She Came To Hell 'Cause Of The Shade

My daughter Jennifer was waiting for me at the main street roundabout Hells Kitchen Pizza, at a shaded sidewalk table with two slices of Veggie Pizza. It was hotter than hell everywhere else.

We had just finished a few miles on the trail up Pikes Peak. From parking, six miles and 1,900 climb-feet in three hours, starting at 6,400 ft altitude.

The Pikes Peak Barr Trail trailhead is in west Manitou Springs main street (parked here), out Ruxton Avenue off the roundabout, then past the Cog Railroad Depot and right on Hydro Street. There are two trails: Barr and The Incline (on Ruxton). The first part of the trail is a walk in the park... worn and well-marked, packed dirt, rocks and gravel, all switchbacks, and tons of people... not a wilderness experience. Most people climb up The Incline and run down Barr.

Prior to that, we hiked to Dominguez Canyon mine... and saw nobody past the first mile or so. We picked it for its low elevation, having to abort our first choice due to a forest fire. This hike was 14 miles, 2,000 climb-feet in 8 hours (in two days).

In the middle was a dayhike up Freemont Peak to gawk at the Royal Gorge but avoid the tourists. On-trail, we only met a nice local couple... with Freemont County Search and Rescue... who came from San Diego 12 years earlier. This peak was populated with three antenna sites, of dozens of varieties and frequencies. This short but pretty dayhike was 2.2 miles, 600 climb-feet in an hour and a half, and was a great view.


This year's early father-daughter bonding hike was part hike, part road trip and all fun. Jennifer is doing very well ("a stellar pregnancy", she says), starting her 6th month. She is handling her dissertation and other stresses well. She's a tough cookie and I am proud of her.

The plan was to stay below 10,000 ft elevation. The hikes were similar to my current but low-altitude training hikes. Every year it's different, and I look forward to the next.


- © 2012 by Willy

They Were Talking About Me

"Are you a Storm Chaser?" The two old ladies beamed big grins at me at Baggage Claim today. They were referring to my backpack, with tennis ball covering the tip of my protruding hiking pole and foam pad attached. I'm sure I impressed them, but not sure if it was the pole or the fact that I crammed the whole thing in the overhead compartment.

"Naaa... just out hiking for a few days." I said, and smiled back.

It's early in the year for my father-daughter bonding hike. This one in the Rockies but at moderate altitudes... around nine or ten thousand feet. Cold temperatures and snow expected as well as many interesting conversations.

One of several topics of conversation tonight was keeping small things from stressing her. "Small fish versus big fish like my dissertation."

I look forward to these every year. Yes, the talk as well as the hikes.

- © 2012 by Willy

It's Going Quick!

My Daffodils started blooming in mid-January, the Bluebells have peaked already and the Mayapple blooms are about gone. I've expected, monitored and enjoyed them all.

It's been perfect temps for hiking, and the winds are down for enjoyable bicycling. I've been doing a lot of both, but am not peaked yet training-wise. My annual July hiking trip with the daughter is this week (in full down and with stove at 10K-ft snow camp), and the usual December Florida family reunion (and hot bicycling) is next week. Good grief! Time has compressed... it's been a quick year, already. I may get thermal shock.

Thank goodness that my traditional Memorial Day weekend hike is staying put, then June will bring the 14ers in crampons and ice axe, bagging peaks in the Rockies. I have no idea what I'm doing after that, but have wanted to do the A.T. north of Fontana... a tough climb. This year I plan to wear myself out with twice the adventure.


- © 2012 by Willy

It's All In The Thinking

I've had many an accident and injury, and of most disrepair has always been the thinking.

Equally, I've had success upon success, all due to great expectations. Positive or negative... amazingly... it's all in the thinking. Resolve has pushed my body further than possible... the last bit of energy just appears, by magic. Also, at times, my tired body has influenced my mind to generate negative thoughts. On the other hand, my trained body, at times, has given me a mental high. My body and mind, positive and negative, have coupled through attitude and thinking. If I wanted it bad, I went for it. If I went for it, I wanted it. I created the dream in my mind and the action came true. If I went for it, the dream came true. With action... positive or negative... it came... positive or negative.

Repairing my mind has fixed my body.


- © 2012 by Willy