Sunny Salida Slopfest

Salida Run Through Time Trail Marathon
26.2 miles
3:5x??
10th place overall

I had heard and read good things about the laid-back nature of the Salida trail marathon. A good crowd was going to be there, the price was right, and the weather was looking great for a fun day in the mountains. So we got a nice carpool group going, and headed out: Nick Clark, Nick Pedatella, and Caroline Soong. It was nice to meet all of them and talk about running, as well as discussing the best (and worst) places to live and run in Colorado -- mostly based on availability of quality microbrewed beer.

After a few hours, we were in Salida, where the three of them had bunks at the Simple Lodge Hostel, which seemed very pleasant and a great deal in town. My plan was to sleep in the car as close to town as possible. Based on some online research and a description from Nick, it seemed like the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) had some close-by camping, but it was ambiguous (to me) if it was actually 'free' to camp there. Well, it turns out that it's an easy, excellent place to sleep off-season -- I'm sure it's quite busy during the summer -- but this time of year, nobody was around, and it appears that staying in a non-developed spot is free. Just head East on Hwy 50 out of town for just over a mile, and take the first left just past the RV park, being sure to be after the sign that says "Entering Public Lands."

I slept just OK, with plenty of room in the car, and my sleeping bag being warm enough. True, you're not far off the highway, but the price is right. Oh, I should mention that Nick talked me into a pre-race bomber of Fat Tire. This conflicted with my previous plans of not drinking for the week before a race, but I couldn't argue with his results. I thought it might help me sleep, but it just made me have to pee more. D'oh, why do you have to go more when you're camping and it's cold out?

I woke up at dawn before my redundant alarm clocks went off, with a gorgeous view of the Collegiate Peaks in front of me. Sweet. Headed into town to meet the others, who were busy making coffee and waffles, which they shared. Even better. Met a few interesting folks in the hostel, including CRUD'ers from the Springs, and some altogether random folk.

We all got ready and picked up our stuff. As the sun cleared the foothills and buildings, it was shaping up to be a warm day. We got ready and headed over to the start line. Everyone was fairly nonchalant and ready to go, and we were off. The race began with a jumble of marathoners, half-marathoners, and a fun run, but there was plenty of room up the dirt roads for all of us.

We began climbing....climbing...and climbing some more. Nothing to steep, but steady. I felt good, and was surprised to keep an eye on Pedatella and Burch. I knew they'd blow me away on the descents, but it also should have been a clear sign that I was going out too fast! We reached the half-marathon turnaround and kept climbing, and I only saw a few half marathoners at the turnaround. That should've been another sign...

I did slow a bit purposefully here, and ditched the shirt, preparing myself for full-on winter sunburn. But it felt so good! Finally, we turned left to Turret, and had some fun rollers and descents on the snow, along with great views. I was feeling mostly good, with just a little heaviness in the legs, but I was prepared for a fast and fun descent in the 2nd half. At the turnaround, I saw Timmy Parr fly by, shirtless and smiling, with several minutes on Nick, and then Burch. I was pleasantly surprised to be within 10 minutes of those guys, and within a couple minutes of the women's leader, Keri Nelson. I knew they'd hit the downhills faster, but I still was looking forward to a screaming descent after all that climbing, and having a respectable time, and maybe catching up to Keri.

Except that's not how the course was, and neither were my skillz. Shoulda studied better! Lots of rolling on the backside of the course, as well as mud, rocks, ice, and snow. You couldn't take your mind off of the trail for a second, and I took a few spectacular slides while somehow remaining upright. (Not everybody did, as I counted a bloody elbow and fractured coccyx amongst the overall carnage in the runners ahead of me). I did blast some of the fun downhills, but never seemed to get a long section of momentum. By the time we hit the 17.2 mile turn -- the last aid station on the course -- I was in a bit of disbelief that we were 'only' at mile 17.2. Even more stupid, I grew tired of carrying a full Gatorade bottle, so I ditched half of it about 5 miles out, only to run out in the last few exposed, sunny miles later.

It was clear that I was fading a bit and just holding on to a manageable pace. My goals of catching anybody, let alone staying within 20 or so minutes of the leaders, was clearly out the window, as was running a negative split on the net downhill. I still had pre-race goals of top-10/top-10%, so I had that to salvage. On long downhills, I saw Brownie and another runner catching up. If I didn't keep running, I was going to get passed by two guys in the last few miles, with one of them being a proud mountain alcoholic running with a perpetual hangover -- not that there's anything wrong with that (except when fueled on swill beer). As we made our way down the last hill, a virtual spotter and ultra-super fan, Bill Duper, accurately told me I was 10th, and no one was in sight. "Yeah, but they're coming quickly!" I told him. So those last few miles, I made that my life's goal (for the next 15 minutes or so): no more looking at the watch, just don't get caught, pure and simple.

I wound around and finally found the elusive finish line. My stomach was cramping, and I needed water. I felt out of it when I first crossed the line, which Nick noticed immediately. (The Gatorade and food mess all over my face also gave it away).

I did finish in the top 10 at least. Though I did get "chicked", I can't complain: turns out Keri Nelson ran a screaming second half downhill through the snow, as witnessed by NMP -- well, it doesn't hurt that she's like a snowshoe racing studdess!



Here, I should note, that both Timmy and Keri (let alone other runners) gave encouraging comments on the turnaround to other runners. Both are class-acts, which is another reason that makes the trail-running and ultra scene so enjoyable.

So my first real trail marathon taught me some lessons. This is only the 2nd time I've really bonked, the other time being the Colorado Marathon, whereas I've finished 50-milers feeling great and smiling. The theme? Starting out too fast! My best and fastest marathon had some pretty dead-even splits, and in the ultras I purposefully started out slow.

However, after 40 oz of water or so and some delicious hot soup, I felt completely revived, and enjoyed chatting with other runners on a beautiful day. Brownie delivered Guiness to Nick, post-haste, and this was thoughtfully shared with other runners. All in all, a fun day in the mountains, and I have a nice winter sunburn to prove it!

Twin Sisters - Summer and Winter

Twin Sisters Hike
RMNP, Snow hike
~8 miles roundtrip



When cruising down the Peak-to-Peak highway, the twin rock heaps that make up Twin Sisters mountain poke out on the east side of the road. Twin Sisters is an especially popular summer hike, known for its Long views of the Front Range, and for being an accessible hike above treeline. Also, although part of the Park, it doesn't require an entrance fee, and with an elevation gain of ~2500 feet in 4 miles, it's known as a popular acclimatization hike for those wishing to visit even higher summits.

For many of those reasons, I've purposely avoided hiking this trail in the summer. But, with Front Range temperatures approaching 60, full sunshine, and virtually no wind, it seemed like a great late-Winter hike for J and I.

With no threat of summer storms, we arrived fashionably late at 10am. We passed another party that started just before us, and then saw no other parties until right before the summit. This gave us a perfectly leisurely walk on well-packed snow. Snowshoes weren't needed on the trail, though they wouldn't have hurt (other than slowing us down a bit); and, truthfully, there was enough snow and room on the trail that backcountry skis would have been fun for most of the trail. I hadn't read reports of cross-country skiing this trail or seen this trail in winter guidebooks, but I think it would be a great trail in an early morning after fresh snow.

After winding between NF and NP land, the trail eventually steepens as it approaches treeline, and opens up to gorgeous views to the west.



At this point, we were grateful to have had a party in front of us that left good tracks as we curved from south to east. We had a few deeper moments of postholing, but soon returned to packed snow as the trail steepened just before treeline. Here, I found a single Yak Trax (Yak Track?), and began carrying it with me.

Ah, the tundra above treeline: pretty much my favorite place to be! I always feel like it's a whole new world up there, and I want to run around and explore every little section I can see. For anyone that wonders if there is any wonder left in the world, I implore you to get above the trees.

I should mention one unfortunate aspect of the top of this hike: a communications tower violating the ridge between the Twin Sisters. It's a little unusual for NP land.

Even still, this area allows for plenty of fun easy rock scrambling. We saw the party in front of us, and I offered up the Yak, which was indeed lost by a girl in the party. They were as happy as we were to be up high, and then we were alone as we scrambled to the top of the West Peak.


After a lunch break, I stared at the East Peak. Clearly, it was a little bit higher (sources say by about 15 feet), so I had permission to quickly scramble over:


Ten minutes, I was down, up, and down again, ready to head back.

The descent was even more fun, in the full sun and soft snow. I ran down the steeper sections in my snow boots, and we started encountering a few more parties heading up or taking a break at the final sections, with a fair number of people on snowshoes as well. One woman said I had too much energy like a puppy; another said I was smiling too much! I couldn't help it, it was just that much fun to bound through the snow.

We made it back to the car and found it intact: I was worried that my stinky banana peel left in the car might be awakening-hungry-bear-bait.

In all, I highly recommend a winter hike of Twin Sisters: great views, great snow, not too crowded.

Frigid Five in Edmond, OK

Since I had off of work on Monday for President's Day, we took a quick 3-day trip to visit my parets in Blanchard, OK. I found a fun-looking 5-mile race in Edmond, OK, called the Frigid Five, so we both signed up and got ready to run.

Saturday morning, I put my game face on...but this time, complete with a burgeoning, trashy mustache. I've never had the opportunity to run with a mustache before, and I only decided this a couple days in advance, but I had to ask myself: WWPD?

Anyway, Saturday ended up being quite pleasant for Oklahoma in February: a high in the mid-50's was predicted, and it was mostly sunny and upper 30s/low 40s in the morning. Near perfect, in fact, except for a 15mph wind. But, not too much to complain about. The race had a casual but on-time start, and had a winding course on the paved trails of Mitch Park in Edmond. The race has gained popularity year over year, with around 1000 people in this year's race. Great to see that many people out in February!

Scanning previous results, and knowing my time from a 4-miler in November, I figured 31 minutes would be a good goal, and that somewhere around 20 people would be around that time, so I lined up accordingly. And, bonus if I didn't get chicked! ("Not that there's anything wrong with that!"). Seriously, it doesn't bother me at all, but because of my respect, it's always an honor to run near the leading female. (I will not, however, go out of my way just to race a female in an arbitrary position after 1st place, as I watched 2 guys do so they could beat my wife by a few steps!)

We took off, and there was plenty of room to find position and settle into a rhythm. The hills were mainly in the middle miles of the course, so I figured running the first, downhill mile a little fast wouldn't be the end of the world, and I hit it right on target. I dropped some time on the 2nd and 3rd miles, as the hills began and we headed into the wind, but I also passed a couple of guys here. I hit the 4th mile in exactly the same time as my last 4-mile race in FC in November, so I knew I was ahead of pace if I could keep it up. My last mile ended up being one of my fastest, as I got closer to one more runner and had a target to pace off of. This kid was a local 16-year old with his own cheering sections, though, and rightfully so: he had saved a heckuva kick for the end. Great to see a younger runner save something for the end rather than blow up, so my hat's off to him!

Anyway, I beat my goals for the race, and then looped back to find Jessica. Her goal was to run consistently for the entire race, but she kept running strong and beat her stated goal by ~2 mins per mile...and beat my more challenging goal for her by ~1min/mile. Great job! It was nice to have my parents out there cheering us on and taking pictures, too.



Afterward, we headed to Pops "Soda Ranch"on Route 66 in nearby Arcadia, which has over 500 flavors of soda. Crazy! Lots of interesting bottles and flavors of 'microbrew' soda, many of them with real sugar and other 'real' ingredients.



Then, we headed back down to OKC for lunch at Ted's Cafe Escondido, which has some of the best Mexican food in the world, I kid you not. Yum! Full and ready to pass out, we headed back home, where I took a shower and shaved off the 'stache. All good things must come to an end.

Avoiding Frostbite

This story is about a fairly ordinary morning trail run, but is being shared to serve as a cautionary tale to others.

I've been trying to up my mileage lately. Since we were leaving for a full weekend of skiing, I decided to sneak in one more run before heading to Summit County. Plus, I got some sparkly new shoes the day before, so I was anxious to break them in. At dawn, I headed out for an easy 10-miler.

I ahould add that just a few days earlier, I did slip on some ice and fell right on my butt, so I was a bit more careful about sticking to visibly dry pavement and concrete. Although this was a far cry from the shirtless running weather of just a week ago, ice was not the concern of the day.
Verily, it was cold, but so far, so good: the streets were quiet, and the air was crisp.

Still, the air stung my face a bit and made my fingers tingle. Over time, I bunched them inside my glove to try to get them to warm up. Then, I tucked them under my armpits briefly. This only helped for a few minutes, so I needed a new tactic. I suppose one of the problems with running in the cold is keeping the hands elevated. Over time, this prevents proper bloodflow, I guess, so I shook my hands downward, and the began to warm up. Painfully. But, I figured I only had 20 minutes or so left in my run, and then I could look forward to turning the fireplace on, grabbing a coffee, and taking a shower.

And then I got home. Now, as an engineer and introspective physiology hack, I've questioned the 'intelligent design' of the silly human body before. Why does my head and upper body sweat and overheat, while my extremities suffer painfully? Extremities, yes...finger, toes, and...uh-oh.

Often, when running in the winter, I'll debate pants vs. shorts, but in either case, they're snug and windproof. (And most of my winter outdoor activities involve multiple layers of pants and snowpants). Today, for some reason, I wore some rather light, NOT windproof pants, and loose-fitting undergarments. This, with the wrong amount of sweat, conspired to create a near disaster. On my run, I felt like I needed to take a pee for about 45 minutes, but when I got home, I realized it wasn't that simple. A burning sensation, yes, but something altogether worse. Although the male human body will go to great lengths to regulate testicular temperature, apparently keeping the rest of it warm was an afterthought.

I quickly headed to the shower. A few times in the past, when I've thawed out cold hands, I've found the re-warming to be even more painful. Today, as I thawed out completely, I literally doubled over in pain, felt like I was going to vomit, and bit into a towel so I wouldn't scream...too loudly. After 6 or 7 minutes of hell -- is it fire, or is it ice? -- I regained hope for the future. I headed over to the Internets, and quickly learned that this problem is not uncommon at all; rarely permanent; and rarely suffered more than once.

The lesson? Stay snug and windproof!

Twin Mountain Trudge 2010

The Happy Jack, Wyoming, area is known for some great cross-country skiing, with numerous groomed trails through the trees. In the summer and fall, these same trails make for some great mt. biking and running. But who would think to run on the trails in Winter?

Well, some enthusiastic runners in the Laramie/Cheyenne area, that's who. Hence, the Twin Mountain Trudge.

The Trudge is a mini sort of winter adventure race, with the course and logistics set up by Alec Muthig and friends. The course is just under 11 miles nominal distance (if you follow the snowshoes and flagging correctly), with an extra credit option of doing another loop.

This race was brought to my attention by local trail-runner Nick Clark, who also offered to carpool up to the race, along with another local runner, Alex May. I appreciated the chance to carpool and meet both of these guys. Nick has been on a bit of a hot streak of late, having won two competitive races in January already (in addition to having won the Trudge last year), so it would be interesting to see how he did in this one.

Por moi, my "goals" were simple: I was looking to get in a good race early in the year to motivate further training; spend a few hours on some new trails; and meet some new folks. In short, mission accomplished! Time-wise, or distance-wise, I had no idea what to shoot for. Due to the carpool, I made one promise: if Nick stopped after 1 loop, so would I; if I were 20 minutes or more behind Nick, I would stop after 1 loop. Else, I had a decision to make, based on conditions and how I felt.

We arrived sufficiently early for the pre-race briefing, etc., and lined up. Honestly, there were folks of all shapes and ages out there to have fun...and we were off. I enjoyed the first part of the course, a moderate climb over dirt and light snow. Thankfully, traction wasn't a problem, and it was all runnable. We headed off into singletrack, though, and the post-holing began! At this point, I was surprised to see that there were just 4 of us within site of each other; effectively, two groups of two. I tried to stay within sight of Nick and Ross, mostly to watch where they ran so I knew where the terrain traps were! I thought that it would be easier to run in their footsteps, but I found that to be more difficult than I anticipated. I looked forward to short bursts of dirt, when I could start running again; but trudging slowly in the snow still kept the heart rate up. We hit a short but steep section of a fenceline climb which necessitated walking, followed by the "Devil's Loop." Devil, indeed. I lost site of Nick and Ross, as this truly became a trudge-a-thon of much walking, for me at least. Soon, Brian M. caught back up with me, and we got a chance to chat a bit. At the deep end of the loop, there was a hole-punch to prove that we did the loop -- I nearly missed it, but Brian pointed it out, and another runner caught up to us. He was looking good and started pulling away.

I looked forward to finishing the Devil's Loop, but finally learned a few techniques that made trudging easier. First, I took long, sliding, reckless strides on the downhill, as the snow was deep enough to cover all the rocks. Also, on climbs where there were sufficient steps from the Alec's snowshoe tracks, it was definitely easier to take quick, light steps uphill than it was to walk. Still, immediately after the Devil's Loop, I had no thoughts of doing a 2nd overall loop.

But, the course became mostly runnable again after the Devil's Loop, and really became fun again. I took the time to look around and enjoy the warm sun and open views on this part of the course. Soon, 3 of us were at the 8-ish mile aid station in the middle of nowhere, but I didn't really need anything (and forgot about the Scotch that was there!) I kept going and hit the downhill fire road and let it fly. I saw Ross coming out for a 2nd loop, and he offered a gamely "Nice job!" at the same time I did -- but didn't see Nick, yet. This part of the run was fun enough that I was contemplating the 2nd loop.

I reached the finish-line a few minutes over 2 hours -- a nice, even number that would have been nice to hit, but c'est la vie. I saw Nick there, and said "Thank God!" My decision was made, Nick was satisfied enough with winning the 11-miler. More miles would've been fun, but so was hanging out, eating soup, chips, and M&Ms, and drinking beer.

Yes, the sun came out even stronger, and with no wind, it was quite enjoyable. I enjoyed chatting with several of the Wyoming runners, and cheering on Alex as he came in strong. I also talked a bit with Amber Travsky, who's a great resource for southern Wyoming cycling and skiing, I've read several of her articles. I also learned that the RD, Alec, is getting ready for next year's Arrowhead 135.

He made it to Mile 41 in a previous race -- on snowshoes (the slowest method of travel allowed in a grueling, freezing race). Having spent some time in Minnesota and enough other time out in the cold for various reasons, I was eager to hear about Alec's previous lessons and future plans for the race. I think he's got a solid plan in place and knows how to handle logistics and training, so I look forward to seeing how he does in the Arrowhead next year.

And, I look forware to next year's Trudge!

When in Doubt, Go West

Wolf Creek Ski Area
Near Pagosa Springs, Colorado



In California, they like to brag about being able to ski and surf in the same day. I never did that -- mostly because we decided to move to Colorado when I finally learned to ski. But how about skiing and headstands in the Sand Dunes on the same day?

J and I like to try out at least one new ski area each year, and we had our eye on Wolf Creek. Why not? It often gets the most snow in Colorado, coming in regular multi-foot dumps. But, it doesn't have a base village or the amenities of the mega-resorts. Even better.

Oh, the other problem is that it's a 7.5 hour drive. But, hey, we have all weekend, right? (Note: *This* is where I 'use my miles.' While I'll happily applaud anyone who simply doesn't drive much at all, I just want to make sure my driving is purposeful and not 'silly' -- that is, if I'm in the car, it's because I'm stoked about where I'm going; but it's not a necessity of day-to-day life). We had been there once before, in summer, also on a 'normal' 2-day weekend, in which we camped, visited Creede, Lake City, Mesa Verde National Park, the hot springs in Pagosa, and Durango; waited for me to ride a century in Durango; then took the long way home through Paonia.

Suffice it to say, the San Juans are awesome, so we want to pack as much in when we get out there.

This time, we made stayed at the "First Inn" in Pagosa, which also lets us buy discounted lift tickets. Wonderfully simple rooms and breakfast, a hot tub, and great management! "Lou," in fact, is a local and part-time prospector; or is he a part-time manager and full-time prospector? After filling up on waffles and cinammon buns on Saturday morning, we headed up to the hill, where we had a primo parking spot:



That's right, you could see the base lift from our car! The runs themselves weren't that long -- but neither were the lift lines. It was a perfect bluebird day -- bluebird weekend, in fact -- and we enjoyed our first turns of the season. Also, I had my BC skis in the car, and since it was nearby....why not? I took my BC skis on a resort for the first time ever. I never wanted to burn a full day on them, in case I was disappointed, but I had nothing to lose. As I got them out, a local guy said he had similar skis, and wanted to try his out, too, but was wondering if the waxless scales on the bottom would affect the ride too much. Only one way to find out!

Great decision, as I had a fun time on mild blues and greens, and fell a few times, as I practiced dropping a knee.

When the day was over, it was time for a soak in the hot springs. Last time, of course, it was summer, and we watched a lightning storm roll in. This time, we tried to avoid freezing our feet and slipping on ice as we headed into the first available pool, afraid to move as our hair froze on our heads. Eventually, I scoped out a path to the hottest pools, and we made our way over there. I threw in a couple dips in the river for good measure.

Next up was Pagosa Brewing company, which is actually up the hill outside of the downtown hot springs area. An outdoor fireplace gave a cozy feel to the entrance, and the restaurant itself was a bit small. It reminded me of Eske's in Taos, which was also small and cozy, but Pagosa beats Eske's with a bit better beer selection, and way better food: I would't have been able to say I had truly lived until that day in which I had a wild Pacific salmon gyro. Yum!



The next day was also perfectly clear and calm, and we decided to hit up the free ski/snowshoe trails at the base of the resort. Again, we were amazed by the ease of parking and friendliness -- this resort would be incredibly easy for skinning up in the morning from the base and earning your turns. Instead, we stuck to the bottom and enjoyed the sunshine.



It was time for the long ride back. Another brewpub was on tap in Alamosa, so we saved our hunger...but it's closed on Sunday's in winter! Drat! Instead, we found a decent Mexican restaurant to fill our bellies, and we headed east, back home, the weekend over...

Or was it? We were in Ft. Garland, it was a nice day out, and Jess hadn't been to the Sand Dunes. We planned on a separate trip there, camping, etc. some other weekend, but it was only an extra 15-20 minutes each way out of our way...why not just spend on hour or so playing on the dunes, taking a nap in the sun?

Or do headstands?


As hoped, Jess's brief taste of the sand dunes made her want to go back again...with a sled next time!

Thunder Pass: Another RMNP Backdoor

Cameron Pass/Michigan Ditch to Thunder Pass
~10.5 miles ski tour




I was thankful to be off of work on a Monday, in honor of MLK Jr. Day, which I celebrated by blasting U2's "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" on the radio while speeding through the snow-free and lightly-traffic'ed Poudre Canyon, on my way up to Cameron Pass.

Thunder Pass was the destination for the day, which is down the Upper Michigan Lakes trail for a bit, and past/above American Lakes. I've been intrigued by this trail for a few years, and was looking forward to trying something new, but hadn't gone yet for a few reasons:
1. Michigan Ditch starts out flat, kinda boring (though with *fantastic* scenery) in the beginning, and is usually mobbed by families and gapers on weekends.
2. Snowmobiles share much of the early route.
3. Avy danger can be high above the lakes, though my sources suggested enough low-angle options to mitigate the risk
4. You need a State Parks pass or entry fee...OK, it's a very fair $3, but if it's crowded, it would just be another reason to go somewhere else, albeit a weak one.

So, being a weekday, it seemed like a good chance to check out a new trail this year, and avoid the weekend crowds. Plus, the warmer temps and lack of new snow in the last week or so has finally allowed this year's unstable snowpack to settle a bit, so the region was generally "Moderate" danger.

This turned out to be a great decision.

Admittedly, I'm a sucker for mountain passes. I started with mt. passes on the road bike, but you can't beat the views from many of the backcountry passes, especially along the Divide. Some of my favourite parts of RMNP, so far, have been uncrowded and unspoiled "backdoor" entrances to the park: Mummy Pass, Storm Pass, and now Thunder Pass.

So I began the flat approach on Michigan Ditch. Jess and I had started this a few years back, but we had gone on a day of low visibility and actually had to break trail. Today, though, the snow was packed into a cross-country freeway, and I was able to enjoy the early views:


A bit after the cabins, I encountered a couple of Poudre Wilderness Nordic Ranger volunteers, who told me the snow was great and packed down, and just be sure not to get confused by the meandering snowmobile tracks. Good advice, as I made extra sure to get my bearings in several open areas with diverging paths (also, watch for the occasional orange blaze on the trees_.

After a couple of miles, I entered a large clearing with lots of tracks. This is a good spot to turn around for a family snowshoe trip, or even play around with some sking, as the trail now begins to get steeper as it tacks to the west. As mentioned, the snow was essentially groomed by snowmobiles. I had to herring-bone and zig-zag a few steeper stretches, but otherwise standard cross-country skis would have managed just fine.

After 2 or 2.5 hours, I reached another large clearing, and some amazing views. I am bad at mountain names from a distance, but was happy to recognize the east side of Static Peak, as well as the unmistakable Crags. I wondered how close I was to American Lakes...until it occurred to me that they were directly underneath me (and several feet of snow), which was the clearing. I made better time than I thought, and Thunder Pass was an obvious, gentle saddle below Lulu Mountain. There was no trail to speak of, but I enjoyed picking my own trail, as there was enough snow to ski to the top. I took a slope measurement for fun and practice, and I was able to stay on ~25 degree slopes. The snow was a bit hard and slabby, but seemed solid, and you could see occasional trees and rocks anchoring the snow, as well as flatter countours that prevent large, steep areas from holding a lot of energy. (That's about the extent of my reading and basic awareness class -- I don't have the skills to assess a pit on a 35-degree slope in order to get fresh tracks after a big dump, so for now I'll just avoid stuff like that altogether!)

Skiing up to the pass was straightforward, and I wasn't disappointed with a face-full of mountains upon mountains in RMNP (as well as blustery wind!):



I sat down for a lunch break, and enjoyed the views outside RMNP, too:


I knew the downhill would be quick, so I had plenty of time. I took a leisurely lunch, and fought the urge to climb Lulu, which would have been a straightforward hike with just a bit of scrambling at the top. But I hadn't planned it, and I hadn't planned for it (I would have brought extra boots, e.g.) so it'll have to wait.

I headed back down, and essentially made my first respectable BC turns -- ever -- without falling. Soon, I was back on the packed snowmobile trail, which was also a fun descent. If I hadn't stopped for more pictures, the entire 5-6 mile descent would have taken just an hour.

All told, the difference between RMNP and North Park is just an arbitrary line on the map. The world just on the other side of that line is quite beautiful, too!