Colorado Trail

A simple 6 mile hike/jog from Jefferson Creek to Georgia Pass last weekend seemed pretty uneventful.  It was nice to feel the crisp morning air, the aspen leaves starting to turn, and even a few snow flakes when I got on the divide. Fall creeping in on this last weekend of summer.  However, when I hit a particular trail post just above the pass I knew that I had finally stepped foot on every piece of the 560 miles of the Colorado Trail (480 from Denver to Durango, with an additional 80 miles around the Collegiate Peaks West option).

My finish line by Georgia Pass.

Why a finish line somewhere in the middle of Segment 6?  Well it's just one of many stories accumulated over this adventure.  More stories than I can share in a single blog post.  However, when I look up at my Colorado Trail (CT) poster hanging in my living room and pick any point along the trail, I have a memory and a story from wherever my finger lands.

Upon getting home that evening, I immediately submitted my "Colorado Trail Completer's" application.  I look forward to receiving a nice little certificate to hang above my trail poster courtesy of the great volunteers at the Colorado Trail Foundation.  One of the questions on the application was when I started my hike.  I just happened to know the exact date even though it was 11 years ago.  On June 20, 2009, I first stepped foot on this trail on Segment 23 at Carson Saddle in the San Juan Mountains during the San Juan Solstice 50-mile race.  I shared about 12 miles along that stretch above treeline through a summer snowstorm, passing the highest point on CT (13,271 feet), with David Horton.  Dr. Horton just happened to be the first winner of Hardrock, former holder of the Appalachian Trail (AT) and Pacific Coast Trail (PCT) speed records, and the Barkley Marathons course record, all before Fastest Known Times (FKTs) and trail races were "cool".  He was gearing up for a shot at the CT FKT that summer (which unfortunately ended prematurely for him that year), but I was inspired to finish this whole trail myself one day.

2009 San Juan Solstice 50-miler.

It wasn't until a few years ago that I purchased the Colorado Trail Databook and started making note of which pieces of the trail I had done through various races or adventures.  Although I had covered many pieces, especially over the first 4 segments closest to home, there was still a lot of work to do.  So in 2020, I set out with the goal of getting this done.  In the absence of a lot of races due to the pandemic, including Hardrock for a 2nd year in a row, this goal provided me some respite as I spent many weekends exploring new trails, which is always exciting!

Hey look Rob, we found the Colorado Trail!

My many weekends of knocking off another segment in some fashion or another (most often out and back, covering the trail in both directions), eventually got me recognized by some of the thru-hikers.  Some trips had me carrying my bigger pack with shelter for an overnight or two, while other times I went full trail running mode with my running pack and no sleep until I finished my goal for the weekend.  Running out Half Moon Creek Road and Highway 24 to catch a 5am bus in Leadville was one of the hardest things I've ever done, especially after already covering over 60 miles.  I made the bus with 2 minutes to spare.  Another Saturday night found me sitting outside the Twin Lakes General Store with a group of SOBO (southbound) thru-hikers who had to ask me, "Are you a NOBO, SOBO, Yo-Yo, Flip Flopper?", to which my best reply was, "I'm trying to get this done any which way I can".  Gaining my trail name, "Any Which Way", that night made me feel like a part of their community.

A great night's sleep on Twin Lakes!

July flowers near Searle Pass!

Knowing that my approach to finishing the CT in this manner was very inefficient, I made the decision to go NOBO from Durango to Blanks Gulch trailhead on Collegiate East near Salida in one push over the first week of August.  This 250 miles in one week was quite the challenge.  I was packing a bit lighter than most thru-hikers, but averaging 35 miles a day, especially through the San Juan Mountains, was no small task.  I ended up going from Molas Pass to San Luis Pass without stopping (over 60 miles) as I hiked through a full night under a bright moon above treeline.  It was too cold to sleep on the ground and no trees for my hammock shelter, but it still made for one of the most memorable parts of my trip.  The hardest part of this self-supported adventure was carrying enough calories.  I ended up losing 16 pounds in 7 days and had to endure many long, hot stretches without water.  It was great to see my daughter Maddy on Day 7 with my truck at the trailhead and we headed straight to the Salida McDonald's!

Climbing up the Elk Creek Drainage along the Grenadier Range.

Of course, the San Juan Mountain Range threw plenty of weather at me, but more difficult were the hot, dry sections through the Saguache Park.  With little reliable water and temperatures pushing 100 degrees, I was so excited to run into a couple of "trail angels" at Saguache Park Road.  Cathy and Greg were wonderful, providing me plentiful fresh water and great conversation.  Mikaela also stopped at the same time heading the other way as she would go on to set the new self-supported FKT (incredible!).  I left replenished and a bit teary-eyed as Cathy and Greg reminded me so much of my parents

Trail Angels Cathy and Greg.  This is what the CT is all about!

I realized after my week long hike (with occasional running when I was feeling extra spry), that my body actually held together well and I sort of got into a rhythm where I could have kept going for weeks, if only I had some resupply of food, drink, and other goodies.  A single push over the whole trail would be fun if I planned some mail drops to pick up along the way.  Maybe some day?  It was actually a little sad after a day or two of sitting at home wishing I was still on the trail where life seemed so simple.

One meal per day.  Choose wisely.

After finishing Durango to Denver (minus my little 6 miles to Georgia Pass), I decided to complete the Collegiate West option as well.  I had already covered the first segment of CT West from other hikes and pacing Alan at the Leadville 100, which takes you over Hope Pass.  I really enjoyed some great runs/hikes over these sections.  I had been told many times by the thru-hikers how beautiful CT West was, and they were right!  However, I must admit that CT East is beautiful as well.

A little snow left from an early September storm on CT West (and wildfire haze).

There's something special about these long trails.  I was familiar with the sense of community surrounding the Appalachian Trail, but I was pleasantly surprised to see this on the CT as well.  From hiker-friendly towns to "trail magic", I got to experience it all.  I was also happy to meet so many thru-hikers, especially the SOBOs I shared miles with weeks earlier in their adventure, and saw again as they were nearing Durango and the end of their journey when I was headed NOBO.

I'd share more pictures, but you really just need to experience the CT yourself for it's full effect.  Thanks to all who shared miles with me in this long adventure, from my new thru-hiker friends, to Alan and Tara along CT west, and the earlier days with Kristel; and of course David Horton for the inspiration.

Thanks for reading!

"Any Which Way", CT '2020

Thank you Gudy Gaskill!

2019 Review

I'm pretty late getting to a review of 2019, when it's April 21, 2020, but I didn't want last year to be forgotten.  Although I didn't complete any ultras in 2019, I did have many cool adventures and climbed a lot of new peaks (including several 14ers).

Of course, the main thing I log each year is my Horsetooth Rock summits, and I got 133 in 2019.  That's my 2nd best total (164 in 2013), but I should have gotten more since I was already at 100 by the end of June.

In my buildup for Hardrock, before it got cancelled, I was able to knock off a lot of crazy local bucket list challenges.  I believe I now have the first and only Round Mountain 6-pack (54 miles, 18,000 feet of vertical) and Crosier Quad (38 miles, 11,000 feet of vertical, adding Sullivan Gulch to the classic "Crosier Triple").  I also completed the Greyrock 6-pack (45 miles, 15,000 feet of vertical), which I don't believe had been done since Pete Stevenson completed the feat in 2011.  I couldn't beat Pete's time, so his OKT ("only known time") is now the FKT ("fastest known time").  The one challenge that is still eluding me, however, is Octarock (106 miles, 22,000 feet of vertical, Quadrock 50 x 2 with 4 Horsetooth Rock and 4 Arthurs Rock summits thrown in).  I gave it a go in late June but got denied at about 70 miles due to hypothermia and flooded trails.  At least it wasn't a blizzard like when I tried a few years ago.  I now have 3 DNFs at Octarock.

Greyrock 6-pack with Jaime

Crosier Quad with Brett

I still visited the San Juan mountains over Hardrock week with my Dad and two of my sisters.  I got to explore a lot of trails and peaks that I have never been on.  The options are just endless out there!  On the day we were supposed to run Hardrock, I joined up with a fun group of old and new friends for an out and back along the course from Silverton to Green Mountain.  Certainly a fun day!

Topping out Green Mountain with my Hardrock friends

Exploring the San Juan Mountains with Regina

August and September had me playing a lot in the Sawatch Range, exploring the Nolan's 14 line and pacing Alan for 50 miles at Leadville (my first time seeing the whole course).  Doing Nolan's self-supported, I learned a lot about gear choices and also realized I need to do it with support to ever come close to the 60-hour "finisher" cutoff.  I might be able to give it a supported shot in 2020.  My plans are to go NOBO (Shavano to Massive) since that's how I've been scouting it.

Following Alan over Hope Pass at the Leadville 100

Following the Nolan's line

Life in the Sawatch.  Fueling up for Princeton on the horizon.

When not travelling down to the Sawatch, I spent plenty of summer time closer to home in RMNP playing in the Mummies (did Mummy Mania twice) and around Longs Peak (3 Longs summits this year).

The Mummies

Longs Peak (14,255 feet, approximately)

I did take on some shorter local trail and road races in 2019, and found to have regained a good bit of my speed.  My longest race was the Lory State Park 12K and my shortest was the Mountain Avenue Mile, where I clocked a 5:39!  I was able to get my road 5K time back under 20 minutes as well.

Mountain Avenue Mile

Finally, in November, I couldn't resist the urge to take on a 100-mile race, so I made a road trip to Alabama for the Blood Rock 100.  I met up with my sister who flew down from Maine and we enjoyed camping in Oak Mountain State Park (the site of the race).  Absolutely beautiful country down there and I loved the rugged, rocky, and steep trails!  The race was challenging, with over 26,000 feet of vertical, and a lot of rain!  I wasn't committed to finishing and pulled out around Mile 60.  However, since the 2nd 50 miles was a repeat of the 1st 50, I still got to experience the whole course.  I was glad I made the trip!

Camping at Oak Mountain State Park

Along the Blood Rock course.  They even installed ropes.

So onward to 2020!  We're certainly experiencing some different times right now, and I don't know if there will be any races to run this year.  I'm in Hardrock (if it happens) and I'm on the waitlist for Bear (if it happens).  Even if all races get cancelled, I still have many trail running/hiking goals that I am excited about and would love to complete this year given the opportunity (Octarock, Nolans, Hills to Sea Trail, Colorado Trail, etc.).  I just appreciate that I can still enjoy my local mountains and trails for the time being.

A recent sunrise from atop Horsetooth Rock

Mummy Mania and a 40 year old FKT?

The Mummy Range, extending through the northern portion of Rocky Mountain National Park and beyond, has long been my local alpine playground.  After a relaxed traverse of the Mummy Mania (or Mummy Kill) route last weekend with Alan, we discussed the best way to make a loop of it.  It's kind of a pain to have to shuttle between the Chapin Pass and Lawn Lake trailheads to do the standard point-to-point route.  Especially when you leave the keys to your truck parked at Lawn Lake TH in Alan's car at Chapin Pass TH.

Snow holding on the ridge between Ypsilon and Fairchild, the most difficult section of the traverse.

We both came to the agreement that the best loop would be from Lawn Lake TH, and then up the Ypsilon Lake Trail to a point where you could bushwhack and gain Chiquita's east ridge.  And you might as well just skip Chapin since it would no longer be on the way and you more than make up for it with the 5.5 mile and 4500 feet of climbing to get the Chiquita summit.  I couldn't believe it when I saw on the FKT (Fastest Known Times) website that the legend Bill Briggs held the FKT for the exact route we described.  Bill did the loop in "about 9 hours" on July 31, 1979!  I guess I should have informed Bill that I was going to take a shot at his time since I believe he is still screaming down mountains on his skis and hiking trails at the ripe age of 87.

Well I took my shot today despite dark clouds in about all directions at sunrise.  Luckily, the distant thunder stayed distant and, despite the steady rain and occasional hail, I was able to put together the loop.  I know many others who could easily go faster than my time, but I was very satisfied with my 7 hour and 38 minute effort today.

The GPS track (with georeferenced pictures), 19.8 miles with 7605 feet ascent/descent

And for the Strava folks:



My time splits:
0:00  Lawn Lake TH (Start)
0:22  Ypsilon Lake/Lawn Lake Trail junction
1:37  Point 12005 Summit
2:15  Mount Chiquita Summit
2:47  Ypsilon Mountain Summit
4:04  Fairchild Mountain Summit
5:16  Hagues Peak Summit
6:13  Mummy Mountain Summit
6:49  Black Canyon/Lawn Lake Trail junction
7:24  Ypsilon Lake/Lawn Lake Trail junction
7:38  Lawn Lake TH (Finish)

From now on I'm going to call this route "Briggs Loop".

Camp Hardrock 2019

The photo above was taken on top of Green Mountain at about 12 miles into what would have been a 100-mile loop around the San Juan Mountains at Hardrock 2019.  Instead, on this day, we turned around here and headed back to Silverton for a 24-mile "fun" run.  Mother Nature may have cancelled the race this year, but she couldn't put a dent in the Hardrock Spirit we all shared on this beautiful day!

I got to give a talk the other day on this record snow year in Colorado.  People usually don't buy my excuse that I climb all these mountains because it's part of my "job".  I'm not only soaking in the beauty, but also observing the alpine hydrologic cycle at work.  Ok, whether you buy it or not, it was one of the most fun and best received talks I have given in quite some time.  It must have been the Hardrock emphasis and all the "eye candy" of the San Juan Mountains.

This year, like in 1995 when Hardrock was last cancelled due to snow, Silverton had a big snow year with 269 inches by June 1.  What made these two years particularly a problem for Hardrock though, was the high amount of snow that came after March 1.  This Spring snow is typically wetter, producing a very high snow water equivalent, or what snow hydrologists like to call "SWE".

When deciding if conditions will be favorable for the Hardrock event to take place each year, the Hardock committee considers several factors, one being the SWE at the Red Mountain Pass SNOTEL station (USDA-NRCS SNOTEL), which sits at 11,200 feet (approximately the average elevation of the Hardrock course).  If SWE is above 23 inches on June 1, then there is potential for dangerously high runoff and streamflows to occur when Summer comes.  On June 1, 2019, the SWE at Red Mountain Pass was 34 inches.

This wasn't the only factor weighing against Hardrock 2019 though.  This snow season saw unprecedented avalanches, leaving avalanche debris across roads and trails still yet to be cleared.  In fact, Grouse Gulch, a critical aid station location on the Hardrock course, was still buried at the time Hardrock was to occur this year.

Photos of several other locations taken on or near the Hardrock course this year compared to past years tell quite the story from lingering snow and ice:

to high streamflow:

but one thing never changes in the San Juans, and that is the spectacular beauty of this mountain range, regardless of the snow levels.

A 360 degree video perspective atop Bridal Peak (because you just don't know which direction to take the best picture):

See you next year Hardrock!  Snow or no snow, the Hardrock Spirit will be alive and well!

Catching Up (2016-2018)

Running trails, climbing mountains, and getting back to nature where life slows down and the mind clears to the beauty filling the senses.  It took a lot of patience and hard work, but it's great to be back!

I thought a long time about sharing this story since we all get injuries along the way, often surgeries, and then we recover, especially in the world of mountain ultrarunning.  But if I can help one person with similar symptoms, then it's worth sharing.

On a typical long run one Sunday morning in March 2016, my right sacroiliac joint seized up and I could barely walk.  It took me 6 hours to get from the top of the Westridge Trail in Lory State Park back to my home about 6 miles away.  After multiple tries of resting (weeks at a time) and comebacks, the SI joint felt better, but now the pain in the groin, butt, and tailbone still made it difficult to impossible to run.

I decided on an MRI in July 2016, which revealed 5 pelvic stress fractures from the sacrum to the pubic bones, so it looked like I just needed more rest.  Living on Horsetooth Reservoir, I decided to pick up stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), which I still enjoy a great deal and continue to do even now that I can run.

Despite my best efforts to recover while laying off the running, every time I would try again, it was the same story.  Mostly groin pain, both sides.  Every run felt like I had already been running for 90 miles.  So finally in the Spring of 2017, I got a second opinion on the MRI and this time was told I wasn't going to get any better without surgery (actually two surgeries).  Femeroacetabular impingements (FAI) of both hip joints resulted in torn labrums, with the right side barely having any cartilage left.  With no hesitation, and with the goal of running The Bear 100 in 2018 (so I could get Hardrock qualified again), I wanted the surgeries (both arthroscopic) as soon as possible.  Despite shaking his head in disbelief at times, my surgeon knew it was possible and it wouldn't matter if he recommended it or not.  We did the first surgery on the right hip in July 2017.  Unfortunately, there was not enough labrum left to repair in this surgery, so it was more of a cleanup mission and shaving down the bones, both on the femoral head and acetabular socket, to relieve the impingement.  The prognosis was not great but I would likely see at least some improvement.

Rehab started quickly and I was back on the SUP after about a month, and also very committed to the stair climber at the gym.  I even did about a month of easy trail running, although still painful, leading up to surgery #2 (the left hip) in December 2017.  This time the labrum was reconstructed, along with more bone shaving for the impingement.  This meant a longer recovery, but a better prognosis for improvement.  So again, it was a quick commitment to rehab (mostly glute/core strengthening) and generally trying to stay in shape.  I returned to the SUP by March 2018 and again spent a lot of time on the stair climber.  In April, I got the ok to start running, but only on a treadmill for the first month.  I also discovered the Skillmill, which I still use regularly today.

I returned to trail running in May and progressed to the point that I thought I could finish the Never Summer 100K in July.  I figured if I could finish that, then I could finish the Bear in September.  As it turned out, I would finish them both.

To summarize a race report for both of these races, they were pretty much the same.  I was not as prepared for either race as I typically would want to be.  I sat on a rock and wanted to quit about half-way through both races (I had a million good excuses to not finish).  I even resorted to trekking poles for the last 50 miles of Bear, which I never use.  However, I did finish both races, which was really my only goal (I knew I would be slow), and last month I got my spot in Hardrock 2019.

So now the plan is to continue to get stronger.  I know I am not fully recovered from the second surgery (up to 18 months for full recovery) and there are still days that hurt more than others, but I am leaps and bounds ahead of where I was before the surgeries.  I've gotten back to doing some speed work and even some short road races, making me actually feel like a runner again.  I now know it's all about the glutes and the goal is to literally be a "strong-ass" runner to keep those hip joints working for as long as possible.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me along the way!  Despite the surgeries and recoveries, I still fit in many great adventures over the last couple of years, just at a slower pace.