Mt. Bierstadt (14,060')

The Only Mountain in Colorado!

Date:  July 21, 2012

Climbing Party:  Aaron Dover, Amanda Harnden, Sue Harnden, Andrea Bielecki, Brian Bielecki
Elevation Gain: 2,850'
Distance: 7mi Roundtrip

RT Time: 7:00 (3hrs up, 4hrs down)
Difficulty:  Easy, trail was crowded like a mall

We had a super early start from Denver leaving at about 4:30 am and driving to the Guanella Pass trailhead. This road is now paved 100% and serves as a super highway between I70 and 285. Even after arriving at the trailhead at 6:00am, parking was at a premium and the masses were descending onto the trail.

In our party, we had 3 first timers! Amanda's mom,Sue, was visiting from NY, and her aunt and uncle Andrea and Brian, made the drive from Albuquerque! Our goal was to summit, and starting early is a GREAT way to overcome crowds, weather, and when hiking with new climbing partners, it's always good to leave yourself extra time to account for any issues that might come up. So without much ado, we threw on our packs and headed out.

Brian and Andrea all geared up and ready to roll out!

The first part of the trail is considered the Willows. This used to be the crux of the entire hike if you could ever believe it! Trudging through a massive swamp on the approach (and on the return) had sucked energy out of people for years! They have since built the boardwalk to assist in the hike. Believe me, it has made the hike 10 times more approachable. The walk through the willows is my favorite part. Full of energy, the terrain is flat, air is cool...a great warmup! The bushes up to your chin make it fun to walk through. There are so many little game trails under the brush too. I can imagine tons of little critters running through the scrub. So the hike in on the willows is definitely my favorite!

In the middle of the Willows is the stream crossing, which got its' hands on one of the members in our party (and her cellphone). Thankfully, she was a-ok and made it without another hitch! The cell phone however, is no longer functional, but that's ok, it was getting replaced anyways.

After the stream crossing, the trail begins to gently switch back and forth until you reach the shoulder where the Sawtooth Ridge and Bierstadt stare you right in the face. That ridge is awe inspiring, and when you get an early start, you get to see the sun come up over it! Pure beauty.

Sawtooth Ridge, Bierstadt on right


Once on top of the shoulder it's the section I like to refer to as the "Sound of Music" section of the climb. It's just a beautiful rolling hill where wildflowers, mountains and blue sky assault all of your senses at once...truly amazing. If you start running and singing on this mountainside, it may be the early onset of altitude sickness, or just happiness :)

Amanda took this awesome shot of the wildflowers in "Sound of Music" section

The crew headed up the 'Sound of Music' section, Sawtooth looking on in background...

I used to think getting onto the shoulder was the tough part, but I will ammend this thought, and say that the section from the shoulder to the summit is far more difficult.  The trail kind of disappears and the boulders are bigger.  Every step is a little more work.  We don't have too many photos through this section because we were working (and breathing) HARD.  Once on the shoulder though, the views are amazing, and the summit is steps away...we had one problem at the top with one in our party getting a foot caught in the boulders and wrenching it.  Painful to see, but must have been worse in person... Sue, Andrea, Brian and Random McGee at the summit! AAA summit shot! Ellie summititng! Scarlito summit shot/guarding water Sue summit shot, Saratoga represent Brian & Andrea Summit Ellie Summit shot It was a great summit, gorgeous day, and a wonderful experience to share with people who have not been on a 14er! Brian, Andrea, and Sue thanks for visiting, it was great to see you and get a hike in together! On the way down we stopped for a nap in the sun in the field with the 49ers Made it down as a team!  What a day.  Bierstadt directly behind.

Mt. Sherman (14,046')

Date:  June 30, 2012

Climbing Party:  Aaron Dover, Amanda Harnden, Kelsey Breen, Kathryn Young, Jen Hock, Jason Murray, Sally Webster
Elevation Gain: 2,036'
Distance: 5 miles

RT Time: 3:50
Difficulty:  Easy

Most folks will tell you for your first attempt at a 14er, to go try Mt. Bierstadt.  I think I'll start recommending Mt. Sherman.  Sure, Bierstadt is closer to Denver, and the newly paved Guanella Pass Road makes getting there a cinch.  Sherman  is a little farther away from Denver (maybe 2 hours) depending on how much you and your crew need to stop. 

No one has heard of Mt. Sherman it seems!  You guys are hiking where? Where's that?  Mt. Sherman? Yes Mt. Sherman.  Just outside of Fairplay off of Rt. 285, you may or may not see Mt. Sherman from the road.  It kind of fits in with the rest of the surroundings...a very nondescript peak on the horizon.   

We made camp at about 9pm off of the side of the road.  Just before getting to the start of the trailhead, it becomes private property, so we camped off the side of the road.  Great camping along this road by the way.

Fire ban campfire.

We woke up in the morning at the crack of 3:45am, and hit the trail a little after 5.  This is a shorter hike, but it was Kat's last chance to see the sunrise at this elevation before moving to NYC, so we decided the early start was the way to go.  The way up to the trail head was pitch black obviously, and the road was a little sketchy.  There is no sign denoting the start of the trail head, so after some hemming and hawing we realized the iron gates was where the trail head was.  Very simple approach.  Up a dirt road, past some abandoned silver mines.  Follow the dirt road all of the way to huge mine that looks like a drive in theater.  These mines, we researched, harvested over 100,000 ounces of silver back in the days they were operational!  I can hear the miners now...'there's silver in these mountains...'  Made me think of Arrested Development  ...'there's money in that banana stand.'  Anyway, sidetracked.  Bear left towards the pile of gray rock, get up on the ridge line and follow it to the summit!  Simple. Straightforward. Beautiful.  Great views of Leadville, Turquoise Lake, Massive and Elbert. 

Fav shot of the day

On the way down, Scarlet got into it with a pica.  I have seen her rummage in the rocks before for things making noise, but on this day, June 30, she actually caught one!  I looked over just in time to see her with it in her mouth, and then she flung it up in the air and caught it again before I could get over to her.  She was moving large rocks with her paws and even teeth.  I am not so sure that the caloric gain from the pica would have equaled or surpassed that which was expended in the hunt.  In fact, I think that to break even she would have required to catch and eat 7.2 picas.

Standard Pica

Group Vitamin D therapy on way down.

Thanks to our 5am start, we encountered scores of people making the trip up to the summit of Sherman.  Seemed all of them were pouring sweat, and they all asked us the same question:  "What time did you guys start???"  It pays to get an early start. Every. Damn. Time!  Not only did we escape the heat and crowds, we got back to the car at like 9:15 in time to get into Fairplay for breakfast.  Side note: Java Moose is no joke...a great place to grab great bfast.  We were back in Denver around 11:30 wondering what to do with the rest of our day:)

Tough Mudder Colorado

On the drive up to Beaver Creek on Friday night, before the Tough Mudder, Amanda asked me "If you could give your excitement level and nerves values that add up to 10, how would they be distributed?" To put it simply, more excited than nervous, I think I said I'd give excitement a 7  and nerves a 3. We arrived at the Vail Marriott around 8:45, and walked around Vail Village for a while.  Neither of us had been to Vail Village before, so it was really cool to check it out.  We were both pretty pooped from the week, and were ready to crash, so we went back to our room.  When I say room, I actually mean Presidential Suite!  The room was amazing! Vail Marriott was amazing!  Working in hotels, I have seemed to become hyper-critical of every nuance when I stay somewhere, but Vail Marriott was top notch in my opinion.

Sweet view from the deck waking up...

In the morning, we got going, got coffee, got our act together and drove the 10 minutes over to Beaver Creek.  The town was crawling with Mudders.  We hopped the shuttle from the Rodeo lot which brought us into the heart of Beaver Creek to the registration/bag check.  From the shuttle to the registration lines, it seemed everyone was talking about all of these stories from previous events.  Some of them seemed wild and inconceivable.  Tall tales were flying left and right.  I think it is how some people deal with the unknown that lies ahead.  We were in the first wave of Tough Mudder Colorado 2012.  How is it possible to read up on it or go based on previous experiences?  All we needed to know was there.  10 miles, 4,000 feet of elevation gain, 25 obstacles.  To me, it seemed silly to speculate about the course...sometimes it's best to just go in and do the damn thing. I tried to drown out the speculation and get into my own state of mind.  I was confident going in.  I felt conditioned enough with the hiking and running.  I wasn't worried about the elevation gain, or anything that they would throw at us.  Honestly, the biggest fears I had were around the Wall Climbs and the Monkey Bars.  In the back of my head, I kept telling myself  'it's been done before, and you will do it today.'  I have come to appreciate the unknown.  I prefer it.  Whether it's hiking, snowboarding, running, or doing something like the Tough Mudder, the unknown gives me a state of calm.  It's just me and the challenge.  The brain gets wiped clean, and the only thing out there to think about is getting through the task at hand.  All of the worries and stresses of daily life are no longer an issue, and you just focus, focus, focus on getting through something without hurting yourself!  I know it's weird, but I find it relaxing.

Do not mess with dueling Supermans

After the bag check, I met up with my teammates before we headed over to the starting line.  There were 9 of us all together on our team, we all work together at the Hyatt in Denver.  We all had sweet shirts made up.  Superman t-shirts for the fellas and the ladies were sporting the Wonder Woman tanks.  One of the guys had an entire Superman costume on!

Hyatt Ryatt Squad in full effect!

Before we got to the start, they made you climb over a huge wall.  When I hopped off of the wall, I landed wrong on my left foot, and wasn't able to put too much pressure on it without it feeling weird.  That feeling in my foot really worried me.  I tried to work on it stretching it here, there, shaking it out, nothing helped....#sadface.  Once in the start corral, we sat down and got a pep talk from the organizer.  He announced among other things, that the course has been extended an additional 2 miles!  Oh boy, 12 miles.  Our team was amped, and ready to go.  They played the national anthem, and we were on our way...

Crawling thru the mudd

Run and jump up the quarter pipe

Last obstacle...running through live wires.

There was so much going on in the race, it would be a disservice to try to write about it and capture it all.  A little snapshot: The first 7 miles were uphill for the most part with obstacles after every hill.  Winding through Aspen groves and up some of the black diamond trails of Beaver Creek with obstacles every so often.  There were a few parts running where I saw Amanda!  She was everywhere, it was great to see her...gave me an extra charge!  Once we reached the top of the mountain, the family, friends, and support at the top was amazing.  Little kids in orange mohawks (traditional Mudder haircut), families cheering you on, fellow Mudders cheering you on.  We even had a flyby from some F-14 fighter jets who tipped their wings to everyone below.  The crowd cheered wildly, and we were all in awe of how low these guys were flying!! So cool.

Swamp Thing finds a Panda Bear.

We were at the top of Beaver Creek, and now for the descent...about 5 miles to go, and this was going to be the toughest time for me.  My foot was killing me, and my stride had been altered to the point where I was running incorrectly to compensate for the left foot.  The pain in both knees followed as a result.  It was starting to hurt everywhere below the waist.  Our team was awesome.  We ran together, we did the whole thing as a team, and encouraged each other the entire way. It went beyond our team and extended to fellow Mudders and the crowd.  Everyone comes together to make running this gauntlet a possibility.  I don't think I would have finished without everyone else supporting me.  In the end, I fell off the monkey bars, got shocked 3 times, made it over the walls, and had a blast!  I was in so much pain crossing the finish line, and was in such a daze.  The crowd was yelling and screaming for us the entire way.  I found Amanda in the crowd (actually Walter found her for me), and went over to her, and just lost it, and let it all go for a few minutes.  I was so happy to see her at the finish line.  It was such a relief to be done, and I think everyone else running the race felt the same.  I'm not sure how long it took us, and I don't think any of us cared.  We were glad to be done and have our signature headbands, shirts, and beers!

Got tha headband.

This is a race that lived up to the hype.  A lot of races tout themselves as being pretty extreme, and demanding.  Speaking from experience, I can vouch that this one is for sure.  You won't have much in the tank once you cross the finish line, just a lot of great memories and great people to celebrate with!

Mt. Democrat (14,148'), Mt. Cameron (14,238') and Mt. Lincoln (14,286')

Date:  June 2, 2012

Climbing Party:  Aaron Dover, Amanda Harnden, Kelsey Breen, Kathryn Young, Mark Hensley, Scarlet, Ellie, Henry
Elevation Gain: 3,353'
Distance: 6.84

RT Time: 5:50:56
Difficulty:  Difficult

Let me first start by saying that this trip was born from a trip to our favorite burger joint in our neighborhood: Park Burger.

You see, this restaurant offers quite an incentive to go out and hike a 14er...every photograph you get from atop one of Colorado's 14,000 foot peaks with the Park Burger flag earns you 2 beers and two delicious burgers! So an idea was crafted to take out the flag and complete the Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln trifecta in a day and get home to enjoy our spoils.

Amanda and I drove up Friday night to Kite Lake in Alma and set up camp just before dark. We were able to chill in the back of the truck under a blanket for a little bit and enjoy a high altitude clear night. The stars were awesome and the moon was full giving us enough light to get around and enjoy a nice view of the alpine ampitheater created by Democrat, Cameron and Bross. The Highlander showed up shortly thereafter and Kelsey, Kat, Mark and Henry all joined our party! We agreed that a 4:00 am wake up time was good, and we all retired and tried to get some sleep. I don't think anyone slept well, at high altitude it is hard to do so. The dogs were even restless.

A and I ready to go at 4am!

We woke up at 4:00, packed up our campsite and after having a quick hot chocolate and gearing up, we were on our way and on the trail by 5:00am. I think there was one or two other folks ahead of us. The sign said 2.45 miles from TH to the top of Mt. Democrat. The GPS watch said it was completed in 2:36 with a mileage of 2.08mi. It felt long, I felt very tired. The view was gorgeous from the top of Mt. Democrat! With another group of people on our heels, we knew we had to get our scandalous Park Burger photo done quickly, not to mention it's kind of chilly above 14,000' at 7 in the morning!

Mt. Democrat (14,148') in the buff!

Coming down off of Mt. Democrat, we quickly saw that our early start was paying dividends...there were masses of people coming up as we were going down. We were happy to have the down climb to ourselves. Our party stopped at the saddle, regrouped, and made off for Mt. Cameron, a gain of 806 vertical feet from the saddle in roughly a mile. It was done. I really started to feel the effects of high altitude starting from our climb at the saddle heading up to Cameron. I've experienced headaches before, but today was different. I had the nausea too, and even the sunlight was starting to get to me. The one way to describe it was that someone was vacuum sealing my stomach while putting my head in a vice at the same time. It was awful. I tried to keep drinking water, and as I did, the throbbing in my head would subside for a little while until I started to climb again. The top of Cameron really lifted my spirits! We saw Lincoln not too far away and we got to do another summit picture! CHA-CHING: two more burgers and two more beers please!

Mt. Cameron (14,238')

We could see nearby Lincoln, and it looked like a quick scurry up. This part of the hike was really cool. It was a high alpine, and barren landscape along the ridge and it was just rolling terrain along the broad shoulder connecting Cameron and Lincoln. We were amped, and it looked so close. We got on our way and made it to Mt. Lincoln in 4:28 since leaving the trailhead, and a total mileage at this point of 4.04 miles. I really wished I felt better and could've enjoyed the views on Lincoln a little more. I had my head buried in my jacket and out of the sunlight while my stomach was doing somersaults and cartwheels. I pulled the trigger a few times during the day and that alleviated the uncomfortable sensation only briefly until we started moving again. The only way to feel better would be to get to lower elevations. We did manage another summit picture on top of Lincoln after lunch!

Mt. Lincoln group shot! L-R: Kat, Kelsey, Me, Amanda, Mark

As you can see in the picture behind us, clouds were starting to develop and roll in quickly from the west. Another issue to complicate the trip were these storm clouds. We had to move, and get off quickly to avoid getting stuck above treeline with a huge storm approaching. We decided to get a move on.

It's hard to tell from this picture, but that is a massive storm heading towards us.

The problem was we either had to go back up and down Cameron from Lincoln or traverse over to Mt. Bross and down the shoulder of Mt. Bross to the parking lot. The Bross route required more uphill before we could start going downhill again. Neither options were too appealing, and with this coming towards us, we opted to take the direct route and down walls of Mt. Bross. This was a steep descent with loose rock everywhere, not to mention illegal. It was rock slide city, and our entire group moved as quickly as possible. Big thanks to Mark for helping me out with Scarlet. She was moving quite gingerly. Mark helped carry Scarlet through some of the tougher sections. At one point, I looked up and saw Amanda and Kelsey glissade down a part of the rockslide...brilliant! It was about 300 feet long, and it was a good way to alleviate some of the stress we were all feeling, not to mention we covered ground a lot quicker! I grabbed Ellsworth and started to slide!

Ellie and I on the move!

Soon there after, we all reached the parking lot safely, and got the eff outta dodge. We were beat, and needed some Park Burger and rest badly. In the end, we got our three 14,000' peaks in but as always, it didn't go as planned. Here is the route we followed, complete with our elevation profile:

We started at the green arrow, hit Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and then retreated off Bross and back down to the parking lot.

It was a long day, and a long time to be above 14,000' for me. Despite some of the setbacks on the trip, it was truly an adventure, no doubt about it! I think we were relieved to be off of the mountain and on our way to get some burgers:)

X-Factor: Every hike has them! This time it was dealing with altitude sickness, doggie injuries, and trying to race off mountain to avoid being stuck in a storm. Memorable trip!

Beaver Brook Trail Redux

It's a hike so nice, we did it twice...

Date:  May 13, 2012, Happy Mother's Day!

Climbing Party:  Aaron Dover, Amanda Harnden, Kelsey Breen, Scarlet, Ellie
Elevation Gain: 3,423'
Distance:  9.15 miles RT (normally 8 miles)

Hike Time:  4:28
Difficulty:  Moderate
Hiking Calculator Score: 25

Once again the weather in Allenspark was not looking favorable.  All week we had planned on keeping an eye on the weather up there in hopes that we'd be able to make a run at Chasm Lake.  The night before we were set to leave, it was pouring rain and all of Colorado was getting some much needed rain.  As the rain continued to fall, and the beers continued to come, reality was setting in...this weekend was going to be a WASH!  What was nearby that would offer some duration, some gain, and some great views?  Beaver Brook Trail.

The Beaver Brook Trail is a one way hike starting at the Chief Hosa exit (exit 253) off of I-70 and finishing at the Windy Saddle pull off on the Lookout Mountain Road.  The best way to do this hike is to drop a car off at the Windy Saddle park, and drive over to the Chief Hosa exit on Lookout's backside. Start on the Chief Hosa side and head towards the Windy Saddle.

The first few miles of this trail are a descent from the parking lot.  You will encounter the Braille Trail on the first section, and immediately cross over a stream and you are on your way!  Follow the blazes (B/B) which are nice as they count down your mileage every half mile starting at (8.0, 7.5, 7.0, etc).  You lose nearly 1,000 vertical feet in the first 2 miles, but don't get too giddy because you gain all of it back (and then some) in the third mile.  The actual gain of the 3rd mile is 1200'.  Once you get to the top of mile three, the rest of the hike is gravy, man.  It's all downhill to the Windy Saddle, unless you stop for lunch and mistakenly head back in the opposite direction. Which we did...for almost 6/10 of a mile.  Ugh.  No one was happy about hiking back to where we just had lunch. Mental fail.  Anywho, from mile three to Windy Saddle, the scenery constantly changes, and is for the most part in a forest setting, away from the sun.  We even saw four elk! It's a hike that requires some planning, but definitely fun, and certainly a challenge, especially when you backtrack...

Snackstop on Beaver Brook with the restless K9 units

Time for Mudd!

Funny thing happened the other day when I woke up...I had this card on my night-stand!  What a great surprise from Amanda!  I hadn't planned on doing this race-but was ecstatic when I woke up and found out I had been entered!  Thank you A:)

A few days after the Bolder Boulder is the Tough Mudder.  This race will be starting in Beaver Creek, CO at an elevation of 8100' and is looking to be quite the kick in the pants.  Here is the info on the course:

Length: 10 miles

Base Elevation:  8,100'

Summit Elevation:  11,400

Total Elevation Change:  4,250'

Racers: 5,000

Along the course are a few obstacles as well.  Cargo nets, wall climbs, swamps, hauling logs, greased monkey bars, live wires, oh my!  

Here is the link to the website:

http://toughmudder.com/

Oktimetotrain.

Makin' Change

I'm not talking about the meatballs the Red Sox pitching staff has been giving up this season, rather life scheduling changes.  For the last year or so, my schedule seemed to change every week.  Getting in a workout or an activity depended on the weekly schedule which came out every Thursday.  If you are a planner, or like to plan, this lifestyle might cause you to pull your hair out!  Luckily, my schedule will be changing starting on Friday, and I will be a 9-5er, a weekend warrior if you will.  Saturdays and Sundays OFF!  One thing I'm pretty excited about is the chance to plan out a new fitness schedule.  This time around, I'd like to go cardio heavy and focus on intervals.

Amanda and I did the Take 5 in the Park 5 mile road race over the weekend in Colorado Springs, which was probably the most scenic run we have EVER done.  Breathtaking.  Literally.  One of the hills in the middle of the course was pretty long and I think it could have been handled better if I had done more interval and cardio beforehand.

At work, they offered a free trial membership at the Colorado Athletic Club for a month, and a bunch of the guys in my department took advantage.  It's good to have people there to keep the motivation strong at all times in the weight room and outside on runs or hikes.  Here is the proposed schedule:

Monday:  Insanity warmup, upper front workout
Tuesday:  3mi run outdoors, pace interval every .25 mile
Wednesday:  Rowing machine warmup, shoulder/back exercises
Thursday: 4mi run outdoors
Friday:  Insanity warmup, upper front workout, jump rope
Saturday:  Cross Train/OFF
Sunday:  Cross Train/OFF

The weekends will now be maximized outdoors, and cross training will include anything from bike rides to yoga, to hiking to long runs, to whatever the day calls for!  I'd like to leave open flexibility on the off days for recovery and the outdoors:)