Legault Mountain: Winter Ski and Snowshoe at Meyer Ranch

Legault Mountain (9074')
~6M roundtrip, 1200' gain
Ski and Snowshoe


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With a solid, multi-day snowfall blanketing the Denver region, some of the close-by Jeffco and Denver Mountain parks take on a new dimension of interest.  I decided to check out Meyer Ranch Park for the first time -- very popular in winter, due to its north-facing aspect right off of Hwy 285, where kids of all ages enjoy sledding.  But the winter history of Meyer Ranch goes back for decades, as an old rope-tow was used pre-WWII when the area was known as "Mt. Lugo."




So, this lost ski-area held promise for good snow, and it delivered.  Several smaller loops circle groves of aspen and pine on the lower parts of the hill, eventually zig-zagging upward to the "Old Ski Run Trail."

These gentle but steady loops provide a decent ski workout and fun glide down, but end several hundred feet below the summit of Legault Mountain.  A light bushwhack can finish this up.  In winter, with powdery snow overlaying rock and downed trees, some sort of flotation can be helpful.  So I brought my wife's snowshoes with me.

This was my first time with snowshoes on my feet in Colorado, and second time ever I think.  Normally I'll do anything I can to figure out ways not to use snowshoes, by running or skiing instead, but it actually worked out pretty well.  And gave me good practice for an upcoming race that uses them.

On a clear day, the summit rock is easily visible through the trees upon reaching the saddle at the far edge of the Old Ski Trail loop.  A sign with an arrow pointing to the trail is located at a good spot to leave the trail to the east -- to the south is a cattle crossing and private property sign.

It looked like there was a climber's trail along the way, but otherwise it was a short, fun trek up.

The summit opens up with views toward downtown Denver:

But you can just as easily turn from that, and look southward toward Pikes:

The snow was powdery enough, and the woods opened up for short periods of time, to be able to run a bit on the snowshoes.  Not bad.  But I was happy to get back to my skis for more speed on less effort.  The occasional visible rock or two slows down the flow in a few spots, but otherwise it's a great glide.

It might even be an enjoyable snowshoe the whole way.

Flying J Ranch: XC Skiing on New Snow

Flying J Ranch: 3-mile ski loop (Shadow Pine Loop)

Conifer/Evergreen, CO

With several (4-5) inches of new snow on the ground in Golden, J and I looked for a quick, accessible ski with a shorter drive.  Having snow in town means it's a great time to check out new, nearby options.  Ironically, for all of the great trails in the Golden area, many of them are too rocky, steep, narrow, and/or windblown to be considered excellent skiing (I've tried to force the issue for some OK rock-skiing).  But, just a couple thousand feet higher are some fantastic options, and I-70 can be avoided.

We decided to go South on 285, and drove past Meyer Ranch Park, which itself is a popular sledding hill and would be a good but steeper option for skiing and snowshoeing, in favour of Flying J Ranch Park.  Although it looks straightforward on the map, it was a bit tricky to figure out how to get from 285 to Barkley Road and then 73 toward Evergreen (there isn't good signage right off of 285)...but everyone else in the world uses GPS so you'll probably figure it out just fine.

The road into the park had tire tracks but wasn't plowed, so luckily there was a balance of great new snow that wasn't too much for the ground clearance of my Civic.  Momentum was our friend as we made it up the hill into the lot that was replete with SUVs and trucks.

There's only one signed trail in the park: a 3 mile loop.  We were immediately surrounded by newly-frosted trees and fantastic snow, great for gliding, with some previous tracks and snowshoes.
We watched a coyote bound across a field, before posing underneath a large pine.



And pine trees were the rest of the story, including tight, narrow trails through lodgepole forest, as well as big, thick conifers that I didn't see as much in the northern part of the state, because 8000+ feet was usually found only on slanted, diagonal terrain in or near canyons.



Near the end of our counterclockwise loop, we took a short detour up (rightside of the trail) into a sunny meadow, where we made a quick extra loop before heading back down.  We only skied about 80 minutes total, but it was nice to be in the woods to enjoy the snow after a pleasant and quick drive.  With more time, it would have been just as fun to do a second loop.
Going clockwise puts most of the climbing in the beginning, with a more fun descent in tight trees right in the middle; counterclockwise rolls, with a moderate descent saved for the very end.

It's a bit short for a single-loop run or hike, but is pretty fun on skis.  Or, apparently, fatbikes as well.

Peru Creek Road, Montezuma Ski Tour

Peru Creek Road is a popular ski and snowshoe tour, with minimal gain, a wide path, and great views.

Located between Keystone and Montezuma, we had a chance to check it out last month.

The road was packed smooth with snow, and has interesting mine remnants just after the first mile.

Some of our views were obscured by clouds and heavy winds up high, although the trail itself is nicely sheltered from wind.  After nearly 3 miles, staying straight on a few previous junctions, we reached an open, windy, and swampy area covered in deep snow.  Close to our halfway-mileage goal anyway, and not wanting to break more trail, we turned around.

On the way back, we saw several other parties -- a mixture of skiers and snowshoers -- but it wasn't overly crowded and there was plenty of room for all.  We decided to take a short tour up in Chihauhau Gulch, which I knew ultimately led toward Gray's Peak, where it had a higher avalanche risk above treeline, but we just decided to poke around a bit.

It didn't hurt that someone had recently broken trail, and the sun was now shining.

This short addition was worthy and recommended, as it passed directly through aspen groves, and quickly (after a stream crossing) provided superb views.  And deep powder!

We met the couple that had just broken trail and decided not to go further, and we all had a short but satisfying glide back to Peru Creek Road, made better by a tighter trail through the aspens.

In the final mile, I coaxed J into trying another option, of a trail that forked to the left on the return.  My map (heavily "zoomed out" to show several counties) and the topography suggested that it was a parallel trail that would bring us back near our car, as we were paralleling the creek, so we gave it a go.

Of course, the trail (actually a dirt road called "Webster Street" on the map) kept climbing slightly but steadily, as Peru Creek dropped farther and farther below us.  "Let's just see where this ends up" won out slightly over "Maybe we should turn around now," but it was a great trail that again put us into aspen groves.

We began to see buildings, and it became evident that we were on our way to the town of Montezuma itself, which was secretly something I wanted to check out anyway, so it worked out.  After passing some mining/construction equipment, there was a neat little shelter on the side of the trail.

And then we were in Montezuma, which was pretty much just a collection of houses and buildings.

This left us about 3/4 mile past our parking spot.  I asked J if she wanted to ski, or if I should go get the car; and then the couple we met earlier went by in their truck (he drove down just to check out Montezuma quickly!) and offered us a ride, which would have been easy and quick in the back of the truck.

But J was content to finish up our tour on the edge of the road.  Despite finding myself doing it several times per season, I rarely see evidence of anyone else chopping across roadside ditch slop, so I was quite pleased that my wife was willing to do so!  What a gal.

In short, Peru Creek is certainly an easy suggestion for winter touring, while some side options lead to scenic aspen groves and nicer downhills.  If Montezuma is on the agenda for some reason, or if you're staying there, Webster St./2nd Street is a more fun option when going from Montezuma back down to Peru Creek.

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January Denver Ride Tour: Lookout, Deer Creek, Downtown

60 degrees in January.  It's not necessarily novel for Colorado, but it feels like it's been awhile.  

I started going for a jog on Friday, and then did some mental math: Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon, which had always been coming up in a "month or two," was now only 3 weeks away.  And I hadn't really been riding the bike much at all, other than a few short errands.  Riding the bike is what I used to do instead of running, so I became accustomed to always having some sort of bike fitness.  Yet I was a bit worried.

The trails were still a bit muddy anyway.  I turned around and hopped on the bike for a quick spin.

Rolling around, I felt a bit out of sorts, but I rekindled some of that old interest.  I could see that the roads were dry enough, even in shady areas, and extrapolated that it would be even better the next day.

Having already saturated most of the interesting runs that leave from my doorstep, hopping in the bike brought up the old fun of figuring out how far away I can get away under my own power.

I figured hitting a century would be a nice way to kick off the new year, as I could work on a modest goal of a self-powered century at least once a month.  (In running terms, it's not that hard, probably equivalent to 25-30M depending on terrain).  In Fort Collins, I had hit all of the classic 100-mile radius several years ago, so it was exciting to pore over maps and find new routes.

Always overthinking on these things, I went with a route that put the climbs in the beginning, with the busier roads in the earlier afternoon (so as to get more melting as well as visibility), and then ending with a bit more mindless bike paths and bike routes as the sun got lower.

So I started with the classic climb up Lookout Mountain in Golden under perfect blue skies:

The summit (well, Buffalo Bill's gravesite) is 11 miles from my apartment, and it's above 7300': about a 1600' climb, or almost double what I used to get riding to Horsetooth Mountain Park.  It's a steady, rideable grade with great views, with good bike traffic on a nice Saturday and relatively light but aware car traffic.

Continuing westward, the road rolls and climbs a bit more.  I didn't make the exquisite, pine-tree climb up Colorow Road this time, but instead continued on Lookout until hitting Mt. Vernon Country Club, which is a minor thoroughfare into a quiet community.  I enjoyed pastoral views and empty roads (albeit with liberal use of sand/gravel, so caveat biker), although hadn't really prepared for several hundred more feet of climbing.

I finally made my way back down, with a slow average speed/time due to all the climbing.  Now I reached my next goal for the day: riding on I-70 for a bit.

2 miles, to be precise.  Cycling enthusiasts, especially cross-country riders, know this well, but the legalities of riding on freeway shoulders are a patchwork of interstate and intrastate laws.  Some states allow it everywhere, some allow it nowhere, but in Colorado, it's allowed in certain sections where there are no easy and sensible nearby alternatives.  I've previously ridden part of I-5 in San Diego (through Camp Pendleton, and the short Torrey Pines/La Jolla deathtrap!) and I-80 in Wyoming, but this would be my first time on I-70.

It was nice to make quick progress on a generous shoulder, and to advertise the lifestyle to tourists and native-stickered skiers alike.  Just as soon, I was off, where navigating Evergreen Pkwy/74 was trickier than the interstate itself.

I made a few wrong turns, but righted myself back onto a short jaunt on 74 before peeling off into Kerr Gulch.  

Finally, some descent, with a bit of technicality (for road biking) on tight, 15mph turns, in a quiet, narrow and shaded canyon.  No real ice or snow to deal with, though.  A final descent leading to Bear Creek had about a mile or so of degraded road conditions, so was on the brakes a bit more than if it had been smooth.  And again cutting in to rapid forward progress!

Soon enough, Myers Gulch to Parmalee Gulch didn't disappoint, with rolling uphills followed by speedy downhills.  Great visibility makes up for lack of shoulder.

This dropped me down to Hwy 285 quicker than I expected, and I had to make a quick choice, looking for Turkey Creek but getting confused on the options.  I made the wrong one, which led me on a long ramp that dropped me onto 285 North.  No problem, except for I needed to make a U-turn on that infamous spot of S-curves (I notice it when driving) with a barrier median.  And the thin shoulder was shaded and icy, so things were a bit nerve-wracking here.

After 3/4 of a mile or so, a break in the median allowed for a left turn, so I waited for a suitable gap among speeders before reversing course.  Much better on the other side, and I was now headed south on Turkey Creek.

I've always been intrigued by the "Tiny Town" sign here...and was glad to finally see it in person!

Definitely need to bring niece Hannah out here when it's open.

Turkey Creek was otherwise a pleasant road, and my last canyon road was soon coming up: Deer Creek Canyon.

I've only been there a few times for mountain biking and running the park, but the road biking is also really popular.  It's also contentious, with some problems between cyclists and drivers during busy summer weekends.  I was curious as to what to expect.

The shoulders are indeed narrow, but I was able to keep a decent speed in the short and rare sections where cars didn't have room to pass; otherwise, they were able to pass with plenty of room.  The slower riding sections actually had a bit of ice and snow in the shade, which was surprising to me because it felt lower than the other areas I had been riding.  But a clear advantage of riding solo is how much easier it is for a car to pass one rider at a time than a group of 3 or 4, let alone a longer peloton.  So I "get" that frustration of drivers, and not only do I make a point to single up on group rides any time a car is approaching, but also keep pack sizes small so car traffic doesn't back up.  Everybody wins.

Although not overwhelming, I saw more riders here, mostly in the other (climbing) direction.  By the end of the canyon, it was starting to feel like summer, and the pink sandstone gave it a desert feel.

At the very bottom, I saw all the cars parked with bikes and bike racks on them.

Mixed feelings here, and mostly a matter of style, mixed with chagrin and liberal parts of my own hypocrisy, but it's interesting to me to think of road bike riding as something that needs driving.  I get that some, or maybe many -- or even all, what do I know -- of the parked cars are from faraway lands checking out this ride or that by driving to this ride this one time.  But I suspect that many "do" road biking by popping the bike onto rack and driving to the Beginning of a Popular Ride, as I've seen the same thing at the bottom of other classic canyon rides.  (Check out St. Vrain and Lefthand to see guys in team kits crushing it, fresh from a 7-mile drive from home.  For example).  My road ride experience started with meeting at my house, or Neil's house, or John's house -- or we met somewhere in the middle.  If we had to ride some crappy and repetitive roads to get to the Good Stuff, so be it.  That's the way it was...and we liked it!

Anyway, there's something to be said for the riding and exploring that comes from not starting where everyone else does.  It's not skiing or snowmobiling: you can do it from your house, I promise!

But I digress.

Now onto the C-470 bike path.  A bit of interesting scenery in Chatfield, and then functional, flat miles.  Easier to be more social here by seeing more riders -- by the way, most riders I encountered were of the friendly nod-type I was used to in Larimer Co. -- but the seemingly flat stretch was slowed down a bit with solid patches of ice on some shaded ramps and curves, as well as short climbs up to major intersections and waiting for stoplights.    

Parker was the southeast quadrant of my ride, so now time to go North.  I went with Jordan Road and was pleased to cruise along with a zippy tailwind, and quickly made it into Cherry Creek State Park.

  

This was all familiar territory now, so I enjoyed a leisurely cruise on the inner trails and roads.  Fair amount of cycling and walking traffic out.

I didn't really pay attention to the map here as I'd run and biked there to Cherry Creek Trail more than a dozen times when we lived in Aurora, but of course I got a bit turned around/confused looking for the Highline/Cherry Creek junction.  I abandoned that and headed in the generally direction on busier roads, before taking Holly straight up to Cherry Creek.

I always enjoy the urban feel of Cherry Creek, a nice spot in the city that actually feels like a big city.

Quite an interesting juxtaposition with the morning's canyon rides.

The confluence of Cherry Creek and Platte is a natural center of the city...

...a city wrapped up in Bronco-mania.

And finally back on 20th for a loop around Sloans Lake, and back in time to beat the setting sun.

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2014 Runs

Updated race plans/thoughts on the right.
It feels self-indulgent to talk about it, esp. as a non top-tier runner, but I appreciate the support and encouragement from others, and enjoy reading others' plans.

The big race is Bighorn, and although it's a "backup" to not getting into Hardrock, it really isn't a backup at all.  I'm calm and patient with getting into Hardrock eventually, and every year that goes by makes me feel stronger and more ready for it, so I'm happy to experience other courses in the meantime.  We drove through the Bighorn Mountains once, in June a dozen years ago, as we were moving from Minnesota to California, when I was excited to get to Yellowstone as quickly as possible.  I had no idea about the Bighorn Mountains, but found the scenery to be a stunning drive; in many ways, more pristine and inspiring than Yellowstone itself.  And I'm positively stoked to participate in a Bighorn race for the first time -- I've never been to any of the races!  It sounds positively beautiful and has the vibe and appreciation for outdoors and the race itself, which began in part as a response to planned development projects.  A fellow runner this past weekend told me the wildflowers were more amazing there than anywhere she had seen (including the Four-Pass loop, San Juans, etc.)
And check out this old NYTimes article:
"And it all ends in a park in downtown Dayton that feels like small-town summer Saturday night distilled to its essence of lawn chairs and barbecue smoke."
Sounds like my kind of race! 

I know several friends planning on running it, so it'll be great to see each other and push each other.  
I'd love to have a pacer or two as well!  I know lots of people have their own races or commitments already.
Similarly for Hardrock: I'd love to pace out there if anyone wants it or knows somebody that does.

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Quad Rock is of course always a great time and stellar race: looking forward to seeing everyone up there.  I'm apprehensive about not training on the course anymore, but it'll be a fun reunion.  Hopefully the excitement of being back "home" will make up for the lack of familiarity.  FC folks, can you be kind and pretend I'm still one of you?  That support is immensely helpful!

Most of the same can be said for Salida, although it's still early and kind of a training-race itself.
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Along the way, J is doing a couple half marathons on the roads, so I'll be joining her for Platte River in April, and OKC 3 weeks later (marathon for me).  We'll see what happens there, I now have more trails to run on from my front door but less flat roads.
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So mostly interested in any/all advice for Bighorn.  I've read a detailed report from a baggy-shortsed Fort Collins runner back in 2009, in which he had a simple plan:
About half way up the climb, I decided to put my pre-race plan to work and eased into the lead, running a little deeper into the climbs than Karl was prepared to. The plan was fairly simple: build an early lead and try to hold it.

Brilliant as that plan was, I'm not qualified to be so ambitious, but the "Rusty Spurs" 24-Hour goal is clearly an aggressive focus for me.  That would require my best 100M trail performance to have a shot at it, which means both a smarter race and training.  There will be a fun bubble of folks right around that goal as long as possible --  a big challenge any year, and we have no idea on course conditions or weather.  So given the course layout, late start time, etc. -- anybody have a good set of splits or other suggestions?

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Otherwise, looking for long weekend days in new places on bike and foot (and combinations of both).
Good luck in 2014 and see you out there!

Bryce Canyon: Quiet Ski to Fairyland Point

Fairyland Canyon

~2M ski roundtrip, flat road

On our way back from Kanab, we took a quick drive out to Bryce Canyon NP.  The scenic red rocks were great, and we took some photos by the easily-accessible viewpoints of Sunrise and Sunset Point.  However, those areas were also crowded, with several tourist buses in the parking lot.

The elevation was higher, and I heard about some snow, so I asked a ranger about snow conditions.  We had brought XC skis but hadn't used them on the trip.

"People have been skiing on Fairyland Point Road, they don't plow it in the winter.  I don't know why -- it's a really great viewpoint."

Perfect.  The gate and lack of plowing is a winter blessing for quick solitude.  As it turned out, even though the snow wasn't fresh, it was nicely packed and slippery for a quick tour.

Zion National Park: Observation Point Hike in Winter

Zion NP Hike: Observation Point

8M RT, 4.5 hours

After the previous day's longer hike, we decided on a nice half-day hike.  J and I had never been to Zion NP, so we were eager to check it out.  Yeah, when it comes to solitude and most of my exploration, I'm drawn toward Wilderness Areas, and I've been disappointed at times when development and crowds frustrate the natural beauty of National Parks; at the same time, not only do they generally have absolutely sublime terrain, but I also ironically enjoy the connectedness of sharing a common experience and place.  And, even the kitsch of the Visitor's Center -- if we could make it before the 5pm closing.

Moments after entering the park, and shelling out for a new annual pass, the splendor of Zion was apparent.

In the summer, we'd have to take buses, which attempts to alleviate the traffic congestion in the Virgin River Valley.  (If only Yosemite would do the same!)  Being the off-season, however, we had the advantage of being able to drive on park roads.  Hopefully this would mean less crowded hiking as well.

One of the more popular hikes is Angel's Landing, which provides a spectacular vertical gain and views, with some exposed scrambling at the top.  This was closed earlier in the week due to snow and ice, and it was ambiguous if it was "open" again, but would have been dicey even so.

We opted for the mellower, yet higher hike to Observation Point, which leads to a mesa viewpoint high above the park and Angel's Landing itself.  Much of the trail was carved by CCC workers right off the side of the sheer walls.  Still, when we asked about Observation Point, the Entrance Station ranger warned us about ice and falls, and "didn't want to read about us later."

This trail was to have mild exposure, but was at least as wide as a sidewalk.
But, an icy sidewalk.



Because of the shaded aspects and foot traffic, much of the trail was bulletproof ice.  This isn't what I intended as leisurely hike.  In fact, I had 3 pairs of traction devices (Microspikes and Yaktrax)...back at the cabin, precisely because I knew we weren't looking for a hike where they were "necessary."  (In hindsight, this was dumb, still, because I had plenty of room in my pack and wasn't in a hurry, and at least one pair could always be useful in some sort of unplanned emergency situation).  Everyone else had at least one hiking pole, which was helpful for them.  I felt solid in running shoes, but a few steps here and there required attention (I had no desire for actually running the worst spots).

So it began as a luge run with careful steps.  With each switchback, we hoped it would get more clear, but mostly it didn't.  This was more obvious when viewed, later, from above:



Still, people were game to keep going up a bit to see if it would clear up.  The iciest patches were flat, fortunately, and the steepest pitches seemingly had patches of rock or soft snow.

Finally, after the first couple miles, the trail got flatter, drier, warmer, and slottier.

Then, things opened up more as the sun crested the surrounding walls.

A bit of stress at the beginning was now well-worth it, and things just kept getting better as we enjoyed another sunny day.

We saw several other parties on the trail, but only a handful, including a few that came back down from the top.  Certainly much less crowded than it would have been in other months.  After another set of switchbacks, now mostly dry, we enjoyed a final flat traverse to Observation Point.

With a half-hour lunch break in the sun, we had the area to ourselves.

And then, back down, where the first half went quickly and we hoped the ice softened up a bit.
It didn't, much.
Two Canadian ladies breezed past us, one with an ultramarathon (Frosty Mountain?) shirt on.  I chatted with them a bit as we approached the snowier sections, where they smartly put on their Microspikes and took off with ease.



But with careful steps, and perhaps a bit of whiskey, we were able to remain upright, until a final few intentional butt-glissades near the bottom.  (Other visitors and kids had been playing/sliding on this section for days, making it a solid sheet of ice).

We most certainly hope to be back at another time of year for classic hikes like the Narrows and Angel's Landing.   But as it turns out, this was a great hike at a great time of year.

As a bonus, we made it to the Visitor Center before closing, where we were able to browse Chinese consumer goods, and I added unnecessarily to my coffee mug collection.