Old Man Bull

Date: July 27, 2013 Climbing Party: Amanda Harnden R/T Mileage: 10.6 Elevation Gain: 4,826' Gerry Roach writes in his book that by taking the East Ridge of Mt. Yale to it’s summit is longer than the standard route, but that the additional length and effort is worth the solitude found on the route. He was right. For 5 hours and 12 minutes, we did not see one single soul on the trail – ahead or behind us. We arrived in Buena Vista the night before with the hope of finding a good spot to hunker down for the evening ahead of the 3:30 AM start time. We ended up settling in for the evening in the back of Amanda’s car at the Avalanche trailhead, which worked out great, as the trailhead was mere steps from where we were. We were on trail by 3:30, and started making our way up the Colorado Trail with the hope of finding Yale’s East Ridge trail, located 3.3 miles ahead. Our objective was summit at about 8:30, and get down as the weather forecast was calling for early morning...

Having a goal is great.  Not only does it provide you with motivation, it provides you with momentum . For example, if I say to myself Hey I'd like to do a 5k this month.   Most likely, I would train for a 5k, and run a set amount of miles per week, watch my diet, watch my partying, and most likely would achieve my goal of running that 5k. An unintended result of working towards that goal is the momentum gained along the way.  Looking back at the end of the month, I probably partied less, ate better, ran more, and proved to myself that the goal is attainable.  I have gained momentum.   The physical and mental momentum  gained along the way encourages us to set the bar higher the next time around. That said, putting your goals in writing is that much more effective.  Everyone sees them.  Everyone knows you have stated what your personal challenges are for the year.  More importantly, you  see them. Every damn day! Here are...