Friday:
Somehow I managed to talk Norm into following the Hardrock course from Telluride up to Oscar’s Pass. We took Bear Creek to Wasatch to East Fork to the McCarron Junction. We thought this was Oscar’s Pass, but once we got home and looked at the map we realized that we actually had a little further to go if we wanted to get to Oscar’s Pass.
We have been up Bear Creek trail a million times so this was pretty ho hum for us. I have been on the Wasatch Trail some, but this was new to Norm. Switchbacks take us through bushes that have over grown the path and are taller than me. We crossed over the waterfall twice. Before long a woman came toward us and warned us to be careful because there was a lot of snow. We said thanks, but we knew about the snow and would be careful. When we arrived to the first snow we would see it was a tricky to cross. It steeply slanted and a slide down caould have lead to us falling a long way and landing in big rocks or falling through as it was thinning and landing in large rocks. We weren’t going to die (probably), but we could potentially sustain some painful injuries. We opted to hike down to a place where we could cross safely. This know meant we had to find a place to safely get up the steep side. The first spot was too muddy and I just slid back down. I was able to find another route where I could use rocks to grip and step and quickly we were up and back on trail.
Back on the trail we kept climbing. We made the turn onto East Fork Trail. And kept climbing. Crossed two water crossings. And kept climbing. At this point, we really have no idea where we are going exactly. The trail is easy to follow and junctions are well marked, but where exactly is the peak we are headed for? It is cool to see all the left over mining equipment. Everything is so beautiful. We can see ski lifts basically across form us on another peak. What? Who would ski up here? Crazy!
My favorite part is when we drop into the alpine meadow. If you have never been in alpine meadow, do it! I can't explain how amazing it is. The beauty is unreal. There is some flat running, but still plenty of climbing. It is beyond words up here (I can't state this enough!). These meadows are my favorite places to run. We are crossing lots of snow fields at this point. Someone has been there before us and we are able to follow their steps. Hardrock is not known for confidence marking, but up here the markers are more frequent. I knew in my head that we needed to go about 7 miles, but for some reason at 6.5 miles I am feeling dejected. Every time we summit a small climb I think that we will see where we are going, but it has been a long time of trying to figure out where exactly the peak is and where the hell we are going. We decide to go a little further and as soon as I see the tall wooden sign (which actually had no wording on it) I know we have made it! The views are amazing! We sign in on the book provided. We read some entries and smile to see the Turd’l and Katie have been recently. Some hikers are behind us and catch up this point. We chat a bit. Norm shares his cookies with me. And I rush him back down the mountain because impending doom looks like it is coming quickly. And it is really cold up here!
We can run! And we do. The miles are ticking off quickly. I have a new appreciation for downhill running! Every thing is going great, until we get to the sketchy snow. We can see that someone (probably the hikers) walked across the snow. Norm thinks we can get across and asks if I am game. I am. Here is the thing. Norm forgets that he is taller than me. That his legs reach longer and his arms reach longer. Something that seems easy for him, isn't a great option for me. Earlier in the day he guided to make a jump across a river that left his feet dry and just left me ankle deep in the water. This is not the first time this kind of thing has happened. So, Norm starts crossing the snow while holding on to a large rock. I wait until he his half way across before starting. I am having trouble reaching the rock and have to go across on all fours. I quickly catch up to Norm. He is trying to make steps, but I can hear that each step he is digging in 3 or 4 times. I end up stuck behind him not moving. In my head I think “he needs to move, my feet are going to warm up the snow and I am going to slide” I am wearing my road shoes (as always) he is wearing Salomon trail shoes. He has tread, I have none. I say to him “Norm, you have to move more quickly, I have to get off this.” And that is when I start to slide. I am sure I said bad words. I am trying to grip my fingers in. I know I was in panic. I think Norm moved across quickly, he is offering me a stick and I’m yelling that he needs to get out of my way. I let out a few sobs. Every time I try to move I start to slide. I know I need to turn my body so I am horizontal. I am finally able to get turned and get off the snow. But Norm is still in my way. I keep telling him to move and it seems like he is taking maybe one small step. I am off the snow, but I still need to get down a small sections of mud. I was so pissed when I finally got to standing. “Just move when I tell you to move!” In my anger I am not watching my step and my foot slides on some rocks. I fall into the sitting position and hit my back and my wrist on the rocks. I curl into a ball and yell “don't talk to me, leave me alone!” I get up. Norm asks if I am okay and I say yes. And it a fit of anger I take off running as fast as I can. “Get down by yourself” I think. Although I did wait at the turn from Wasatch to Bear Creek to make sure he gets down okay and when he comes to the turn I take off running again.
I know Norm didn't do anything on purpose and he did try to help me, but I don’t want any one to help me. I hate being seen as weak. I am tired of people saying “this race is great for you it’s a fire road.” I know I use to suck on down hills and I use to be terrible at snow. But I have worked really hard to get rid of the fear and be better at the things that were hard and scary for me. But there is a bigger issue. I let myself be the victim for a long time. I didn’t do things out of fear. Unfortunately I now seem to have gone too far the other direction. I never want it to seem like I need help or can't do it myself. It’s another fun aspect of my personality. (What does Norm see in me? I can’t be that cute.)
You should totally do this route! The beauty of this route was amazing. And we saw very few people. 7 miles and a little over 4000 feet of climbing means it is not easy. It is tough, but the beauty makes it worth it. It took us 3 hours to get to the peak, but only an hour and 20 minutes to get down.
Somehow I managed to talk Norm into following the Hardrock course from Telluride up to Oscar’s Pass. We took Bear Creek to Wasatch to East Fork to the McCarron Junction. We thought this was Oscar’s Pass, but once we got home and looked at the map we realized that we actually had a little further to go if we wanted to get to Oscar’s Pass.
We have been up Bear Creek trail a million times so this was pretty ho hum for us. I have been on the Wasatch Trail some, but this was new to Norm. Switchbacks take us through bushes that have over grown the path and are taller than me. We crossed over the waterfall twice. Before long a woman came toward us and warned us to be careful because there was a lot of snow. We said thanks, but we knew about the snow and would be careful. When we arrived to the first snow we would see it was a tricky to cross. It steeply slanted and a slide down caould have lead to us falling a long way and landing in big rocks or falling through as it was thinning and landing in large rocks. We weren’t going to die (probably), but we could potentially sustain some painful injuries. We opted to hike down to a place where we could cross safely. This know meant we had to find a place to safely get up the steep side. The first spot was too muddy and I just slid back down. I was able to find another route where I could use rocks to grip and step and quickly we were up and back on trail.
Back on the trail we kept climbing. We made the turn onto East Fork Trail. And kept climbing. Crossed two water crossings. And kept climbing. At this point, we really have no idea where we are going exactly. The trail is easy to follow and junctions are well marked, but where exactly is the peak we are headed for? It is cool to see all the left over mining equipment. Everything is so beautiful. We can see ski lifts basically across form us on another peak. What? Who would ski up here? Crazy!
My favorite part is when we drop into the alpine meadow. If you have never been in alpine meadow, do it! I can't explain how amazing it is. The beauty is unreal. There is some flat running, but still plenty of climbing. It is beyond words up here (I can't state this enough!). These meadows are my favorite places to run. We are crossing lots of snow fields at this point. Someone has been there before us and we are able to follow their steps. Hardrock is not known for confidence marking, but up here the markers are more frequent. I knew in my head that we needed to go about 7 miles, but for some reason at 6.5 miles I am feeling dejected. Every time we summit a small climb I think that we will see where we are going, but it has been a long time of trying to figure out where exactly the peak is and where the hell we are going. We decide to go a little further and as soon as I see the tall wooden sign (which actually had no wording on it) I know we have made it! The views are amazing! We sign in on the book provided. We read some entries and smile to see the Turd’l and Katie have been recently. Some hikers are behind us and catch up this point. We chat a bit. Norm shares his cookies with me. And I rush him back down the mountain because impending doom looks like it is coming quickly. And it is really cold up here!
We can run! And we do. The miles are ticking off quickly. I have a new appreciation for downhill running! Every thing is going great, until we get to the sketchy snow. We can see that someone (probably the hikers) walked across the snow. Norm thinks we can get across and asks if I am game. I am. Here is the thing. Norm forgets that he is taller than me. That his legs reach longer and his arms reach longer. Something that seems easy for him, isn't a great option for me. Earlier in the day he guided to make a jump across a river that left his feet dry and just left me ankle deep in the water. This is not the first time this kind of thing has happened. So, Norm starts crossing the snow while holding on to a large rock. I wait until he his half way across before starting. I am having trouble reaching the rock and have to go across on all fours. I quickly catch up to Norm. He is trying to make steps, but I can hear that each step he is digging in 3 or 4 times. I end up stuck behind him not moving. In my head I think “he needs to move, my feet are going to warm up the snow and I am going to slide” I am wearing my road shoes (as always) he is wearing Salomon trail shoes. He has tread, I have none. I say to him “Norm, you have to move more quickly, I have to get off this.” And that is when I start to slide. I am sure I said bad words. I am trying to grip my fingers in. I know I was in panic. I think Norm moved across quickly, he is offering me a stick and I’m yelling that he needs to get out of my way. I let out a few sobs. Every time I try to move I start to slide. I know I need to turn my body so I am horizontal. I am finally able to get turned and get off the snow. But Norm is still in my way. I keep telling him to move and it seems like he is taking maybe one small step. I am off the snow, but I still need to get down a small sections of mud. I was so pissed when I finally got to standing. “Just move when I tell you to move!” In my anger I am not watching my step and my foot slides on some rocks. I fall into the sitting position and hit my back and my wrist on the rocks. I curl into a ball and yell “don't talk to me, leave me alone!” I get up. Norm asks if I am okay and I say yes. And it a fit of anger I take off running as fast as I can. “Get down by yourself” I think. Although I did wait at the turn from Wasatch to Bear Creek to make sure he gets down okay and when he comes to the turn I take off running again.
I know Norm didn't do anything on purpose and he did try to help me, but I don’t want any one to help me. I hate being seen as weak. I am tired of people saying “this race is great for you it’s a fire road.” I know I use to suck on down hills and I use to be terrible at snow. But I have worked really hard to get rid of the fear and be better at the things that were hard and scary for me. But there is a bigger issue. I let myself be the victim for a long time. I didn’t do things out of fear. Unfortunately I now seem to have gone too far the other direction. I never want it to seem like I need help or can't do it myself. It’s another fun aspect of my personality. (What does Norm see in me? I can’t be that cute.)
You should totally do this route! The beauty of this route was amazing. And we saw very few people. 7 miles and a little over 4000 feet of climbing means it is not easy. It is tough, but the beauty makes it worth it. It took us 3 hours to get to the peak, but only an hour and 20 minutes to get down.
This is the part we successfully navigated by avoiding and later I almost slid down.
The snow was thin at the trail. Yikes!
All these mining ruins are crazy!
There are no words to describe the beauty of the flowers in these alpine meadows.
The trail was really easy to follow.
I was totally delighted by this babbling brook in the alpine meadow.
We made it!
So fun to see the names of people we know.
Running through snow fields!
Headed back down to Telluride.
Saturday:
Today I am going to work with Norm. He is filming for Run Steep Get High and I told him I would go with him. We were suppose to go to the top of Grant Swamps Pass to film women coming up the scree field. I had tried to convince him we should drive to Ophir and go up the scree field. I thought it would take less time. But we opted for driving to Silverton and hiking up to the pass by going by Island Lake. We had our coffee and watched the news. We packed up for the day and headed to Silverton. I was so tired. I have done so much climbing this week. My body feels fine, other than 2 blisters, but I am feeling exhausted. I am considering doing nothing on Sunday. But I only have a couple days left and there are so many trails I want to see.
Sometimes I get car sick and sometimes I don’t. Today I got car sick. As we came close to Silverton I asked if we could go into town and get some food and a soda. I couldn’t imagine hiking up the pass with my stomach feeling this way. As we were headed into town we passed our Durango at the Animas river crossing for Hardrock. That meant our kids were there working. I sent them a text asking of they wanted food from the grocery store. The reply said yes please. After that came a message saying they were headed to town. Before I knew it they were behind me. It was so fun to run into them. I had planned to eat while Norm drove to the trailhead, but since Enzo and Brandi were there we sat down for a quick bite with them. They had been working since 4pm Friday filming in Ouray and now at the river crossing. They told us all their stories. They told us they watched a guy go the wrong way but couldn't say anything because they are media. It made them feel terrible but they had to follow the rules.
We are now 30 minutes off schedule, but it was worth it to see the kids and buy them some lunch. And that sandwich from the Silverton grocery store was life changing. I highly recommend if you are ever in Silverton.
South Mineral was packed! Driving down the road to the trailhead I was worried about the parking situation. I was right. On a weekend this place is nuts! Luckily we got a spot that was pretty close to the trailhead. It was sunny and warm. We had some concern about moving too fast and getting sweaty because it would make us extra cold when we got to the pass. But with the sun out it was going to be impossible to keep from sweating. It takes 2 miles to get to the turn for Island Lake. I seemed to be moving too fast for Norm. I heard this faint voice behind me say “Kristina, I can’t move this fast.” I let him get in front so that he could set the pace. We made the turn and up to Island Lake we go. Norm is really struggling. Maybe I shouldn't have taken him on the hike to Oscar’s Pass the day before. As we see the basin for the lake, we also see where the trail is going to take us. Norm is not thrilled about what lays ahead. While we are waiting for some Hardrock runners to pass us we start talking to a couple who are also going to the top of the pass. We chat a bit as we climb and sometimes step out of the way of runners.
We get to the top and it is windy and cold, like most passes. Usually we make our summit and get the heck out of there, but today we are hanging out. We try to find a good spot for filming. The scree field is so steep and long. We are suppose to be filming women, but it’s hard to tell the sex of the people coming up. It is also hard to tell who is a pacer or a runner. We are looking for numbers or bracelets (pacers wear a bracelet like you would get at a club). But this is hard to see until they are really close to us.
I am not sure how long we are there before the weather turns. It starts to rain and then hail. I am sitting and curled into a ball to try to stay warm. As the hail and rain come down harder I move to a chute between rocks to try to block the wind and stay as dry as possible. But as soon as I settle in I hear thunder. Loud thunder. I pop up and tell Norm “let’s go.” At the sound of thunder all other media and spectators make a fast exit off the peak. Norm is torn about leaving. He wants to do a good job. I want to live. Norm is thinking the storm might pass. I say good-bye and start to head down. As I start down some runners are coming behind me so I move out of the way. This section is steep and very loose. Lots of sliding on butt. Norm comes down and we stand there talking about what to do and waiting for a runner. He is moving so slowly and in such an awkward way that I wonder if he is hurt. He announces “You’re meeting the first Hardrock runner who is afraid of heights.” He is moving so slow because he is terrified. We let him know he is so close to being on “normal trail” I suggest he sit and slid down on his butt. When I am on top of a peak and my fear of heights kicks in I feel better if I squat down. He takes my advice and slides down the mountain.
The sky clears quickly and it is sunny where we are standing. All around us is doom and gloom. Norm is thinking about going back up to film more. This just seems like a bad idea. We continue heading down and it starts to hail on us. And the rain starts coming. I pick up the pace to try to get to tree cover as quickly as possible. We are surprised how many people are still starting the trip up the trail. We see lots of people hanging out under trees to get some protection from the rain.
We go into town to get coffee before driving back to Telluride. I text Enzo and Brandi but get no reply. We stop by the office. I see Enzo’s shoes and since he only has one pair with him I know he is here. We find Brandi, Enzo, and Maui drooling asleep in the back room. None of them stirred at all so we backed out and left them sleeping. We did a get chance to say good-bye before we left for Telluride. Enzo just loves filming and editing and learning more, the ultra world isn't necessarily where we wants to work for ever, but I love that I get to share this world with him.
Today I am going to work with Norm. He is filming for Run Steep Get High and I told him I would go with him. We were suppose to go to the top of Grant Swamps Pass to film women coming up the scree field. I had tried to convince him we should drive to Ophir and go up the scree field. I thought it would take less time. But we opted for driving to Silverton and hiking up to the pass by going by Island Lake. We had our coffee and watched the news. We packed up for the day and headed to Silverton. I was so tired. I have done so much climbing this week. My body feels fine, other than 2 blisters, but I am feeling exhausted. I am considering doing nothing on Sunday. But I only have a couple days left and there are so many trails I want to see.
Sometimes I get car sick and sometimes I don’t. Today I got car sick. As we came close to Silverton I asked if we could go into town and get some food and a soda. I couldn’t imagine hiking up the pass with my stomach feeling this way. As we were headed into town we passed our Durango at the Animas river crossing for Hardrock. That meant our kids were there working. I sent them a text asking of they wanted food from the grocery store. The reply said yes please. After that came a message saying they were headed to town. Before I knew it they were behind me. It was so fun to run into them. I had planned to eat while Norm drove to the trailhead, but since Enzo and Brandi were there we sat down for a quick bite with them. They had been working since 4pm Friday filming in Ouray and now at the river crossing. They told us all their stories. They told us they watched a guy go the wrong way but couldn't say anything because they are media. It made them feel terrible but they had to follow the rules.
We are now 30 minutes off schedule, but it was worth it to see the kids and buy them some lunch. And that sandwich from the Silverton grocery store was life changing. I highly recommend if you are ever in Silverton.
South Mineral was packed! Driving down the road to the trailhead I was worried about the parking situation. I was right. On a weekend this place is nuts! Luckily we got a spot that was pretty close to the trailhead. It was sunny and warm. We had some concern about moving too fast and getting sweaty because it would make us extra cold when we got to the pass. But with the sun out it was going to be impossible to keep from sweating. It takes 2 miles to get to the turn for Island Lake. I seemed to be moving too fast for Norm. I heard this faint voice behind me say “Kristina, I can’t move this fast.” I let him get in front so that he could set the pace. We made the turn and up to Island Lake we go. Norm is really struggling. Maybe I shouldn't have taken him on the hike to Oscar’s Pass the day before. As we see the basin for the lake, we also see where the trail is going to take us. Norm is not thrilled about what lays ahead. While we are waiting for some Hardrock runners to pass us we start talking to a couple who are also going to the top of the pass. We chat a bit as we climb and sometimes step out of the way of runners.
We get to the top and it is windy and cold, like most passes. Usually we make our summit and get the heck out of there, but today we are hanging out. We try to find a good spot for filming. The scree field is so steep and long. We are suppose to be filming women, but it’s hard to tell the sex of the people coming up. It is also hard to tell who is a pacer or a runner. We are looking for numbers or bracelets (pacers wear a bracelet like you would get at a club). But this is hard to see until they are really close to us.
I am not sure how long we are there before the weather turns. It starts to rain and then hail. I am sitting and curled into a ball to try to stay warm. As the hail and rain come down harder I move to a chute between rocks to try to block the wind and stay as dry as possible. But as soon as I settle in I hear thunder. Loud thunder. I pop up and tell Norm “let’s go.” At the sound of thunder all other media and spectators make a fast exit off the peak. Norm is torn about leaving. He wants to do a good job. I want to live. Norm is thinking the storm might pass. I say good-bye and start to head down. As I start down some runners are coming behind me so I move out of the way. This section is steep and very loose. Lots of sliding on butt. Norm comes down and we stand there talking about what to do and waiting for a runner. He is moving so slowly and in such an awkward way that I wonder if he is hurt. He announces “You’re meeting the first Hardrock runner who is afraid of heights.” He is moving so slow because he is terrified. We let him know he is so close to being on “normal trail” I suggest he sit and slid down on his butt. When I am on top of a peak and my fear of heights kicks in I feel better if I squat down. He takes my advice and slides down the mountain.
The sky clears quickly and it is sunny where we are standing. All around us is doom and gloom. Norm is thinking about going back up to film more. This just seems like a bad idea. We continue heading down and it starts to hail on us. And the rain starts coming. I pick up the pace to try to get to tree cover as quickly as possible. We are surprised how many people are still starting the trip up the trail. We see lots of people hanging out under trees to get some protection from the rain.
We go into town to get coffee before driving back to Telluride. I text Enzo and Brandi but get no reply. We stop by the office. I see Enzo’s shoes and since he only has one pair with him I know he is here. We find Brandi, Enzo, and Maui drooling asleep in the back room. None of them stirred at all so we backed out and left them sleeping. We did a get chance to say good-bye before we left for Telluride. Enzo just loves filming and editing and learning more, the ultra world isn't necessarily where we wants to work for ever, but I love that I get to share this world with him.
Packing up for the day.
Having fun on the way up. I give Norm a lot of crap, but I love this guy!
Norm climbing to Island Lake
Who doesn't love a picture of Island Lake?
Norm making his way to Grant Swamp Pass
More Island Lake!
Looking down on Island Lake from the top of the climb.
So those specks? Hardrockers had to come up this scree. A lot of people just sat down to rest on the way up.
Sunday:
I really wanted to do nothing, but I also wanted to get in at least 3000 feet of climbing to have a nice round 20,000 feet for the week. My body feels great, but I am exhausted. I slept a little over 9.5 hours last night. We had some coffee and went to Clarks Grocery to get food to make brunch. After brunch I took a nice nap. When we started coming to Telluride four years ago Ava made friends with 2 girls that live here. She went off today to spend time with her friend Emma. We might not see her again. Emma’s mom works at fancy hotel here and Ava loves to go stay there because the staff spoil her rotten. I need to make a friend in Telluride who will spoil me rotten. Ha!
I finished my book on cadavers and started one on plagues. (Get Well Soon by Jennifer Wells.) I need to come up with a plan for tomorrow. The original plan was Telluride to Ouray by way of Imogene Pass. Norm would pick me up in Ouray. This seems silly though since no one cares to go to the hot springs again. I might as well just run to Imogene Pass and come back down to Telluride. But, I have been up to Tomboy before and yes I will go a bit further to go to the pass, but I won't see much new. I was interested in the Sneffels Highline. If I had run today it was what I would run, but I feel like it isn't epic enough for my last day. I am not sure that I will get back to Colorado this summer so I want to do something really awesome! I am still researching tomorrow.
I really wanted to do nothing, but I also wanted to get in at least 3000 feet of climbing to have a nice round 20,000 feet for the week. My body feels great, but I am exhausted. I slept a little over 9.5 hours last night. We had some coffee and went to Clarks Grocery to get food to make brunch. After brunch I took a nice nap. When we started coming to Telluride four years ago Ava made friends with 2 girls that live here. She went off today to spend time with her friend Emma. We might not see her again. Emma’s mom works at fancy hotel here and Ava loves to go stay there because the staff spoil her rotten. I need to make a friend in Telluride who will spoil me rotten. Ha!
I finished my book on cadavers and started one on plagues. (Get Well Soon by Jennifer Wells.) I need to come up with a plan for tomorrow. The original plan was Telluride to Ouray by way of Imogene Pass. Norm would pick me up in Ouray. This seems silly though since no one cares to go to the hot springs again. I might as well just run to Imogene Pass and come back down to Telluride. But, I have been up to Tomboy before and yes I will go a bit further to go to the pass, but I won't see much new. I was interested in the Sneffels Highline. If I had run today it was what I would run, but I feel like it isn't epic enough for my last day. I am not sure that I will get back to Colorado this summer so I want to do something really awesome! I am still researching tomorrow.
