Sunday Boss Lake Reservoir Run

My second run on Sunday was intended to be a scenic stroll to a lake or some such sight, just to relax after running Mount Shavano. In spite of the on/off drizzle, I drove up towards Monarch Ski Area to a small lake I'd found, which seemed like a short walk.

I keep forgetting how deceptive the scale is on those Trails Illustrated maps.

And I decided to run rather than walk, a grind up a stupid-steep Jeep road at 10,000 feet on tired legs, and I was racing the sun because I didn't bring a light.

Compared to my false expectations, the Jeep road seemed endless. Up, up, up. What had I gotten myself into? Finally the reservoir came into view. The clouds were so thick that the peaks I was expecting to see were totally covered. It was layers of grey, green (woods) and green (water).

I had about 1/2 hour before dark at the top, that spooky time of day when night begins to take over the mountains. The view back towards Salida:

Still, it was an interesting outing to a new place.

Distance was 3.51 miles, time 1:04 (moving 54:03), elevation gain/loss 1,022 feet, avg. pace 18:16 (moving 15:25), and best pace 7:45.