Joscelyn and I had a very rare day off together this Sunday. We took advantage of it!! We woke up at 5am to drive to Rocky Mountain National Park. At 7:15am we were at the Bear Lake TH on a beautiful 45 degree morning.
The planned hike was to climb from the TH at 9,000 ft to three peaks above 12,000 ft. Flattop Mountain at 12,324 ft was the first leg. There were only a couple of us hikers out that early. It was quiet and we were able to get above tree line quickly. It really got the heart pumping because it was mostly straight up. It was also amazing as we crossed our first glacier to the summit of Flattop.
After resting for a couple of minutes on the summit of Flattop and chit chatting with our new friends, we headed off to Hallett Peak at 12,713 ft. This is where the trail went primitive and we had to follow rock cairns through a saddle to the summit of Hallett. On the way to this peak we saw a few marmots and passed another glacier. The final trek up to the peak was a chore. We had to rock hop to the summit. Not a easy task at over 12,000 ft!
After resting a little bit more (we realize we can’t rest for long! go go go!), we started off to tag our final peak, Otis. Later this day, I realized Joscelyn didn’t really want to do it because she was tired. She is a trooper and the best hiking partner I have ever had! Anyways, the trip to Otis (12,400 ft) was the hardest! We trekked down another saddle and the trail went away. We had to make our own trail. As we approached the summit, we had to manage through a huge boulder field. We took it easy as we didn’t want to break an ankle in the middle of the continental divide. On the top of Otis, you can see me pointing to Longs Peak, our next adventure!
We did it! We tagged three 12ers in great time! Overall we hiked over 12 miles and for seven hours. We stumbled back down to the TH destroyed. It was awesome, but it took a toll on our bodies. I think we would definitely do it again!
I had the day off today and Joscelyn was working. After putting 20 miles on some Boulder singletrack in the hot afternoon, I decided to go watch the Boulder STXC races. These races are held every Wednesday night through the summer. It’s held on a portion of the CU campus where they built a trail system that looks like a BMX track. They break it into different skill levels within both male and female categories. Tonight, I was able to catch the Men’s B and the Women’s A races. I had to get home and cook dinner for Jos so I skipped the Men’s A race. Usually in the A races, you will see many pro’s. As I think about it, everybody in Boulder is a “Pro”.
What an event! I got Joscelyn to the starting line at 6:30am for here start time of 7:15am. After I dropped her off, I found a place to park the car and get my bike set for this adventure. I went to the first mile marker to set up camp and wait for her to come by. I was in for a big surprise! There was no break in the line of runners throughout the whole race. 50,000 runners on a 10K course = no chance to take pictures of Joscelyn. I rode all over Boulder to stand a different mile markers to take pictures. No luck! I never saw her. I was able to find her at the finish outside Folsom Field (home of the CU Buffs). What made this event so unique was the entertainment every so often. I saw the Blues Brothers, Elvis, belly dancers, a rock band made of 10 year olds, and techno DJ’s. When the course went through the neigborhoods, people were handing out bacon on tongs and PBR as refreshments to the runners. Only in Boulder!
May 25, 2009 | Filed Under Daily
We finally had a day off together so we decided to have a “date day.” We set out alarms for somewhat of an early morning(7am on a day off is early), stopped by McDonalds for ice coffees, and headed to Estes Park for a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. Unseasonably warm temperatures down here got us excited about our hike but once we arrived we found the trails above 10,000 feet to be considerably snow packed. We were able to get in a few miles before the snow pack became too soft and we started sinking but we made the most of it hiking to 4 lakes and 1 waterfall. We ended the day by stopping at a restaurant in Lyons that we have always wanted to try called Oskar Blues. Thanks for a great “date day” J.
Our porch is the perfect place to catch a sunset almost any evening of the week. I’m usually good about taking time to enjoy watching the sun go down but if I’m busy J will call me on his way home from work to tell me to take a look. Here is a few I’ve taken from our porch over the past month. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
May 9, 2009 | Filed Under Daily
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