Pikes Peak Looming...

Ok, I am officially nervous. Two days to go - 1 and a half really because it's already Thursday night, isn't it, and we start at 5am on Saturday. Eek. Tonight, I borrowed a Camelbak for water, a rain jacket - I left mine on a Delta flight a few days ago and it never was found.

The best way for me to prepare and wind up on the pre-climb stuff here on the blog for tonight is to post this...

a photo of Bryan Mitchell, in whose honor I am climbing. I don't want to repeat myself because I know anyone paying attention has read my letters about who Bryan is/was to us. Say a prayer for his wife and kids left behind if you think of it and say one for me too!

I am pleased to have raised, with your help, over $1800 to help fight cancer and will post pics from the top once I get there.

SPONSOR LIST (in no particular order with amounts not given for reasons of privacy):

tippers @ Laughing Goat show (CO)

Fiona Templin (CO)
Jodi Thomson (CO)
Lindy Cichowitz (CO)

Mick & Jeanette Thompson (England)

Willie & Isabel Smith (Scotland)

George Mamo (IL)

Kelly Creek (KS)

Al Tauber (IL)

Deane & Erika Johnson (GA)

Gary & Melanie Aronhalt (CO)

Laith Keilany (TN)

Mark & Kathy Swezy (CO)

Ramsey & Therese Marzouk (CO)

James Craig (IL)

Jon & Weez Borchardt (IL)

Daniel DePriest (IL)

Sarah Hemingway (SC)

John & Michelle Thompson (TN)

Josh Hemingway (CO)

Doug Davis (NC)

Melissa Niccum (CO)

Ron & Margie Hemingway (SC)

Phil & Suzie Bauer (?? - Where are you these days Sooz?)

Mike DeLong (CO)

Chris Bland (GA)

Randy & Laura Zeron (SC)

Terryl Lofgren (CO)

John & Sarah Warne (CO)

Regina Olivero (CO)

Margaret Vitalis (MN)

Matt & Kate Hemingway (KS)

Jeff & Jennifer Daniels (TN)

Allen & Amy Persons (IL)

Marolyn Kinnie (CO)

James & Celie Addy (SC)

Jerry Chapman (NC)

Dave & Deb Beckman (in memory of Debra Elaine Beckman) (CO)

Roxborough State Park

This morning, Regina & I met up near Roxborough State Park for a short hike before the workday. The trails we hiked were a combo of the Willow Creek/South Rim trails. It was supposed to equal four miles, but it felt like way less. Am I getting more in shape or did we read the map wrong? Btw, if my mother is reading this, she just fell over as I referred to a four mile trek as a "short hike." Study the map while she regains consciousness.

Roxborough is beautiful with similar formations to Red Rocks and Garden of the Gods.

At one point on the trail, we had a view that went on forever and hungry hawks circling overhead closer than I'd ever seen before. They're huge!

...and a very blue sky too!

After all that, we went to Panera for brunch, put on our uniforms and loaded some very grumpy (and some nice) people into buses following their attendance at a 5-hour meeting! I'd be grumpy too--but mind you, I would not take THAT TONE with me even if I were that grumpy. Ok, I'm done venting...and glad to be working.

Meanwhile, Randy was taking Diego to the vet. He is forbidden to exercise over the next few weeks as he had to have his injured dew claw removed today and has several other nail issues. The nurses say he did very well and sent him home with painkillers, anti-fungals, and lots of instructions. :(

Pikes Peak Summit!

Hey, did I tell you that I made it to the top of Pike's Peak the other day????

It was just on a train with a tour group, so it doesn't really count. There was a lightning storm and my group couldn't even go outside the Summit House and check out the view. They were happy enough despite their views being of t shirts and coffee mugs but it was snowing and crazy up there. I hope the weather holds for the 7.31 trek.

Here's something cool that happened: Two of my tour guests--a mother/daughter from Adelaide, Australia gave me a $40 tip and said, "That's for your Pikes Peak hike." Lauren, the daughter, is a cancer survivor.

On Friday, I met up with Regina in Boulder to hike up the West Ridge of Green Mountain. It's about 3 miles round trip with some challenging climbs. It was not as hard as some of the other trails we've done (or the one Regina actually had planned), but I had limited time because I had to study for a 4-hour city tour the next day.

Route Description

The shortest path to the summit of Green Mountain. (Beki: Well, THAT makes it sound easy)

From the trailhead on Flagstaff Road, follow the Green Mountain West Ridge Trail for 1.2 miles to the junction of the Ranger Trail on the left and the Green Bear trail on the right. Continue straight another .2 miles to the summit.

Distance to summit: 1.4 miles
Roundtrip (assuming descent of same route): 2.8 miles
Elevation gain: approx 600 ft

This summit has the distinction of being the second summit register I've ever signed...and if you don't count that time Melanie and I wrote our names on the top of Arthur's Seat in sharpie (Edinburgh 2006) then it's my first.

Regina & me at the summit.

I can see for miles and miles and miles...

To top things off this week, MY FUNDRAISING GOAL OF $1500 was reached--tonight actually while I was volunteering for Love Hope Strength at Red Rocks.

This was the second time I went to Red Rocks this week--the first time was on that tour mentioned above, and I took time to do the stairs for a workout while my tour-ees took their photos. Tonight, I got a great sunset as Kris Allen opened for Barenaked Ladies. I also signed up several people to be on the bone marrow donor list. Life is good, but I'm super tired.

I'm going to bed, but you go ahead and enjoy the links above.

Day Off!

Today I got a day off from hiking/working out to flex my vocal muscles. Randy & I worked on a previously unrecorded song called "Lay It Down," which we hope to have posted somewhere soon for downloads.

I am overwhelmed with gratefulness to all who have sponsored me. I am almost at my goal for fundraising. If only my body would cooperate with the physical demands of the mountain climbing goal that accompanies those gifts.

Tomorrow, I am back on the trail with Regina...this time I will remember my camera.

:)

Today's Hike

Today's Hike:

Round-Trip Length:	3.2 miles
Start - End Elevation:	5,710' - 6,915' (6,915' max elevation)
Elevation Change:	+1,205' net elevation gain (+1,417' total roundtrip elevation gain)
Skill Level:	Moderately Strenuous
Pet Regulations:	Dogs Allowed

Moderately strenous??? Moderately? My legs feel like spaghetti. We got started at 9:15am shortly after I finished a grande Pike Place coffee and a Starbucks protein plate (saving the peanut butter for my big reward at the top of the trail.)

This trail goes up up up and then down down down and up again, gaining more than 1,000 ft. in elevation in the 1.5 mile ascent to the top. Now multiply that by four and you have what I have committed to on Pike's Peak! Oh, and make just a wee bit steeper. One blogger very appropriately called this trail "Boulder's Stairmaster."

It's a great sense of accomplishment to go up up up and then sort of frustrating to see the trail go down again. It should be a relief, but you realize that's going to be UP on the way down. Did that make sense?

The payoff was this:

Update

So...it has been quiet here for a week or so! Regina went out of town, I worked a bajillion hours (because in addition to Regina being my trainer, she is also about one phone call ahead of me on a lot of people's staffing lists.)

There hasn't been a lot of hiking going on, but I have been walking and doing some crunches. My mom came to town last Tuesday and is here until tomorrow morning. Most days we have been walking from my house to Sloan's Lake, around the lake and back home. I think that's about 3.5 miles. It has been a good time to catch up with her and get some exercise too.

I was supposed to go hiking with Regina today but after a rainy rainy night of camping for her, and a morning migraine for me, we postponed til tomorrow. I'll be heading back up to Boulder to see what she has in store for me--probably something hard!

For all the "extra" working out I've been doing (and by extra, I mean any exercise at all), I'm surprised not to see better results. I'm increasingly aware of my belly and I don't like it at all. Waaah. I'll stop whining and just mention that I did get up and down the stairs of Red Rocks a couple times tonight when I went to see the Colorado Symphony Orchestra with Mom & Josh. I'll be back tomorrow evening for Film on the Rocks: Raising Arizona as a volunteer for Love Hope Strength.

More tomorrow after the hike...