Old Man Bull

Happy New Year!  Now that 2012 is a thing of the past, it's time to kick down the door of 2013 and own it.  It's time for new goals.  Last year's goals were solid, but time for new ones right? I'm ready for the new year for a number of reasons: 1)  Amanda has me in the running spirit again!  After watching her kick some a$$ last year - completing her first sprint triathlon and half-marathon - we've decided to tackle a half marathon in Moab, Utah coming up this March.  It's run through canyons of Moab, and hopefully the sheer beauty of the event will help the miles go by.  I've never run this distance for a race, so she has helped me develop a training schedule, and is keeping me motivated.  I even picked up some new kicks for training. Canyonlands NP, Utah 2)  The Hyatt Riot Squad is ready to get muddy again this year up in Beaver Creek for the Tough Mudder.  Looking forward to not spraining my ankle on the way to the s...

Headed out from Denver this morning it was cold.  It was 25 in Denver, so we were kind of curious how cold it would be up at 9,000 feet just outside of Rollinsville.  Well, we drove and got in at about 10:30 and it was cold!  Add to it it was pretty windy where we parked the car right next to the Moffat Tunnel, and we were starting to wonder if we packed the right gear for a little jaunt in the woods. We soon got on our way and once we got into the large stand of Colorado Blue Spruce, and the blood was starting to move a little bit, we were actually pretty comfortable.  We were headed for Heart Lake, a high-alpine lake sitting at about 11,200' just shy of the divide.  We were both pretty wiped from the week and didn't make it all of the way in.  Winter wonderland is in full effect up there though...6-8" of fresh on the trail, and up to my knees off trail.  The snow is extremely dry, and fluffy and the dogs had a BLAST running around and dipping t...

I realize there hasn't been a post here in a while.  Two things happened this weekend that I wanted to share with you - happening on opposite sides of the country!  In Colorado: Amanda has been training for weeks and weeks for her first half marathon.  I've seen her get up at 4:30 in the morning to get ready to run the 11 miles to her work to squeeze in her long run during the day.  She gets up, faces the unknown and comes out smiling on the other side.  At one point, we woke up and there had been a snowfall and she still made the run in to work.  She even saw coyotes and foxes along the way.  She'd be nervous about the run, not sure if she'd be able to do it.  It was dark.  It was cold.  Nobody was up at those hours.  Not only would she do it, but her times would be so consistent every single time.  She is clockwork !  So proud of her for her dedication and commitment and seeing it through to the finish lin...

Is not happening right now...the 30 day cleanse will be put on hold, but it will be completed this year. I guess it's not a bad time to mention that the summer hiking season is beginning to wind down.  The month of September can be a good one for hiking.  Traditionally, thunderstorm activity dissipates but the trade off is that the days are a little shorter and cooler.  In my opinion, that is fine!  September is the month most people recommend doing Longs Peak.  I'm not sure that I'll be able to fit it in this month, but I'd sure love to! The east face of Longs Peak is also known as "The Diamond"  This is a mountain that I can see from Denver.  It is one of the three 14ers visible from the city (ironically, we have done none of the ones visible from Denver!)  It has quite the reputation for nasty weather and exposure.  It is a longer route that most would prefer to do in two days time.  All mountains require respec...

This post is more or less a time stamp and a reminder for me more than anything else. Every year around this time, I put myself through the rigors of a 30 day cleanse.  This year, due to an amazing vacation full of vice, it will be an abridged 27 day cleanse.  Getting all of the toxins out of my body feels great, but it does take some discipline, especially with a fridge like this! The tradition was born after hearing the wonders from some co workers who observe Ramadan.  The benefits they talked about were great, and after doing it for a few years I concur!  For me though, there isn't a religious connotation, just a way to shock the body, and get levels back to normal.  Amanda and I have two pretty big races coming up, so it comes at a great time and will provide some extra motivation:)

... unparalleled views of the Adirondack Range and Lake George Date:  August 17, 2012 Climbing Party:  Aaron Dover, Amanda Harnden, Susan Harnden Elevation Gain: 2,253' Distance:  6.0 miles R/T Difficulty: Moderate We drove from Wilton to Lake George and it took us about 35 minutes to reach the trail head, we were the second car in the lot on what seemed to be a quiet Friday morning.  We signed the register and got on our way! We had been warned that there were a lot of rattlesnakes in this area, so our crew was on high alert for the pesky little buggers.  It was early in the morning and quite cool when we started, so thankfully we did NOT end up seeing any rattlesnakes on our hike.  What we DID see was a trail in great shape, from a lot of use.  It started gently and rolled through the NY woods.  It was great being back east and seeing familiar flora and fauna (namely brown toads and daddy long legs).  The smells in the ...

I just finished a great book about some of the disasters that have occurred in the mountains of Colorado.  I read it because I wanted to gain a perspective of what has been happening on mountains I have climbed or are on my list.  The book came at a great time, as we had done day trips to Bierstadt and La Plata in consecutive weekends, and it was nice not to have to wake up at 2:30am and drive somewhere! In the book Colorado 14er Disasters, the author talks a lot about the sequence of events and mindsets that have precluded some of the fatal events in our mountains.  I just wanted to touch on a few of the points Nash made that I found interesting... Point 1:  There is a "cascade of errors" that preclude a large error.  This is so true.  The case he mentions occurred up on Holy Cross, where a hiking party of two separates, and a lady vanishes.  The author goes into how the "leader" had forgotten his lunch, his water purifier, took the wron...