Saturday, August 28th - We started out at 4am meeting at the Colorado Welcome Center at the intersection of Prospect and I-25 to begin our journey to Gray's Peak. It was so early that the sun had yet to shine it's first glimmer of light over the horizon, so breakfast in hand and sleepy-eyed, we caravanned two hours to the trailhead. The trailhead was much easier to find than we thought. The rough jeep road to get to the start of the hike gave us a chance to wake up a bit. Once we arrived, we didn't take much time at all to get ready. We put some layers on, grabbed our backpacks and set out for accomplishing the highest point on the Continental Divide: Gray's Peak, and for most, their first 14'er! It was slow at first getting used to the altitude, but once warmed up, it was one foot in front of the other as we climbed each switchback and boulder with deliberate and careful steps. Dawn, her son, Jake, and Brandon, set out quickly to accomplish the task at hand and waited at the top for us for a while. They were already cold by the time we arrived. We stopped for pictures along the way, and we saw some mountain goats at the top of one of the ridges. There were plenty of dogs on the trail to stop and pet, too! There was one border collie in particular that we played leap frog with, and he was doing a magnificent job on his first 14'er! A couple of us stopped halfway and turned around. It was difficult to breathe and the trail was steep in places, but most of us summitted the 14,000 foot mountain, signed in and took plenty of pictures. We hung out on the top for a while and ate lunch and talked to some of the other hikers. Our way back down was much more lively. Talking and giggling, we seemed to be flying down the mountain in record time; however, toward the end of the descent all of us were struggling with blisters and fatigue. We slowed it down, and made our way back to the car just in time for the afternoon showers. On the way back to Fort Collins, we stopped in Idaho Springs for some pizza at Beau Jo's. Some yummy food in our bellies and a great day of hiking and a major accomplishment left us all weary-eyed and happy to be back home.
Congratulations to Dawn Theis, Jake Theis, Brandon Barrett, Jennifer Hahn, and Eric Swab for their 1st 14'er! and to Jacquie Adams and Kristina Brown for their 2nd 14'er! Way to go guys!
Saturday, August 28th - Trail Work Day at Horsetooth Mountain Park! On the same day that we were climbing 14'ers, we had a group of dedicated folks who volunteered their time to working the trails at Horsetooth Mountain Park. The grassroots team at Full Cycle helped organize the event, and we had plenty of volunteers from Don't Hike Alone and Northern Colorado Outdoors! The trail work day was a success, and a big thanks goes out to Ralph Eberspacher for organizing the event and to Backcountry Provisions for their sandwich donations to our trail work crew!
Sunday, August 29th - Venus de Miles, a women's only ride starting in Longmont, Colorado, took off. With women supporting and women riding, it was a great day to be on a bicycle! It's always wonderful to see women of all ages, backgrounds shapes and sizes getting on their bicycles for a good cause! All proceeds benefitted a scholarship fund.
Sunday, August 29th - Monarch Crest Take 2 was unfortunately postponed until later... We hope to get out there again before the snows, but it may be next season before this happens...
All in all, it was a fun weekend, and we were all exhausted from the accomplishments and activities that happened! Looking forward to a major Labor Day Weekend coming up soon, too!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Weekend Update Aug 20-22
We started this last weekend a little early on Friday, and with all the excitement of New West Fest, we even ended it just a tad early, too!
Friday, August 20th - Hike Mt. Chiquita and Mt. Ypsilon in Rocky Mountain National Park! We finished what we had started a few weeks ago when we hiked up Mt. Chapin. We finished out the CCY with Chiquita and Ypsilon on Friday, and it was a beautiful day for it! It was amazing how much cooler it was at 13,000 feet than down along the Front Range where we were sweltering! We had quite a few adventures along the way. Elk were stubbornly lying across the trail we were hiking, so to be safe, we hiked off the trail to go around them. They didn't seem to mind us much, but their very large antlers were threatening nonetheless. We met up with a friendly little marmot that wanted our food at the top of Chiquita. Turns out that marmots love cherries! Who would have known? We got up to the top of Ypsilon and ate lunch while some clouds rolled in over us. With the clouds building, we cut our lunch short and headed back down the mountain. On the way back, instead of hiking back the way we had come, we went around Ypsilon and Chiquita to the trail. A long and arduous hike, we made it to the trail with relief. We took a break near a mountain stream in a meadow on the way back down. We arrived back to the trailhead exhausted and happy to have finished what we set out to do. We made our way back to Estes Park and picked up some food for the ride back down the canyon.
Friday, August 20th - New West Fest Kick-off! New West Fest is one of the biggest live music celebrations in Fort Collins! People come from all over Northern Colorado to participate in this free event, and they kicked it off with the Flobots on Friday night. We met up with everyone at Coopersmith's and had some dinner and drinks before going out to watch the music. With a fun group of people and great music, how could we not have a fun time?
Saturday, August 21st - Leo Luau - It was a hot day on Saturday, and the best way to cool off is in the river! Meeting up to celebrate our Leo Birthdays, we splashed around in the water with the dogs at a park on the east side of town. With a rope swing and some floaties, life doesn't get much better - except with food and yummy beverages!
Sunday, August 22nd - Women on Bikes Ladies' Choice ride and New West Fest - Our Women on Bikes Ride this week was a marvelous learning experience! We did some route planning, and practiced riding in traffic around campus and the city. Riding along paths that were unfamiliar to us, we found our way along the path we had chosen and made it back to New West Fest just in time for Post Paradise! Even with the hot day, the exercise felt good and the socializing was fun!
We have another big weekend next weekend! We'll be heading out to hike Grays and Torreys - two class II Fourteeners! Then, we'll stay the night to ride Monarch Crest the very next day! It's time to start packing everything in! Project End of Summer is underway!
Friday, August 20th - Hike Mt. Chiquita and Mt. Ypsilon in Rocky Mountain National Park! We finished what we had started a few weeks ago when we hiked up Mt. Chapin. We finished out the CCY with Chiquita and Ypsilon on Friday, and it was a beautiful day for it! It was amazing how much cooler it was at 13,000 feet than down along the Front Range where we were sweltering! We had quite a few adventures along the way. Elk were stubbornly lying across the trail we were hiking, so to be safe, we hiked off the trail to go around them. They didn't seem to mind us much, but their very large antlers were threatening nonetheless. We met up with a friendly little marmot that wanted our food at the top of Chiquita. Turns out that marmots love cherries! Who would have known? We got up to the top of Ypsilon and ate lunch while some clouds rolled in over us. With the clouds building, we cut our lunch short and headed back down the mountain. On the way back, instead of hiking back the way we had come, we went around Ypsilon and Chiquita to the trail. A long and arduous hike, we made it to the trail with relief. We took a break near a mountain stream in a meadow on the way back down. We arrived back to the trailhead exhausted and happy to have finished what we set out to do. We made our way back to Estes Park and picked up some food for the ride back down the canyon.
Friday, August 20th - New West Fest Kick-off! New West Fest is one of the biggest live music celebrations in Fort Collins! People come from all over Northern Colorado to participate in this free event, and they kicked it off with the Flobots on Friday night. We met up with everyone at Coopersmith's and had some dinner and drinks before going out to watch the music. With a fun group of people and great music, how could we not have a fun time?
Saturday, August 21st - Leo Luau - It was a hot day on Saturday, and the best way to cool off is in the river! Meeting up to celebrate our Leo Birthdays, we splashed around in the water with the dogs at a park on the east side of town. With a rope swing and some floaties, life doesn't get much better - except with food and yummy beverages!
Sunday, August 22nd - Women on Bikes Ladies' Choice ride and New West Fest - Our Women on Bikes Ride this week was a marvelous learning experience! We did some route planning, and practiced riding in traffic around campus and the city. Riding along paths that were unfamiliar to us, we found our way along the path we had chosen and made it back to New West Fest just in time for Post Paradise! Even with the hot day, the exercise felt good and the socializing was fun!
We have another big weekend next weekend! We'll be heading out to hike Grays and Torreys - two class II Fourteeners! Then, we'll stay the night to ride Monarch Crest the very next day! It's time to start packing everything in! Project End of Summer is underway!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Weekend Update Aug 13-15
This past weekend was one of the busiest of the season, and another fun and fabulous weekend with fun and fabulous people!
August 13th: Eat Pray Love, the Movie. A couple of us went for the matinee showing of Eat Pray Love at the Cinemark in Fort Collins! It did a beautiful job of living up to the book. Julia Roberts owned the role of Liz Gilbert, and pulled it off with finesse and grace. The movie was as powerful as the book in its heartfelt way of touching each person in the theatre in a different way. I recommend reading the book and watching the movie!
After the movie, we all gathered at the Tobler residence for Matt's Birthday BBQ! With yummy food and friends, we celebrated all evening by catching up and enjoying the Colorado evening!
August 14th: Mountain Biking Hall Ranch. Again, a few of us set out to discover the trails at Hall Ranch. We got there just at high time, but it didn't seem to bother any of us. We jumped on our bikes and wheels down on the dirt by 10am! The climb to the top of the trail was a little loose and technical but nothing that any of us couldn't handle. We pushed through it and arrived at the top for water and to enjoy the views. It was an amazing day! The weather was cool and the sun was shining! The next push was around the Nelson Loop after the Antelope Trail. It was another climb, but without a lot of the loose rock that existed in the first trail. There were a few technical spots that we cleared and ended up at the top of a hill with a view of Long's Peak just across the meadow! Now, this is where it got really fun! The Downhill! We hopped back on our bikes and bombed the downhill from the top of the Nelson Loop! Fun, fast, buttery trails! When we met back up at the intersection at Antelope and Nelson, we all hopped back on to do the last bit. Another fun, more technical descent to keep us on our toes. All in all, it was a great ride! Awesome weather, fun riding buddies, a great trail = an amazing mountain biking day. After a stop at the Cheese Importers in Longmont, we headed back to the Fort with smiles on our faces!
August 14th: Built to Spill Concert at Mishawaka. We headed up the Poudre Canyon toward the Columbine Lodge to see if we could find a camping spot before the show. Luckily, the folks at the Columbine Lodge gave us a small spot in the middle of the campground to set up tents. Camp was set up in no time at all, and we were hanging out having a drink before going up the canyon further to the Mish. We talked to some of the other campers and walked down to the river to hang out. Finally, our shuttle was ready to go. A little green station wagon and an interesting woman driving us to our destination. It sort of reminded me of something out of Harry Potter - any minute the car was going to take off flying or she was going to strap us in and take us to her lair for soup... Okay, I digress and my imagination was carried off for a moment. We arrived at Mishawaka in plenty of time for the show, so food and drinks were again in order. Now, if you want some good junk food, the Mish has some great burgers, fries, and chicken wings. I have yet to try their salads, but they have great junk food! After some food and meeting up with the rest of our group, we went down to the concert area during the opening band, Fin-Reagans, another Boise band. They had a good sound, although, by the end of their set some of their songs were beginning to sound alike. Built to Spill didn't waste any time going on stage. They came out right after the opening band, and played a great show! Everyone was dancing under the stars in the canyon. Built to Spill really rocked the Mish that night! After they finished their last set, we all went back to camp and crashed among the parties going on around us, one of which we found out later involved the opening band, the Fin-Reagans.
August 15th: Mountain Biking Curt Gowdy- Wyoming State Park - It was time for another Curt Gowdy ride! We were all stoked, and with Petro on a new bike, we headed out to Wyoming for some sweet rides! We followed Brad into Stone Temple and over Ignoramus. Some serious climbs that required advanced technical skills, but we all did well and cleared a lot of the rocks and roots that created the challenge. We followed Ignoramus around to a sweet part of Stone Temple, which was fast and flowy. Then, we jumped onto Albert's Way for some more buttery, smooth singletrack and then finished up on Mo 'Rocka - a technical descent through the trees. Petro, first time on her new bike with clips and a night out, did amazing! The rest of us had a great ride, too, and we finished up with some food from Sweet Melissa's in Laramie and a drive back to Fort Collins!
Canning with Carol - Jacquie's mom was in town for the weekend and generously offered her canning skills to us for all of our harvest from gardens and CSA's. She showed us how to pack the vegetables and fruit, how long to boil it, and what ingredients we needed to add to the jars. All the fruit and veggies looked beautiful preserved in the jars. We canned green beans, peaches, and squash, and can't wait to preserve more from the harvest!
Whew! That's it for our busy, busy weekend! It sure feels good to go back to work after such a fun weekend!
August 13th: Eat Pray Love, the Movie. A couple of us went for the matinee showing of Eat Pray Love at the Cinemark in Fort Collins! It did a beautiful job of living up to the book. Julia Roberts owned the role of Liz Gilbert, and pulled it off with finesse and grace. The movie was as powerful as the book in its heartfelt way of touching each person in the theatre in a different way. I recommend reading the book and watching the movie!
After the movie, we all gathered at the Tobler residence for Matt's Birthday BBQ! With yummy food and friends, we celebrated all evening by catching up and enjoying the Colorado evening!
August 14th: Mountain Biking Hall Ranch. Again, a few of us set out to discover the trails at Hall Ranch. We got there just at high time, but it didn't seem to bother any of us. We jumped on our bikes and wheels down on the dirt by 10am! The climb to the top of the trail was a little loose and technical but nothing that any of us couldn't handle. We pushed through it and arrived at the top for water and to enjoy the views. It was an amazing day! The weather was cool and the sun was shining! The next push was around the Nelson Loop after the Antelope Trail. It was another climb, but without a lot of the loose rock that existed in the first trail. There were a few technical spots that we cleared and ended up at the top of a hill with a view of Long's Peak just across the meadow! Now, this is where it got really fun! The Downhill! We hopped back on our bikes and bombed the downhill from the top of the Nelson Loop! Fun, fast, buttery trails! When we met back up at the intersection at Antelope and Nelson, we all hopped back on to do the last bit. Another fun, more technical descent to keep us on our toes. All in all, it was a great ride! Awesome weather, fun riding buddies, a great trail = an amazing mountain biking day. After a stop at the Cheese Importers in Longmont, we headed back to the Fort with smiles on our faces!
August 14th: Built to Spill Concert at Mishawaka. We headed up the Poudre Canyon toward the Columbine Lodge to see if we could find a camping spot before the show. Luckily, the folks at the Columbine Lodge gave us a small spot in the middle of the campground to set up tents. Camp was set up in no time at all, and we were hanging out having a drink before going up the canyon further to the Mish. We talked to some of the other campers and walked down to the river to hang out. Finally, our shuttle was ready to go. A little green station wagon and an interesting woman driving us to our destination. It sort of reminded me of something out of Harry Potter - any minute the car was going to take off flying or she was going to strap us in and take us to her lair for soup... Okay, I digress and my imagination was carried off for a moment. We arrived at Mishawaka in plenty of time for the show, so food and drinks were again in order. Now, if you want some good junk food, the Mish has some great burgers, fries, and chicken wings. I have yet to try their salads, but they have great junk food! After some food and meeting up with the rest of our group, we went down to the concert area during the opening band, Fin-Reagans, another Boise band. They had a good sound, although, by the end of their set some of their songs were beginning to sound alike. Built to Spill didn't waste any time going on stage. They came out right after the opening band, and played a great show! Everyone was dancing under the stars in the canyon. Built to Spill really rocked the Mish that night! After they finished their last set, we all went back to camp and crashed among the parties going on around us, one of which we found out later involved the opening band, the Fin-Reagans.
August 15th: Mountain Biking Curt Gowdy- Wyoming State Park - It was time for another Curt Gowdy ride! We were all stoked, and with Petro on a new bike, we headed out to Wyoming for some sweet rides! We followed Brad into Stone Temple and over Ignoramus. Some serious climbs that required advanced technical skills, but we all did well and cleared a lot of the rocks and roots that created the challenge. We followed Ignoramus around to a sweet part of Stone Temple, which was fast and flowy. Then, we jumped onto Albert's Way for some more buttery, smooth singletrack and then finished up on Mo 'Rocka - a technical descent through the trees. Petro, first time on her new bike with clips and a night out, did amazing! The rest of us had a great ride, too, and we finished up with some food from Sweet Melissa's in Laramie and a drive back to Fort Collins!
Canning with Carol - Jacquie's mom was in town for the weekend and generously offered her canning skills to us for all of our harvest from gardens and CSA's. She showed us how to pack the vegetables and fruit, how long to boil it, and what ingredients we needed to add to the jars. All the fruit and veggies looked beautiful preserved in the jars. We canned green beans, peaches, and squash, and can't wait to preserve more from the harvest!
Whew! That's it for our busy, busy weekend! It sure feels good to go back to work after such a fun weekend!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Living Your Best Life
I've been doing a series as editor of a Houston Newsletter on Living Your Best Life, and I wanted to share some of those same comments here. Northern Colorado Outdoors is one of the best places to learn to Live Your Best Life. You can interact with people socially and actively, you can learn new sports and new activities, you can get active and get in shape, you can travel and see other parts of the country/world, you can expand your mind through movies, books, culture, and life, and the list goes on and on.
Living your best life is something that Oprah has successfully created as part of her talk show and part of her magazine, and it is so popular because it is so relevant. We are all looking for ways to live our best life. After all, we only have one chance at it, right?
Everyone has their own experiences with this topic, and mine, just like everyone's, involves experience. We are all seeking friendships and experiences in life that are worthwhile. We want to continue to have those magical moments when we ride a trail all the way through for the very first time or when we make up the hill without stopping. These are the moments that make life worthwhile, and kudos to all of our Northern Colorado Outdoors' members for seeking those experiences and continually growing from them!
Most often these experiences come in the form of glimpses instead of long-term experiences; however, it is the consistent effort and the love and motivation that is put forth in our efforts that make those glimpses even more special. I encourage everyone, everywhere to experience something new every day and enjoy life to its very fullest!
Happy Trails!
Living your best life is something that Oprah has successfully created as part of her talk show and part of her magazine, and it is so popular because it is so relevant. We are all looking for ways to live our best life. After all, we only have one chance at it, right?
Everyone has their own experiences with this topic, and mine, just like everyone's, involves experience. We are all seeking friendships and experiences in life that are worthwhile. We want to continue to have those magical moments when we ride a trail all the way through for the very first time or when we make up the hill without stopping. These are the moments that make life worthwhile, and kudos to all of our Northern Colorado Outdoors' members for seeking those experiences and continually growing from them!
Most often these experiences come in the form of glimpses instead of long-term experiences; however, it is the consistent effort and the love and motivation that is put forth in our efforts that make those glimpses even more special. I encourage everyone, everywhere to experience something new every day and enjoy life to its very fullest!
Happy Trails!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Weekend Update Aug 7-8
I have to say, I do have the best job in the whole world! I get to play outside and hang out with really cool people! It was another wonderful weekend in Northern Colorado. Just check out all the fun things we did:
Saturday Farmer's Market & Brunch - A leisurely morning led us to the Larimer County Farmer's Market at Mason and Oak St. in Old Town Fort Collins. There were loads of great buys there with fresh garlic, mushrooms, eggplant and the peaches just started arriving. Afterward, we headed over to Dempsey's for some brunch and people watching. The people watching was light, but the food was good! Fresh squeezed orange juice and rosemary-potato bread toasted! Yum!
Saturday Ruff Hike and Pooch Swim - After some time napping and shopping, we all met up at the Dog Park for some hiking around the lake and a chance for the dogs to get a good swim. They all chased each other through the water and got good and worn out and cooled off from the heat. It was a hot day, but the pooch plunge made it all worthwhile.
Sunday Pedal to the Point - The Pedal to the Point ride was this year out in Wellington. The proceeds from the ride go to the Realities for Children organization. The weather was a little warm, but it was doable. 52 and 25 miles across the Front Range from Wellington to I-25 to Fort Collins and back again! Whew! Great ride!
For those of us that didn't do the Pedal to the Point, we went on an impromptu mountain bike ride to scout out the new trails at Curt Gowdy for next week's ride! It was breezy and cool along the hilly Wyoming landscape. Can't wait to get back out next weekend for more mountain biking, live music, and fun!
Saturday Farmer's Market & Brunch - A leisurely morning led us to the Larimer County Farmer's Market at Mason and Oak St. in Old Town Fort Collins. There were loads of great buys there with fresh garlic, mushrooms, eggplant and the peaches just started arriving. Afterward, we headed over to Dempsey's for some brunch and people watching. The people watching was light, but the food was good! Fresh squeezed orange juice and rosemary-potato bread toasted! Yum!
Saturday Ruff Hike and Pooch Swim - After some time napping and shopping, we all met up at the Dog Park for some hiking around the lake and a chance for the dogs to get a good swim. They all chased each other through the water and got good and worn out and cooled off from the heat. It was a hot day, but the pooch plunge made it all worthwhile.
Sunday Pedal to the Point - The Pedal to the Point ride was this year out in Wellington. The proceeds from the ride go to the Realities for Children organization. The weather was a little warm, but it was doable. 52 and 25 miles across the Front Range from Wellington to I-25 to Fort Collins and back again! Whew! Great ride!
For those of us that didn't do the Pedal to the Point, we went on an impromptu mountain bike ride to scout out the new trails at Curt Gowdy for next week's ride! It was breezy and cool along the hilly Wyoming landscape. Can't wait to get back out next weekend for more mountain biking, live music, and fun!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Weekend Update July 31-Aug 1
The summer doesn't seem to be winding down at all! Our segue into August was just as busy as ever!
Friday evening we went up to Laramie, Wyoming, and camped with the Laramie Enduro racers. It was a fun family experience! Lots of kids and dogs running around, a campfire, and dinner in Laramie at Sweet Melissa's Vegetarian Cafe. We had delicious cashew cheese queso, a portabello swiss veggie burger with mashed potatoes, and some yummy beers!
Saturday was the race. We were up at 5:45am getting ready to race at 7:00am. We stuffed our packs full of goo's, loaded up our camelbacks with hydration, geared up and headed out... We waited at the race start for a few minutes before they called the "GO" signal. Once we got started, there was a climb to get to the singletrack, which started to thin people out. It was a fun 16 miles or so. Fast and flowy over jeep roads. We stayed in the middle to end of our pack for a while until we got to the long grueling climb at about mile 20. Once the long and grueling climb was over, we were bonking with no food in our bellies and DNF'd at the second aid station. For not having trained for the race at all, 30 miles felt like a good accomplishment for this year. We will go back next year and conquer the Laramie Enduro! As for the rest of the crew, we had two others DNF at mile 60 for exhaustion and a crash. One finished at 10 hours and a few others finished in just over 9 hours. It was a tough race! Congratulations to everyone who got out there and put in the effort!
We didn't have anything on the calendar for Sunday. We were trying to go tubin' up the Poudre but the weather got in the way. It was all good, though! A few folks got together for a hot yoga class at Breathe that night. It felt good to sweat all those toxins out and get a good workout!
More events are being posted to the calendar for August this week! Make sure and check the calendar often to find out what's going on!
Friday evening we went up to Laramie, Wyoming, and camped with the Laramie Enduro racers. It was a fun family experience! Lots of kids and dogs running around, a campfire, and dinner in Laramie at Sweet Melissa's Vegetarian Cafe. We had delicious cashew cheese queso, a portabello swiss veggie burger with mashed potatoes, and some yummy beers!
Saturday was the race. We were up at 5:45am getting ready to race at 7:00am. We stuffed our packs full of goo's, loaded up our camelbacks with hydration, geared up and headed out... We waited at the race start for a few minutes before they called the "GO" signal. Once we got started, there was a climb to get to the singletrack, which started to thin people out. It was a fun 16 miles or so. Fast and flowy over jeep roads. We stayed in the middle to end of our pack for a while until we got to the long grueling climb at about mile 20. Once the long and grueling climb was over, we were bonking with no food in our bellies and DNF'd at the second aid station. For not having trained for the race at all, 30 miles felt like a good accomplishment for this year. We will go back next year and conquer the Laramie Enduro! As for the rest of the crew, we had two others DNF at mile 60 for exhaustion and a crash. One finished at 10 hours and a few others finished in just over 9 hours. It was a tough race! Congratulations to everyone who got out there and put in the effort!
We didn't have anything on the calendar for Sunday. We were trying to go tubin' up the Poudre but the weather got in the way. It was all good, though! A few folks got together for a hot yoga class at Breathe that night. It felt good to sweat all those toxins out and get a good workout!
More events are being posted to the calendar for August this week! Make sure and check the calendar often to find out what's going on!
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