Every trip I've ever made to the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area has treated me with lots of snow, even more water, plenty of color up high and down low and signature technical single track. Mix in some light breeze's and blue bird skies and Saturday's run around the South Loop did not disappoint.
WA and I met up for a great jaunt around one of the nicest trails the eastern side of the divide has to offer. The route was pretty simple:
Start at the Forth of July Road & The Hessie Trailhead intersection.
Up to Kings Lake with side trips to Lost Lake and Betty Lake (Screw Bob and his lake).
Two miles along the Continental Divide to Devils Thumb Pass.
Down the Jesper drainage with a side trip to an aerial view of Diamond Lake(got misrouted due to huge snow fields and lack of trail).
Roughly 21 miles, 5 1/2 hours and over 5,000 feet of up and down. Pace was conservative, energy strong and the company/conversation fantastic. Woody was looking great coming off a nice showing at the Silver Rush just a week ago.
Instead of boring you with details of the run, I'll let the following pics show off what true Colorado summer running is all about (pic of delicious and cold filtered stream water from 11,500 feet not included).
WA and I met up for a great jaunt around one of the nicest trails the eastern side of the divide has to offer. The route was pretty simple:
Start at the Forth of July Road & The Hessie Trailhead intersection.
Up to Kings Lake with side trips to Lost Lake and Betty Lake (Screw Bob and his lake).
Two miles along the Continental Divide to Devils Thumb Pass.
Down the Jesper drainage with a side trip to an aerial view of Diamond Lake(got misrouted due to huge snow fields and lack of trail).
Roughly 21 miles, 5 1/2 hours and over 5,000 feet of up and down. Pace was conservative, energy strong and the company/conversation fantastic. Woody was looking great coming off a nice showing at the Silver Rush just a week ago.
Instead of boring you with details of the run, I'll let the following pics show off what true Colorado summer running is all about (pic of delicious and cold filtered stream water from 11,500 feet not included).
(Temps down low - Upper 90's. Temps at Betty Lake - Mid 60's. Suck it Front Range)
(Woody working the CDT with way to many peaks in the background to name)
(From Devils Thumb Pass looking down on Devils Thumb Lake (L) and Jesper Lake (R))
(Below Devils Thumb Pass and before some guy telling us it was 75 miles round trip from Hessie to Winter Park. Calling BS on that one.)
(The Smooth take off...)
(and the even Smoother landing. HA!)
(A wrong turn led us to this point. Not bad views of Diamond Lake and Arapaho Pass)
(Opening it up along a rare spot of smooth single track)
(It's views like this as to why I love to trail run in Colorado)
Glorious.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you didn't catch a picture of me flat out on the ground after "the jump". Man, I almost landed that thing. Awesome pics...and company on the run.
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