Fitness and the Outdoors

I'm home now, feeling wistful about my days in the mountains.  It's always good to be home, see family and friends, start the intellectual wheels churning again.  But, still...  While I ate breakfast this morning, I read through a free magazine I picked up at the Boulder Farmer's Market called "Boulderganic:  Bringing self-sufficiency and sustainability home."

"In Boulder, people like to move.  While many studies suggest that group fitness and group sports might be the way to go, finding an outlet for group exercise can sometimes be a challenge-- especially in a community as transient and busy as Boulder."  So, a couple of UC alumni created a website designed to connect Boulder's "fitness community".  It's called BoulderActive.com.  You can find a person who shares your hobby, or try something new.

A separate article entitled "Can we stop loving Mother Nature to death?" provided some tips for both enjoying and protecting the wilderness.  "Coloradoans love their outdoors.  This is why people move here.  It's why people stay here.  It's why they live here.  They love visiting wilderness," says Ralph Swain, US Forest Service regional wilderness service manager.  With 3 million people living along or near the Front Range, the recreational activities effects soil, vegetation, wildlife and water. 

How do people protect the wilderness that they so love?  A few tips included- educate yourself; stay on the paths; be sure fires are out; manage food, trash and waste.  Maybe the most important thing is to keep in mind the words of The Wilderness Act.  The Wilderness Act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on September 3, 1964.  "A wilderness... is recognized as an area where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."  Read that last phrase again-- where man (woman) is a visitor.  

Brainard Lake

Brainard Lake

It was an adventure to reach Brainard Lake, where I wanted to hike to Lake Isabelle, a two mile walk to a spectacular alpine lake.  My GPS routed me on the Boulder Canyon Road, which is a beautiful ride through the canyon.  Midway, all traffic stopped.  After 15 minutes, I got out of my car to talk to the driver ahead of me.  He told me heard that boulders fell into the road, so workers were removing the rocks. Great.  I waited a few more minutes and then turned around to try another route. Virtually back at where I started an hour later, I drove through Lefthand Canyon, with many cyclists on the winding, climbing canyon road.  

I arrived at Brainard Lake an hour later than I had hoped.  The parking lot for the Long Lake trail (which is the trail to Lake Isabelle) was full.  I tried the Mitchell Lake parking area and thankfully a car was pulling out!  So, that's where I hiked.  Through the pine forests for a mile into the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area.  Even with other hikers, it's blissfully quiet.  Mitchell Lake is smaller than some of the others, but the scenery is still breathtaking: the lake, the pines, the Rockies.  I particularly like to notice the shift in landscape at the high elevations, since these lakes are at the timber line.  I continued on the trail another mile for a more "aerial" view of the lake and mountains.  It's tough climbing at 10,000 feet!

On the way out of the Brainard Lake Recreation Area, cars had pulled over on the left shoulder and everyone had a camera.  I found a spot and joined the group watching five large moose munching on bushes.  At first the moose were somewhat hidden except for their antlers.  Then, as if humoring us, a couple of moose moved into the clearing so we all could get better pictures!  A few large claps of thunder sent me to my car.  I drove down the mountain in the rainstorm, and onto the CO 72, the "peak-to-peak" highway to get to Nederland and back to Boulder.  (By then the Boulder Canyon Road was clear, but the indentations from the boulders were evident in the road!) Another lucky day here in the West. 

http://www.resourceanalysis.com/fishing/fish6/f6.html
http://www.coloradowilderness.com/wildpages/indian.html

Moose!

Mt. Sanitas

When I asked locals here in Boulder where to hike nearby, everyone mentioned Mt. Sanitas.  So, I chose that trail to hike with my colleague's cousin who lives in Boulder whom I was going to meet for the first time.  She's an art teacher, an athlete and is familiar with this trail.

There are two main ways to get to the top of Mt. Sanitas- the Sanitas Trail up which is vertical over rocks and dirt,  or the Ridge Trail which is a packed dirt path for most of the way.  We decided to make a loop, up the Sanitas Trail and down on the Ridge Trail.  

For a novice such as myself, the trail was challenging and invigorating!  I had to watch my footing most of the way, stopping periodically to admire the view, catch my breath, and take in some water. It took us about 45 minutes to reach the top, a climb of 1255 feet.  The view is spectacular and it certainly felt like an accomplishment for me.  The hike down starts over more rocks until the trail becomes an easy walk on packed dirt.  While I don't mind the uphill to reach a view, all of the scrambling over rocks is tough on the knees!

dayhikesneardenver.com/mt-sanitas-hike-near-boulder/