faithrunner

You can tell by my other posts, I like backpacking and hiking. So, to celebrate my upcoming 70th birthday (August), two friends who have shared other adventures with me partnered to complete Segment 14 of the Colorado Trail and climb Mt. Shavano . Mark and Amy have shared epic climbs and cycling events, and I was happy they agreed to join me in my celebration of life. Mark’s wife, Linda, prepared meals and snacks for us she gathered from a blog post suggesting a backpacking meal plan. We could not have completed the trip without her help. It takes a team.  We hiked the segment from the Highway 50 trailhead north to the Chalk Creek Trailhead . Most through hikers and day hikers traveled north to south, but we only had three full days to complete the segment, and we decided to do the shorter length of the trail prior to our climb of Mt. Shavano. We started from the Highway 50 trailhead at 17:00 and hiked about a (steep) mile to our first campsite. We left that camp the next morni...

Erik, Rebecca and Jeff at the campsite about .25 mile beyond the trail head Monday, June 26, 2017 Erik and Rebecca Skogsberg and Jeff Byrd and I left the Missouri Gulch Trail Head headed for Mt. Belford and Mt. Oxford . This would be Erik and Rebecca's 2nd 14er, Jeff's first, and my 7th.  Sunday afternoon several hikers came down from the peaks saying they could only do Mt. Belford and couldn't make Mt. Oxford. They all described the trail with one phrase, "It's really steep." Of course, being optimistic and overly confident, we collectively thought they were weak and that we would easily knock out both peaks per the plan. We would eat our words for lunch on Monday. Approaching Mt. Belford via Missouri Creek Trail The weather was ideal, and the first leg is in the forest along the creek. The issue is that the steep part begins immediately as you cross the creek at the trail head! The 8-mile, 4500 ft. elevation gain, Class 2 Moderate trail create...

Our Excellent Mountain Adventures - or as Gene insists on referring to it, "Our special time at the cabin in the woods". (heavy sigh) 3 days in New Mexico hiking the tallest points in the Taos/Red River area followed by 4 days in the Colorado Rockies conquering three 14,000+ peaks. Yes we stayed in a cabin in New Mexico, courtesy of wonderful Life Group friends/family from Legacy. A 1958 cabin tucked way back in the woods alongside a small mountain lake, surrounded by pine forests and mountain ridges. Jason was nice enough to go out and buy a brand new FJ Cruiser for our trip and Gene was nice enough to show Jason some 4-wheel drive roads that put it to the test. Within an hour of arriving in Red River, we were climbing boulder strewn roads, exploring old silver mines and speeding across water-crossings and mud bogs. Gene was having a blast, goading Jason in to trying to destroy his new ride (well not EXACTLY new. It has 700 miles on it, so why not beat the hec...

Sunset Friday I spent this past Friday and Saturday outdoors. The days were hot, summer North Texas days, but I was outside the walls of my fabricated environments I dwell in most of the time, so the conditions did not matter. Friday afternoon I followed Chris and Jessica Branch up Preston Rd (289)  to Lake Texhoma outside Pottsboro to see and experience a youth camp they had attended and led since they were children.Chris' parents run the camp now. While it was hot and humid and we all wore "camp glow" (sweat) on our faces, I re-lived my days of camp. Climbing out of the rut of your routine, stepping into God's good creation, hearing God speak to you in a breeze, a bird's song, a friend's voice or a passionate teacher changes your heart. I believe such retreats from the war of our days are required to refresh and restore the soul. Lakeside Praise I liked the Native America motif and Gospel message of Camp Straight Arrow . Jessica was th...

I climbed my first 14,000-foot mountain peak this past weekend, San Luis Peak just outside Creede, CO (a "Class 1" walk up in difficulty talk) but the perfect first for me. It was a marvelous experience in every way, and upon reflection I see at least four things I know made it what it was.  Preparation: You don't wake up on a Monday and decide on Saturday you will climb a 14er, or, any ultra-endurance experience. The group I made the climb with had been planning the trip for almost a year. My personal preparation is ongoing, but about three months out, I ramped up my stair-stepping, weight lifting, and running/riding to get both my lungs and legs ready. I was prepared when I made the ascent. That did not lessen the difficulty, but all that sweat and pain before the hike made it enjoyable, not just survivable. Not everyone in the group was as prepared. All but one made the ascent, but it was not fun for everyone. I'll let them tell their stories. Persistenc...