A quick tally from the trail map last week told us south Boulder trailhead to Chautauqua and back, was about 12-13 miles. It would be our longest hike this year and Teresa's last one before departure. Perhaps even more importantly, this 12 miles would come the day after a shorter, but tougher, Gregory Canyon hike and would be the 4th hike of significance that week.
Here is how it played out:
I woke at 4:50 am. In the dark I reached for my phone and planned to kill some time before the 5:30 am alarm sent me scurrying for my hiking clothes. What to do...what to do?
Ooh, I know! Let's check out the hiking trail on Google maps. A minute later I discovered that tool that allows you to drag a rough line along a map and gauge distance. 14 miles? Seems ... LONG! 😐 I made the executive decision to keep the new information to myself.
By 5:55 am, I was camped outside of Brewing Market, watching them prepare my coffee. Waiting for the neon OPEN sign to flick on and the lady in the apron to unlock the front door. I couldn't really give a crap how stalker-esque I might have seemed. 14 miles!!!
6:30 am at the South Boulder trailhead. A cold but gorgeous morning and the first rays of sun were bathing the tall golden grasses and lighting the Flatirons with pinkness. The air was clean, the birds sang happily. With packs full, we set off.
Heading directly west, we had left south Boulder trail and taken the Big Bluestem trail towards the Mesa trail, beneath the foothills. The first 2 hours are all uphill and those fab merino wool sleeves and North Face hoodie, had long since been shed.
Good morning Devil's Thumb!
About this time, Teresa was already putting together that 12 miles "seemed a bit off". It didn't help that I had gone into drill Sargent mode and suggested we didn't break until we had gone 3.5 miles. The cat was out of the bag and I confessed that I believed we'd hike no fewer than 14 up-and-down miles today. ...Perhaps it was about that time our feet started to ache a little!
Shanahan Ridge was where we caught a couple of lost dogs and slowed down to call their owner, then reconnect them. All's well that ends well... if you are not the husband who lost the dogs! You see,the first number on the tags, was wifey's and she was less than thrilled that hubby had lost the dogs in the woods while out for a run. Hate to be him when he gets home! Oops!
The second half of the hike to Chautauqua was easier and quicker. By 10 am we were waiting for a table and both feeling a little "hangry" at the slow service. The coffee and food was very welcome when it finally arrived! Then... the return journey.
It was now hotter, we were more tired and a small food coma was threatening willpower. If we had presumed to park a car at Chautauqua, for sure we'd have driven home right then.
Instead, we hit the trail. Hiking uphill once again to get back on the Mesa trail and headed south.
With already aching feet we waddled past NCAR and relished the thought of getting to the North Shanahan Ridge junction... That would mean we are 3/4 done for the day and that was the promised rest break.
Rest break! Yes! By this time we needed something different than standing upright and stopping still for a few minutes. We picked some nice looking rocks and took a load off. I found myself putting my feet up on my pack and removing my aching feet entirely from their boots. Watching Teresa slather lotion and apply a bandaid or two, I decided she was the smarter one and followed her lead. Vaseline welcome relief... Or was it the massaging it in, that felt so nice?
The last 2 miles were all downhill (thank God!) and at precisely 4 PM, we found ourselves hobbling across the car park to our cars. Hahaha... Not going to lie to you, seating myself on my cushy sheepskin seat cover was about the best feeling ever!
But honestly, this hike brought a couple of realizations crashing to my doorstep.
There are good reasons pilgrims don't do training hikes that resemble the actual Camino:
1. Training hikes this long show you what darn sore feet feel like and make you wonder why the heck you would subject them to this torture on a daily basis, for fun!
2. It took all day! I work full time and it's rare that on any day, any week, I can spend 10 hours getting my hike on - no matter how free, wonderful, healthy and proud I feel afterwards.
Here is how it played out:
I woke at 4:50 am. In the dark I reached for my phone and planned to kill some time before the 5:30 am alarm sent me scurrying for my hiking clothes. What to do...what to do?
Ooh, I know! Let's check out the hiking trail on Google maps. A minute later I discovered that tool that allows you to drag a rough line along a map and gauge distance. 14 miles? Seems ... LONG! 😐 I made the executive decision to keep the new information to myself.
By 5:55 am, I was camped outside of Brewing Market, watching them prepare my coffee. Waiting for the neon OPEN sign to flick on and the lady in the apron to unlock the front door. I couldn't really give a crap how stalker-esque I might have seemed. 14 miles!!!
6:30 am at the South Boulder trailhead. A cold but gorgeous morning and the first rays of sun were bathing the tall golden grasses and lighting the Flatirons with pinkness. The air was clean, the birds sang happily. With packs full, we set off.
Heading directly west, we had left south Boulder trail and taken the Big Bluestem trail towards the Mesa trail, beneath the foothills. The first 2 hours are all uphill and those fab merino wool sleeves and North Face hoodie, had long since been shed.
Good morning Devil's Thumb!
Shanahan Ridge was where we caught a couple of lost dogs and slowed down to call their owner, then reconnect them. All's well that ends well... if you are not the husband who lost the dogs! You see,the first number on the tags, was wifey's and she was less than thrilled that hubby had lost the dogs in the woods while out for a run. Hate to be him when he gets home! Oops!
The second half of the hike to Chautauqua was easier and quicker. By 10 am we were waiting for a table and both feeling a little "hangry" at the slow service. The coffee and food was very welcome when it finally arrived! Then... the return journey.
It was now hotter, we were more tired and a small food coma was threatening willpower. If we had presumed to park a car at Chautauqua, for sure we'd have driven home right then.
Instead, we hit the trail. Hiking uphill once again to get back on the Mesa trail and headed south.
With already aching feet we waddled past NCAR and relished the thought of getting to the North Shanahan Ridge junction... That would mean we are 3/4 done for the day and that was the promised rest break.
Rest break! Yes! By this time we needed something different than standing upright and stopping still for a few minutes. We picked some nice looking rocks and took a load off. I found myself putting my feet up on my pack and removing my aching feet entirely from their boots. Watching Teresa slather lotion and apply a bandaid or two, I decided she was the smarter one and followed her lead. Vaseline welcome relief... Or was it the massaging it in, that felt so nice?
The last 2 miles were all downhill (thank God!) and at precisely 4 PM, we found ourselves hobbling across the car park to our cars. Hahaha... Not going to lie to you, seating myself on my cushy sheepskin seat cover was about the best feeling ever!
But honestly, this hike brought a couple of realizations crashing to my doorstep.
There are good reasons pilgrims don't do training hikes that resemble the actual Camino:
1. Training hikes this long show you what darn sore feet feel like and make you wonder why the heck you would subject them to this torture on a daily basis, for fun!
2. It took all day! I work full time and it's rare that on any day, any week, I can spend 10 hours getting my hike on - no matter how free, wonderful, healthy and proud I feel afterwards.
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