Fenn drawing has hints to topo map & solution
Lapis Lazuli mentioned in book is found in only 2 US states & only 1 within confines of hunt: Colorado
Matches to poem:
I alone; forest fen in San Isabel National Forest my treasures bold; mi bold tres ceros (sounds like treasure = Spanish tesoro) warm waters halt; Arkansas headwaters in the canyon down; Brown Canyon, not far, but too far to walk (300 mi W Toledo = Iowa) Iowa Gulch - this was a hint by Fenn as per article also, below 10,200' no paddle up your creek; fen is dry riverbed heavy loads; Leadville water high; Lake County if you've been wise; -106. = z0u (reverse) U 0z, the wizard, Oz is the wise man found the blaze; caliche ditch (like the dachshund ear w/ feather in Fenn drawing) look quickly down; just S of blaze - walking W along ridge/curb until blaze in sight, turn S marvel gaze; Arcturus (L eye=double triangle) to Orion (R eye=kite shape) gaze=identical W GPS done it tired; hidden behind sagebrush unless right there, a small tire on short post now I'm weak; look further down fen (directly S of blaze) you are brave; blaze looks like profile of Indian Chief in the wood; bell clappe Clap in Spanish = timbre / Fenn fashioned his bells w/ clappers made from nails given to him by his nephew & said to have come from a Spanish galleon / so, this -- Nailed It I give you title; Catcher in the Rye/ an Ojo on the Ryegrass growing in the fen, pile of stones ~6' across ringed by small Aspens & a thorny rose I suspect may be yellow as in Yellow Rose of Texas (Fenn raised in Temple, TX) Fenn photo standing w/ fighter jet has sticker reads: I (heart) Lubbock
Beginning in March 2018 it was not until summer 2019 that I looked outside of the fen. Then I learned to spot the clues relating to the various stories Fenn wrote of, using visual images observable in the Google Maps and relating the GPS #s to dates that would reveal hit songs or movie releases. Lessons Fenn emphasized in his book and variety of topics from Egyptology, Norse mythology, astronomy, space flight, fish hatchery, & pies, broken pies, and Pi added to understanding. Because the book and the search are heavy with numbers I knew they were the key. Curiously, these link together as a jigsaw puzzle does with features repeated in other areas. Like noting an eye. The center of an eagle eye along the Arkansas leads to the movie, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, & at the eye of a nearby tiger face leads to the song, Eye of the Tiger.
Some hints were in Leadville itself. Temple Israel is across the street from Mile High Pies. Huck Finn park, the famous Harrison Ave, and Cooper Hill all figure into the search.
Some hints are in Spanish. I shared a Google map showing rocks forming a word in a forest clearing. In an empty lot in town Google map shows configuration and rocks to read B=y. In spring 2020, I realized messages in the GPS #s are messages. Fenn used a simple code A=1 for positive #s, Z=-1 for negative #s & which read in reverse. B=2 & Y=-2. Like in English language, exceptions occur: 1 can also be L; 3 can be tilted to m or flipped to be E; #s can be Spanish word & thus similar sounding word. As "tres ceros = 000" sounds like "tesoros = treasures"; and hh can be 2h = to h... like the kid's poem YYUR, YYUB, ICUR, YY4ME. This is how the final clue reads: Begin race. See ace and bel.
The "did it tired" spot next to the blaze turned out to be broken Pi but I had not read anything but the poem at that time. The center of the "blaze" is a vector. It uses home address in Temple, TX + the Yr Fenn won a beloved turquoise cuff playing pool that he put into the treasure chest.
Handmade bells were sculpted by Fenn with messages & frogs and then cast in bronze which he buried for people to discover. The pics show 2 frogs. White frog is S of blaze. Small green frog is S of Omega area w/ knee pointing to it. The clappers were fashioned from antique nails given to him by his nephew which were recovered from a Spanish galleon. Use a magnifying glass to find the tiny spot of the bell clapper. In Spanish, clap = timbre. In the wood and Nailed it!
Note: J.D. Salinger favorite movies said to be Huck Finn and 39 Steps by Alfred Hitchcock. Salinger died the year Fenn hid his treasure. A story, The Golden Key and kids movie Escape to Witch Mountain are hints. A style of Thor's hammer is seen in it in relation to a brain.
Fenn wrote about Borders, where he found the book Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, --that describes the spot. It is a pile of good-sized stones (brain?) ringed by young Aspen trees and has a thorny bush I suspect are yellow roses. Weathered logs cross the middle & reach WSW in a lightning bolt (by Thor's hammer?) and a flat rock just the size to elevate a 10x10 chest that is leveled by pea-sized and a layer of a little larger rocks. It touches the Ryegrass growing in the forest fen, just across the border of the National Forest, but still part of the BLM.
The #s tell what a photo in book shows. Fenn & his fighter jet which he tagged, "I (heart) Lubbock" & bible verse Matt 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also hints at z0u YR i TrX = -106. 291793 = heart of TX, r between TX is "where heart is" & rye / rise in death / Ryegrass growing in fen.
Using #s for dates it reveals Victor Fleming,(hint to victory! & author of oo7 spy books) the director of Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. Other characters from Oz are seen with hints. Even a tornado is close to lettering that reads: "Oz is the wise man." One particular tin man correlates with a song by Steelheart. The Google Map pin looks like the Oz balloon. Highway 24 leads into Leadville from Wamego, KS where they have the Oz museum and their water tower is painted like the movie balloon.
Back to the pictures. The ASTRA arc has the "did it tired" as its center and touches both the point of the solution as well as the "marvel eye" where seekers told to "tarry scant". In fact, both points share identical W GPS points. The cowboy face in SE corner of blaze has odd eyes. The eye on L is Arcturus, looks like a Texas Ranger badge or double triangle. The eye on R is Orion it is the tail point of the kite shape.
The walkway for NASA astronauts to reach their rocket is called, The Yellow Brick Road, Ad Astra translates to: to the stars, Arcturus is called Alpha Boötis , remember all the moccasins in Fenn collection?
A 1981 film Lifepod , made by Golden Key Entertainment, was a remake of a 1981 movie by Trilogy Entertainment which was an homage of Lifeboat, a film by Alfred Hitchcock.
The 1981 film was the end of several connecting threads pulled while studying lessons on Wikipedia. The plot: " It is revealed that the Arcturus was intended as an interstellar vessel but repurposed for economic reasons by financial-criminal DeMatte. Also, the Main Cerebral is discovered to be the former intended pilot of the interstellar Arcturus, rendered an amnesiac and made cyber-controller of the interplanetary Arcturus by DeMatte; memory restored, he launches the Arcturus on a flight to Sirius, accompanied by Captain Montaine " Certain words jump out: Main Cerebral, amnesia, memory restored, launch to Sirius, by Montaine."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius#/media/File:Hubble_heic0206j.jpg Shows " Sirius) (bottom) and the constellation Orion) (right). The three brightest stars in this image – Sirius, Betelgeuse (top right), and Procyon (top left) – form the Winter Triangle. "
There is more information tied to this location that explains why it is being covered up now by heirs.
In Thrill... Fenn wrote: "Not a day passes that I don’t question myself about what lies just ahead and whether or not I can make it happen like it’s supposed to be. Now, near the end of my seventy-ninth year, each day tests me in a different way and I know that before too long I’ll make my last flight to where even memory itself will never have been. Sooner or later each of us will be nothing but the leftovers of history or an asterisk in a book that was never written. So now I sit here past midnight, beside my juniper fire, reflecting back to the year when my awareness took its first few steps."
I suspect Fenn was adopted. Discovering that explained to me the hair sample in a jar Fenn included in the chest. He reflected in his book on when he 1st became aware. Likely, he longed to know his biological parents and sought to meet them again in heaven--an omega; an ending with each--he constantly dwelled on whether his decision would carry out his desire. Fenn picked his death day 7-9 (7th of Sep). Just like his adoptive father chose his time to die and he admired him for doing so.
There are 2 Omegas because they never married. They were both quite famous individually. A fighter pilot (an ace) who became a movie director & producer, and a debutant (a belle) who was a journalist, translator, & who became a spy. She was born in '79. He died at the age of '79. They worked on a noted documentary together in Africa called Grass. He went on to make another called, The Four Feathers before making King Kong. Years later, he produced these pertinent sounding titles among many more, Flaming Gold, Bed of Roses, Ace of Aces, Long Lost Father, Rio Grande, The Searchers. Also The Quiet Man with John Wayne who is also in True Grit with Glenn Campbell, more hints: name, role, Wichita Lineman.
Fenn's middle name is Burk = 2 21 18 11 or 22 11 8 11. Oddly?? Fenn's birthday is 22-8 (22nd of Aug) + K K, 4 1s, or 2 sets of eyes. The Where's Waldo type face with horn-rimmed glasses in the BOX seen in green-faced witch's hat brim or as bullies refer to as "4-eyes" is a noted object associated with another famous person from Lubbock TX who died in a plane crash in Iowa where a giant set of horn-rimmed glasses mark the site. Arlo Guthrie wrote a tribute song about him, American Pie. Buddy Holly, who wrote a #3 hit song, Peggy Sue, (note Fenn's Ode to Peggy Jean) & a #1 hit song That'll be the Day (that I die) and who was born on the day Fenn died, Sept 7. Fenn's widow died a few days later on Oct 4 or 10-4, the radio code for "understood" and corresponds to code as J. D. as in J.D. Salinger. Coincidence? Perhaps. Or perhaps the plan all along.
Fenn hoped to rise up in death, taking his "last flight" to reunite with parents from his mountain spot; his Ojo in the Aspens. His Catcher in the Rye w/ rose bushes. In the rye that grows in a fen. In the forest. And the numbers create a band, hinted at by his favorite turquoise cuff.
Fenn's desire was to be forever flying high, dancing with the stars.

The time I had an encounter with a wendigo

To preface, I’m not the person who throws ish around like this lightly. I’m mostly posting this out of curiosity of other people’s experiences with wendigos/cryptids. I’m not even sure if what my sister and I experienced was a wendigo but you know, I’ll let you decide that for yourself. This is also a long read so...
I’ve (23F) always had creepy paranormal experiences but when I’m with my sister (25F) the dial goes up to ten on the creep factor.
So anyway, a couple of months back my sister and I had to drive up to Colorado on a family emergency. Specifically, we were driving to Dylan, Colorado.
The drive up was pretty normal and nothing weird started to happen until we got right outside of Leadville. That’s when things took a turn for the decidedly strange. You can believe me or not about what I’m about to say but even though it was late at night I know I’m not crazy and my sister saw all of this too.
So, we’re driving and it’s pitch black outside. There’s very little street lamps so the only things we can see are illuminated by the headlights. My sister is driving and I’m in the passenger seat.
At this point in the drive we had only a few more hours until Dylan and we were determined to stick it out no matter what despite the fact we’d been driving for nearly 12 hours at this point. Looking back, I kinda wished we’d had some common sense and found a hotel and never driven on this road at this time of night.
It’s about 9. My sister has the radio going, I’m staring out the window trying to stay awake when all of a sudden my sister slammed on her breaks.
Now, for context, my sister is a cabbie there’s not a whole hell of a lot that would make her slam on the brakes like that. So when she did, I was automatically on full alert wondering what the hell just happened.
Before I can even ask her what made her slam on the brakes, she’s telling me to look up. No shit, standing in the middle of the opposite lane on this deserted two-lane road is a big as fuck coyote. Bigger than any coyote I’ve ever seen. Not that unusual. Except that it was just staring at us, not the car, at us. It was making full on, dead ass eye contact with us.
Obviously creeped out I told my sister to just floor it because I didn’t like the eerie, almost intelligent way that coyote had been looking at us. As we passed it, I forced my eyes forward so I wouldn’t have to look at it.
We kept driving, a little shook up but laughing it off. After all, we’re both from the Southwest and there’s no way a lone coyote is gonna spook us that bad. A little bit further down the road, I’m calmed down again and back to staring out the window.
Maybe five more minutes pass before I hear my sister ask me “did you see that?” Thinking she’s messing with me I’m like no, see what? As I turn to look at her I can see she’s spooked.
Believe me, it takes a lot to spook her so I was immediately concerned. She sees that I have no clue what she’s talking about so she says “dude, there was a hand it just came up out of the backseat and touched the dash.”
Now I’m even more creeped out. I try to make a joke out of it, saying how it’s late and the whole thing with the coyote. But she’s insistent on what she saw. So I ask her to replicate it.
She gestures to the backseat and says, “I saw a hand come up and touch the dash like this.” At ‘this’ she makes a fist and taps it against the dash. I shake my head, tell her I didn’t see anything. That we should just keep going cause I sure as a hell am not turning back now.
But oh man, that was not the end of it. Not even ten minutes later we’re still driving on this dark, windy mountain road. I’m looking forward, fully awake now and doing my best to take my mind off the situation. When I happen to glance out the driver’s side of the front windshield.
Again, on the opposite side of the road I see a woman standing on the edge of the road. She’s all alone and just standing there in a torn white dress and barefoot. Obviously thinking that this girl needs help, I open my mouth to ask my sister to stop. Before I can get the words out, we’re already around the next bend and as I look in the rear view mirror to check if she’s still there the girl is just gone. Vanished. Poof.
I’m really freaking at this point and I just want to get to our hotel. Thankfully, a few minutes later we were in Leadville itself. Which, tbh, at around 10/11 at night was just as creepy if not more.
I dreaded when we got to the outskirts of town and had to go back onto that lonely mountain highway. Mind you, we’re still alone. We haven’t seen another car in over an hour. Which makes this next part even creepier somehow.
So, a few miles on the other side of Leadville, I feel my sister grab my arm. Again, she asks that dreaded question “did you see that?” I say no, obviously. I’m keeping my eyes on my side of the vehicle and have no idea what she’s talking about. So she says, and honestly after what happened after this I completely believe her, that she saw breath on the outside of the windshield. Not the inside, the outside. Like someone outside the vehicle had breathed on the glass.
I’m really glad that I didn’t see that cause I would’ve turned the car around. But at this point, we’re both like fuck it we’re almost there we can hold out until Dylan.
So, like dumb idiots in a horror movie, we kept driving. I don’t know distance wise how far away this is from Leadville but we came up to a weird parking lot area at a bend in the road? I think it was a hotel or something? I’m not too familiar with the area but it was weird seeing a parking lot and actual lights in the middle of BFE Colorado.
I’m saying this to tell you that as we approached this place, we saw oncoming headlights. Now, mind you, this was the first car we’d seen in a long time, but if there was this weird lit up building out there and Leadville only a few miles behind us, it wouldn’t be that strange to see a car heading the other direction.
Except, the car didn’t go in the direction we thought. No, we both saw the lights of this car and we both saw it drive parallel to the road and disappear. Now we’re for sure thinking we’re hallucinating and making jokes about aliens. Saying how that was a flying saucer and we could tally that to the list of weird things we’d seen.
With not much options left but to drive we keep going. But man, that’s when things started getting really bad.
The longer we’re driving, the more freaked my sister looks. At one point she tells me that the lane lines are disappearing. As in, she can’t tell the difference between one lane line and the other. On a two lane mountain road.
You can blame this on fatigue, but my sister drives a cab for a living. She wakes up at 2am to go to work most days. There’s no freaking way no matter how tired she is that she’s hallucinating the lane lines not being there.
I can see them just fine but she swears up and down that she can’t see lanes on either side. I think it was only her experience as a cab driver that saved our asses.
Now this next part is going to sound insane and I don’t blame anyone for not believing me. I wouldn’t believe me if I didn’t experience it myself.
So, we got the lane lines disappearing, cars disappearing off the road, weird shit breathing on the windshield, and the icing on this cake is that now it feels like the car is doing a free fall down the mountain. No, not like we’re out of control. Like there’s an invisible force pushing us from behind and trying to make us go down the mountain faster. My sister is riding the brakes like hell and I’m trying to figure out why it feels like we’re in free fall when we’re on a less than 20 degree slope. It makes no sense.
And as I’m thinking this I hear my sister ask me, “hey, is it windy outside?” I shake my head, check my phone and am like, no there’s no wind outside at all. In the car you would’ve been able to hear the wind and feel it pushing on all sides, not just the back. Wind makes a very distinctive noise and so I know that there wasn’t any wind that night.
That doesn’t explain, however, why when my sister told me to look at the trees on either side of the road they were swaying. Bending back and forth like there’s a storm outside. But there’s no storm. There’s no wind. No clouds. Nothing. Nothing that could explain why these trees are moving like this.
I’m really freaked out now and I start to pray. I’m religious to a point, and I’m not ashamed to say that I pray when I get scared like this and I was terrified.
Because underneath all of the crazy this strange, eerie feeling was creeping up on me. It felt like there was something in the woods watching us. The trees felt almost alive and there was just a darkness. I don’t know how else to explain it it was just, evil. It felt evil and wrong and I just did not want to be there anymore.
I started praying harder and told my sister to drive as fast as she could away from that place, which tbh with everything going on wasn’t that fast.
For some reason, I just keep repeating there’s something bad here, something bad happened here I don’t like it. Saying that over and over again. So, of course, my sister asks what do I mean and why do I keep saying that? Now, I’m not sure if I’m a medium, but I would consider myself a sensitive. I can pick up on the energy of spirits and places.
So, like a dumbass, I open myself up to whatever the fuck this thing is.
I can hear my sister asking me what happened.
And the word that came out of my mouth, in an inhuman guttural growl, was “murder.”
That voice was not my voice. That thing was not human. As soon as that word left my mouth I burst into tears I was so scared. I clutched my Mary Medallion and I held my sister’s hand. I made her pray the prayer of Saint Michael with me. And when we were praying, it was almost like she couldn’t get the words out. Like, idk, something was trying to stop her from praying.
I haven’t been that scared of something paranormal in a very long time and I never, ever, want to drive that stretch of road at night ever again.
Could we have been hallucinating? Sure. But idk this next part somehow creeps me out even more.
So, we’re at the hotel now and we’re in our room. Both talking about how crazy that all was. When my sister says, you didn’t see it did you. And of course, I’m like see what?
She tells me and I believe her, because she was dead serious. My sister can’t lie if her life depended upon it because she just starts laughing, it’s her tell. That’s how I knew she at least believed what she saw.
She told me that she saw a skeletal figure, like a human figure in the woods. It was all bone with like, rotten flesh hanging off it. Even though it’s body was human, she said that it had the head of a deer and like, glowing red eyes. She looked so scared I don’t know how I couldn’t have believed her.
According to my sister, she saw this thing tailing the car the moment we both noticed the trees moving, so about halfway or a third of the way down?
Needless to say, I was pretty glad that she told me that after we got to the hotel.
Now, one last thing before I wrap this up. So, my stepmom is from the Denver area and just so happened to have family in Dylan.
I casually asked her if she’d ever experienced anything weird on that road and I didn’t even have to tell her which one for her to know the road I was talking about. She said when she was a kid it used to freak the hell out of her.
She can remember falling asleep in the car and then whenever they got to that stretch of road automatically waking up because she was too scared to sleep.
And the thing about the car driving parallel to the road? Well, my stepmom said and I haven’t confirmed this so take this with a grain of salt, that the roads used to be built differently back in the day. That they would’ve run parallel to the mountain and not alongside it.
She also told me a story of when she was a teenager about how there was a time she and her dad were driving on the road at night. She’s in the passenger seat for context. She remembers looking up and seeing oncoming headlights in their lane, screaming and then throwing her hands up out of reflex. Her dad swerves, almost crashes and then asks her what’s wrong. My stepmom, confused, asks him if he saw that car just now and he says no, of course.
Tbh that just confirmed it for me.
Oh, and the whole thing about that weird voice? My sister said that when I spoke in that tone, it was about two octaves deeper than my natural voice, completely flat, and absolutely not human.
Me and my sister both agree that whatever that entity was that she saw was absolutely trying to harm, if not kill us. We both think that it was screwing with her about the lane lines and trying to push us off the mountain. For what purpose, I still don’t know but I honestly don’t think I want to.
We also agreed that all the freaky shit we saw before was something trying to warn us. The primary reason? That hand with a fist in sign language can mean “stop.” I think it’s possible those other entities were trying to tell us to turn around. Too bad we didn’t listen lol.
But anyway, that’s my story of a possible encounter with a wendigo and other things that go bump in the night. I never have and never will again, drive the road between Leadville and Dylan at night or any other time.
So I’m just curious. Has anyone else had an experience like this there? Or an experience like this in general?

Looking for Outlast RP Partner[Open]

A4A 1x1 Outlast RP [Open]

Sunday Summary #120 - Are UFOs Real?

Austin Texas & Mountain Biking.

Colorado breweries we've visited in the rest of the state: 2020 update

One more roundup before we leave, alas. Regions are still super approximate. I updated some previous rankings as well.
Tallies: 137 in the Denver metro; 66 in the rest of the Front Range; 33 in the rest of the state. We've visited a total of 236 breweries, cideries, and meaderies in Colorado.

The Rest of the Front Range

300 Suns (Longmont): This brewery served me both a smoked cherry sour (YES) and a red ale with a distinct barf aroma, so I'm really split here. Overall, I'm not excited.
Avery (Boulder): Say what you will about their distributed lineup, but their taproom has some of the cooler small-batch brews out there. We got to attend their invitational twice; it's one of the best beer fests around.
Berthoud Brewing (Berthoud): The better of two options in this tiny town. That's not saying much.
Black Bottle (Fort Collins): Big tap list with lots of variety, usually good, sometimes uneven. I once found a lichtenhainer on tap here. I may have squealed.
Black Forest (Black Forest): Surprisingly good brewery in a tiny forest town just outside the Springs. Better-than-expected beers, sizeable lineup, nice people.
Brues Alehouse (Pueblo): I guess they're the best thing I've found in Pueblo, but that's a backhanded compliment if ever I gave one.
Buckhorn (Loveland, RIP): A brewery the size of a small living room with 4-5 beers on tap. The brewer came and chatted with us for a while and seemed like a super nice guy. They made some really cool stuff, including a no-boil, no-hop lacto stout that blew my mind. They shut down not long after we went.
Cerberus (Colorado Springs): A highlight in the Springs with very good food, too.
City Star (Berthoud): Nice tap list on their website seems to be months old. Neither of us cared for their actual lineup much.
Cogstone (Colorado Springs): Friends told us to go to try their chips 'n' salsa beer, which, yes, does taste like chips 'n' salsa. We didn't love anything here.
Colorado Mountain Brewery at the Roundhouse (Colorado Springs, multiple locations): Bland gastropub with blah beer.
DC Oakes (Fort Collins): Standard-issue brewpub with its own beer. Nothing to write home about.
Dostal Alley Casino & Brewpub (Central City): Central City is a gorgeous Old West mountain town where the soulless casinos now seem to outnumber any sort of non-sleazy business. Naturally, when we found a casino with a built-in brewpub boasting GABF medals for their dry stout, we went. Unsurprisingly, the place was sleazy and crappy, with a few phoning-it-in beers and slot machines built into the bar.
Dratz (Loveland): They were brand new when we visited, and very nice. The beer was... not good. Hope they work out their initial difficulties.
Echo Brewing (Frederick): Just three weeks after visiting, I remember nothing at all about this brewery, but my Untappd ratings of their handful of run-of-the-mill styles were low. Evidently I wasn't impressed.
Elevation (Poncha Springs): Does this still qualify as the Front Range? I flippin' adore Elevation, makers of the single best pilsner I've ever had. One of the very best middle-of-nowhere, small-town breweries I've been to.
Elizabeth Brewing (Elizabeth): Small-town brewery in conservative Douglas County. Pretty meh throughout.
Equinox (Fort Collins): Pretty good, nothing amazing.
Estes Park Brewery (Estes Park): Unremarkable.
Fieldhouse (Colorado Springs): Everything was really middlin'. Tons of dogs, which is always a bonus for me.
Finkel & Garf (Boulder): Solid, but didn't live up to the hype for me. Seems like they just play it ultra-safe.
Florence (Florence): Solid with a large tap list in a tiny town far off the beaten path.
Fossil (Colorado Springs): Solid, but unexciting. Super duper nice people.
Funkwerks (Fort Collins): Oh, hell yeah.
Gilded Goat (Fort Collins): Nice, not amazing.
Goat Patch (Colorado Springs): We finally visited when we were stuck in the Springs after a blizzard closed all roads back to Denver. Pretty good, not amazing brewery in what looks like a former high school converted to gentrified hipster mall space.
Gold Camp (Colorado Springs, apparently no website): We felt a bit guilty because we got to meet their fabulously nice brewer, but just didn't care for their beers. They seemed closer to homebrew quality at the moment.
Great Storm (Colorado Springs, RIP): Really nice with some unusual styles and creative ideas. Friendly people. Closed soon after our visit; now Atrevida Brewing.
Grimm Brothers (Loveland): Cool taproom, some really nice beers.
Grossen Bart (Longmont): I was kind of disappointed. A lot of beers seemed really off style or just unremarkable.
Gunbarrel (Boulder): Good IPAs and a nice rosemary beer.
High Hops (Windsor): Gorgeous patio with view of hop field and gardening center, with a small distillery attached. The beer isdecent, not remarkable.
Industrial Revolution (Erie): I wanted to like them, based on their shtick. I think we left all of our beers unfinished. Nope.
Intersect (Fort Collins): Unabashed hipster taproom with piles of old records. Nice folks. Beer generally good, nothing great.
Iron Bird (Colorado Springs): Nice, but largely unremarkable.
Jessup Farm Barrel House (Fort Collins): My surprise favorite find on our second CO vacation and one of the very best wild/sour breweries around.
Kettle & Spoke (Boulder): We kind of just wound up here because they're down the street from Redstone. We found a tiny taproom inside a bike shop with some of the best IPAs in recent memory, and a fantastically nice brewer who offered us an impromptu tour of the production space.
Left Hand (Longmont): They're exceptionally solid, and I wish they'd strut their stuff a little more. Their Juju series of ginger brews has a special place in my heart.
Local Relic (Colorado Springs): An experimental brewery in a gorgeous old church that prides itself on never making the same beer twice. They blew our minds the first time we went, and we were in their expensive-ass beer club for a while. Their "no repeats" philosophy unfortunately means that they frequently have several super similar batches on tap at once, a lot of their beers could really use a trial run, and they often bottle things before they're ready. After a few too many bottle bombs and undrinkable yeast shakes, we pretty much stopped going.
Locust Cider (Boulder): The standard cidery model where everything's inoffensive and the business model is "bring that friend who doesn't do gluten." I just don't care about this form of cider at this point, but they do it just as well as everyone else.
Loveland Aleworks (Loveland): We like Verboten more, but these guys are another fabulous Loveland spot.
McClellan's (Fort Collins): I don't care much for British styles, but we enjoyed the beer, food, and a great conversation with a member of the brewing family here.
Nano 108 (Colorado Springs): Tiny taproom that we really liked in 2015. We went back in 2018 and found some stellar options (their rauchbier omggggggg) and several brews with off-flavor issues. Come for the German styles here; I'm not crazy about their IPAs.
New Belgium (Fort Collins): Did the tour, visited the taproom. They seem like a good company that just embraces inoffensiveness a bit too hard. Then they sold out, and now I haven't bought anything from them in years.
The Old Mine (Erie): Good cidery in a gorgeous old brick building in a tiny town.
Open Door (Longmont): Had good lagers and saisons here. Super nice people in a chill spot.
Periodic (Leadville): At 11k+ feet, this must be the highest craft brewery we've visited. OK beer, spotty service.
Phantom Canyon (Colorado Springs): Great beer and service the first time we came, mediocre at best the second time, and only OK ever since. Food is pretty good.
Redstone (Boulder): Likely the biggest of the tiny handful of meaderies currently in CO. Their stuff trends sweeter than I like, but they have some cool varieties (sunflower mead = yes) and wonderful taproom staff.
Rocky Mountain (Colorado Springs): Long-running brewery on the outskirts of the Springs. Some sugary sours and hard lemonades that weren't up my alley, along with a very good barleywine. We chatted with the brewmaster for a while, who was a super nice guy.
Royal Gorge (Cañon City): The only brewery in town and one of few places to grab a bite. They only had one or two of their own beers, which were homebrew quality. Keep driving.
Shamrock (Pueblo): Like everything about Pueblo, this place was a total disappointment.
Soulcraft (Salida): Another pretty good small-town brewery a few miles from Elevation.
St. Vrain (Longmont): Really excellent cidery with multiple ginger ciders and great guest taps.
Timnath Beerwerks (Timnath): Extremely solid, nice people. They're also more or less down the street from the Swetsville Zoo, one of my favorite roadside attractions in the state.
Tommyknocker (Idaho Springs): Gimmicky and never better than all right. Two blocks from Westbound & Down, which is the indisputably better option.
Trinity (Colorado Springs): I've no idea how it took me several years to get to the only brett-focused brewery I've ever found. Huge, consistently good tap and bottle list, great food with good veg options, nice staff. My best brewery find in the Springs to date. They sold in 2020, and we haven't been back since.
Twisted Pine (Boulder): Solid with some interesting ideas, including a good basil beer.
Uhl (Boulder): They took over Wild Woods' space in 2020 and opened during the shutdown. They had a few promising weird options, including an unexpectedly lovely peanut butter beer.
Verboten (Loveland): Our absolute favorite in town. Creative, irreverent, and spot-on.
WeldWerks (Greeley): I fussed for so long about wanting to come here that it was inevitably kind of a letdown when we finally went. Their beers are good, make no mistake, but definitely not "drive an hour and a half to get it" good.
Westbound & Down (Idaho Springs): Another hypey place. The beer, food, and service were all good on our first visit but sorta uneven on subsequent trips.
Wild Cider (Longmont): Standard-issue, above-average cider. Lovely outdoor seating with a gorgeous mountain view.
Wild Woods (Boulder, RIP): We stumbled in during their anniversary party and loved them. Their smoked yam beer rocked my world. They sadly closed in 2019.
Wiley Roots (Greeley): ... and now I'm going to contradict the above statement re: WeldWerks directly. Wiley Roots, just around the corner from the above, is worth that drive. Their wild ales are lovely, and while their adjunct stouts can be hit and miss, they're immensely solid overall. Massive pluses include an unusually nice taproom crew, a fluffy brew cat with her own Instagram account (@midnightbrewcat), and the lovely Syntax Distillery next door.
Zwei (Fort Collins): Kicks the crap out of Denver's Prost as far as I'm concerned. Good beer, great people.

The Rest of Colorado (South, West, Central)

Current category tally: 33

Angry James (Silverthorne): Pretty much anywhere I go on the way home from the stellar Outer Range isn't really going to get my heart rate up, but we enjoyed our stop here.
Animas (Durango): Nice and solid; nothing exciting here. Food isn't great.
BierWerks (Woodland Park): Most of their taps were other people's beers, and the couple of in-house brews we managed to try ranged from so-so to not good. Oh, and they have a Nazi map on the wall for some damn reason!? Ute Pass across the street is an all-around better option.
Breckenridge (Breckenridge): Macro brewery in the "guess you have to go once" category. The beer was exceedingly mediocre, food was so-so.
BREW Pub & Kitchen (Durango): My favorite in Durango tbh. Oh, and their food is good, too.
Broken Compass (Breckenridge): Solid.
Carver (Durango): Nice people, good brunch. Their beer won't blow your mind, but it's usually solid.
Casey Brewing and Blending (Glenwood Springs): We bought tour tickets and made a weekend trip out just to go to Casey. My affection for sours is on a steep downward slope, but Casey is stellar, and the tour was delightful and totally worth doing.
Colorado Vineyards/Rocky Mountain Winery (Palisade): Including them here because they make a lot of mead, which I like, but don't love.
Eddyline (Buena Vista): Middlin', IPA-focused place in the horrifically named Byoona Vista.
Glenwood Canyon (Glenwood Springs): One of those breweries that only seem to stay in business because they have a central spot in a tourist town. Nothing interesting here.
Guanella Pass (Georgetown): Most of the beers we tried were yeasty af. No love from me.
High Alpine (Gunnison): We stopped here after a trip to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, out of our minds with natural beauty. The beer was, unsurprisingly, nothing to write home about, but the food was outstanding and the staff was delightful.
Highside (Frisco): It's hard to look good when you share a ZIP code with Outer Range. Run-of-the-mill small-town brewery with food, nothing to write home about.
Mad Jack's Mountain Brewing (Bailey): We pulled off 285 here one afternoon to get out of the rain. Small tap list and tiny tap room, but pretty good beer and a killer food truck out back.
Main Street (Cortez): Another small-town brewery with not much going.
Meadery of the Rockies (Palisade): The better Palisade meadery. Again, they like their mead sweeter and gloopier than I do, but it's lovely in small quantities.
Mr. Grumpy Pants/Ourayle House (Ouray): I like the guy and his shtick a bit more than the beer, but it's definitely the better brewery in town.
Ouray Brewery (Ouray): The douchey tourist trap option in beautiful Ouray.
Outer Range (Frisco): The hype is real. ORB makes hands down the best NEIPAs I've ever had, and a stunning range of them. "Downside:" NEIPAs are basically all they do. They have a couple of Belgians, but if you're not into hazy IPAs, this place really isn't for you.
Palisade Brewing (Palisade): Solid, unexciting.
Paradox (Divide): One of the best sour-focused breweries around. They may have the most stunning mountain view of any brewery I've been in this state, and that's saying a lot.
Riff Raff (Pagosa Springs): One of those breweries where they put your pint down in front of you, you take one sip, and you're ready to head out.
Rockslide (Grand Junction): Nice space, so-so beer.
San Luis Valley (Alamosa): We stopped here on our way back from my birthday trip in 2019, which coincided with a blizzard that shut down the entire Denver metro. Their beer and food were forgettable, but the fact that I was worried sick about getting home to our pets (we didn't until 24 hours later) the whole time we were there didn't help matters.
South Park (Fairplay): We stopped here to escape a crazy cloudburst. Beer was OK, food was OK, neither was anything I really need again.
Steamworks (Durango): Ranges from really good to barely decent. Decent food.
Telluride Brewing (you guessed it - Telluride): Quite good brewery with nice people in one of the more picturesque mountain towns out there.
Three Barrel (Del Norte): Ah, Colorado. Where else do towns of 1,700 in the middle of nowhere have breweries with sahtis and sours on the menu?
Two Rascals (Montrose): Unremarkable.
Ute Pass (Woodland Park, RIP): This brewery had four different wits on tap, including two black wits.
Vino Salida (Salida): Yes, tiny Salida and Poncha Springs have two good breweries, a distillery, and a meadery. Dayum.
Wolfe (Pagosa Springs): Pleasant small-town brewery.

A burned out Ultra Runner's long and winding road to a Sub 4hr Marathon finish at Houston

Race: 2020 Chevron Houston Marathon on January 19th
Me: Male in 35-39 yr bracket
Finish: Under 4hrs, as the title suggest
Synopsis: Grab a beer, this is more of an 8 page report of my past two years transitioning from a long period spent running Trails and Ultras, to road training, and my current finish at the Houston Marathon.

I had spent Five long years chasing the glory of running Trail and Mountain Ultras, before the Mountains consumed me whole, leaving behind a barren, burnt out husk a runner that had barely ran a step for half a year before deciding to give Road Running and Marathons a try. When you’ve experienced the life altering journey of traversing a Hundred Miles through extremely tough, wild, and jaw droppingly beautiful Mountain wilderness and landscapes, hallucinated deliriously under a night sky filled with bright and brilliant stars, and managing to come through the other side of the finish line some 34+ hours later; there’s not an experience in this world you would rather chase from then on. It’s been five and a half years since I completed, more like limped across the finish line after 34 hours dragging a dead leg with a pulled groin muscle, the majestic Bryce Canyon Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Utah; the grueling experience, with some 19,000ft of climbing over 102 Miles, was revelatory for me, and I desperately wanted to continue chasing other legendary Hundred Mile footraces in the mountains like Leadville, Wasatch, Western States, and Hardrock to name a few, until they left me utterly broken.
I had no idea what I was doing, pure stubbornness and a willingness, a pathological need to suffer even, was powering me forward through one Trail Ultra after another, in 40+ races over 5 years I threw my body against the trails and somehow made it through the other side, until I ran smack dab into the immovable object known as the Wasatch Front Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Utah; I was stopped cold after trudging 61 Miles, 23 hours, and some 17,000ft of huffing it over the Wasatch Mountain ranges. I realized then, my undisciplined training had finally caught up to me, and I couldn’t progress any further beyond that point unless I did more serious training, but I was stubborn and kept wanting to chase this destructive high, until, somewhat dramatically, a year later I nearly froze to death mile 60 something into the Run Rabbit Run Hundred Mile in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I was wandering in the middle of a bone chilling night at nearly 10,000ft altitude in the Colorado Mountains, under dressed for the occasion and not being able to run much for the past dozen miles or so to generate enough body heat. After a couple of hours of drunk walking the race, barely able to keep my eyes open, I finally sat down on the side of the trail and promptly fell asleep, the one thing you’re not supposed to do when you’re on the verge of freezing to death. Eventually a race official riding an ATV patrolling the trails came and woke me up after a few minutes; still not wanting to drop out of the race by accepting a ride back on the ATV, I walked another couple of miles to an Aid Station at Mile 70, sat by the bonfire they had going with a handful of other shivering runners for awhile, and decided I was done with racing Ultras entirely.
That experience left me majorly burned out for nearly a year, hardly running at all, though occasionally going on long thru-hikes in the National Parks, like Big Bend, the Grand Tetons, and Glacier National Park, in order to get my trail and nature fix. Once a runner, always a runner though, and the desire and need to chase after difficult running goals returned; this time I was fixated on that venerable running goal, the Sub 4 Hour Marathon. Sub 4 has always been one of those long time goals of mine, since running my first Marathon all the way back in 2010 at the Dallas White Rock Marathon, before I got sidetracked by chasing Ultras, now it seemed like a good time as any to break in these trail legs by training for Road Marathons again. More than just some arbitrary time goal though, achieving Sub 4 would prove to myself that I had the drive and commitment to train for, what I would call, an obtainable difficult goal that’s outside of my comfort zone of the trails, and maybe afterwards boost my endurance and confidence enough to race Ultras again. Recognizing that my usual undisciplined, improvised, and mostly solo training that had me falling short on difficult Ultras, I needed structure and support in my road training, and that led me to the Dallas Running Club.
I’ve ran in plenty of group runs over the years, they’re usually casual runs put up on Facebook, where you show up and would be lucky to know anyone, much less have someone there running at the exact same pace and mileage you’re needing; most of the time I’m either following some dude running way too friggin fast, or by myself in these groups, I guess I’m too much of a social introvert to really gel with a group of total strangers. What attracted me to the Dallas Running Club is that they’re a professional running organization completely run by volunteers, where you can pay an annual fee to be apart of, this gives you access to some basic perks and free entry into various races they hold in the city of Dallas, but to really be a part of the DRC and get to know runners from basically all over the Metroplex, you’d have to sign up for their training programs, from couch to 5K, to Half and Full Marathon programs, that are overseen by certified volunteer coaches and pacers. From there, based on what you’re training for, and using past racing results or time estimates, you’re sorted into a group of folks all seeking to train at similar mileage and paces in organized group runs, twice a week; I liken the process as being sorted into your respective Houses at Hogwarts.
Using a decade old Sub 2hr Half Marathon finishing time as my past result on the online signup form, I was sorted into the 4:00hr Marathon Pace group for their Fall program, while it was what I was looking to achieve at the Dallas Marathon in 2017 that I had already signed up for, in hindsight though, was a huge mistake on my part. Considering I haven’t trained much on road in years, have been on a six month long running funk of extremely low to non-existent weekly mileage, and just came back from a grueling thru-hiking trip at the Grand Tetons and Glacier National Park (covering some 60+ miles in several days) a week earlier, I was probably in for a rude awakening. By then, I was anxious and ready to go though, how hard could it be for someone who was ran 40 something Ultras by now, anyway?
As it turned out, quite hard actually, I was completely out of my depth, and every group run felt like a race, as I was working to get my dormant road legs back and my lungs, accustomed to easy thru-hiking paces for the past 6 months, use to the constant and relentless paces required of the 4:00hr Marathon Pace. The DRC Tuesday speedwork sessions set my lungs on fire, desperately grasping for air every step of the way, while their Saturday Long run hammered my legs and feet, which were used to softer dirt trails, into utter oblivion. During off days, where you’re supposed to train on your own, my legs were too destroyed to run much; I was nothing, if not incredibly stubborn though, and kept hanging onto the group runs by a thread, until I slowly started to acclimate my legs to the road. The Full Marathon program, which usually last 15 weeks, flew by quickly while I was having fun (as much fun as dying, anyway, ha) with my 4:00hr group, which by the end had become a cohesive unit of dedicated runners all encouraging each other towards their running goals; an experience that you’ll be hard pressed to find in a casual Facebook group run.
The end of every DRC Fall program coincides with the Dallas Marathon, and while I fell short that year in 2017, clocking a 4:10hr finish, considering I barely survived my first road training program, I was more than okay with those results, and was eager to return for their Spring Marathon program to further strengthen my training base. After a month long break between training seasons, I returned to the 4:00hr Marathon group feeling hopeful about training for another Sub 4hr attempt at the 2018 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in late April, things didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped for, though. Brutally cold weather at the start of the year left me, and many other runners in the DRC groups unmotivated to show up and train in the group runs, and then in February I got side-swiped driving on the freeway; while suffering only minor injuries from the car accident, it still hampered my training for several weeks as I fully recovered from the accident. I managed to finish the Spring program feeling somewhat hopeful of my chances at the OKC Marathon, but it was a terribly hot day, reaching into low 80s with not a cloud in the sky by the end of the race; I barely managed to squeak through under 5 hours with a 4:58hr finish, and with all things considered, was quite okay of those results, chalk it up to a base building season, I told myself.
During the Summer, the DRC holds my favorite training program of theirs, the Summer Fast Track program, where twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you alternate between blistering track workouts and punishing hill repeats, all under the oppressive 90+ degree summer evening heat in Dallas, Texas. It’s as brutal as it sounds, but there’s no better way to get acclimated quickly to the Texas Summer heat, and while you’re encouraged to go at whatever pace you’re comfortable with, if you’re the competing type, there’s always someone faster in front of you to measure up against. I had a blast that summer on the Fast Track during the weekdays, and spending the weekends running with an Early Fall group on Saturdays, and hitting the trails again on Sundays in order to train for all the long Mountain hiking trips that I would eventually burn myself out on all over again.
A week before the 2018 DRC Fall program was to start in early August, my wanderlust on the trails took over again, and after a summer spent hiking a handful of Colorado 14ers, I had my sights set on the Circumnavigation of Mt Hood in Oregon. The Epic 42 Mile and 10,000+ft of elevation gain Timberline hiking trail around Mt Hood, that would normally take Thru-Hikers 3 days to complete, I decided to do it in One Day; through 16 brutal and exhaustive hours, I managed to complete the circumnavigation, and guess what I did the very next day, I got up and hiked another 13 Miles at Mount Rainier National Park, haha. I came home from that trip completely spent and broken, a week later, the DRC Fall program began, I essentially repeated my mistake the previous year going on those long thru-hikes in the National Parks a week before the training program was to start. The Ultra runner and nature lover in me don’t regret taking on those challenging thru-hikes (it’s my moment of Zen, and a way to recharge my batteries from my monotonous and stressful job), but I probably shouldn't have done them so close to the start of the training season.
As expected that Fall season didn’t go as well as I hoped it would, it took me like a month just to feel fully recovered from my Mt Hood and Mt Rainier thru-hikes, all while desperately trying to keep up with the 4:00hr group runs. As the group got progressively a little bit faster through the training season, I never quite fully caught up, often having to frustratingly run slower and apart from the group. Wearily, I made it to the end of another Full Marathon training season and to the starting line of the 2018 Dallas Marathon; despite my best efforts, I finished in a disappointing 4:12hrs, falling short of the coveted Sub 4, yet again.
Feeling frustrated, I decided to take a step back chasing a Sub 4 when a Pacing position opened up to co-pace the DRC 4:10hr Spring Marathon group; after several seasons running with the DRC, I decided it would be a good opportunity to give back to the organization and volunteer as a Pace Leader to other runners seeking their own goals, and it would also be a great way to continue building up my own endurance base by running a bit slower than the 4:00hr paces I was struggling all last season at. There’s definitely a bit of pressure to Pace Leading a Marathon group, in having to be committed to showing up twice a week, and consistently hitting specified paces for other runners, instead of just blindly following the Pacer ahead of me, and also motivating your runners and try to keep group runs interesting so that they keep showing up run after training run; it was a process I enjoyed though, and a great way to make some close friends, but not something I would want to do all the time, considering I have goals of my own to chase after.
At the end of the Spring program, instead of a Marathon, I wanted to race a Half Marathon all out instead, so at the 2019 Irving Half Marathon in late April, and with temps approaching the low 80s by the end of the race, I ran at around 8:10 min/mile Tempo paces, desperately trying to hang with a much faster friend for most of the race, till my legs gave out in painful cramps slowing me down a mile before the finish of 1:48:15hrs, beating my previous Half Marathon PR by a whopping 8 minutes! At the end of the Irving Half, I ran so hard that my body went into full convulsive cramps for half an hour, that got so bad that I thought I was gonna have a heart attack, haha, it was all worth it though! While I said I wasn’t gonna do another Marathon at the end of the Spring program, I caught the bug again, and two weeks before the Irving Half, I had signed up for the 2019 Colfax Denver Marathon just three weeks later. I didn’t have much expectations coming into Denver, I was still a bit worn out from the Irving Half, and I didn’t know how the Mile High Altitude would affect me during the race; ended up walking away from the Denver Marathon pleasantly surprised though, in a well executed race that had me battling all the way to a 4:20hr finish, not another Sub 4, but I was happy to take it.
Running a bit slower for the spring season and working on building a larger endurance base turned out to be the right move for me, as my favorite part of the year was approaching, the DRC Summer Fast Track program was back, and it seemed like I had boundless energy to float along the track at eye-watering 6 min/paces, and fly up and down the hills with reckless abandon; all under the blissful 90+ degree Texas Summer heat. By the end of that Summer’s Fast Track program, I had managed to clock my first ever Sub 7 min/mile (in 95 degree heat!), and hungry for more speed, I forgo signing up for another 4:00Hr Marathon program, and instead, followed the friend I paced with at the Irving Half Marthon, perhaps foolishly, into the DRC 1:40Hr Half Marathon program. To get a sense of how much faster the 1:40Hr Half is from the 4:00Hr Full, it’ll be like running the equivalent paces of a 3:20Hr Marathon, with Interval workouts reaching down into 6 min/mile ranges; while I managed to hit those paces on the Fast Track, the Half program was 15 weeks worth of progressively harder workouts, that I wasn’t quite sure my legs could survive. I convinced myself I was ready though, or was I just blindly following that friend, but whatever, I wanted nothing more than to see just how fast my legs could carry me now.
While I joined the 1:40hr Half program, I wasn’t abandoning my quest for Sub 4hr Marathon, instead of targeting the Dallas Marathon in early December, I would instead sign up for the Houston Marathon in late January, giving me an extra month and a half of training, in order to fit several huge goals I had in the Fall Season, while giving me enough time to recover and train for a Marathon. First, my wanderlust on the trails returned again, after a Summer spent hiking various Mountain trails in the San Juan Mountains area of Colorado, I had my sights set on a long-time dream of mine, the 42-48 Mile (depending on the route you take) double crossing of the Big Ditch, otherwise known as the Grand Canyon R2R2R in mid September. In order to not destroy my legs completely, and ruin another chance at Sub 4, I had been spending the prior three months methodically and furiously Power-Hiking training on the trails on Sundays, utilizing Trekking poles in order to divert as much stress and impact out of the grueling thru-hike to my arms and upper body as possible to relieve my legs of the full force of the 48 Mile thru-hike, and hopefully have them recover faster after the trip. After 16+ GLORIOUS Hours running and hiking through the belly of the beast, I had finally completed the Grand Canyon R2R2R, traveling from the Bright Angel Trailhead to the North Kaibab Rim and then back to Bright Angel, with my legs hopefully feeling not too much worse for wear.
All those months of Power-hiking training with Trekking poles paid off during the Grand Canyon R2R2R, as rather miraculously, I was back up and running with my 1:40Hr Half group by the next Saturday; and now onto the next Fall goal of 2019, shoot for the moon at the DRC Half Marathon in early November, and try to go for a Sub 1:40hr finish with my other group members. Even with nearly 2 months of dedicated training for the DRC Half Marathon, I felt the residual effects of the Grand Canyon R2R2R for another couple of weeks, and couldn’t train as well as I would’ve liked leading up to the race, but no matter, I managed a still impressive 1:43:41hr finish, taking off nearly 5 minutes from my Irving Half Marathon results in the spring, while not having to go through full body convulsive cramps at the end as well!
After the DRC Half Marathon, we still had another month left of training on the program, as others continued their training for the Dallas Marathon or Half in December, and instead of racing Dallas this year, I got the opportunity to co-pace the first 15 and a half Miles of the 4:30hr finish group of the race, which was a lot of fun, the Dallas Marathon, being my hometown race, is not something I want to miss. With a satisfactory end of a successful training season, capped with a turn of holding that pacing stick at the Dallas Marathon, and buoyed by a strong showing at the DRC Half Marathon earlier, now it was business time, the hunt for Sub 4 at the Houston Marathon got my undivided attention from then on.
I’ve been wanting to do the Houston Marathon for years now, but always hesitated signing up; with many area runners still hungover from the Dallas Marathon, the usually bitter cold and stormy weather in December, depressingly short daylight hours, and the upcoming holidays meant that I would be hard pressed to find anyone to train with that month. I was a Man on a Mission though, and fortunately my boss let me take off 2 hours a day for most of December in order to still be able to train in the daylight hours. As for my training plan, I was loosely following the Hanson Marathon Method, doing back to back weekend medium-long runs of no more than 16 Miles, while focusing a lot on speedwork on the weekdays. After ending the peak of my training on a 51 Mile week, I felt as ready as I ever would be, now just have to get through the two week calm before the storm taper period before Houston.
I don’t always do taper well, that highly motivated runner for the past 15+ weeks is nowhere to be found, as I’m struggling to make it out the door for a run, and repeatedly questioning and doubting myself that if I overdid it or not with training, as my body is trying to repair itself from a long training cycle, and all the body aches and creaks become magnified. I hardly ran during the week of Houston, leading to fears of loss fitness, but my Achilles tendons were barking at me through the taper period, so it was better safe than sorry to rest them before the race. Speaking of resting, some free advice, NEVER stay at a Hostile before a big goal race, I hardly slept the night before Houston while stuck in a room with 5 other guys with creaky bunk beds and hurricane force snoring, I bolted out of the place by 3am in the morning, to desperately try and get a couple hours of decent rest in my car at a parking garage near the race; so, don’t be a cheapskate and find a decent hotel to sleep for the night.
Never try anything new before a race as the well worn saying goes, especially when it comes to shoes and nutrition (or staying in Hostiles!) , well, just before Houston I had shelled out for some pricey Spring Canaberry Energy Gels (20 gels for $50) that’s made with real food, with no added sugar or maltodextrin, and promises no GI distress for smooth and consistent energy for Marathons; since they were so pricey, I had only tested them once on a training run, the consistency is sorta like baby food, but the advertised energy gains seemed real enough to give it a go, and stuffed 9 of these huge gel packets into my two running belts. For shoes, I’m a huge Altra Running fan, and exclusively wear nothing but them, I had brought along the Altra Torin 4.0 Plush and a pair of Altra Escalante 1.5s, and was still undecided which to wear on race day; do I go with the added cushioning of the Torins that I may have to fight against later into the race as my form suffers, or do I go with the less cushioned but more responsive Altra Escalante, risking that my quads might get too hammered late in the race? I ended up choosing neither of them, and instead bought a pair of Altra Escalante 2.0s at the Race Expo the day before Houston; I’ve read that the new cushioning in that model, while stiffer and less responsive than the 1.5s, provides more protection for longer runs, making it an ideal compromise between my other two shoes, so with a thrown-in free Altra T-shirt (a kick-ass old-school running shirt, I might add), I was sold, and laced them up for Houston. Do as I say, not as I do, is another one of those well worn sayings when giving advice, ha.
It’s funny how all the worrying that goes on before a big race goes out the window the moment you cross the starting line of a Marathon, and that’s what I love most about racing, it forces you to live in the moment, highly attuned to your body, while the mind, being pumped full of highly oxygenated blood, experiences the ecstasy of “flow”; the past is forgotten, and the future is only 4 hours away, you are more present than you’ll ever be while racing. The first 8 crowded Miles of Houston, before the Half Marathon runners split off in a different course, went by in a blur, as I felt like I was being carried along with the stampede. The most vivid memory I have of that stretch is of a beautiful tree-lined neighborhood street that had branches on either side overlapping that entire street, and with the sun rising amongst a cloudless brisk morning sky, the burst of sun rays through those overhanging tree branches were so gorgeous that I wanted to whip out my phone in the middle of the race to capture what would surely have been the perfect Instagram Marathon pic.
Initially worried about the stiffness of the Altra Escalante 2.0s when I took it on an easy 1.5 Mile run the day before the race, it was no longer a concern once the race got going, these shoes were made for going fast, and with strong and rested legs, it was ridiculous how little effort I needed to cruise along at an 8:45 min/mile pace during the chaotic first 8 miles of the race. Once the Half Marathoners split off in a different course, I started to relax, and with fatigue starting to be more noticeable, I let my foot off the gas a little and tried to keep it slightly under a 9:00 min/mile pace to conserve my legs for later into the race, fearing hitting the wall hard above all else. I arrived at the Half Marathon mark with a solid 7 and a Half minute buffer for Sub 4, feeling remarkably strong, maybe those Spring Energy Canaberry gels I was taking every 25 minutes, along with Saltstick Fastchews, were working as my energy levels had been feeling smooth all race.
First real moment of panic in the race came at Mile 14, while the cold and brisk weather that day were ideal for racing, with temps in the 40s, I wasn’t sweating much at all, and desperately needed a pit stop; fortunately, there was no wait at the bank of porta-potties at Mile 14, and I only lost a minute of time. As an Ultra runner used to generous cutoffs and a unique racing culture as a whole that mainly values distance, and doesn’t place much of an emphasis on running times; being obsessed with mere minutes, down to the very seconds of your pace, when chasing time goals, is still a foreign concept to me. Banked minutes are more precious than gold in Marathons, only spend it when you absolutely have to, and the rent was fast coming due.
I was cruising along, enjoying the raucous crowd support and seeing Houston for really the first time, while maintaining close to a 9 min/mile pace as possible, until the first warnings of the dreaded Wall was approaching on Mile 18. I gradually slowed to a 9:10 pace, then 9:15, then 9:21, until BAM, I was stuck in the 9:30 ranges from Miles 21-24, and just couldn’t press my legs to run any faster. My quads and calves were tightening, fearing cramps if I tried pushing too hard, I had no choice but to start drawing on my dwindling hoard of banked minutes, in order to buy myself a chance to gut it out at the end of the race; to stave off all out panic, I started singing out loud the Rocky theme song the race had blaring from speakers during this stretch. With my reserve of Spring Energy Gels and Saltstick Fastchews gone by Mile 23, all the Gatorade and Beer along last 5 Mile stretch were a welcome electrolytic boost to ward off cramps, did I mention the fun and raucous crowd support?!
The moment of reckoning had arrived, my banked minutes were all but gone after Mile 24, it was now or never, I had spent 2 long years chasing Sub 4, and if I didn’t nab it now, I would’ve had to wait another agonizing 10 months full of doubt to get another shot at the Chicago Marathon; cramps be damned, it was time to PUSH! I brought Mile 25 down into the 9:15 range, and that had seemed to have loosened the dam on my waterlogged legs, as I hit the Mile 26 mark on my GPS watch (which was 0.3 miles over the official race distance), finally managing a pace under 9 min/mile again. When I hit the official Half Mile till the finish mark, with absolutely no seconds to spare, I gunned it, and broke out into a sprint of 8 min/miles and under. With the crowds and towering downtown buildings seemingly coalescing my vision into a funnel, hyper focused on the finish, I crossed the finish line of the 2020 Chevron Houston Marathon with an official time of 3:59:29 Hours! My God, I’ve never felt so bewilderingly elated after crossing the finish line of a race in my life, as I had been in that moment, realizing I had pulled off a Sub 4 with such razor thin margins; so, I guess this is what a Runner’s High feels like.
When I decided to finally call it quits on chasing the Mountains and Ultras all those years ago, giving up what I considered to be one of my great passions in life, I did so because I hardly considered myself to be a runner anymore, more like a glorified endurance Hiker; when did I get to point where I could hardly run several miles at a time without getting winded? Either I had to start all over to try and find my lost running legs, or be content with being mediocre at races, I chose the former and went back to road training; in my mind, I could only consider myself to be a true runner again, by breaking that 4:00hr Marathon mark. It’s funny when I think about it, the most successful Ultra Runners usually come from a long background of building speed and endurance on the road, while I did the exact opposite, spending long stretches running trails and Ultras before jumping to the road; never having to really worry much about speed and endurance, because I was mostly just focused on slogging through Ultras to finish them, until I was no longer able to do so… The Mountains have a way of exposing your weaknesses and vulnerabilities, like that.
On this long and winding road to Sub 4, I have rediscovered my confidence in running, and I like to think in myself as well, while meeting a lot of new friends along the way with the Dallas Running Club; that, more than anything, was well worth spending these last two long years chasing Sub 4. At the moment, I’m not entirely sure where I’ll take my running from here, do I keep chasing lower and lower Marathon time finishes, with some wild eyed goal towards making it into the Boston Marathon someday? Or do I eventually take my hard fought speed and endurance gains to chase after my first love with trails and Ultrarunning? One things for sure, I’ll keep building on the gains I’ve made, and make road training and the running community around it a fixture in my plans; too many great races I want to see and experience, and I’m gonna need a strong pair of legs to take me there.

CDT SOBO 2019 - Gear Review

Gear List – 8.5lbs – 9lbs
Compared to the PCT, I carried ~1.5lbs+ more gear, mostly for warmth in adverse weather for the CDT. The average temperatures for me I think were higher than the PCT, especially night-time temperatures. Despite this, I carried an extra warmth layer, because of the frequency of afternoon thunderstorms. I also opted for a full length inflatable sleeping pad the entire trail instead of a torso foam as I have in the past. Something like the Gossamer Gear Nightlight is comfortable enough, but it takes up a lot of space in my pack, does not allow me to sleep on my hip comfortably when I’m trying to sleep facing away from the moon, and is more sensitive to lumpy campsites, which I was forced to use sometimes when setting up early because of storms rolling in for the night. Additionally, I carried a fanny pack the whole way for my camera, a compass, sleep socks, and a bigger, heavier battery pack.
For gear sizing and body-type reference, I am a cis male, 6’0ft, ~158lbs, 32″inseam, typically a Medium or Large for torso garments. I have a high metabolism, extremely high on the trail.

Pack – Pa’lante V2 Gridstop 19″ Torso (Currently Unavailable)

Weight after removing the hipbelt—14.9oz
Though I prefer the DCF version when packing up because of the stiffness, I prefer the minor stretch that the gridstop allows for comfort. The gridstop is also not waterproof, which I think is an advantage when it comes to Pa’lante, because they don’t seam tape their packs. When I had the DCF version on the Vermont Long Trail, it would rain all day, and I would have to periodically remove my pack and dump out the side pockets because the didn’t drain, and wouldn’t soak through the pack and out of the bottom. At the end of the day, there would be a puddle sitting at the bottom of the pack. There is better drainage with the gridstop despite there still not being drain holes on the sides.
I think I got unlucky with my pack, as I’m pretty sure they were experimenting with new mesh for the bottom and front shoulder strap pockets at the time. Compared to mine, a friend’s were much more robust. By the time I was out of Montana, both of my shoulder strap pockets were torn up enough that I could no longer keep small items in there like my head lamp, food, or chapstick, etc. I was able to continue using my phone for a while, and occasionally I would keep my camera in one, but I eventually cut the left one off when it was barely hanging on. There was one hole in the bottom pocket by the end. The rest of the pack held on just fine, with some pretty serious packing out of the shoulder straps.
I don’t think this is the most comfortable hipbeltless pack, but it has some features that feel essential, and I will probably continue to carry it. It’s also not the lightest in it’s class, and doesn’t pack the smallest. I think if they’d make it in a slightly lighter DCF, give it some drain holes, and add some padding to the shoulder straps, it be much improved. Lastly, I used one with a hipbelt, and though it did add some support when I had to haul a lot of water and food out of town (33 mile road walk out of Rawlins with 5 days of food), but by the time I was in New Mexico, I was tired of it popping out of the pack while using it so infrequently, so I cut it off.

Katabatic Palisade and MLD Superlight Bivy DCF

Palisade 6’6″/Regular—19.25oz. MLD Bivy (Long)—5.5oz
This combination provided plenty of warmth for the entire trail. I had used the Superlight in the sil-nylon in the past, but did not like that water could bleed through when not using a groundsheet. The DCF is a bit lighter, and fully waterproof, which is better when not using a groundsheet, but I used a polycryo for most of this trail, because I wanted a place for my gear to rest out of the dirt. This also allowed me to pack my bivy dry, and my groundsheet wet, which ended up being important because of a faulty rain jacket (more on that later). The DCF packs a little bigger than the sil-nylon, but not by much. The sil also has a more “classic” UL feel, if you know what I mean.
The Palisade really fits me well, especially the toe box. I have a size 13 foot, and have what feels like a proper amount of space to move around in. The quilt is sized large for my height, but I like to tuck the access around me on cold nights. That said, if I had it my way, I’d probably have a 6’3″ or 6’4″ quilt for the sake of shaving grams. I know Nunatak does this, but I know Katabatic works. If anyone is feeling generous, I would gladly accept the Katabatic 15 degree Sawatch in RegulaLong (6’6″) for winter and shoulder season use. Thanks.

MLD Grace Solo / Z-Packs Hexamid Solo Plus / MLD Solomid XL (DCF)

So yeah, I have a closet full of DCF shelters. I used the Grace Solo until South Pass City. It was perfectly fine except for a few nights when I had the wind shift on me during storms and rain blowing in my open door. I never got wet, but I had some stressful moments. This shelter was the lightest of the three at 6.6 oz.
When I arrived at the Basin, I knew trees and good sticks would be in short supply, so I switched to my single pole Hexamid Solo Plus at 13.3oz. The bug netting was redundant with my bivy, but it’s all I had. Back in Darby, MT I had ordered a Solomid XL from MLD, but I knew I would be lucky to get it before the San Juans. The Hexamid was a little faster to set up, did not require me to sleep right next to a tree, or find a sturdy stick. It also provided full sided rain protection. One thing I don’t like is that in hard, prolonged rain, water that would drip straight down without the netting, would run down the netting, sometimes under my groundsheet, sometimes on top of it. This was especially the case during my last night in Colorado when the rain never stopped. The Solomid didn’t make it to me until Ghost Ranch, NM, around the time I no longer really needed it. I started carrying it anyway, as I wanted to practice with it for future harsh weather trips in alpine environments in the High Sierra, Wind River Range, and the Brook’s Range in Alaska.
I was aware that the Solomid took some practice, and my first three or four pitches were pretty rough to look at, but it kept the rain out. I mostly cowboy camped through NM, but by the time I was done with the trail, I had more control over how high I was pitching it, and had the 4 sides pretty taught. Two really important factors seem to be getting your stakes in well, and squaring up the 4 main corner stakes. From there, it’s about tweaking. Also, though there is some weight to be shaved by removing them, keep the linelocs on. Makes things easier, and I imagine not having them in snow would be pretty rough. I hold onto shelter stuff sacks, because they keep other gear dry when the only part of the kit in the morning that’s wet is the shelter from rain the previous night. I used a Fizan Compact 3 trekking pole, and did not need to use the pole extender. You would want to bring it if you were doing a double pole inverted set up for more stability and interior space. That said, the shelter solid with a single pole positioned vertically. Further than that, it will take some more time with the shelter before I can offer a thorough review. I will say that I have not felt more comfortable in any other shelter during a storm than I have in the Solomid XL.
If I were to hike the CDT again, I would want a Hexamid Solo Plus Tarp with a bug bivy until South Pass City. Then I’d switch to the Solomid XL and Superlight Bivy until the end, mostly for the cold wind in Colorado. It would be fine going back to the Hexamid for NM, but I’d probably just keep carrying the Solomid. I say a bug bivy instead of the Superlight with the Hexamid Tarp because I was often too warm up north, and there a couple of sections with serious mosquitos, namely Yellowstone, and some distance between them and me would have been more comfortable. I know some hikers that went through with just a bug headnet, or no headnet at all with a tarp, and may God rest their souls.

Topo Ultraventure – Size 13

Before these, I wore Hoka Challengers. The Topo’s resolved the recurring foot problems that I experienced in the Hoka’s. In the last year, Topo has switched to proper Vibram outsoles for their Terraventure and Ultraventure models, and bravo. They lasted much longer than the full foam Hoka’s. The Ultraventure is similar in cushioning to something like the Altra Timps, but with a better, longer-lasting outsole and mid-sole. They retain the foot shape toe box, but are more trim in the mid foot than Altra. More secure feel with the restriction at the toe box. They Ultraventures also have a 5mm drop, which I like. One of the cons that I experienced was on the first and second pair, there was some pre-mature separation at the arch with the midsole from the upper, but did not happen with the remainder of my pairs. Maybe Topo switched the glue? One more con was that though I found the Ortholite insole a step up from most stock insoles in terms of comfort and durability, it really soaked up water.
I will continue to use the Ultraventures, but I am experimenting now with the less-cushioned but rock-plated (Ultras have no rock plate) Terraventure 2’s. So far so good. I’d like to walk a little lower to the ground for some high routes I have planned, and would appreciate the rock plate protection. My feet have changed over the last 6,000 miles, and need different things as I go on.

Neo-air X-Lite (R)

After I adjusted to sleeping on the trail the first week, I probably averaged 7 hours of sleep the rest of the trail, often un-interrupted sleep (until it began leaking) when I managed not to drink too much water before bed. In other words, the pad was good to me. Mine weighs 11.9oz, and feels worth carrying. This pad corrected for a lot of lumpy camp sites.
Around southern Wyoming, the pad began to leak slowly. I couldn’t find a hole, and didn’t worry too much about it. In northern CO it got bad enough that I had to either find a fix a hole, or buy a new one. So I bought a new one in Dillon, CO, but ended up getting a motel room, and found a hole in my old one. I patched it, and it no longer leaked, so I returned the new one. About two weeks later, another slow leak. I dealt with it until NM, when I found a hole in the top of the pad in Grants, NM. I patched it, and it stopped the leak. A few days later, leaking again. I’m just about over it at this point, an am eye-balling my GG Nightlight again, maybe packing a short 1/8″ pad for my legs, because it really is not fun dealing with a wet backpack inside an inside-out pack liner at the end of a long day as leg insulation.

Quarter Zip 100wt Fleece (M) / Melly Microgrid (M)

I didn’t start the CDT with a fleece, but after my last day in Glacier in some slow, steady rain, I had trouble staying warm enough with just the wind shell after I got wet. I knew there were going to be daily storms in The Bob, so I found a simple quarter zip fleece in general store in Glacier. It worked great, and though I could have gotten by in the mornings with just a wind shell, adding a fleece sure made things more comfortable. It also level-up’d my pillow game when stuffed inside my Borah Jacket.
The zipper broke on my fleece about a week before Leadville, so I had a good enough excuse to buy a Melly while I was there. My medium weighs 10.2oz, marginally heavier when considering that it has a hood. If it was too hot to climb with it, I just wore a wind shell opened up instead. There’s nothing special about this garment, but it is really comfortable, and a great sleep layer if it’s cold enough out, but it hardly was. It was mostly a pillow at night, a morning hiking layer, and a rain buffer.

Lightheart Gear Sil-Poly Rain Jacket (M)

I think it’s dangerous to call this a rain jacket. Lightheart Gear claims that they don’t need to tape the seams because they’re bonded. After freezing through several storms in this thing, I’m confident in saying that this is not the case. Water came in through the storm flap up front, all of the seams, and through the pit zips. After just 10 minutes during any storm, I was soaked and getting colder every minute. It was bad enough that had I not had a tarp or groundsheet with me to wrap around me like a cape, I would have had to repeatedly stop hiking extremely early or risk hypothermia. I should have just picked up a Frogg Toggs or shelled out for something new. In New Mexico, I thought I was going to make it to an awning to stand under before this isolated storm hit me. I had put on my rain jacket already but was trying to avoid using my groundsheet as a cape so that I wouldn’t have to dry it out after. The storm got me. While this was the kind of rain that forces cars to pull off the interstate, I thought I’d have enough time to get out my “cape” in time. After maybe 10 seconds, I was completely soaked through. I stood under the awning holding my rain jacket out in the wind, and allowed my my hiking shirt to dry while the storm blew over.
One thing to note, I used all of my tenacious tape and duct tape I had to seal some of the seams. It helped, but didn’t resolve everything. You could probably seal most of the failure points yourself, but at that point, it’s going to be heavier than a lot of jackets out there.
I might experiment with the external membrane jackets going forward. Until I decide to pay for one of those, I’ll probably use an old DWR jacket with an umbrella.

Borah Gear Puffy Jacket (M)

This wasn’t a critical piece of gear, but it made for a great pillow case and morning layer while I was packing up. I’ve washed this jacket once over 6,000 miles with it, and it’s working with no zipper or down leakage issues. It’s boxy, but I’m kind of into that “DIY” look when it comes to a puffy.

Sunto M-3G

The gold standard non-mirrored compass. Solid if you have maps that are in the appropriate scale.

Nitecore NU-25 w/Backcountry Banter Headband

I charged it every three nights or so as a precaution to keep it from going out. Plenty bright, light, and compact. I carried a handheld LD02 on the PCT, and Black Diamond Spot on the Long Trail (lots of time in the dark in the fog). Out of the three, I prefer the NU 25 for average daylight and low fog conditions. I don’t think it would be enough for something like the Long Trail late in the season, but it rocked the CDT.
As of today, Joe is still on the Appalachian Trail, and is not processing orders. They’re worth picking up if you can get one though. He makes them tailored to the size of your head.

Montbell Chameece Fleece Gloves (L)

Warm enough most of the time. When they weren’t warm enough, usually between 6-7am, I just put my hands in my shorts, or in my Melly kangaroo pocket.

Showa 281 Gloves (XL)

My hands were usually the only thing dry during storms, because of these. I prefer these unlined ones under fleece liners rather than the lined 282’s. They have a long cuff, and tuck well under rain jacket sleeves for a proper seal.

Patagonia Sun Stretch L/S (M)

I used another one of these on the PCT. They’re great. It’s a nylon/poly blend with double layer fabric at the shoulders (fishing shirt style), and two chest pockets with a secure, low profile side zipper. I used just one shirt for the whole trail, and it still isn’t stained, torn, has no loose threads, and the zippers are still going. It’s not a cheap shirt at $100, but it will go the distance. Patagonia markets it as being specifically for “hot and humid conditions,” and I would agree that it excels there. I use a short sleeve version for the east coast.

Aquamira

Aquamira or bust. I know people who had Sawyers crack or freeze. I’ve used Aquamira with in repacked bottles, plus a pre-mix, on all of my long hikes. It’s important to not run out of course, and this system works best if you’re sending yourself some boxes at least every once in a while. There’s a lot of cows and some sheep on this trail, and I almost always treated my water. I kept the pre-mix in my shirt pocket for convenience, put the drops in at the source, and was on my way. Aquamira is the biggest advantage when you’re carrying out three or four liters. I would blow my top by the fourth liter if I had to squeeze the water through a membrane filter.

What I would Change

I’ve mentioned a few things, but I would probably take a rain skirt until New Mexico. Walking through cold brush sucks. If you don’t want to carry a ground sheet under your bivy, it also makes for a great gear mat. You can also retrofit some as a tarp door.
I would try a different rain jacket. I carried an umbrella for a while, but it wasn’t worth it. More trouble to keep up with than it was worth to me.
I would entertain using a foam pad again for ease of use.
I might carry a different frameless pack for more comfort, but I’d miss the bottom pocket.
___
Link to blog post with some gear pictures

Collegiate Peaks Loop Trip Report - August 2019

My wife and I just got back from a successful thru hike of the Collegiate Peaks Loop in Colorado. This 160 mile loop is a perfect loop for those of us with full time jobs and PTO who also want to get a taste of the longer distance “thru hike” experience. The logistics are relatively easy, resupplies are straightforward and navigation on trail is super easy. The distance makes it easily doable in two weeks for most reasonably fit hikers. My wife and I backpack year round, but are not ones to put in massive days. We averaged roughly 12.5 miles a day over 13 days and felt it was a super chill and enjoyable pace. Our shortest day was 8.5 miles and the longest was 18.6 miles. Average daily elevation gain was 3,540 ft per day.
You may be thinking that those mileages sound pretty small. I would agree; however, this trail has a lot of elevation gain (roughly 46,000 ft of gain total) and is at elevation (low of 8,900 ft and high of 12,900 ft). Add in the afternoon storms that roll in almost every day from 1pm to 4pm and it can be really challenging to put in big mile days in all but the most perfect conditions. You may be hunkered down under a rock face for an hour or under a tree four two hours in pouring rain with nowhere to go. You my have to pitch your tent at 2pm in a torrential downpour that doesn't stop until dinner time and well...I guess you are camping there tonight (this happened to us). This is not something we have had to deal with much in Oregon as our summers are dry and consistent, but quickly learned the ropes on this trip!
Instead of going day-by-day for this trip report which would be entirely too tedious, I think it would be best to just split it up between Collegiate East and Collegiate West. Generally musing about each of these sides would make a lot of sense as they are very different from each other. Then, I will have some gear reflections at the bottom.
Links:
Caltopo of the trip broken down by days and campsites: https://caltopo.com/m/8R6A
Lighterpack (Me): https://lighterpack.com/gcszph
Lighterpack (Mrs. MJP): https://lighterpack.com/bstcwl
Collegiate East
We hiked the loop in the clockwise direction. This means that out of Twin Lakes, we hiked South through the Collegiate East first. This was recommended by most because the East Side is at lower elevation, isn't as exposed and has softer climbs. I think that this was a good approach and would recommend it to others.
My wife an I live at sea level and one of the major concerns was how we would do at the high altitude. We bought Diamox just in case but elected to not take it unless we started to show signs of AMS. Instead, for weeks before the trip, we drank tons of water. So much so that I had to pee multiple times a night haha. When we got to Denver, we popped some advil and continued that twice a day until roughly day 3 on trail.
Ultimately, we did not have any major issues with the altitude. In Leadville, I had the worse symptoms of the entire trip. It was just simply a bit lightheadedness, a minor headache and restless sleep the night we were in Leadville. Walking to Melanzana from the hostel turned out to be the crux of the trip! The next morning and the rest of the trip I did not have any issues. I started to get a slight headache at 12,900 ft when we were eating lunch on the pass but as soon as we dropped down a bit it went away. Never had to touch the Diamox which was a success.
The hiking on the East Side was really good. The trail was in incredible condition and signed very well. The first 3.5 days south of Twin Lakes were gorgeous! Beautiful forests with Aspens, Doug Firs, Lodgepoles and Ponderosas. The water was flowing really well in all the creeks and we never needed to carry more than 1.7L each (with the exception of two dry camps during the trip). The high alpine tundra was especially beautiful. Up around Mt. Harvard and Mt. Columbia were incredibly enjoyable. We are so used to the PNW’s volcanic rock and mountains. The geology and flora of the non-volcanic Collegiate Wilderness was very cool.
There were a few notably steep climbs on this side. Climbs where we couldn't help but laugh at the grade. A few of them were the climb up to the saddle below Mt. Yale and the climb up out of Foose’s Creek to the CDT. The views were always worth the climb though!
We did not expect the bugs to be that bad (based upon trip reports of others) but they turned out to be very bad. We had many nights where we would just set up the tent and eat dinner inside to escape them. The locals were saying that this was because of the huge snow year and late snow they received. This made the bug hatch super big and later in the season than usual. They honked but they were not the worst we have experienced (like Oregon PCT in mid July…..).
We had our first resupply in Mt. Princeton. We had mailed a box to them and picked it up at the main office. They were nice, but kind of came off as...inconvenienced by our presence. It was weird. Definitely not a “hiker trash” trail stop in the normal sense. But again, they were nice enough and we didn't have any issues. The market that is there has basic gas station food plus some extras that you might find at a resort convenience store. They did have gas canisters but they were a brand I had never heard of and a small 4oz can was $9.50!!! We were happy we just sucked it up and carried our canisters the whole way.
The later portions of the East Side were not as enjoyable. Basically from Maxwell Creek outside of Mt. Princeton down to Fooses Creek was super boring, low elevation and just kind of “meh”. It was still good hiking, don’t get me wrong. But, it was not as mountainous, lower elevation and therefore hotter temps, lacked views, had a ton of mountain bikers and involved some notable road walking.
Once we made out way up Fooses Creek and onto the CDT (making the switch over to the West Side, that sentiment disappeared entirely.
Collegiate West
Collegiate West. Ah, you beautiful bastard. As soon as we got up to the CDT and started heading North, the views and terrain were astonishing. THIS, is what we came here for. Incredibly wide vistas, deep and gorgeous valleys, craggy peaks and lush alpine tundra.
We resupplied at Monarch Pass for the 5.5 day stretch to finish the loop. If you stop here, get the ice cream. The “hiker single scoop” was the size of a softball and delicious. This resupply was way more hiker friendly and felt welcoming. There is a corner with a hiker box, log, chargers and an area to repack your resupply. It was super cool. You could probably buy a resupply here if you had to but I would not recommend it. It would be super expensive and mostly snacks. They did have canisters too but they were $8.50 for the 4oz cans! We met some cool thru hikers and a few not cool thru hikers lol. A few were just super grouchy and said the West Side trail was a “mother fucker” and “broke his knees” and “designed by a crew at 4pm on a Friday”. Notably, that guy had a 80L pack and knee braces but whatever. Everyone else was pretty chill and happy to be out there.
The hiking was world class from here on out. Pass after pass, valley after valley, I just could not stop dropping my jaw. The West Side is definitely more exposed and challenging. But, with some willingness to wake up early, watch the weather and be smart, it isn't too bad.
We did have one instance were we got hit by the weather. Coming out of Monarch Pass, you hike this exposed ridgeline on the CDT. The weather was being a bit volatile, but there were gaps in the weather and there wasn't any rain. We decided to keep hiking. Well...just under Bald Mountain, what looked like a gap in the weather closed almost instantly. It started pouring rain and hailing on us. Mind you, there are zero trees up there and the trail rides the highest points of the ridges. We were exposed. We dropped over the East side of the ridge just a bit to hide under some rocks. We could get our packs out of the rain but we were still getting soaked. So far, it sucked but was still safe and we figured it would blow over. Wrong. A few minutes later a massive thunder clap happened right on top of us. My wife started to feel hair stand up on her neck and we knew that we need to get down immediately.
We decided to drop down off the cliff of Bald Mountain. It was a solid class 3 / class 4 downclimbing for awhile. We made it down off the sheer face of the cliff and down into the high alpine tundra and boulder field of the valley below. Our planned campsite that night was Boss Lake Reservoir. Looking at the map, I could see that we were two valleys away but that there was an old 4x4 road that connected Highway 50 to Boss Lake. We decided that we would make our way down the valley, over the next ridge into the next valley near Green Lake, drop down another thousand feet to Highway 50, road walk to the 4x4 road and then hike back up the 4x4 road to camp. The plan and cross country travel worked perfectly. We ended up finding an unmarked trail from Green Lake down to the Highway too which helped a ton. We made it to our camp that night just before another thunderstorm rolled through. Safe, dry, sore but mostly happy!
After that day, the weather was in our favor the rest of the trip. Every day would be clear blue skies in the morning and then some non-threatening puffy white clouds in the afternoon. The hiking was smooth sailing for the most part. We started waking up earlier on the Collegiate West. This was so that we could get over 1,2 or even 5 passes in the day before the afternoon storms could roll in. They never really did besides some light rain, but it was the safest approach. After the Bald Mountain debacle, we were a bit nervous to get trapped on a pass again!
We were going the opposite direction of most every CT, CDT and other Loopers we saw out there. During the entire trip, not a single person passed us going the same direction besides some day hikers and runners. Because of this, we got to chat with a lot of awesome thru hikers! One thing we noticed was a lot of fear mongering and trail rumors related to Lake Ann Pass and Hope Pass. “Give yourself a ton of extra time” and “the snow is really sketchy” and “I got lost in the scree fields” and “the climb is brutal” and “Be careful up on Ann” was heard from hiker after hiker we passed. This made my wife pretty nervous. But when we got to Lake Ann Pass, we cruised up and down it without any issues whatsoever. It was weird. Same thing for Hope.
They were steep, don’t get me wrong (the lower 900 vertical feet of Hope headed North can die in a hole). But, they were not technical, not sketchy and not hard to navigate. We talked a lot about why people were saying what they were. We came to the conclusion that for a lot of people headed southbound through this section, Hope and Ann are the first two major passes they have to contend with. So while we had already been hiking in the Collegiates for 10 and 11 days already, they were just getting exposed to the range. Add in some embellishment to support the major effort it takes to climb them and bam, you get the messaging we received from these hikers. It really helped us to process this and ultimately reinforced to ourselves that we are strong hikers, could handle the range and were well equipped. Don’t buy into the trail rumors!
In a few areas on the West Side, camping can be limited. You really don’t want to be camping in a wide open exposed area at 12,400 ft if you can avoid it. The guide book states in one section between Hancock Lakes and Cottonwood Pass to do as much of it as you can in a single day. We got a tip from mittencamper that there was actually a few campsites in Mineral Basin. I had a waypoint on my map and ended up finding the site no problem. Just as you come around the big rock cliff into the Basin (about .1 miles south of the marked stream on guthooks), down the cliff on the right there are a few protected sites. Fantastic site and I would recommend it if you wanted to break up that section into a bit more lax sections.
We only had one wet creek crossing the entire trip and that was Texas Creek. Otherwise, everything else had logs or rocks to get across without getting wet.
The West Side was an immediate favorite for us. Personally, the view from the ridges before Cottonwood Pass looking East were absolutely incredible. My wife’s favorite view was from the top of Hope Pass looking South. One, because it was the final obstacle of the trip and two, because it was a major milestone for her personally. If you only had 5-7 days in this area, I would absolutely recommend the West Side. You will suck wind up Hope if you are trying to acclimate, but the views are a million times worth it. The East Side has its moments, but ultimately doesn't compete with the West Side with overall experience, views and granjour.
Gear That Worked
Overall, our gear was dialed. We did not have any gear failures. We were always dry, warm and comfortable. Nothing in our kit was new and we have hundreds of miles on everything. I think this played well for us as nothing was unexpected and everything went without a hitch. A few standout piece of gear for us:

The Zpacks Duplex - hot damn I love this shelter. I maintain that it is the perfect and best two person UL shelter on the market. Going into the trip I was a bit worried about condensation and managing wetness when it rained. However, we found that even after a night full of pouring rain and condensation, if pitched at lunch in the sun, it was dry within 15 minutes. Not just mostly dry, bone dry. Additionally, we found that if there was no wind, we could leave both doors wide open and remain dry. This prevented all condensation even on the wettest and dankest nights/mornings near bodies of water. Absolute banger of a shelter.
KS50 pack and SWD framed 35 - Our packs were champs. From a 5.5 day carry to a 3 day carry, they were adaptable, comfortable and absolutely perfect. Personally, the KS50 is my favorite pack I have ever used. I love everything about it and it just simply works and is comfortable. Very happy to put it on every morning.
Kula Cloth - This is a cottage pee rag by the company Kula Cloth. My wife said that this was a game changer. She has used it all season, but she noted that on a long trip, the amount of tp that you can avoid using when peeing is substantial. Between this and the pstyle, she could pee standing up without dropping trou and without any tp. Super cool.
Patagonia Thermal Weight Zip Neck - I picked this up right before the trip and was the only thing in my kit that I had not used before. It ended up being indispensable. I wore it every night in camp, to sleep and in the morning hiking for the first few hours. I found I could keep it on while hiking in the morning sun up to almost 50F! Conversely, it kept me warm in camp sitting around into the mid 40s. This thing is surprisingly warm but also shockingly breathable. I am definitely getting the hooded version.
Nunatak 3D Quilt 25F - This is my end game bag. It has all the benefits of a mummy bag (no drafts primarily, no straps) and none of the negatives of a mummy bag (no hood in your face, hard to get lost in, zipper never snags). I was toasty warm every night into the mid 30’s.
Western Mountaineering Highlite 35F - This is the bag that my wife used. Holy shit this thing just does not make sense to me haha. The thing is years old, weighs like 15 or 16 oz in short, is sewn through and yet its rating of 35F is dead on accurate. On top of a NeoAir Xlite, she was never cold including a night into the mid 30s at 12,400ft. I don’t know what magic voodoo the folks at Western Mountaineering put into that thing but my wife is in love with it.
Soto Windmaster (with the ignitor removed) + Evernew 570 ml Ti Pot - This stove setup was perfect for the conditions. The regulated Soto Windmaster stove sipped fuel even at altitude. We boiled two cups, three times a day (two for dinners, one for coffee in the morning). I am fairly sure we could have gotten away with a single 8oz canister the entire 13 days. We ditched one in the hiker box at Monarch, but the stove was shockingly good. It boiled quickly, was pretty much unfazed by the wind, was easy to control and just simply worked. The pot boils 2 cups (16oz) perfectly. The lid, while a bit heavier than foil goes on snug and stays put. The handles are rarely too hot to grab and the pot only weighs 1.8oz!!! We love this setup!

Gear That Honked
Honestly, our gear was extremely dialed. We did not have any gear failures, major annoyances or anything that went wrong related to our kits. Our packs were sufficiently light and comfortable the entire trip (even with a 5 day food carry). We both are very happy with what we brought and only have a few very minor changes we would make if we did it again.
The first would be quick charge wall plugs and battery bank. We shared a Anker Powercore 10K (version 1) which was enough battery capacity for us. However, at Monarch Pass when we were trying to resupply and recharge the pack, its major flaw was very obvious. We sat there not hiking for an additional 2 hours longer than we wanted to stay, waiting for it to charge up for the next 5.5 day stretch. We both decided that a Quick Charge (or Power Delivery) wall plug and battery pack would be well worth the slight added weight. This would have allowed us to leave earlier in the morning and get over the exposed CDT section north of Monarch Pass earlier to avoid the storm which caused us to have to bail off Bald Mountain. The next longer hike with a resupply, we will be picking up a QC or PD plug and battery pack.
Another minor note. I don’t think the Ursacks were necessary. We saw zero signs of bears over the 13 days we were out there. The rodents were not a problem or particularly bold from what we could tell either. Sleeping with your food in an Opsak felt like a safe and legit method of hiking. Hell...all the CT and CDTers were doing it. You certainly couldn't do a proper bear hang out here though...the nature of the trees would make it almost impossible. So IMO, sleep with it in an Opsak or do the Ursack.
Gear Sightings
I am obviously a UL nerd and take a mental note of every pack and tent that I pass by. I noted the following gear sightings on trail. I have to say, I was shocked by how many people were UL out there. In Oregon, it seems that ULers make up roughly 20-30% of people I see on trail. On this trip, my wife and I were thinking it was around 60-70% of hikers we saw!
We saw a ton of ULA, Zpacks and HMG packs on trail followed closely by Gossamer Gear and Osprey Exos. I also noted a surprising amount of MyTrailCo (my they rest in peace) packs which makes sense as they are “based” in Boulder.
Some of the most street-cred UL hypebeast packs I noted were: a Nashville Packs running vest pack (supa hot fire), a LiteAF in galaxy print, a couple with a Pa’lante Joey and a Cuben Burn (fresh AF), a v1 Pa’lante Simple, a fully custom Zimmerbuilt which was x-pac and hybrid cuben, a 100% gridstop Superior Wilderness Designs pack, a Zimmerbuilt Quickstep, MYOG pack made of fabric with donuts printed on it and a really old Golite Jam. My KS pack was the only KS Ultralight I noticed on the trail.
Saw a lot of Zpack Duplex’s, one Tarptent Notch Li and a surprising number of tarp setups. There were a lot of non-UL shelters out there though. Well...not really UL like MSR Hubba Hubbas, Big Agness Fly Creeks, etc.
Summary
So in summary, this was the best trip we have ever been on. The longest, most beautiful, most challenging, most rewarding and most enjoyable backpacking trip we have been on. Thanks for bearing with the wall of text. I hope that it is enjoyable and maybe helpful for someone else planning on hiking this loop.

Trip Report: The Yosemite High Route aka You're Only Cliffed Out If You Stop

Where: Yosemite National Park
When: August 2 to August 13
Who: Myself, MexicanTelecaster, and my red-headed stepchild jordywankenobi
Distance: 154 miles (94 mostly off-trail + 60 on approach trails)
Gear: mine: https://lighterpack.com/34iyva
Pics/more detailed info on our days: https://www.instagram.com/plantstho_/
Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5EfqPTyQjf9ag663wGORkq
Overview: The Yosemite High Route is the hot new route by the one and only Andrew Skurka. "The core of the Yosemite High Route spans 94 miles, between Grace Meadow near the park’s northern boundary and the base of Quartzite Peak at the Merced River. Seventy percent of this section is off-trail; it climbs or descends 630 vertical feet per mile, and crosses just one road." There's a number of ways to reach the northern and southern terminuses (termini?) which stretch the route out anywhere from 25 to 68 miles. It can be done as a point to point hike, a figure-8 loop, or the way we chose, as a lollipop loop starting/resupplying at Tuolumne Meadows and ending at Yosemite Valley.
Background: Jordy and I are both somewhat seasoned thru hikers and dedicated /ul/ lurkers/haters. I finished hiking the Colorado Trail 4 days before we set off so I was in pretty good shape physically but a little burned out mentally. Jordy broke his foot on the AZT last year and was still recovering from it and from being in flat af Indiana for the past 6 months. Jordy and I both love the Sierra, Yosemite especially, so as soon as Skurka announced the route, we knew we were going to hike it.
Part 1: The Northern Approach. We took the train to Merced from Emeryville then YARTS to Yosemite Valley. We were able to finagle some permits for the next day (the ranger thought we had an "unusual itinerary") and then took another YARTS bus to Tuolumne Meadows where we spent the night. At TM we watched some rangers play acoustic folk songs around a campfire as they talked about the history of the park. It was v cute.
There's a few ways to reach the northern terminus of the YHR core route. We choose to take the PCT 50 miles north from Tuolumne Meadows because Jordy's foot was maybe still broken and the alternate descent down the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne might have not been good for it. Instead we took the PCT because idk we thought it would be easier?
We spent two and a half days hiking from Tuolumne to the northern terminus. The first day was rough on Jordy since he didn't have any time to acclimate and I was very impatient because I'm a dick and wanted to get to the core route asap.
This section of the PCT is actually very beautiful but it's pretty repetitive and tough. Climb up to a pass, see a few pretty lakes, descend sharply down to a creek, climb back up to a pass, repeat. I hiked it once before sobo and going north was a new experience for me.
We met a handful of PCT hikers, mostly hikers who'd flipped around because of the high snow year in the Sierra. We also saw one small bear along the way, the only one we saw until almost the end of the route.
After two tough days, we made it to the terminus, an unmarked spot in the middle of the trail.
Part 2: The Northern Core Route. Getting off-trail was really exciting. It felt like we were doing something wrong and dangerous. We felt so fucking cool man. This feeling last half a mile until we realized we had prematurely crossed a creek and had to re-cross it to be able to make it to our first pass. Oops.
The gist of the northern core route was climb up to a pass, see a pretty lake, cross over the pass, descend down into a lake, climb back to a pass, repeat. I know I kinda complained about this but it was so much different off-trail. The passes and lakes were so much less trafficked and untouched and traversing on untrodden terrain was so much more stimulating. Some lakes were so still and clear they looked like mirrors and we couldn't tell where the mountains above them started and ended.
We did actually see a few people on the route which we weren't expecting. Another YHR hiker actually passed us heading down one of the passes, probably laughing at how slowly we descended as he crushed us (I found out later he didn't finish the full thru tho). And we saw another group heading north (not sure what happened to them).
We were initially very worried about our ability to get through the whole route. Aside from a little scrambling to avoid some snow on the Colorado Trail, I'd never done any off-trail hiking. Jordy had hiked part of the SHR last year but didn't finish.
At one point we actually decided to bail. We made it to one snowy on-trail pass right before Matterhorn Pass, our first class-3 (ish) pass and got really worried about how steep it looked and whether there would be snow on the descent. We were heading down the trail bailing when we saw a group of climbers camped at the base of Matterhorn. They told us they didn't think there was snow so we said screw it and went for it. We ended up being glad we did. That pass and the next class-3 pass didn't end up being as bad as we were worried they would be which meant that we felt more confident going into the rest of the route.
Don't get me wrong, the passes felt terrifying at points, (especially because we had heavy bear can swinging around throwing off our center of gravity as we were trying to traverse really exposed ledges) but ultimately were within our skill levels.
Part 3: The Southern Core Route. After picking up the resupply we stashed at Tuolumne, we started off on the southern section. Aside from the maps and our experience on the north loop, we were going into the southern section blind as we didn't have the second half of the guidebook. For some reason though we thought the second half of the route would be easier. We were, of course, completely wrong.
The southern section was about the same distance as the northern one but with a much shorter approach so we ended up only needing 4.5 days to hike it as opposed to the 7 on the northern section.
While the southern section didn't have any listed class-3 passes, it had more class-2s and most were really long and steep which made it so challenging. Most days we'd hike 12-14 hours with a few breaks and only hike around 12 miles. It was really hard shaking off the "have to make miles" thru hiker mindset I've developed from other long hikes.
As a whole though, the southern section is amazing. If you've never hiked across open tundra, swam in pristine alpine lakes, crossed miles of talus fields, or hiked up and down sketchy Sierra mountain passes, you're missing out.
Though pretty much every part was stunning in it's own way, the highlight for me was crossing the Cathedral Range. We spent a day staring at it in the distance, a day crossing it, and a day looking back at it. We saw the most beautiful blue glacial lake and then hiked up a glacier to reach the top of the pass. I've spent a lot of time in Yosemite and I'm always in awe of the Cathedral Range. To really be in it, to cross over it on top of a glacier, was such an amazing experience.
There were a few on-trail sections but even those were pretty. We only saw 5 people the entire time on the southern section and all 5 were on the less than a mile section we were on the John Muir Trail.
The most terrifying moment we had was on the last pass. We were descending on some sketchy granite slabs and I was feeling over confident after days of leading and finding lines to take. On a steep ledge, I slid on some mineral sand and just barely managed to grab an awkward hold to keep myself from plummeting to my probable death or at least serious injury. Jordy said he saw me fall and was so sure I was dead he almost threw up.
The section after that was gorgeous though. I've never seen those kinds of rock formations in Yosemite and it felt like being on another planet.
The view from Quartzite Peak was phenomenal. Skurka has a note on the maps that says "5-star views" and he's totally right. He saw Half Dome and Yosemite Valley and the Cathedral Range in the distance and ton of other peaks. It was astounding looking back at all we had traversed over the past 11 days.
The last descent was tough. It was steep 3k drop in 2.5 miles and it required a lot of slipping and sliding on more granite slabs and bushwhacking through thick forest. About a half mile or so from the core route southern terminus, we started getting cliffed out on slabs and decided to stop there instead on a little ledge.
Part 4: The Southern Approach. We made it down to the core terminus near a bend in the Merced River. After taking some pics and videos, we set off on easy downhill trail miles. After days of off-trail travel, hiking on an actual trail was a cakewalk. A beautiful granite dome cakewalk.
We saw a mama bear and two cubs in a burn area. One of the cubs decided to cross the trail in front of us and the mama bear made sure we didn't get near it.
We found a pile of trash near a junction. It looked like someone had done a shitty job hanging their food and an animal had gotten to it. We packed it all out and spent the rest of the hike furious that none of the other hikers we'd seen had thought to pick it up.
Vernal and Nevada Falls are stunning but the hordes of day hikers less so, especially after days of seeing no one. Still, ending in Yosemite Valley was nice. Despite the people, Yosemite Valley is absolutely gorgeous and lives up to the hype.
Thoughts on the route: The whole route is gorgeous. We found a little register at Quartzite Peak and there's an entry there from Andrew Skurka dating back to 2012. It shows how much care and time he's taken into planning this route. We could tell that he'd spent so much time making sure that you experienced the best of Yosemite while still ensuring the route was doable but challenging. Even the on-trail sections were gorgeous. Some of the passes were, let's say, questionable, but not out of our skill range. In hindsight. During the hike we didn't always feel this way.
The map set was incredibly useful and clear. I was most worried about navigation going into the hike since I'm a follow-the-blazes, check-guthooks-constantly kinda thru hiker but the maps were clear and most waypoints were within line of sight. Between that, my Inreach, a little crash course on off-route navigation on the CT, and Jordy's past experiences on the SHR, I felt fine with macro navigation.
Micro navigation was a whole other thing tho. We never got lost and pretty much knew where we were at all times but choosing the best lines to follow was much harder than we anticipated. Unlike trails there's no clearly defined path to follow. This makes route finding way more fun but is also really frustrating at times.
We couldn't ever zone out and just hike. We had to make sure we choose the most optimal lines to follow to both ensure we observed LNT principles and caused the least amount of disruption as possible and to try to ensure we didn't put ourselves in dangerous situations. I mean, we still probably did a lot. Going slightly the wrong way makes such a big difference as we found out on some of the slaby descents. Yosemite is known for its big ole granite slabs and while they look awesome from a distance, traversing them can be a real challenge. Like when they just suddenly stop and you have to find a way around or just straight down to get to the next waypoint. We could usually find a way down though it often took a long time or ended up being not the safest way.
We also realized quickly that contour lines never tell the whole story. We often found ourselves in sections that looked relatively flat on paper but were covered in talus or moraine which made crossing them take much longer.
Still, I felt like as a whole the route is definitely doable for experienced hikers and would be a good intro into off-trail adventuring. It was for me at least. Skurka also said he hadn't heard of anyone else finishing the whole thing before us so we also have that going for us now.
Thoughts on Gear: My gear selection for this trip was spot on except for one piece of gear I didn't like.
Big 3: My MLD Exodus now has almost 4k miles on it and it's still going strong. It carried 7 days of food and a BV 500 bear can well. I don't really ever want to do that again but I'm glad I can if I need to.
My hexamid solo plus tarp and bivy worked out great. I rarely pitch but when I do I usually want full 360 protection and don't want to fiddle around with finding the right configuration so the hex is perfect for me. The bugs were really bad at some points but I could use the cord on the bivy head net to keep them off me. We only pitched our tarps twice cause we're basically cowboys so it was good to have lighter setups.
My sleep gear is also mostly perfect. I love having the torso length pad and using my pack for my feet also helps keep my gear close to me so I don't have to worry about it at night. I don't fuck with down so my quilt is a lot bulkieheavier than most setups but I've used it for almost 4k miles too and it's worked well. The only thing is that it might be too warm as I woke up damp and covered in condensation a few times. If I opened it up it was fine but I like to burrito myself when I sleep.
Essentials/electronics/hygiene: I used basically every piece of gear I had in my essentials so I'm happy with it all. Same with the electronics. The charger is a little heavy and bulky but being able to quick charge two items at once is a nice trade-off.
As for hygiene stuff, I was using mostly natural materials on the CT and my ass didn't care for that. I picked up some wet wipes in a hiker box in Tuolumne and I much prefer that + tp. I'd rather pack out tp and wet wipes than deal with chafing all day. Might pick up a bidet for future hikes.
Clothes: I love hiking in a long-sleeved button up and zip off pants and not having to worry about the sun or bugs. I usually don't like how dorky hiking pants look but the women's Columbia Saturday Afternoon Trail pants are dope except for the way too small side pockets. I have vitiligo and don't have melanin on a lot of my body and sun protection is v important. The OR sun gloves worked well though they got torn to shreds on the granite. In the past I've used cycling gloves which are heavier duty and I'll probably go back to them in the future.
I was so glad I took a head net. Bugs were bad at times. In Yosemite, we saw a half-off long-sleeved spf insect-repellant shirt I told Jordy he should buy. He didn't and I've never felt so bad about being right.
Best and worst gear:
Best - Shoes: The Altra Lone Peaks 3.5 are the best trail shoes I've ever had. I put 200 running miles on them then 500 Colorado Trail miles then hiked the YHR on them. I was worried they wouldn't have enough traction for the YHR but not only did they hold out, the wear on the lugs seemed to help them grip the granite slabs better.
Worst - Melly: I swapped out my windshirt and puffy for a Melanzana microgrid hoodie I picked up in Leadville when I was on the CT and tbh that thing sucked. It's so overhyped. It didn't keep me warm enough at camp, it was too warm to hike in, it's overpriced, it doesn't pack down, and worst of all, it's heavy af. For almost the same weight I could have taken my puffy, windshirt, and thermal weight capilene and had a much more versatile set up. The only good thing about it is that I'll probably be able to sell it for what I paid for it.

2019 r/Ultralight Backpacking Challenge

what is there to do in leadville colorado video

Things To Do in Leadville Leadville’s claim to fame is for its location: as the highest incorporated city in the U.S., the town sits at 10,152 feet above sea level. It’s also one of Colorado’s oldest, first settled in 1859 during the “Pikes Peak or Bust” gold rush. The Leadville, Colorado and Southern Railroad is an historic passenger railroad line embarking on leisure excursions from Leadville, travelling north from the city along the scenic Arkansas River Valley. 2.5-hour excursions travel along the former Denver, South Park, and Pacific and Colorado and Southern Railroad lines toward the Continental Divide, passing through beautiful areas of the San ... There are many miles of groomed winter trails in Leadville, including Timberline Trails, East Side Mining District and Turquoise Lake. The trails are free for public use and offer something for everyone. Leadville Ski Resorts. Ski Cooper is just 12 Miles from CMC Leadville, and the Leadville, Colorado, a small mountain mining town, that sits at 10,200 feet elevation and has managed to maintain its unique character throughout the years. There's something for everyone in this tiny but mighty town. Here are some ideas of what to do when visiting Leadville, Colorado. But this high-alpine beauty is easier to access than you might think: the city is in the geographic center of Colorado, on U.S. Hwy. 24, part of the Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway. Denver is 100 miles east and Colorado Springs is 128 miles southeast. Leadville isn’t just notable for its rarefied air and incredible scenery. 5. The Leadville Railroad Offers A Leisurely Trip. As with many other Colorado high country towns, the railroad played a huge role in Leadville’s development, allowing prospectors to get to the mining mecca and magnates to ship out their bounty to Denver and beyond. Today, trains provide the perfect way to enjoy Leadville’s mountain vistas. There are dozens of hiking trails to be found in the Leadville area. One fully paved option is the Mining Belt Trail that circles the city. The entire trail - 11.6 miles - is ADA accessible, winding through aspen groves, conifer forests, and wildflower-filled meadows, complete with views of Leadville and its surrounding mountains of the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges. Things to Do in Leadville, Colorado: See Tripadvisor's 10,840 traveler reviews and photos of Leadville tourist attractions. Find what to do today, this weekend, or in February. We have reviews of the best places to see in Leadville. Visit top-rated & must-see attractions. Tennessee Pass Nordic Center in Leadville, Colorado. There are literally hundreds of places to get out on snowshoes and skis in Leadville, but the Tennessee Pass Nordic Center is ideal and has rental equipment, not to mention freshly-made pies and coffee. Located in the same parking lot as Ski Cooper, it’s the perfect place to visit if one ... Things to do in Ouray, Colorado. by Mr. Leadville Feb 9, 2021 Leadville News. Known as the “Switzerland of America,” Ouray, Colorado is a beautiful mountain town surrounded by rugged canyons and the unparalleled beauty of the San Juan Mountains. Located in Southwestern Colorado, Ouray is famous for its hot springs, outdoor activities ...

what is there to do in leadville colorado top

Colorado Mountain Flying

Out There - A Journey to the ... 53:48. Anton Krupicka - Training in Leadville, Colorado - Duration: 6:09 ... Unbreakable Bonus Features Youtube Preview Anton Krupicka Part 02 At the University of ... Flying in the Mountains of Colorado. Takeoff from Leadville, CO, the highest airport in North America. Kenosha Pass, Weston Pass, Hoosier Pass, and Loveland Pass are shown. Breckenridge and ... On Day #2 of the project we took a day off from hiking a fourteener (although there is still a pretty rad hike in there), and explored the town of Telluride, CO. Come enjoy some scenery and have a ... Top 10 best towns in Colorado. These are the best places to live.Colorado is one of the most awe-inspiring landscapes in the United States. Enjoy.Patreon: ht... COLORADO Steamboat Springs 1565.7 +20 Grand Lake 1663.6 Breckenridge 1794.9 +5 Leadville 1832.7 +9 Twin Lakes 1866.7 +1.3 BOX Salida 1951.3 +20 BOX Lake City 2051.8 +17 Pagosa Springs 2169.8 +24 ... Leadville/Lake County Fire Rescue (LLCFR) welcomed its newest member Wednesday, August 31, to the reception community cheers and tradition. Pierce Fire Engine 1, still gleaming after a two-day ... There are better ones but I'd just get a bigger VIAIR, not someone different. Airs up all my 33's from 14psi to 37psi in less than 10 minutes. The in-line gauge is inaccurate when the compressor ... Sure, there's skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating, but one of our favorites is tubing and sledding. And at the Dutch Henri Tubing Hill, the lines are short and the ride is long! There you can also find information about past trips located in the Trip ... from Leadville to Lamar - Duration ... Colorado to Green River, Utah Interstate 70 West-Jan. 24, 2019 ... The city of Leadville is a 20 minutes drive north of the property. There is so much to do and see there - museums and restaurants abound, and you can take care of your banking and grocery shopping...

The Wild West survives in Leadville ... - OutThere Colorado

what is there to do in leadville colorado

what is there to do in leadville colorado - win

Numbers are Key to Solution; Hit Songs, Hit Movies, Records set... Fenn said take a GPS. Fenn book, The Thrill of the Chase is heavy with numbers. Numbers lead to messages in code. Ultimately leads to information to WHY hidden here, the story that compelled Fenn, & WHY he put hair sample in chest