Jan 14 - 20

01-14-2013
Mon- nada.

01-15-2013
Tue-AM: 1:12, 2600 ~ Green Mt.
Went up and down 1st Access from Chautauqua. Wow, running up and down mountains is hard. But the hip was 100%.

01-16-2013
Wed-AM: 1:54, 3000 ~ 2nd Flatiron+Green Mt.
Oy, this run kinda wrecked me. Ran from my doorstep, ~18min to Chat, then bumbled my way up the hill. Wouldn't have made it up the 2nd (Freeway route) without Microspikes, so was pleased I brought those. Bonked hard about half-way down the hill and it was about all I could do to stumble home.  Reeaaally not fit right now, but a good place to be in January.

01-17-2013
Thu-AM: 7:30, 5000' ~ Longs Peak (14,255')
Up Kieners, down Cables with Joe. Fantastic day on the mountain. Next time we can definitely simul-climb, which should cut almost an hour off the car-to-car time. My first 14er of the year, first calendar winter ascent of Longs (though both my October and November outings were in "winter conditions" I would say), and a January grid slot for Longs. Highly satisfying outing; I was reminded of why I did Kieners seven times this past summer.

01-18-2013
Fri-AM: 1:13, 2800' ~ 2nd Flatiron+Green Mt.
A little tired and sore from yesterday, so deliberately took it easy today. Flatirons look basically dry enough to scramble but I was wearing a pair of shoes with screws in them, so was forced into staying on only the 2nd Flatiron, which is moderate enough to be climbed without much friction. Another crazy warm day.

01-19-2013
Sat-AM: 2:58, 5700' ~ Flatiron Quinfecta+Green Mt.
Damn, the Quinfecta is just the best. It's been a month since I've been able to get any scrambling in, so I decided that depending on conditions today I was going for all five Flatirons.  Things got off to a tenuous start on the First as a couple of key holds had ice and snow on them, but I just improvised and took it easy.  The base of the Second required a much more difficult start than usual in order to avoid the snow and ice, but again, no issues. The Third was the driest rock of the day.  After overcoming the snow at the base of the Fifth it was dry enough, but descending its south side required hip-deep postholing in the shade. In running shorts. Ouch.  The Fourth was probably the most sustainedly tricky with the whole Birthing Canal section on the second piece being completely full of snow, not to mention that by this point I was bonking like a champ (I forgot to bring a gel or two) and was desperately sucking on snowballs.  I gamely trudged to the top of Green, but was able to regain some energy on the downhill.  Slowest time I've ever posted on this link-up (barring the first scouting mission), but it was easily the trickiest conditions I've done it in and me at my worst fitness. Temps probably hit +60F today. A week ago, the highs were in the single digits.  Gotta love the Front Range.

01-20-2013
Sun-AM: 2:10, 3000' ~ 3rd Flatiron+Green Mt.
Quite tired today, so just tried to take it easy. Yesterday took it out of me.

Hours: 16h56min
Vert: 22,200'

Well, 2013 had a bit of an inauspicious start for me.  While visiting my parents in Nebraska over Christmas I developed a bit of tendonitis in my right hip flexor (damn runnable terrain!) and it's taken me until this past week to finally come right...but now--after some really helpful trigger-point therapy at Peak Performance Acupuncture and some excruciating body work from Jeff Staron--all is finally right with the world again.  Or at least moving in the right direction.  I still have to manage it, but at least I can get out in the mountains again.

Boulder is getting it's annual spate of unseasonably awesome January weather right now, so I've been getting back on the Flatirons for some scrambling and am looking forward to start making regular trips up to Longs Peak, too.  Joe and I got back up there again yesterday (Tuesday, 1/22) for another lap on Kieners, so things are going well on that front.  Main priority right now, though, will be to get my hip 100% healthy and keep it (and the rest of my body) that way.

Went to a Walkmen show Monday night, too. Probably my favorite band.  Here is a (different) full concert of theirs:

Lambs Slide at the entrance to Broadway right now on Longs Peak. A lot of exposed water ice. Colorado is very dry.

Joe on upper Kieners on Longs Peak. The Notch in the background.