After several restless evenings of feeling like a kid at Christmas the day finally arrived for us to approach the Ten Mile Traverse. To be fair- the day hadn't yet arrived, it was about 3:00 in the morning when we left Leadville to head to the trailhead in Frisco...
I had gone back and forth on what gear to bring for some time, and ultimately decided I'd be glad to have a layer at some point, and that I could make the journey, which I estimated to be between 5-7 hours, with two water bottles (1 liter) and a handful of gels. So after stripping down and suiting up James, Jeremy, and myself were itching to go.
Hoping to beat the weather with a 4:15am start
We ran by headlamp for the first hour or so up and up and up (~3,500 ft in 4 miles) en route to the summit of Peak One.
The sun showing its color in between clouds over Frisco
Arriving at the summit after over an hour of moving was quite gratifying, it was also nice to know that we wouldn't have any climb so large as that for the rest of the traverse. In fact, we wouldn't be dropping much below 12,500 feet for the remainder of the day!
Me, James, and Jeremy on Peak One
Tenmile Peak a.k.a Peak Two as seen from Peak One
A rocky traverse.
We were well aware that there would be technical terrain to navigate on the route, and were almost giddy with the prospect of getting into the heart of it beyond Peak Two!
Heading up Peak Two's ridgeline.
The temperatures were perfect and the morning light heightened the astounding beauty of the ridge.
Peak 3 in the center and Peak 4 beyond it to the right as seen from Tenmile Peak.
The traverse from 2 to 3 was everything we'd hoped it would be. It was a consistent scramble with a "choose your own adventure" kind of feel about it. As we were feeling giddy and energetic, we decided to do our best mountain goat impressions, making a few class five moves here and there, and pursing the ridge's crest as often as possible/practical.
I've heard this is called the Dragon's Tail, which I think is awesome considering I wear one of those...
Summiting Peak 3
Peak 4 and its awesome ridge in the distance.
Making moves
Riding the ridge to Peak 4
Summiting Peak 4
Veering to the west of the ridge up Peak 4 was a blast, a lot of scrambling, of course, but we felt strong and were super stoked to gain the grassy ridge that ensues on the way to Peaks 5, 6, and 7.
Copper Mtn Ski resort from Peak 5
Arriving at the summit of Peak 6 was slightly demoralizing, there is a stout descent to the saddle before climbing up Peak 7, and Peak 8 loomed higher still in the distance. Not having a trail up the ridge incredibly steep ridge made for quite the push! I felt really strong standing beside Breckenridge Ski Resorts Peak 8 chairlift having maintained a really strong pace up the climb.
Early on Peak 8's burly ascent
While waiting for Jeremy and James to join me on the summit, I became acutely aware of a hole growing in the pit of my stomach. I ate some food, thinking that it would be back to normal in a minute or two. But, boy, was I wrong. My stomach went completely amok, I went from feeling 100% to 0% in a matter of minutes and was slowed to a walk down to Peaks 8 and 9's saddle, stopping along the way to dig holes, try to throw up, or find some sort of relief from the extreme discomfort I was feeling.
I continued down slowly, grateful that the other two J's were waiting for me before starting the climb up Peak 9. I stopped and sat down frequently to try to quell my stomach, but to no avail. On the climb up Peak 9 I was contemplating my predicament and realized that during the Run Rabbit Run 100 in September it would be almost inevitable that I would feel as bad if not worse than this at some point throughout the day and this was a golden opportunity to exercise my will to overcome. That being said, the steep ascent of Peak 10's talus slope (~900 vertical feet at around a 75 degree angle) was awesome. I adhered to goat-like movements using all fours to scurry up the loose rocks and over the boulders on my way to the American Flag flapping freely in the wind atop the highest peak of the day (13,633 feet).
Peak 10 dead ahead
Jeremy summiting Peak 10
At 13,633 feet
Some of the traverse in the background
We made the traverse in about 6 hours and 15 minutes. The day was a huge success by every measure. It was certainly one of the most sensational routes I've had the pleasure of navigating so far this summer, and something I'll certainly do again before the summer's end and would recommend to anyone else (I'd love to join you!). It was great to spend time with James and Jeremy, who both kicked butt out there. I'm glad I was hindered by the stomach issue late in the outing and hope that I learn how to avoid that in the future to ensure that I can run and race stronger and more comfortably in the future. All in all, the route was about 14 miles with 8,500 feet of vertical gain.
Still running strong, and most importantly still feeling about 100% healthy! This makes for an exciting time with a lot of great runs planned in the near future and a 50 mile race less than a month away!
I was delighted to summit the southernmost high peak of the Sawatch Range on Monday in good company. Had the pleasure of summiting Colorado's highest peak twice this past week on what proved to be epic outings.
I have become really comfortable with my ability to hike with haste and manage technical descents efficiently- I'm truly blessed to be in a setting that allows both of those to be practiced so easily. My only concern regarding my fitness level is with respect to my ability to run... I mean, spending nearly all of my running time on steep ascents often well above 10,000 ft certainly has its benefits, but I've lost a bit of confidence in my ability to keep my legs turning over for hours on end, but this will be put to the test at the Grand Mesa 50 in a couple of weeks.
I was able to put up a really strong, speedy effort on Mt Elbert via the North Elbert Trailhead that gave me an unwavering confidence boost.
The week in review:
6/25- Monday
Rested from yesterday's 5 hour effort
6/26- Tuesday
9.5 miles up and down Mt Shavano (14,229 ft) with Sandi, 2:04 to summit, 3:15 total, 4,600 ft
6/27- Wednesday
3 miles barefoot on the football field, :25
6/28- Thursday
7.5 miles with Josh on the Fish Hatchery Loop (Highline, CT, Rock Creek) :35 to CT, :52 to Rock Creek, 1:14 total, 1,400 ft
6/29- Friday
PR on Elbert from North Elbert Trailhead, 1:24 to summit, 2:09:34 round-trip. Couldn't have felt better about this outing- stopped to chat plenty, could definitely shave off an easy 5 minutes... 4,500 ft
6/30- Saturday
No excuse for taking this off, really...
7/01- Sunday
11 miles, South Elbert Trail to summit, caught up with Sandi about 20 minutes from summit, summited in 1:20, followed Black Cloud Trail staying above 13,800 for nearly 2 miles, ending with a super-steep descent ~5,000 ft in 3.5 miles(?!) before meeting Melissa at the trailhead, 3:40 total time, 5,200 ft
Totals: 40 miles, 10 hours 45 minutes, 15,700 ft
Looking back East towards Salida while approaching Shavano's ridge.
Look west from Shavano's ridge
Sandi makes the final push to the summit.
At 14,229
Beautiful stretch of trail on the descent, Shavano in the back, Sandi running
Heading up the South Elbert Trail, looking down on Twin Lakes
A glance towards Mt Massive from Elbert's summit.
Me and La Plata from the saddle of Elbert and South Elbert
Family reunion! Luna has made it to Colorado, playing fetch in Timberline Lake.
Well that was it, one of the most physically demanding weeks of training I've ever undergone- and I feel great!!
I made occasion to summit Galena Mountain, which has captivated my imagination, towering over Turquoise Lake, since we first drove into Leadville. I scooted up Mosquito Pass, familiarizing myself with the route of Leadville's Marathon and Half Marathon. I got to scope out some of the Ten Mile Range for the Ten Mile Traverse (hopefully in a couple of weeks), heading up to Peak One and hanging out with a mountain goat. To top it off I got to spend 35 miles running on the Colorado Trail, and sharing a good chunk of that with friends new and old!
Without further ado, the week in review:
6/18- Monday-
AM- 9 miles up and down La Plata via the standard route. 1:40 for the ascent, 2:47 total, extra mile afterward to retrieve my stashed key... 4,500 ft
PM- 3 miles with Mel on the FitTrail at the college, :40, 300 ft
6/19- Tuesday
PM- 11 miles, up Mosquito Pass from Diamond Mine (:54 ascent, including wrong turn to reach ridge about .5 miles from pass, enjoyed running above 13,000 ft :), then out to Lake Isabella, 2:00, 3,000 ft
6/20- Wednesday
AM- 8 miles up and down Galena with James from Timberline Lake Trailhead, 1:25 ascent, 2:30 total (including 15 minutes sitting at summit), 3,000 ft
Some great folks camping at the trailhead had just fixed pancakes and bacon and invited us to join them for breakfast- how could you say no?!
6/21- Thursday
PM- 10 miles on CT from S. Cottonwood Creek, 1:22, 1,300 ft (3 miles of about 6:30 on the return trip, felt awesome, hot weather)
6/22- Friday
AM- 8 miles round trip up to Peak One's saddle from Frisco, where at 12,200 ft I decided not to summit at the request of a mountain goat... 1:00 to goat, 1:30 total, 3,200 ft
6/23- Saturday
Relaxed
6/24- Sunday
AM- 25 miles on the CT from Twin Lakes to Hagerman Pass Rd with Josh, Donna, Sandi, and Cato. I had a blast getting together and running with some new faces! 5 hours, 5,000 ft
Totals: 75 miles, 15 hours 15 minutes, 20,300 ft.
Summit of La Plata
Looking north from La Plata over Ellingwood Ridge
Looking at Mt Massive after breaching treeline on Galena
Looking towards home over Bear Lake and Turquoise Lake from Galena
St Kevin's Lake nestled snugly in Galena's embrace.
Looking north from Galena's summit with Mount of the Holy Cross beckoning...
Soaring down her grassy slopes.
Colorado Columbine flourishing above the trees on Galena.
Came within 5 feet of this fella before I realized he was just to my left.
Decided to give him his space.
Curious as could be; coming close and backing off,
I'd say we were mesmerized by each other
My brother on the mountain posing next to his mountain and home.
Me posing with said goat's mountain.
Sunday's crew after about an hour of running (Josh, Cato, Donna, and Sandi).
Another week in the books, I suppose. I did a pretty laughable amount of running for what I ought to be doing, taking a luxurious four days off this week. Fortunately, it doesn't phase me too much because my climax week, if you will, is already underway with a lot of great runs in store.
The week in review:
06/11- Monday
Fishing
06/12- Tuesday
Anniversary fishing! I love my wife.
06/13- Wednesday
PM- 11 miles on Boulders trail, 1:42, 1,800 ft
06/14- Thursday
AM- 3 miles on Mineral Belt, followed by 2 miles barefoot on field. :50, 200 ft
PM- 12 miles from Turquoise Lake dam to Mayqueen campground and back, 1:42, 400ft
06/15- Friday
AM- 6 miles out and back on the Missouri Lakes trail, 1:00, 1,000 ft.
I was pretty pumped about this run as it took me to one of the more beautiful places I've had the pleasure of seeing so far in Colorado. What a tease- sorry for the lack of pictures...
06/16- Saturday
Got caught fishing, again!
06/17- Sunday
I'd hoped to do a 20 miler on this day, but my stomach was amok after work and I found myself sleeping instead...
Totals: 32 miles, 5 hours 15 minutes, 3,400 ft
A couple of pictures from last week follow, then a briefing of my run up La Plata this morning with more pictures!
Nice cascade on the Missouri Lakes trail.
Bridge running on M.L.T
Enough about my fishin' blues... La Plata (14,336 ft) is the 5th highest peak in Colorado and yet another peak that I can see out the dining room window- so I figured it was about time I paid her a visit.
I dilly-dallied a bit this morning, finally leaving the trailhead a little before 8 o'clock. The trail was super runnable for the first 30 minutes or so before the switchbacks grew steeper and steeper. I passed three groups of hikers within the first forty minutes, all carrying far more than the measly 16 oz waterbottle I had in tow, which bore my camera and a gel.
Following the creek in the early going was a blast, it was perfect habitat to a number of wildflowers who were starting to show their colors.
Some sort of primrose? Any guesses?
As I broke treeline, the array of flowers began to shift.
White Columbine was all over the place!
I truly had perfect weather for the outing, with wind very tolerable even at the summit.
Looking NW towards Independence Pass
I was hardpressed to find runnable terrain for much of the outing, but I was hiking like a champ, keeping my heart rate up and pace steady.
I gained the first ridge after an hour on my feet.
Looking up towards the mountain from the first ridgecrest.
The trail mandated a lot of scrambling up loose talus and boulderfields, but very little snow to speak for.
A break from scrambling- the trail with the summit to the right, still well over head.
My pace never really wavered, which delighted me. Taking it easy last week seems to have restored me to good form. From the summit the views were just spectacular. I arrived at the summit after 1 hour 41 minutes of moving.
Looking SE towards the mighty Collegiates.
Mystery Hill? Anyone..(?)
Taking the standard route from the trailhead was a blast, no complaints at all. But looking over at the knife-like ridge of Ellingwood made it a no-contest decision for my next ascent of La Plata, the class-3 route and it's 6,000 ft of vertical gain look just spectacular.
A glance to the north at Ellingwood Ridge.
A hyper-inflated Gu, at 14,336 ft.
I took my time coming down, I guess, stopped to chat with the three aforementioned groups of hikers, and never found myself moving at a super-quick pace on the technical, switchback riddled descents.
I arrived back at the car after 2 hours and 47 minutes- I missed my expressed goal by 2 minutes, which was a bummer, but it was my choice to loligag.
I got to get in an extra mile, too, because in my pursuit of my timegoal I whizzed past where I had stashed my car key. Oops
Anyways, a great day on La Plata, about 9 miles roundtrip with 4,500 ft of gain. I am quite excited for the other great runs I have lined up this week!
The week got off to a stellar start, as I believe I mentioned in the past two posts, with the summiting of Massive and Sherman on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. The enjoyment of the week never had a chance to dwindle as Melissa and I made the trip up to Boulder for a day and night. Upon arriving in Boulder we were mesmerized by the prevalence of vibrant greens and various flowers. Truly a unique sight when you live at 10,200 feet, and spring is just getting started...
I'd had the good fortune of meeting a runner named Kendrick at the coffee shop last weekend, who was from Boulder. We exchanged information such that we could get in touch next time he was up here or if I headed down there. As it turned out, he was lacing up as we were arriving and I was beyond ready to stretch out my legs after well over two hours in the car. We headed up from Settlers Park, by Kendrick's house, where we crossed the summit of Flagstaff Mountain en route to Green Mountain.
I was tickled to death with the work the city of Boulder does to provide effective, enjoyable mountain-oriented recreation to the people of the city. These trails and mountains are almost in everyone's backyard.
What thrilled me all the more, however, was the amount of oxygen they have in that city!! I was able to run up Green at a pretty good clip and it felt easy, almost, at least in comparison to running anywhere up above 10, 11, or 13,000 feet.
10 miles and 3,100 vertical feet later, Kendrick and I arrived back at the park where Melissa met us after her hike. Kendrick was kind enough to offer a shower to destinkify myself before we headed with a larger group to Mountain Sun Brewery for an awesome dinner and great beverages.
The following morning Kendrick and I got out for another 3 miles before he headed off to work. We then walked up Pearl Street to the Boulder Running Company where (poor Melissa and poor shoe salesman) I proceeded to try on a dozen different pairs of shoes, some of them in different sizes, some I tested on the treadmill, some on the sidewalk, over the course of over an hour and a half. It was a tedious process for two reasons: 1) For almost 2 years I have run in New Balance 101s, which are no longer in productions, so I had to find something new, and 2) We had to drive 2.5 hours to find a decent selection of running shoes, so I wasn't about to leave any stone unturned.
Anywho, I eventually decided on the Asics FugiRacers. So far so good, but I'm only 25 miles in on them, we'll see what happens.
Around noon we headed out for a hike with our old friend and fellow North Carolinian-turned-Coloradoian, Casey, out on the trails around Bear Peak. It was exquisitely beautiful and a delight to share the trails with her.
After that came a trip to the Walnut Brewery with Casey and her boyfriend, Alex.
During this trip it came to my attention that The Tallest Man on Earth is coming to play in Boulder on June 10th. It has been nearly two years since Melissa and I bought tickets to see a concert and we've had a very short list of bands (3 or 4) that we would pay to see if the opportunity presented itself. Lo-and-behold, the Tallest Man was on the list!
The week in review:
05/28- Monday
AM- 13 miles up Mt Massive, 4:00, 2:24 to summit, 4,500 ft
05/29-Tuesday
PM- 9 miles up Sherman, Sheridan, and Gemini, 2:47, 3,500 ft
05/30- Wednesday
Nada
05/31- Thursday
PM- 10 miles up Flagstaff and Green in Boulder with Kendrick, 1:52, 3,100 ft
06/01- Friday
AM- 3 miles with Kendrick up Boulder Canyon, :25, 200 ft
PM- 6 miles hiking with Mel and Casey around Bear Peak 2 hours, 2,000 ft
PM- 4 miles on Boulders trail (Leadville), :30, 600 ft
06/02- Saturday
PM- 17 miles from the house to the college and everywhere in between. Felt bonked from the second I started, unfortunately. Really hard to keep moving on this one... 2:50, 3,000 ft
06/03- Sunday
Its not official yet, but I don't forsee myself running today...
