Rocky Mountain National Park

Ever since I moved to Boulder last year, I vowed to make the short trip northwest to Rocky Mountain National Park for an epic run or two.  I had visited RMNP well over a dozen years ago on a family camping vacation, and it was trips like those that laid the foundation for my present-day obsession with cruising as many miles of high country trail as available time and my two legs will allow.

Alas, last fall my two legs (my right knee, specifically) weren't allowing too many miles of any sort at all, so it wasn't until this past Wednesday that I finally made it up to RMNP to explore this iconic portion of Colorado's mountains.  Starting from the East Longs Peak Trailhead, Scott and I completed a fairly arduous route that would include three nearly 3000' climbs and 34+ miles of singletrack all above an altitude of 9000'.  (All pictures courtesy of Jenny Uehisa.  Likewise the wheels, patience, and irrepressible good humor on the day.)

(Our route: a scenic out and back to the Continental Divide in RMNP, starting at the base of Longs Peak.)

(12,000' Granite Pass, 12,324' Flattop Mt, and Granite Pass again: three big climbs.)

(Advising Scott on the emergency options for Longs Peak.)

(First strides of a long day in the mountains: East Longs Peak Trailhead at 8am.)

(Typical trail above treeline on the outbound leg of our run, headed towards Granite Pass on the horizon to the right.)

(Some stunning gneiss and the Diamond on the east face of Longs Peak, above Chasm Lake.)

(Trail signage on Granite Pass: Bear Lake = 7.3 miles away.)

(Our destination as seen from Granite Pass.  Clouds brewing.  Bear Lake is in the center of the photo at 9400', and the climb up 12,324' Flattop Mountain is on the ridge headed out the left side of the frame.)

(Scott, back at the trailhead, happy to get out alive.  A fairly lively little storm cell chased us all the way back from Flattop Mt to Granite Pass and our starting point at the trailhead.  Although we probably appear extremely minimally prepared for above-treeline weather, the fact that we are running puts us in a much more advantageous position--in my opinion--than hikers stuck above treeline with gigantic packs weighing them down and drastically increasing their exposure time to the elements.)

(Enjoying the pleasant exhaustion that five and a half hours of mountain running can bring.  Scott and I are likely debating the relative merits of employing road flats on 34 miles of largely technical and rocky trails.)