Got back yesterday from Boulder at the ridiculously early hour of 6:00 am. But it was worth flying on the red eye to make the most of my time in Boulder. What a trip!
I landed on Thursday night at Denver International Airport an hour later than scheduled so Friday morning, I was completely exhausted. Didn't even get to Renee's house in Bouder until almost 2 a.m MST., 4 a.m. EST.
Friday, 11/9/07: Mount SanitasWhen I finally dragged my butt out of bed around 9, Renee and I decided to go hit the trails near her house. The trailhead was literally just 4 blocks away from her house. Crazy, ain't it?
I knew this was going to be a tougher hike than Wilkinson/Sugarbush in the Hudson Valley. This trail was a steep uphil climb from the getgo. My confidence was dampend within minutes. Renee had said this was a relatively easy hike since we only had 1.5 hours. So I guess I had gotten a bit cocky. Based on my NY hike, I figured it couldn't get too difficult since we only had about 45 minutes to ascend. What I didn't realize was that (1) Mt. Sanitas was not just a hill, and (2) since Boulder is at 5,430 ft above sea level, my decreased oxygen intake was making the hike tougher (yeah, that means I was sucking wind), and (3) these mountains were steeper than the East Coast mountains since they were "younger". Don't ask how the geological details -- I only know what my geologist friend told me.
So after what felt like an eternity of climbing up up up, having to use my hands to hoist myself up some big steps in the ground as well as some boulders, I asked Renee how long we'd been climbing for. In fact, it had been not much more than an hour. We had stopped a handful of times so that Renee could point out the vista of Boulder below, and each time we looked down, I realized our ascent was significant. Mount Sanitas can allow an elevation gain of up to 1,255 ft. So further we went up, the harder it got to breathe. I think we only got up about two-thirds up toward the summit. I was disappointed, but I also didn't want to overdo it on my first day out.
Crazy thing is that during our ascent, we saw kids hanging out on stone nedges. I don't mean teenagers. They were kids, no more than 10 or 11 years old. I assumed that everyone in Boulder took advantage of the amazing mountains in their backyard, but weren't they a bit too young? Renee said that in fact, that was quite common.
We turned off onto a dowhill path, and ate our sandwiches on our way down the mountain. The hike down was a lot easier -- after the initial steeper climbs down, it was basically a downhill walk, rathan than scrambling. Whew! It took about half the time to reach the bottom. I'm sure my friend disappointed that she didn't get a bigger workout in. As for me, I felt completely whipped. Barely dragged myself to dinner with Renee's in-laws. I was afraid I'd fall asleep in my food!
Saturday, 11/10/07: Chautauqua Park/Royal Arch/FlatironsSaturday morning, we drove to Chautauqua Park, which is at the base of the Flatirons as well as Flagstaff Mountain, both at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Again, the trailhead in the park started out at a steep incline, but that was just the beginning.
First, we climbed the Ryal Arch trail, with a total altitude gain of 1,240 ft. if we were to reach the summit. As at Mt. Sanitas, the ascent was fast, and I was tiring fast. After about 50 minutes of consistent ascent, just as I was about to ask Renee if we could take a longer break than the 30 second breathers we had been taking, she asked if I wanted to take a different trail to head up into the Flatirons.
I didn't realize that this would be the steepest hike to date. There were crazy rock steps, and at some points, I had to basically grab the larger boulders for balance and hoist myself up. Renee was nearly jogging her way up with ease. Sigh. Boy, what a long way I have to go to get back in shape. And the altitude didn't help -- my lungs were on fire. And no wonder -- the possible altitude gain on this trail was over 1,500 ft. After another 30 minutes or so of attempting to keep pace with Renne, I was almost ready to call it quits. Even though I saw people odf all ages and physical shape pass me by. There was even one elderly man using walking poles. He zoomed past me, too. How depressing is that?
But as we continued to climb, the scenery just got more and more breathtaking. We were probably about another 30-45 minutes away from the summit, but my lungs were screaming at this point. I gotta start running again. Ugh. So I had to be a wuss and ask Renee to turn back. But I didn't feel too beat. Renee was great about keeping my spirits up, saying I was doing a good job of keeping up with her. I know she was lying, but it helped to have support. Even those whizzing by me were saying "you're doing great." Wait. That could be considered condescending, no?
Then, just as a bit of hubris was beginning to settle in once we touched down on flat land, I twisted my ankle. That's right. On...flat...ground. Can you say "humiliation"?
Boy, was I glad we were going to be sitting for a few hours at a dance performance that evening.
Sunday, 11/11/07: Eldorado Canyon State Park/NederlandRenee knew I wanted to see the canyons and the Boulder Falls, so she and her husband backed up their baby's things and we drove north. The canyons were impressive, but the waterfall was dry. Completely dry. Boulder Middle Creek, which the waterfall is supposed to flow into, was flowing quietly on the other side of the road. I was so tempted to say let's go for a quick hike up the trail next to the waterfall, but I wasn't sure about my ankle. I have to say, now when I see anything hikable, I wanna go up.
Not long after we passed through the canyons, we reached Nederland, which is a quiet, old mining town. Very sweet looking, but looked nearly deserted. My friends took me to a small Tibetan place, Kathmandu. Delish.
But what stood out in my mind the most from the weekend are my hikes with Renee -- some long-overdue quality time with a dear friend, but also, I had pushed myself harder than I had in a long time. Later that night, on the red eye back to NYC, I was still on a high from the hike up to the Flatirons. And I can't wait to find more exciting trails to hike and climb near NYC.
