June Summary

Here are the numbers:

I'll lace up the trail shoes tomorrow morning to kick off an even bigger month in July.

Comanche Peaks Wilderness

For as long as I can run around in this Wildnerness for hours and hours and not see ANYONE, I'll keep climbing these 11ers and 12ers.  After 13 hours out there today, I'm very close to hitting every piece of trail in the CPW.  Other than some fishermen at the Comanche Reservoir outlet, I only saw 3 hikers near the Big South trailhead as I was just finishing up my run.



Poudre River and the Big South Trail

Not fording the river today.

 

Munroe Cabin

Still frozen Mirror Lake below

1st to sign the summit register this year!  Emmaline Lake below.

D'oh!

Home

As summer nears and prominent peaks start to call, I will venture to the higher ground.  The oxygen-deprived alpine regions await my arrival as I try to fool my lungs into thinking physical exertion above 13,000 feet is actually commonplace.  The final step as I prepare for my toughest physical challenge (for the 2nd time) in just 5 weeks.  I am so lucky to live near the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, where I can find myself in some of the most picturesque settings amidst the tundra, wildflowers, and dramatic mountaintops with only a short drive in the car and quick run to the timberline.  However, I take pride in knowing that the real work has been done right in my backyard.  I pause for at least a brief moment every time I find myself atop Horsetooth Rock and I look down on the wonderful trails which I am so thankful for getting to run on nearly every day.  I paused a little longer on my last summit.  Number 100 for the year.  This is home.

The Black Squirrel

Okay, those ears really freak me out, but I feel our black Abert's squirrels have been stalking me since I added the inaugural Black Squirrel Half Marathon to my 2013 race schedule.  Come join the fun in Lory State Park on August 31.  You may even want to play some Bingo along the way.

Horsetooth Haze

Still wet, still green, and still AWESOME.  Some pics from HMP from Thursday morning.

 

 

Quad Rock Eve

One day to the 2nd Annual Quad Rock 25 and 50-mile races!  The excitement is building!  This is THE trail racing event to be at this weekend (at least in this country).  We've got former Olympians and mountain running legends, but they all better bring their "A" games or they're gonna get schooled by our group of strong local runners who tear up and down these trails every day.

I won't throw out any predictions.  The defending champ has a nice preview here and the Running Times here.  All I can say is that I am really excited to see so many talented runners taking on this course.  It's going to be fun to see how it plays out.

With our wet Spring (including 2 feet of snow just last week) the Quad Rock course could not be any more beautiful!  The creeks are gushing and the valleys are green!  Here are a few more photos from yesterday and this morning to give you a taste.  See you all tomorrow at Miles 10 and 40 (Horsetooth Aid Station), and hopefully see you all in good spirits at the finish.  Good luck runners!

 

 

Last Week:

I'm Calling You Out Clarkie!

Dear The Nick Clark:

It seems as though rumors of some 2013 Horsetooth Rock summits competition, previously unbeknownst to you, may have filtered through the FCTR ranks.  That is quite unfortunate, as I much preferred my chances without ever informing you of said competition.  Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to formally throw down the gloves and say it is "on" if you are so willing to accept the challenge.  Besides, what fun would it be to defeat someone without them ever knowing they were getting beat?  Also, there would be no opportunity to set an appropriate wager on something so deserving of external motivating factors.  I encourage you to accept this challenge since:

a. You do have the home-court advantage (although it will be reduced significantly in about 6 weeks).
b. As of this writing, I believe you have approximately a 6 or 7 summit lead.
c. Hey, you're "Nick Clark"!

I do hope that your acceptance of this challenge in no way compromises your very detailed and precise training regimen or your racing goals for 2013.  Just remember, that when you are out travelling the world promoting your brand, setting Grand Slam records, earning UROY votes, and continuing your quest toward mountain ultrarunning immortality, I will be in the backyard chalking up another Rock summit ...and another.

For your convenience, I've added a summit tally to my side bar.  My current total sits at 40.  Obviously, we only count summits commencing from a trailhead, or some point outside of the park, but I'm sure you are already counting them that way, as am I.  For example, a multi-summit run would require a return trip to a trailhead, Lory State Park, or some point outside of HMP between summits.  Also, North, South, or Middle (if I can ever get up there) tooth summits all count the same.

Good luck!

Sincerely,
The Erskine

p.s. I really think you should visit the family in England again for the holidays this December.