I recall about 4 years ago when there was so much snow up above treeline on Pikes Peak that the Barr trail literally had to be dug out before the Ascent. Then the following few years, the trail was bone dry much earlier. In fact, last year, I was making full summits very early on.
Not so, this year. Our recent snowstorm- nicknamed the "bomb cyclone" because of the sustained 40 mph winds it brought- dropped a ton of snow on the mountains.
Combined with experiencing some leading fatigue indicators, I was set for a tough day in the mountains.
Today's run was one of those that felt very successful, like tough training that ultimately pays off with greater mental and physical strength gains.
I started with a 39:55 Incline, which is a few minutes slower than the 36:29 I was able to do last week. Furthermore, I felt like I was working harder this week. This indicated to me that my fatigue level was higher this week than last.
The incline was basically free of snow or ice. But once I reached the top, I instantly put spikes on. I think I made the right call, because the snow, slush and ice started not 50 feet up the trail.
The snow conditions were very powdery and deep from No Name Creek up. In some places, it was apparent that the trail itself was under several feet of snow, and snowdrifts in certain areas were chest-deep or more. Take for example how high the snow was at the 5 miles sign!
I didn't fall in, because the trail was tracked in, likely by snowshoes initially. But there certainly was that feeling that I was standing on nothing but 4 feet of semi solid water in places!
Lightning Point was gorgeous in the snow, as always.
The last half mile before Barr Camp was the toughest part of the run for me. It seemed to go on forever, and the powder was deep. It was like hiking up a ski slope. Soft on the feet with lots of give.
I wasn't able to stop in at Barr Camp for very long, since it had already taken me 2 hours and 42 minutes to get there. I basically had to pop in and turn around. Man, what a tough run! It felt like each step was great exercise though, and it was one of those types of runs that was very productive despite being very slow.
I hope to be able to spend more time at Camp next time I go, and hopefully the snow conditions will get better. At least all the Reservoirs should be full this year.
A glance toward Almagre on the way down showed a lot of snow as well.
A lot of the snow on the trail was becoming slushy ice on my way down already, as the mountains prepare for the next snowstorm.
Even though I look forward to faster days on the trail once the snow melts, tough days with deep snow conditions do have their place. I feel that the benefits from a day such as today are easily underestimated.
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