The Barr Trail – A Pikes Peak Trail Run

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The Barr Trail on Pikes Peak is one of those routes that has been on my list for years and years, but for one reason or another, I just hadn’t done it yet. But not for lack of trying. I had a few cancelled dates along the way. I even drove all the way down to Manitou Springs a few years back, only to realize I had chosen the day of the annual Pikes Peak marathon to try to do my climb. Whoops. A slog through some open space in Monument was a pretty sad consolation prize that day. Keep reading…

Willow Lake Never Disappoints

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4th of July fell on a Monday this year, and I found myself in the Sangres for the holiday weekend. The forecast was not especially enticing for Sunday, so John and I made a single peak objective for the day: unnamed 13,546, adjacent to centennial Adams and next to scenic Willow Lake. The night had been rainy and the dawn revealed an overcast gray sky. While not cheerful, it made the long approach from the trailhead much more cooler and enjoyable than my prior two visits. Keep reading…

A July Four Pass Loop

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At least once a summer for the past few years I’ve made an effort to head over to the Roaring Fork Valley and run something cool around Aspen. The Four Pass Loop might just represent the pinnacle of wilderness trail running in the entire state of Colorado, if not beyond. It’s just such an aesthetic, logical, flowing loop that takes on, as the name suggests, four unique passes and five or six different drainages (depending on how you count them) along the way. The scenery is top notch and the trails are high quality. Keep reading…

2022 San Juan Solstice 50

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Late-June in Colorado. With the spring snowpack all but melted out, green landscapes blanketing much of the state, and our days just barely starting to get shorter again, it was time to head down to Lake City for another run at the San Juan Solstice 50 this past Saturday. The SJS is about as time-honored a race as you’ll find in Colorado. This was the event’s 24th year and I’ve now been fortunate enough to participate the last four times it’s been held. Keep reading…