I know someone who nearly got gnawed on by a misbehaving dog here, and I encountered a growling pup myself this time, having to back up the trail to prevent it from circling behind me for who-knows-what-purpose. The usual excuses ensued: "He's friendly" (grrrrrr... ruff! ruff!). No, "friendly" looks like wagging and trying to lick my face. I told him he might want to bring a leash. Wake up, dude.
I pondered this as I wound up through the aspen woods...
And through fields of flowers...
... to the summit:
Here's a zoom shot of the West Needles, with Turret Peak in the middle and Pigeon Peak to the left of that:
My brother -- and now his girlfriend -- are trying to convince me to go backpacking on the CO Trail, in spite of the lack of hot showers and other amenities :| (cappuccino, please!) However, it occurred to me this flatlanders' fever dream may dovetail nicely with my own desire to get over to Chicago Basin and the Weminuche to tackle some peaks and see sights in hard-to-reach areas. Can you say "Wham"?
Bwa-ha-ha!
I'd just have to swallow my pride in being able to run there and back in a day.
On my outing this time I ran a little bit past the Castle Rock turnoff towards the Elbert Creek road. According to a guy who was hiking up there, the road isn't too much farther, I may head up there some time to explore. But honestly I run this trail when I'm short on time but want something with good bang for the buck.
The ranger cabin:
More aspens, which cause me to stop about every 50 yards for a photo. I mean really, look at this. Who wouldn't want to be shredded by a canine here:
Run distance was 6.57 miles, time 1:58 (moving 1:23), elevation gain/loss 1,953 feet, avg. pace 18:01 (moving 12:43), and best pace 6:37.
