Last week's Barr Camp trip!

For anyone still out there, I wanted to post about my run *last* week before it was too late. Plus, I haven't gotten to the mountains this week yet, but photos from last week are the next best thing.

I ran to Barr Camp last Monday, and what a great day for it. (Although it always is!)

I didn't bring spikes which is not the smartest thing in the winter, but most of the trail was pretty crunchy-packed, so it wasn't too terrible.

I started on the Incline and landed a 34:51, even though I slowed significantly after the false summit due to ice. I was excited for a sub-35 winter Incline, so I'll take it!

The day started out very sunny and bright, but it quickly grew overcast. I enjoyed the blue skies above the Incline while they lasted! 

The clouds formed over the Pikes summit on my way towards Barr Camp: 

At Barr Camp, I got to catch up with Reagan and Jonathan, and they told me they had pulled down the Men's/Women's signs on the bathrooms and asked if I wanted them!

Let me back up a second here and explain. Recently, the Denver area passed a law that states any place that has two restrooms that are single-stall and lock behind  (intended to be individual stalls) must no longer be labeled men's and women's, but just rather be two restrooms for anyone to use.

The Barr Camp restrooms are simply two identical single stalls. I brought this issue up to my friend Karl and he brought it up to the Barr Camp board, which he sits on. They agreed that it's more reasonable, I mean - this is the wilderness of Colorado! We don't need gendered restrooms. So the caretakers took down the signs some time back, and had spared them from burning for long enough that I could retrieve them as a great momento.

On a different topic here - my Scott Jurek FKT Vest worked so well for  me to carry those signs down the mountain with! I was easily able to run and they did not fall out.

At the risk of sounding like a spokesperson for the brand, I'm most impressed with how *nothing falls out* of the vest, even when taking it off and on (to add or remove layers). I'll definitely be running with this pack for quite some time.

As I jogged down the mountain and the day wore on, I felt immersed in the peaceful winter woods. The view back towards Hurricane Canyon was cloudy, yet very still.

I hope to get to the mountains this coming Saturday. Although this winter I've only been able to get to the mountains sporadically, I'm sure I'll be there more often as the new year comes around. See you all soon.