to climb that mountain with fresh legs.  Tim powered up to the top without pause.  It was a solid climb.  He ran down the backside with little sign of fatigue.  I'm sure he was feeling it but he showed a lot of spring in his step.  When I ran LT in 2012 I turned on my headlamp on this decent.  We wouldn't turn on our headlamp for a couple more hours this year.

Trucking up Hope Pass

Climbing out of Twin Lakes is one of the most overlooked climbs on the course.  Tim was grinding hard during this section and I wasn't sure how he would respond once we got to the top.  We got to the top and Tim threw down a really inspired 10 miles at a 12 minute pace.  Complete gut check!  It was really impressive to have that effort of sustained running at that point in the race.  It's hard to explain to people how hard it is to run this consistently after 65 miles.  Not only is it really physically challenging but mentally it is a relentless battle. Tim just kept the legs pumping.

We took the never-ending climb up Powerline around mile 80.  About two miles from the top we started hearing a horn.  It was a double edged sword.  It was nice to know where the top was but it took a long time to get there.  It felt like it would never end.  When we got to the top there was an aid station named Space Camp.  This place was a little bit of crazy.  There were about 100 glow sticks hanging from strings on trees.  There was a sign hanging over the trail that said "Nice Fucking Job".  The rave party aid station was nuts.  Besides the horn the volunteers were yelling "Nice Fucking Job" and having a hell of a time.  One guy tried handing Tim a sparkler which he declined.  It was a really uplifting after that big climb.  As we ran out of the station someone chased us with a blow up glow in the dark alien.  It was perfect.

River crossing before Twin Lakes

We made our way down towards May Queen.  As we hit the 2 miles of rocky single track that dumped off the dirt road I started hitting a low point.  This was about mile 37 for me and mile 87 for Tim.  I'm not sure if Tim sensed my low point or not but we settled into a slow pace through this 2 mile section.  We didn't say much to each other during this stretch and I was just hoping I would bounce back so I could give Tim what he needs for the final 13 miles. 

We got to May Queen and Tim asked if I was ok.  The guy who ran 87 miles was asking me.  I told myself to snap out of it and got really motivated to get us home.  We had created a nice cushion to break the 25 hour mark that determines if you get the big buckle.  I think we could have averaged about 17 minute miles and still get it done.

The night time is the right time.

We were ahead of the New England contingent that Tim came out with.  I'm not sure if it meant anything to Tim but I wanted to get us in ahead of them.  I thought if we could push hard to the end of the reservoir we could coast in to the finish line.  Tim was in the hurt locker here but he kept moving great.  I knew I was setting a tough pace but he kept it up.  He was dry heaving a bit and must have been delirious.  I knew I wouldn't have been able to do what he was doing at that mileage.  In fact I remember the shuffle I finished this section in and it was nothing close to the pace we were running.

We got past the lake and ran the road up to the railroad tracks.  We walked it in the last 3-5 miles on the climb back into town.  Tim finished about 25 minutes under the 25 hour mark.  Unbelievable run.  His friends that he came out with all finished right behind him.  I think all four of them finished within 3 minutes of each other.  I was wiped out.  After finishing LT100 myself this was the most satisfying run I've ever had.  Pacing someone is a privilege and watching Tim throw down that back 50 was pretty special.  I know I will think of his run when I run the WRT in October. 

The House I Grew Up In

Coming home with our third child Ryder.

We sold our home.  We are moving!  I'm excited.  We are moving into new construction and a bigger house for our family.  Meghan and I were getting so sick of the home improvement projects and the yard work.  It seemed like there was always something: new roof, new windows, new basement, new bathroom, frozen pipes and a neighbor's son recently throwing parties.  We are out of here!  I'm ready.  At least that's what I thought.  

As we started to pack the house, it slowly went from being a little cluttered to being ready for showing to feeling empty and not ours.  Meg and the kids are out of town, and I've been busy packing and moving.  Yesterday my friend John came by and we moved 3 truckloads of furniture and boxes into storage.  Last night our home looked empty, and tonight it hit me!  As I took down all the pictures, each picture brought back a happy memory. When they were all gone, I looked around and all that was left were the memories of this house.  

I can't believe we are moving.  We've spent the last 8 years in this home.  This is where I really grew up.  Meg and I moved in here after being married for only 4 years.  We were really still just dumb kids.  We learned how to argue and accept each other here.  Our marriage became strong here.  That wasn't easy, but we got there.  At the time, we had each other and this house, but there were a lot of empty rooms.

We tried to get pregnant, but we couldn't.  On top of infertility, we both carry the Cystic Fibrosis gene, so even if we did get pregnant, our child had a 25% chance of having CF.  We didn't have a lot of extra money and standard adoption seemed too expensive, so we became foster parents.  We met a little boy named Miles.  He was three months old and being fostered by a really great family.  We met with them and saw this beautiful boy.  His adoption seemed like it was a sure thing.  His birth mother had lost all her other kids.  Her rights would be terminated and we would be able to adopt him.

Long story short, her rights weren't terminated.  I loved that baby as my own.  I had surrendered to him, and then he left.  It tore me up more than I can describe.  Meg and I struggled to understand why it had happened.  We loved him and not only was he not with us, he was probably in a dangerous place.  We couldn't console each other, and we dealt with our pain differently.  I remember laying on his bedroom floor inconsolable. That's when I started running.  Running helped me heal.

The good part of that story is we met our daughter Bre during the process of losing Miles.  She was the most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen: 2 1/2 years old with long brown hair down to her waist and chubby little cheeks.  We fostered her, and this time we were able to adopt.  I remember standing on that front porch, pictured above, before we went to the court house.  It was a huge day in all our lives.  I felt the gravity of it, and I was proud.

We went from living our lives for ourselves,s without a real care in the world, to going through heartbreak and the adoption of our first child in about one year.  I don't care who you are: that is a shock to the system!  We grew up a lot during that year.

A few years went by:  Bre learned how to ride her bike in front of our house, she lost her first tooth, and we worked through the challenges of her first couple of years.  We became so proud of her.  Her strength inspires me.  She'd bounced around the system a bit before being adopted by us, but she came through her first couple of years!  She marches on.  I think of her strength a lot when I run.  

For our next child, we decided to do a standard adoption to eliminate the heartbreak we'd experienced during fostering.  A few months after being in the adoption program, we got a call that we were selected by a birth mom and she was having a baby boy in less than 2 weeks.  Here we go! We were at the hospital the day after he was born.  It didn't take a second to fall in love!  We took him home.  I remember watching Meg with him in our bed.  It felt so good and so right.  But we got a call the next day, and the birth mom wanted him back.  We had no choice:  it was happening again!  The same caseworker who helped us bring him home just a night ago came the next afternoon to pick him up.  My folks came over to help us.  I remember standing in our living room and crying with my family... in the same room where I cried with my father when Miles left.  I passionately told my parents and Meg, "Fuck this world.  We are not going to let it take us down.  We are going to Disney Land with Bre.  It's us against the world."   Later that day, my dad and I brought Bre to the sledding hill right down the street.  She needed to be happy, and it was our responsibility to help her.  

We were on a plane a day later.  Our first night we sat on the beach watching Bre play as the sun went down.  I was tucking it all away, deep inside.  I was going to be strong for our family.  We went to Disney Land and it was perfect.  Bre was so happy.  We actually had a great time.  We had been through this loss before.  We weren't going to let this get us:  we grieved, we laughed, we ate, we healed.  Then the night before we left Disney, we got a call:  his birth mom changed her mind again, and Brady was coming home!  We weren't cursed!  We brought him home for the second time, and worried for the next six months before the birth mom could legally relinquish her rights.  He stayed!

Brady is the energy and personality for our family.  He completed our family.  He was such an amazing gift.  He has a gravity about him that pulls us all together.  There are too many memories to count with him.  He loves to play in our back yard and it's so fun to watch him explore.

We celebrated many holidays in this house, the last being with Meg's mom and dad, her brother and sisters and their families, Meg's aunt, uncle and cousin and our children's Great Grandpa.  I'll always remember Grandpa Great sitting in our living room on a chair giving all the kids books for Christmas.  It was also the first time I really got to know him.  Before the holiday, I'd freaked out about how we would manage Christmas at our house.  The family came together and it was very special.

Shortly after that we had a surprise:  Meg was pregnant!  Total shock.  We were so excited and a little scared.  We were sleeping when Meg's water broke.  We called my mom to come and watch the kids.  What a surreal feeling.  Deep down I prayed that everything went right.  Watching Meg give birth was the most amazing thing I ever witnessed.  Her strength was amazing and then we heard Ryder cry for the first time.  I felt so blessed!

I remember his first night in our bed.  These are the moments that pass by too quickly.  A month after Ryder was born we found out he has CF.  You know what?  We had grown up a lot.  We were ready now.  All the pain, tears, fights, celebrations, professional and personal accomplishments had prepared us to be the family we are today.  This house saw it all.  We filled up our walls with pictures of our kids and vacations.  Our garage became a parking lot for kid toys instead of our cars.  Through the struggle we became who we are today.  We made sacrifices and became proud of our lives.  I say this because I don't know if we would have made the right choices without the  fight that we had.  We fought for each other, our kids and our home.  This time the CF diagnosis wasn't a curse.  It was just another challenge, and after all we've been through we've learned that nothing worth having comes easy.

In two weeks we will walk out the front door for the last time.  I don't think either of us have had a key to the front door in over a year.  We would always go through the garage and that door would be unlocked.  It's just one of the stupid things you do.  We will be leaving behind a lot of memories.  We will be leaving the place that made me a man.

July

Wilson Peak.  View from the cabin we rented.  Not bad!

July was pretty awesome.  I didn't crank out as many miles as I had planned but the quality of runs I had were amazing.  I crossed two items off my list of running goals with completing the 10 Mile Range and the Pawnee-Buchanan Loop.  I also had my best race today running the Silver Rush 50 in 9:47.  I squeezed in putting our house on the market, getting an offer, accepting an offer and taking a family vacation in Telluride.  Not a bad month!

Peaks 3 and 4

The 10 Mile Range represents the 12 peaks that stretch from Frisco to Breckenridge.  Mt Royal, Victoria and Peaks 1-10 are tagged on the route.  Check out my trip report.
http://thereisgoldinthemhills.blogspot.com/2014/07/10-mile-range.html

I had a pretty nice taper after the 10 Mile Range before Silver Rush.  Silver Rush 50 is a 47.5 mile course with 7,546 feet of vertical gain.  The course is an out and back with 4 distinct climbs between 9,890 and 12,046 feet.  My goal was to break 10 hours but to be honest I didn't have any idea how I would do.  As we lined up I was pretty emotionless.  I knew I had a long day ahead but I didn't feel excited or even that fresh.

SJ had given some advice to me a while back to be consistent throughout the race.  I have a tendency to push hard for the first half and suffer the second half.  I decided I would try to run steady throughout.  I started feeling good around mile 8 but I held back my enthusiasm and kept a steady pace.  I fueled well throughout but as I got to the turnaround I was starting to feel a little low and I had a big climb out of the aid station.  I ate some watermelon and salt at the aid station and felt pretty good and I gained strength as the climb continued.

Above the clouds at Silver Rush

I felt great on the decent as well.  I was feeling good and I told myself I wanted to keep feeling this way so I kept eating ahead of my typical schedule.  It paid off.  I was able to get to the top of the next climb feeling pretty good.  As I defended the final 10 miles my stomach started to turn as the heat of the day started to take its toll.  It was nearly impossible to get food in but I continued to push.  I probably could have trimmed another 20 minutes off my time had I been stronger during the last 7 miles but I managed this low point pretty well and finished with a time I was thrilled with.

It is the best race I have ever run in terms of race management.  I fueled pretty well.  My hydration was good.  My lows weren't that low and I extended my highs.  I am very happy with my finish.

scramble to summit of Wilson peak

I took 3 days off after the race before running 9 consecutive days.  That is a pretty good stretch for me.  We went on vacation in Telluride.  It was our first time there and it is such an amazing place.  The mountains are spectacular and the town is very cool.  My time there has me considering Dakota's race as my priority next year.

During my time there I was able to sneak away from the family one morning to climb Wilson Peak.  Wilson Peak is one of Colorado's 14ers and is a lot of fun.

Finally, a group of us set off for Pawnee-Buchanan Loop.  This is a 27 mile run that racks up over 7k of climb through the Indian Peaks.  It is considered on the Colorado's iconic loops.  It didn't disappoint. The wild flowers were amazing and the mountains are spectacular.  There are many large waterfalls along the route as well which is pretty cool as well.

I'm hoping to knock out a 2-3 new 14ers in August.  My main focus August is to pace Tim F for the back 50 at Leadville.  This will be my first time pacing and I'm really excited.

The pics below are from the Pawnee-Buchanan Loop.

10 Mile Range

10 Mile Range Traverse

Mt Royal, Mt Victoria, Peaks 1-10

Start: Frisco (parking lot off I-70) Finish: Breckenridge (Beaver Run base)

Total Miles: 18.67

Total Elevation Gain: 7,887 feet

Total Time: 8:31:18

View from Peak 2 looking at Peaks 2 and 3

I read about this route a couple of years ago.  After reading the trip report I couldn't look at the range the same way.  During the climb I asked myself, "When did I stop looking at mountains for their pure beauty and start looking at peaks and wondering how to link them together?"  I spend a lot of time up in Summit County and I feel like the mountains are taunting me at times.  Saturday I was determined to knock this one off the list.

Ptarmigan on Peak 1

My dad dropped me off at the parking lot off of I-70 in Frisco.  From there I ran to the TH for Peak 1.  I climbed Peak 1 before so I knew what the first 3,500 feet would be like.  It would be crazy to do this route without adding a very short side trip to Mt. Royal.  Mt Royal is the first high point on the range.  As I was climbing the sun rose up.  The climb up to Mt Royal is fairly straight forward and steep.  It's nearly 1,000 feet of gain in the second mile alone.

Peak 1 after you hit tree line.

After hitting Mt Royal I backtracked about .3 miles to the Peak 1 trail.  I gained another 1,000 feet in the 3rd mile.  Knowing it was going to be a long day I kept a moderate pace. Along the way to Peak 1 the route passes over the summit of Mt Victoria.  I averaged 24:00 minute miles to the top of Peak 1 which comes at Mile 4.4.  There is some fun scrambling between Victoria and Peak 1.

Saddle view to Peak 2.

Peak 3 and Peak 4 loom ahead.

 Peak 1-4 requires some route finding and a lot of scrambling.  Miles 5-7 miles took me just under 3 hours.  There is no trail and there are only a few cairns.  I feel pretty confident in my ability to find the weak spot of a line and with the exception of one point on Peak 4 I felt I picked the right line each time.

I dropped down off of Peak 1 to the saddle between Peak 1 and 2.  I was able to bounce from each side of the ridge line comfortably.  I had read that staying right on this route is a good rule of thumb so I followed that rule.  Peak 2 came up without any issue.  I was happy with the time I was making.  I didn't spend too much time on Peak 2.  I had a long way to go and the ridge line ahead represented the crux of the climb.

I may have misread but I thought the crux was between 2-3.  I dropped down to a keyhole and followed my rule and went right.  It was the right move.  I dropped down a scree field and then continued along some rock.  I can't recall all of the details but I followed what I felt was the easiest route and went right when in doubt.

Approaching Peak 3 summit.

There was some fun climbing to get to Peak 3 and when I hit the top I was feeling really good about the next ridge to Peak 4.  From what I remembered the crux was between 2-3 and I was very comfortable with the climbing thus far.  The rock all along the route is very solid but it is sharp.  The hand holds are great and footing is solid.

Looking back at Peak 3 and 2.

A couple of notes.  1- The crux of your climb can be completely different than that of another climber.  It always depends on the line you take.  There is no clear line on these ridges and it's very likely that everyone does a slightly different variation in choosing their route.  2- Be prepared for anything.  My rule is don't leave myself without an "out".  This means be prepared to backtrack if needed or be sure of your line if you commit to it.

Climb up to one of the false
summits of Peak 4.

Peak 4 tested me.  I followed my rule and even backtracked once when I realized it was not the right call.  I got to a point where right and left both didn't look good.  Figuring the crux of the climb was behind me so I went left.  It was a bad decision.  I ended up getting exposed with thin benches and backtracking wasn't a very good option either.  At no point was I in any real danger but I had to be very deliberate with my moves.

Climb up towards summit of Peak 4.  Cool colors.

I spoke out loud my thought process and verbally confirmed my hand holds before committing.  I congratulated myself on several moves and reminded myself that that the only thing that matters is the next move.  It kept me focused and eventually after some very tough sections I found a weakness that brought be back up to a saddle.  Once I gained the saddle I was very happy to find more comfortable terrain.

A long way down to I-70.  Final pitch up Peak 4.

Looking back at Peaks 3 and 2.

Please excuse all the commentary.  I was alone for 8.5 hours and had a lot of time to think.  I've always been drawn to the mountains.  There are many obvious reasons why but I think for me the main reason is the "truth" that exists up high.  We are constantly being shoved the daily buzz and we are all products of our surroundings.  When you are in the mountains you are finally in the moment.  It has become increasingly difficult to find this truth.  I hear my breathing.  I feel my heart beat.  I feel thirst and hunger.  I feel the solid rock and the warmth of the sun.  I find my line and I commit. I am alone and it is perfect.

View towards Peak 5.  Easy sailing.

It was probably the stress of the bad line but I got fooled by a false summit on the way to Peak 4. Fortunately, the lines were clear to me from this point on but they definitely provided a lot more challenge than anything between Peaks 1-3.  I was very happy to gain Peak 4.

I sat down and texted my family and let them know that the dangerous part was over.  Green pastures laid ahead.  I ate some food and filled a water bottle up with snow.  I then marched on.  The next few miles were pretty easy going.  The route is simple.  Just follow the high points.  Don't mistake the cairns as peaks.  There is a small portion of the CT that runs across the range.

Peaks 8-10 are pretty strenuous climbs.  They are steep. There is no trail.  Peak 10 is a rocky pile of suck. I decided to to go straight up the rocks instead of taking the road.  It is shorter but a heck of a lot harder. Peaks 9 and 10 are both over 13,000 feet with Peak 10 topping the route at 13,633 feet.  I did this route on July 5th and there were several skiers climbing to get about 800 feet of vertical snow.  You gain all your elevation if your first 14 miles.  From the top of peak 10 take the jeep road all the way down to Beaver Run.  I don't have much to add to Peaks 5-10 as they were pretty uneventful.

This is a very rewarding run.  You want to be very sure of your weather.  The route is very exposed.  Check out the rest of my pictures below.

CT 

Top of Peak 6

Peak 6 chutes

Peak 7 ahead.

Peak 10 on left.

Snow field on Peak 10.

Peak 10 summit.  Flag needs to be replaced.

Looking back on the route from Peak 10.

Jeep road coming down off Peak 10.

June

About 10 of us went out and scouted SJ's marathon course.  Great course and awesome day.  We ended up in snow and there was a rare high country tornado about 13 miles from where this photo was taken.  This area is outside of Fairplay near Mt Sherman.

June was a solid month for me.  I topped 200 miles for the second time this year and I reach a personal high for vertical in a month.  I added 2 new 14ers to my list.  I'm up to 22 peaks.  Tim F and I had a great 3 day training weekend where we logged 49 miles and 13,300 vert.  Fortunately the altitude slowed him down enough for me to keep up for a couple of days but by the third day he was definitely pulling me.
 

One of my favorite places in Colorado.  Willow Lake.  I'm drawn here often.  Tim F and I fought through the snow and the payoff was worth it.  Here is a look at the frozen lake with the Zodiac Peaks looming above.

I've recovered nicely from my injury and really feel some momentum heading into the back half of the year.

beautiful young bull moose on Gore Trail

Silver Rush 50 is coming up in 2 weeks and I'm really thinking of pushing hard and try to go sub-10 hours.  It will depend on how I feel on race day.  I will pace Tim F on the back 50 of Leadville while he makes an attempt for the big buckle.  The Rut 50k has been in the front of my mind lately.  I'd love to have a good race.  I need to continue to crank the vertical.  The winter snow is melting quickly and the high country is opening up.  I'm so excited to get high this year.  I'm planning on the 10 Mile Range traverse this upcoming weekend.

I've been inspired by so many of my friends finishing their 100 mile races this past month.  I'm proud that I've been able to do some training runs with them.  Their accomplishments have helped me put more of a laser focus on WRT.






Here are some more pics from June.

SJ and I summiting a 13er with weather moving in.  

Mt Morrison.  1,900 vert in less than 2 miles.

Tim F and I on Mt Elbert summit

Willow Lake

Tim F crossing snow field near Mt Massive summit.

view looking west from Mt Massive summit