I left out a bunch of forest running, but it looks like running through pine trees, so I figure you can imagine it. These are the goodies.
This Mormon Cricket was big and juicy, and was roving around at about 11,000 feet. Good thing for it I'm not an insectivore.
Up, up, up and up some more:
Finally South Arapaho Peak came into view:
Standing in front of it, I thought "Yeah, I gotta climb that!" Peaks that seem steep are often not really that tough, and this one had well-tracked dirt trails all the way up the ridge, in spite of the steep blocky boulders.
That must be North Arapaho, it's the only nearby high point:
Looking down into the off-limits (i.e. illegal, fines imposed) Boulder watershed. The ascent route is on the brown ridge on the right, and the trailhead is off to the right, past the last lake. Ha! A nice Sunday afternoon "jog":
Once again I was pressed for time, but did a fair job of calculating the amount of time I had until sunset (assuming no problems). However I almost had a problem since I kept catching a toe here and there, wrenching my body to stay upright, and finally went down one time onto tundra and small boulders. I grazed my knee and got the cramp from hell in my right calf, and had to stop and hold a stretch for quite a while. Damn that hurt.
Bristlecone pines on the way back down:
Then, my camera popped out of my pocket and I had to trek a few hundred yards back uphill to find it once I noticed it was missing. There it was, in the dirt. Between that and the shitty signature Indian Peak rocks, I was cursing out loud at this point. Plus I don't think I got quite enough sleep the night before.
But once I got back to the mobile base camp, it was all good.
Distance was 14.20 miles, time 4:46 (moving 3:36), elevation gain/loss 3,742 feet, avg. pace 20:10 (moving 15:14), and best pace 7:16.
It was an amazingly peaceful drive back home, because I avoided Boulder Canyon and its tailgating student jerks, instead opting for Highway 72 and then 93. There was only one other vehicle headed downhill, and we were driving in perfect synchronization a few hundred yards apart. I keep expecting to catch Lucho on an evening ride back home, up the Col de Wondervu, and I drove slowly so I he doesn't have to write about how I ran him off the road on his blog. Very mellow trip. It's always nice to preserve that high peaks buzz until I get home.
