Telluride for the Day !!

I'm sitting at an outdoor cafe in one of my favorite spots on the planet... Telluride, CO !!
I am taking the day "off" from serious mountaineering to rest up
for tomorrow... Yesterday was KICK ASS!! I have never hiked
anything that difficult in my life. These people are nuts!
I'm staying in Silverton with my friends Joe and Joyce Prusaitis.
Joe coaches me and others in trail running back in Austin and he
runs the Hard Rock 100 every year(ok that alone is insane).
When I got into Silverton Tuesday evening, after a fabulous day
on the road more on that later), they told me we'd have a tough
day on Wednesday but made it sound like just a lovely day hike
in the mountains... Uh...
they forgot to mention that we would be summiting 3 over
13,000 ft peaks back to back, yes, all in one day.. and
with NO rest. These people do not stop, they do not rest
and they do not TRAVERSE!! We hiked straight up mountains
with no trail, just cross country (we are out marking trail
for the race after all). I kept screaming, "don't you people
ever zig-zag?"
My quads were screaming, my achilles cussing and my lungs bursting.

We started out at 7am at the race house in downtown Silverton.
Anyone can show up and go out for the marking/hiking for the day.
On this day we drove up to a mine outside of town, parked and
started walking up a 4 wheel drive road, the Animas river roaring
by our side. Finally we started off roading up a mountain goat trail..
I thought I was literally going to die. We were at about 10,000 feet
at that point and the altitude was getting to me, I was light headed,
a bit dizzy and couldn't breath. Flashbacks of doing Imogene Pass
last year.. take 5 steps,stop, breath, repeat!!
We had to cross several snow fields that were steep, one misstep
and you are shooshing down the mountain and without skis !!
I just kept my fear under my hat and trudged on. At one point is was
so steep that a very brave guy stood a bit below, bracing himself
against the mountain to help us along. If I had fallen we'd just
both be goners... We sumitted the first 13'er, around 13,200 feet
(picture to the right). What a great feeling and it was amazingly
beautiful. Well, then we just went down down down. That hurts
almost worse on the quads and the knees. We went down to
Cunningham Gulch where one of the aid stations will be for a
tiny tiny rest. Many crazies ran down, I chose to take a leisurly
stroll. This gulch is so very gorgeous with waterfalls all around
(we have crossed several raging streams by this point and I'm
sporting very wet shoes).

As we sat there I couldn't help but wonder, "Where do we
go from here?" I couldn't see a trail anywhere and all around
were mountains straight up from the road. Well we're going up
that mountain there, around that peak, through a high mountain
meadow with snow fields all around, then down the backside and
then we have got to be done for the day, right ! WRONG!!
That was so flippin hard, straight up we went. A storm rolled in,
we put our rain jackets on and it got cold. We waited a bit to see
if there was lightening (ah, a rest.. lightening can strike me as
long as I'm sitting). Nothing, so on we went. Finally we reach a
high mountain meadow and the trail ran out. So, let's make our
own!! So up up up they went, no zig zag, no traverse, I was DYING!!
Then we went down down down and as I was making my way
along the loose scree I could see a truck that the others were
gathering around on the road and I was so happy, we are done !!!
Man was I happy... but wait, what do I see, no stop, why are they
walking to the edge of the road and just going straight up yet
another mountain? No way, I am not doing this, I am so done, I am
taking that truck back to wherever it is going. There is no way in
hell I am going up again.

But who was waiting for me at the truck but Joe. He says with a
big grin on his face, "Are you ready for more fun,
isn't this great!!" I ask what the hell does he mean, aren't we
done for the day, after all we have climbed over 2 mountains and
it's getting to be nap time. He says, "You are fine, let's go."
Well I can't let my coach down so I cowboyed up and trudged on.
STRAIGHT UP ANOTHER FREAKIN' MOUNTAIN, no trail and no
traversing. But it was worth it, the last summit was the most
beautiful, 13,500 ft and we actually stuck around for a few
minutes before heading down just cross country. We crossed
several streams in freezing water and finally, finally met
our pickup guy. I have never been so happy to see a truck
in all my life. Joe and Joyce decided to run down the mountain
road to where the other cars were parked (5 miles down...) while
the other 10 of us piled into a truck that only fits 4 in the cab.
So that means 4 big guys and 2 little girls, me being one and
Marcy the other, into the back of this pickup with a cover on
it. That was hilarious. We were all so tired and now we
bounced along the 4wd road with a sheer cliff on one side getting
bumps and bruises on all parts of our bodies. But we were done,
10 hrs later and over 12 miles of trail. 80% of those with us
today are doing the race so here is the freaky part, they are
going to do what we did today in about 1/2 of the time. I am no
where near these people in mental toughness.

A cold Guiness and a hot shower later I was bowing
out of marking today in preference of cafe sitting in
Telluride, resting up for another tough day out of Ouray tomorrow..
the reward will be a hot springs soak and Mexican food!!!

So to sum it up.. I am having the time of my life and
I've only been in Colorado 2 days. The drive up here from
Santa Rosa, NM was incredible. I spent around 2 hours in
Santa Fe, had lunch at The Shed, stopped at Georgia O'Keefe's
home and studio at Ghost Ranch, NM outside of Abique and then
headed up to Chama and into Colorado thru Chromo and Pagosa
Springs. The drive between Chama and Chromo across the
Continental Divide is one of the most beautiful I have ever
seen. Of course Georgia O'Keefe's backyard is spectacular as
well. You just cannot beat this part of the country.

It's almost impossible to get internet access in Silverton
but I will try to update again on Saturday. But they tell me
the Fourth of July there is over the top nuts so it will be
one big party all day !! Can't Wait !!
Wish you were here !!