Finally, I really feel that summer has reached the high country in the Pikes Peak region.

Since our previous attempts were all foiled, today's base to Elk Park effort was our first full Elk Park of the year.

Sharon and I set out from the Barr trail parking lot this morning, starting out slowly until we warmed up enough to power hike a bit.

Lindsay and John caught us before No Name Creek. They started about the same time as we did, except from Memorial Park, tacking on the extra mile-plus of pavement. I was thankful to tag along, giving a nice invigorating push to Barr Camp!

I timed 2:05 to Camp, where Lindsay and John pushed on for the summit.

Sharon was just behind us, catching up in less than 5 minutes. I was glad for the push to Camp since we would be able to enjoy Elk Park and take our time.

I just could not stop taking photos! There was so much greenery on the Elk Park trail; it was like a lush carpet made up of moss and wildflowers.

Soon the trail opens up to great views of the massive northern face of Pikes Peak. The day remained quite warm, despite some previous weather predictions that it might be cooler today.

I love how Elk Park trail takes you to treeline, but in a gentle, rolling kind of way. Ascending on a soft pine needle carpet! Before we knew it, we popped out into the hot sun of the alpine tundra.

I love the alpine tundra of Colorado. It's my favorite local biome. The flora and fauna are so unique and have to find interesting ways to survive. From tundra moss to flowers to marmots, I enjoy everything about being above treeline in the mountains. And the more I find my happy place at high altitude, the more I hope it helps me in my training as well.

We topped out in about 4:40. I estimated that this was about 10 minutes slower than last year,  but after thinking about it, I think last year's trip began with an Incline, so we probably made it in approximately the same amount of time (adjusted).

We stopped just briefly to admire the view to the north from Elk Park, soaking in the snowcapped distant 14ers.

Our ride down was some folks who had just moved to the Springs, and the guy had previously raced in the JFK 50 and was looking toward another 50 miler next year. Exactly what my goal is too! Maybe I'll see him back out on the trails soon.

I'm quite satisfied with how this training season has panned out. It has been very fulfilling. And I have several upcoming runs and new routes to look forward to as well. This is living the dream!