The Phillips Family

In September Kelly and Stephen took a little vacation to Colorado. They spent their last night in the Rockies with us, and we greatly enjoyed their visit. The first time we had met Stephen had been at their wedding (if you don’t count Skyping once), so I was really looking forward to getting to know him a little better. And of course, it was wonderful to have a little time to visit with my dear friend Twig. We went on a hike to St. Mary’s Glacier and it was gorgeous this time of year, with wildflowers blooming, the river flowing, and a few silly high schoolers sliding down dirty snow. Unfortunately, something was wrong with the camera lens, so none of our pictures turned out great. Come back anytime, you two!

I've never really considered metamorphosis. Just think about it… one body structure breaking down and recomposing into a new body structure with new features and functions.

Have you?

Here's the web site for the film and also a link to the companion book in PDF format.

August was a busy month for us, with my family in town, a trip to Texas to see Annie's family, and the Pikes Peak race. Our last busy weekend of the month was well worth it. I joined a group of friends from church in a fundraiser for the Wilderness Ministry Institute called Project 54. The goal is to have a team summit all 54 Colorado 14ers on a single day. Our group was tasked to climbed South Maroon Peak, one of the Maroon Bells (along with North Maroon Peak), some of the most photographed and iconic mountains in Colorado. These are serious mountains and were by far the most technically difficult 14ers that I've ever climbed. They garnered the nickname “The Deadly Bells” in 1965 when eight climbers died in five different accidents. A sign near the trailhead warns of “downsloping, loose, rotten and unstable” rock that “kills without warning.” Something my mother would've loved to know.

Since we were going to be climbing South Maroon, we figured we would climb North Maroon, as well, and for those that wanted, Pyramid Peak across the valley on Sunday. I felt bad leaving the Annies at home for the weekend, so the Sorensen's graciously allowed them to stay with at their house in Vail with them. More on their weekend a little further down.

After driving together to Vail, I continued onto Aspen and met up with the six other people of the team. Upon arrival at the trailhead and camp site, we saw numerous signs like this posted:

Ignorant of the exact “incident/encounter” at the time, we did our best to keep our food away from the tents and take whatever other precautions needed. After the weekend, I come back to these two stories, which took place in the exact same campground the weekend before. Evidently it was tracked and killed the next day. It was a good reminder that, even though I've never seen a bear in the wilderness, they are there.

Front Range man fights off bear mauling him near Aspen

Bear attacks sleeping climber near Maroon Bells

The next morning came awfully quick and we were on the trail up South Maroon. The trail was steep but the climb was incredible. We encountered a few technical areas of steeper rock, but the summit was not too difficult. The surrounding valleys were so green that they looked like manicured lawns from our vantage point. The best part of the climb was the traverse between the two mountains. There are parts that were low class 5, which typically means roped protection is required, but the climbing moves were within our ability as we moved slowly and carefully up or around each cliff or obstacle. From a distance the mountains look impossible with their steep faces of loose rock, but as we came to each difficulty, a way would become apparent and we kept moving. The longest part of the day was the trip down, where we descended the unfamiliar North Maroon trail, with its own sections of class 4 cliffs, which we had to downclimb (more difficult). Fortunately the rain held off for the day and we were moving down on dry rock. Overall it was a memorable day of climbing with a great group of friends.

Steep climb to the ridge

Looking back up the valley towards Aspen and the rising sun

The sun comes over the Pyramid Ridge

On the ridge

Our first view of South Maroon Peak

Complex and interesting terrain

People in a vertical sea of rock

Lots of traverses…

… and ledges…

… and more ledges…

On the summit with our next destination in the background

North Maroon in the clouds

Beginning the traverse

One of the many obstacles to go up and over

One of the more difficult cliffs, class 5 with lots of exposure

My favorite photo of the day, giving you an idea of the exposure

On top of North Maroon

Sitting by the trail to take a break, and up come the experts

The Maroon Bells

Back at the camp site I decided that two big summits was a great accomplishment, and with achy knees, decided to head back to Vail and spend the day with Annie and Jane on Sunday. We joined the Sorensens for church, then had german food in Vail at Pepi's for lunch. Then it was off to Piney River Trail, a beautiful valley with a great view of the Gore Mountains. It was our first time to see a moose in the wild, a large bull moseying through the shallows of the lake. Annie had a large crush immediately. Collectively over the weekend we saw a moose, a few snakes, a porcupine (that ran up and stole a friend's snack bag), marmots, fish, mountain goats, a hawk, and a pika. I still haven't seen a bear, a mountain lion, or, at the top of Annie's list, a beaver (there's still time, mom). After the moose we hiked a few miles in, where Tom and Kristen dropped some flies in the water, and Annie tried her hand at it, as well.

While I was gone on Saturday, Annie and Jane enjoyed the hospitality of the Sorensens and spent all day cooking with Kristen. They made handmade ravioli with three types of filling (wild mushroom, yam, and spicy pork) and three different sauces (a red sauce, romesco, and a sage-butter sauce). For desert they made a peach tart with quark cheese and homemade dough. Unfortunately I was not around for the feast, but I did get a few leftovers. A big thanks to Tom and Kristen for the hospitality (especially that hot shower Saturday night) and for the wonderful food and scenery.

Our sweet girl

The closest thing to a beaver so far, it's entrance hole

Six years ago I discovered the Pikes Peak Ascent, a race that begins in downtown Manitou Springs, Colorado at an elevation of 6,300′ and ends at the top of Pikes Peak, elevation 14,115′ some 13.32 miles later. I probably spoke a bit too highly of it then as now I can count myself among those who have finished it!

Preparation for the race actually began last year when I ran the Aspen Half Marathon in late September. In order to register for the Pikes Peak Ascent, you have qualify with a particular time on either a half or full marathon. The number of entries for the Ascent is limited and the race is incredibly popular, thus each year it seems the qualifications have become more and more restrictive. Fortunately I was able to run a sub 2.5 hour half in Aspen and eeked into the Pikes Peak registration in March. Within weeks of registering I rolled my ankle and tore a ligament, casting doubt that I would even be able to participate, but by the end of May I was on the trails again and things were looking up (see previous post).

The race was on August 20th in Manitou Springs, so I spent the night with my good friends the Smiths of EMI in Colorado Springs the night before. I was up by 5:00 and at the starting line at 6:00 for a 7:30 start. The race runs from downtown Manitou and goes up the Barr Trail, designed and built by Fred Barr from 1914 to 1921. I hiked the full trail to the summit years ago and ran part of this trail last summer, so I wasn't completely new to the course. But I also spent plenty of time reviewing Matt Carpenter's course description in preparation. Below is a Google Earth image of the trail.

And a GPS path from my watch from the race:

The key to a 13.3 mile uphill race is to not start out too quickly. One of the hardest parts of the course comes early at the “W's,” a series of steep switchbacks that gets your heart and legs pumping right off the start. With the number of runners funneling through such a narrow trail, passing can be difficult, but it serves well to slow people down.

(Look closely and you can see the trail and runners)

Overall the run went very well, even though I was a little down on myself for walking as much as I did. But this was definitely the norm for everyone around me. As I got above treeline, I was hiking, but still felt strong and was carrying on at a decent pace. Coming around one switchback a rescue volunteer even commented, “great pace.” And then mile 12 hit and I bonked. Out of the trees and above 13,000,' I was light headed, weak, nearly out of water with a formidable mile long traverse to the opposite side of the mountain in increasing wind and decreasing temperature. I stopped to get my jacket out, downed some energy gel, and kept moving, but it was slow. An aid station with one mile to go saved me, where I refilled my water and scarfed as many grapes and skittles as I could without losing too much time.

The final mile to the summit went much better, and even as I approached the finished, I picked up the running pace again and finished strong. It's hard for me to approach any athletic activity without some sort of goal or imagined outcome. Ultimately for this race, my goal was to finish. But really the goal was to finish in under 4 hours. Since I don't normally look at my watch during races, as I finished I was aware of my time for the first time: 4:10:11. I had just missed it by 10 minutes!

Now, having downloaded the course data off my watch, I can see just how badly that 12th mile killed me. Going into 3 miles to go, I was 6 minutes ahead of sub-4 hours. With 2 miles to go, I was around 3 minutes ahead. Then, after mile 12, with just a mile to go, I had fallen to nearly 8 minutes behind pace. A 30+ minute mile!

Overall it was a great experience and I'm proud to have finished. Annie and Jane were waiting for me when I came off the bus and it was nice to just sit in the grass and enjoy the day. I came away with lots of lessons and new ways to prepare… for next time?

Hard to to believe, but summer is almost over. Yesterday the high was 58 and on the way to work this morning I could see snow covering Mt Evans. The seasons are a-changing. But running doesn't have to stop, and for the past few months, it has been great. I've been able to stay healthy and take in incredible trails and backcountry. Each took me higher and further and closer to my looming goal of the Pikes Peak Ascent in late August. I only get to run once a week because my body and joints just don't recover like they use to, plus with an addition to our family, priorities and schedule are a bit different. So, I try to make each run count and tick off the best trails and settings that I can find, the longer, the higher, and more remote the better.

One thing that has made running even better the past few months has been my Garmin 205 GPS watch. A co-worker gave it to me when he realized he wasn't using it much. This opened up a whole new world of geekiness for me, a world at which Annie just rolls her eyes. With the watch I can track my course, altitude, pace, grade, and then get back home, download it all to the computer, and quickly open up my run in Google Earth or a nice program called Sports Tracks and look at mile splits, paces, elevation gain… enough maps and running data to keep me entertained for hours!! The maps below or live Google Maps, so you can switch to “Earth” view and zoom around. Neato-mosquito.

Here are a few highlights of the summer:

Green Mountain and Bear Peak, Boulder

Inspired by the great ultrarunner Anton Krupicka, I used these mountains a few times for training. They're located above the highly recognized Flatirons in Boulder. The trails are immaculate and the climbs are strenuous. Annie and Jane came up with me once and walked around the neighborhood and park while I ran. A loop run, just over 4,000′ of uphill, 10+ miles.

A plaque at the top helps you identify the Indian Peaks and Rocky Mountain National Park mountains in the distance.

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Sunset over the Indian Peaks

Tour de Lakes, Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park continued to be a place of memorable runs this summer, after last year's amazing run with Jon up Loch Vale. This year's run however was memorable in a different way, namely, that at the furthest point in the run I ran into deep snow and had no trail for several miles. Some say I was “lost,” but I knew where I was. It was how to get to where I needed to go that was the problem. With an epic snow year this past winter, there was a LOT of snow in the park for late June. I asked a park volunteer if the course I was planning on running was open, and he said no, but there was a packed down winter trail that would get me through.

I got up at 5:00am and headed to the Bierstadt Lake trailhead. Views of the Continental Divide and Longs Peak were incredible as the first sunlight came over the horizon. After passing Bierstadt Lake, the trail headed down to Cub Lake, then began to climb back uphill to Fern Lake. A big surprise was Fern Falls, a thundering waterfall that appeared out of nowhere as I rounded a switchback. As the trail continued climbing closer to 10,000′ more and more snow began to cross my path, but the trail was still discernable. Not too much further, however, and the trail disappeared completely underneath serious snow banks, steep and frozen with faint divots of old footsteps. At this point I was lamenting my microspikes hanging in my closet at home and had to make a decision: continue forward and complete the loop through the snow, isolated and without trail but with only 4 or 5 miles of downhill to go, or turn around and run 9 miles back the way I came with lots of uphill. I opted to keep going. Slowly and carefully I stepped across the banks, hoping to keep traction and prevent sliding 75-100 yards down the mountainsides into the trees.

I had brought a map and compass with me, and upon reaching Helene Lake I was confident I could find my way down. With still no trail, I tracked along the river heading downhill, but unfortunately missed the crossing thinking that I was covering ground slower than I actually was. The next few miles were utterly frustrating and at times comical. I still don't say that I was “lost” because I knew where I was and what direction I needed to go, but I was definitely without a trail. My biggest concern was Annie, who was waiting for me back at the campsite, where I should have already been by now. I moved as quickly as I could through the trees, sometimes stepping on solid snow 4′-6′ deep, sometimes postholing in it up to my hip, and sometimes punching through and soaking my feet in running ice water below. The frustrating part was not knowing what the next step would be! A few times I got stuck behind a wet marshy area and would have to backtrack or navigate around.

As I dropped in altitude the snow began to thin out and I knew I needed to make hard to the south to hit the trail. It was a great relief to hear voices and I knew the trail was close. Five miles later I was back in the car, having covered 15.5 miles in about 4 hours and 40 minutes. Not exactly what I had set out to do! But, I was pleased that I was prepared and escaped the situation. I had brought food, water, energy gel, a jacket, a hat, gloves, a compass, a map. The only thing I didn't have (at least I thought so at the time) was my emergency whistle. Annie was not too happy that I had left it, but while cleaning out my pack at home, it was in the pocket I always keep it in. This would had been critical had I taken a fall near Odessa lake with nobody for miles in very remote snowy back country. Overall, a truly memorable run, indeed!

A loop run, about 4,400+ of uphill, 15.5 miles, avg elevation ~9,600′

The sun rising on the Diamond Face, Longs Peak

Wolf Creek Pass, Continental Divide Scenic Trail

While down in Pagosa Springs for the 4th of July, I studied the maps looking for a good high elevation run. I decided to start at the top of Wolf Creek Pass, elevation 10,875′ and run along the Continental Divide. It was a beautiful morning, not nearly as much snow as Rocky Mountain, but I eventually lost the trail in a large snow field about five miles in. Decided that was a good turn around spot and headed back. An out and back run, about 2,200+ of uphill, 10.2 miles, average elevation ~11,500.'

Hessie to High Lonesome to Devil's Thumb Lake

This is a trail that has been on the bucket list ever since last year. I gave it a go last summer, but just didn't have the juice to complete the loop. This year, however, I was ready, and what a run it was. Definitely the most beautiful and satisfying run of the summer. The trail running book from which I got the run said it was the “longest 14 mile loop you'll ever run!” Well, that's probably because, according to my GPS, it was a 16 mile loop!

The run starts in the old townsite of Hessie and follows the trail up the valley into the Indian Peaks Wilderness to the Continental Divide just underneath Rollins Pass. It then traverses the ridge for a few miles, then drops down to Devil's Thumb Lake and back to the start. One of the great things that I've discovered with my new GPS watch is that I can preload a course onto the watch and use it to navigate. Once again I ran into large areas of snow, but the damage was minimal thanks to the little arrow on my watch pointing the way. Spectacular setting. A loop run, about 3,700+' of uphill, 16 miles, avg elevation of ~10,000.'

Old road trestle high up on the cliff, Rollins Pass

Up, up, and more up

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Spectacular trail

Berthoud Pass

With just a few weeks to go til the race, I continued the high elevation running by starting at Berthoud Pass near Winter Park. This was an incredible run because I got to run it near sunset when the light is perfect. Plus it was basically cross-country, trail-less running for miles over wide open Continental Divide terrain. I had hoped to make it to Mt Eva, but with the sun dropping fast I turned around at the saddle north of Flora. Ugh, what a climb back up…

An out and back run, about 2,900+' of uphill, 9 miles, avg elevation of ~11,500.'

Doesn't get better than this

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Mt Evans

For my next to last run, I did the longest, highest, and most sustained uphill running I could find: Mt Evans. The opportunity was perfect because my family was in town and could pick me up at the top. I started at Echo Lake, climbed to the Chicago Lakes, then steeply up to Summit Lake, up to Mt Spalding, then the west ridge to the top of Mt Evans. It was very difficult and gave me a more humble attitude going into Pikes Peak. Though I've driven up Mt Evans a number of times, this was the first time I've officially climbed it.

A one way run, about 4,000+' of uphill, 9 miles, avg elevation of 11,500.'

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(cheerleader marmots on far left)

Lincoln/Bross

For my last run, I continued the 14er training and hit the trail on several that I've never bagged. The goal was to get all three, including Democrat, but I was feeling a little green and opted to turn around after Bross. Democrat looked so daunting from there! It still ended up being a 10 mile run, with most of the run at an average elevation of over 12,000.'

An out and back, about 3,400+' of uphill, 10 miles, avg elevation of 12,750.'

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Aptly named Kite Lake down below

We joined the Carpenters in Galveston for a family vacation in August. It was blazing hot, but my parents had done their homework and found a place right off the beach with a massive pool and a lazy river. It is no simple feat to schedule a Carpenter reunion in between Katie's school, Amy's work, Kara rush, Joel's trip to Spain, and Jeremy's running schedule, but somehow my mom managed to pull it off and get us all to Galveston. Thanks, Mom! The guys started off our vacation on the right foot by cooking all the ladies a gourmet seafood dinner of crab cakes, boiled shrimp, and zucchini-prosciutto tempura (yes, three meats). The crab and shrimp were just caught that day and were DELICIOUS! I'm hoping this becomes a tradition.

The highlight of Jane's trip when my mom arranged for us to have a “penguin experience” in a back room at Moody Gardens Aquarium. We got to meet a cute little rockhopper named Marley who liked to sing and paint and play with bubbles. The other kids in the room covered their ears (Marley was exuberant in her penguiness) and held their noses (Marley smelled a bit fishy), but not tiny Jane! When Marley sang, Jane sang right along with her, and just as joyfully. Jane flapped her arms wildly in her excitement, and Marley did the same.

Jane's other favorite vacation activity was splashing in the pool. For the rest of us, we just enjoyed being with family. We celebrated Amy's birthday at Willie G's, and visited with Trey and Trent back in Houston. Thanks for the vacation, Mom and Dad! We miss you already!

Somehow in the midst of things we completely forgot to write about our 4th of July trip to Pagosa Springs this summer. Once again we had a relaxing, eventful and overall lovely weekend with the McPheeters. Annie called them Thursday before the weekend just to see if they wanted to get together in the near future, and they quickly and graciously included us in their vacation plans to head down to their house in Pagosa Springs. It was last minute, but well worth it.

We visited downtown and the carnival where Annie and the kids rode a few rides. I got to go on a nice run along the Continental Divide north of Wolf Creek Pass. The following day Paul and I checked out a mountain bike trail we discovered called Treasure Mountain. Had we been able to make it the full 7 miles uphill we would have biked directly into the back side of Wolf Creek Ski Area. Annie and the kids enjoyed some crafts together, making soap and painting birdhouses, and Aaron and I worked up some slime from his slime kit. We relaxed, played board games, and ate very well. Thanks for a great time together!

Well after a few years of bugging them, Jennifer and the kids and mom and dad finally made a summer trip up to Colorado! We wish we could have persuaded them to stay longer, but they kept saying something about responsibilities and jobs. We're glad they at least had the nerve to drive sixteen hours straight cooped up with a three and a seven year old. I wish they could have escaped the Texas heat more fully, as it was rather warm here during their stay, but it was at least cooler on the top of a 14,000′+ mountain! This was Jennifer and the kids' first visit up to see us since we've been here, and hopefully she and Toby can make it an annual tradition.

On Saturday we drove to Colorado Springs to take Taylor to the Air Force Academy. We did some looking around in Manitou Springs and adjacent Old Colorado City. Right on cue an afternoon thunderstorm popped up and cooled us off as we walked the streets in the shadow of Pikes Peak. In less than two weeks I'll be back on the same street with another goal in mind!

On Sunday we showed Jennifer the city and visited REI to let Taylor rock climb. Unfortunately we just missed the open hours, but I didn't mind an excuse to visit the amazing flagship store. We stopped at Wash Park to see the flowers and take some family photos. The next day we headed west and Dad added another feather to his illustrious driving career hat: the highest paved road in North America, the drive to the top of Mt. Evans. Taylor was a little green from altitude, but everyone else made the short hike to the summit, with pictures to prove it. It was a perfect opportunity for me to get in a high altitude run, so they dropped me off at Echo Lake and I ran the eight miles to the top via Chicago Lakes and Mt. Spalding (Taylor wasn't the only one feeling a little green on the way down). We stopped briefly to let Taylor get some fishing in, but unfortunately he didn't catch anything. Maybe next time. The day was capped with what has become a tradition along with Mt. Evans, dinner at Beaujo's in Idaho Springs.

Throughout the weekend Annie and the kids had fun doing some crafts. Jane was a good sport with the changing schedule, but her sleep lacked something to be desired. I think it was all a ploy to get more cuddle time with PawPaw and BeBe. With them in the next room over, she knew exactly what to do.

Before we knew it, it was time for them to head back to Texas. I think we got a third of the things done that we intended to, but I guess they'll just have to come back. Thanks for making the trip! We love you all!

For the third summer in a row now Annie and I have spent a weekend camping with our fellow young marrieds from church. This year was a little different… there was a third person in our tent! We were a bit anxious about how we would keep her warm and sleeping, but she camped like a champion. She was one of six other babies, and everyone else without babies said that they slept fine and didn't hear noise in the night (probably a bit generous). We spent Saturday on a hike up to Alberta Falls and some went as far as Lake of Glass. The weekend also marked our sixth wedding anniversary… went to bed at 9:00pm with a baby between us. We still got the spark! (It was also the “iron” anniversary and each of us bought the other iron camping cookware.)

Last year I enjoyed a great run with my friend Jon, but he was unable to make it this time. But Sunday morning I did get up early and ran a trail I had been eyeing for some time. I will post more about it in an upcoming post, but yes, I am running again. Phew.

Rocky Mountain is a beautiful place… go if you have the opportunity!

I started whining that Jane couldn't wait until August to see her Mimi, so Mom and Amy hopped on a plane and came to visit us the first week of June. They were here for four days, and we crammed EVERYTHING into their visit that we possibly could. First we ate at the Hornet with Jeremy and visited Fancy Tiger (the best craft store in Denver). Then we had a cooking day with Kristen and Linda where we made Thai food- pork, chicken, and beef satay, sticky rice, cucumber salad, and two dipping sauces. We finished cooking day with a craft night where we made figure-8 scarves. Amy and Mom joined us for church, we ate at Park Burger (a Jan tradition), hiked to St Mary's glacier followed by pizza at Beau Jo's in Idaho Springs, visited the Molly Brown house, dined at the Saucy Noodle, got mani-pedis, checked out the Denver Art Museum, did a little mall shopping, and went back to Fancy Tiger. Oh and of course we played with little Jane. For her part, she spent much of their visit revving up to crawl or making sure Amy was carrying her. Thanks for coming, familia!