On Monday, November 8th, I had an opportunity for a mountain run before cooler weather later in the week.
I started my run from High Drive just after 6am, when the sun was beginning to come up. I ran up the social trail that adjoins the Red Rock Loop Trail. This trail stayed very solid for a long way, but I eventually lost the trail, and began making my way up the steep slopes through the wilderness.
I reached a rock outcropping with a great view down towards Hwy 24.
I kept scrambling upwards, following the slope as best as I could, when I came to the gap between the Tenney Crags.
This little middle valley was full of decorative outcroppings and sheer rock walls.
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| The morning light the giant wall of Tenney Crags. |
After this point, I rounded the base of Tenney Crags and kept scrambling upslope towards Mt. Arthur.
I passed my a number of other interesting rock outcroppings, including one that looks like a "fin" on the mountain that is recognizable from town.
Finally, I reached the summit of Mount Arthur. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a summit log, but I sat on the summit block for a while and absorbed the sunlight. Here is a photo with some of the views from the top:
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| Summit views on Mt. Arthur - Top: Cheyenne Mountain; Bottom left: Almagre South; Bottom right: Pikes Peak. |
Then it was time to head down. Mt. Arthur is often done in conjunction with Mt. Garfield, its western neighbor. But my fun meter was already overfilled for the day, so I headed down towards the valley that adjoins the twin summits. I got a good preview of the trail for next time. It is easy to follow the valley that the Garfield/ Arthur social trail is in. It connects directly to the Loud's Cabin trail 622A. Then I gladly took a break from the scrambling and jogged down the established trails instead, taking 667 to High Drive and back down.
All in all, I got 15 miles with 5100 feet elevation, and ticked off a local summit. Here's a little video that shows the route in 3D (from the Relive app):
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Thursday, November 11th, 2021:
I had an opportunity to do Kipps Loop in Greenland Open Space at sunset. A total of 8.6 miles and 1000 feet elevation.
The sunset colors were stunning!
I felt pretty fast this evening, despite a sluggish week overall. (Also despite stopping to take photos without pausing my run - still fast overall.) Shoulders were a bit tired in the last mile or so.
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Friday, November 12th, 2021:
Today's home gym day felt good. It's been a while. I tend to neglect the gym when I don't have time for both weights and running (since I prefer running.) But it felt like a strong session today.
I did machine lat pull-downs first, then some standing dumbell exercises - chest flies, front raises, and lightweight neutral-grip overhead presses. A nice way to get back to the gym. I hope I can keep it a little more consistent as we move into the winter, but with the weather still so nice outside, I have a tough time skipping a run day in favor of strength work.
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Saturday, November 13th, 2021:
An absolutely warm and gorgeous afternoon. Almost 70 degrees, a perfect day for an 8-mile trail loop at Palmer. 800 feet elevation.
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Sunday, November 14th, 2021:
I couldn't get out earlier in the day, so I did a night run. The sun sets so early these days! Still, not a bad night for a run - temps still in the 50s. 10 miles with 900 feet.
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Monday, November 15th, 2021:
Got a COVID booster shot today, my 3rd dose of Moderna. My arm was a little sore, but the CDC encourages exercising (light weightlifting) to help mitigate this. I did find that it helped to do some side lateral raises, dumbbell press-outs, and kettlebell lunges for good measure.
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Tuesday, November 16th, 2021:
8 miles trail loop, 1100 feet. Still plenty warm out; fitting in one last warm run before the weather is expected to change.
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Overall, I had a fun week, especially with the scramble up Mt. Arthur early in the week. The evening run at Greenland Open Space just added to the late-autumn joy of the trails.
We haven't really had a big dose of winter yet here along the southern Front Range. It's expected to be cold for a couple days starting Wednesday, but no snow is forecast. We may very well have a mild winter overall this year. I look forward to taking advantage of the lack of snow and ice, with planning another long mountain run soon!
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