The Way You Look Tonight

The third Tuesday of each month brings the Silver Starlight Orchestra to an Italian restaurant in Hopatcong.  Last night was a special Tuesday,  since the evening's playlist was largely Frank Sinatra tunes.   A few years ago, I took private dance lessons to practice foxtrot, cha-cha and waltz. In all honesty, I just wanted to dance to Frank Sinatra's tune, "The Way You Look Tonight."  I love it- the big band sound, his voice, the words, the way you can foxtrot across the entire dance floor.    

The orchestra draws a mixed crowd of families, couples who eat dinner and sit through every song, and people who want to eat, drink and dance.  I have very happily joined the latter group, made up of an accomplished group of dancers with an enviable reputation at the restaurant.  The night is fun and lively, but also inspirational.  Always there are couples who are well into their 80's who spend most of the night on the dance floor.  

Last night I watched an elderly couple make their way to the dance floor from the bar area. They were dressed for a night out:  she in a black and white top, skirt, gold earrings; he in slacks, a sweater and blazer.  He moved slowly, with a slight limp.  Once on the dance floor, though, the limp seemed to vanish.  Song after song, they danced- jitterbug, swing, waltz- with enviable rhythm, connection, and ease.  While they were not fast, she could spin and he had cool moves of his own! Toward the end of the night when Ed, one of the fellows at our "dance table",  extended his compliments, he learned that the couple had danced together for 40 years, but never taken any formal lessons.  When I shared that information with Dave, he replied that it was because they lived through the "golden age of dance."  While I didn't leave through the "golden age big band era",  I want to be like that couple, dancing into my own golden age, Frank Sinatra playing as I foxtrot across the dance floor. 

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/ 

Boulder Creek Path

This morning I ran a different portion of the Boulder Creek Path, past E. Fine Park and into Boulder Canyon.  There were many fewer people since this part of the path heads away from downtown.  I learned a bit of Boulder history- more on that another time.

Since there were some clouds this morning,  I decided it would be a good day to hike the Royal Arch Trail.  The ranger said to allow at least 1.5 hours when I previously inquired.  So, I filled my new 32 ounce water bottle, applied sunscreen, and started out.  I began on the Chautauqua Trail, then connected with Bluebell-Baird, and on to Royal Arch. The sign for Royal Arch said 1.1 miles.  Piece of cake, I thought.  I'll be to the top and back in an hour.  Hah!

The path quickly changed from packed dirt to rocks, boulders, dirt steps with logs to hold the dirt, and more rocks.  It seemed that some of the rocks had been placed to form steps.  This was no longer easy going.  Each person on the way down said, "It's worth it!"  When I felt I had climbed enough to be near the top, a couple heading down said at least 30-40 minutes more before the top of the trail and the Royal Arch itself.  How could that be possible? I soldiered on, as the saying goes.  Along the way I met another fellow hiker, George, from the Bay Area.  We chatted, climbed together, and swapped cameras. Once we reached the top, we joined others, and a few people made jokes- no elevator?  no Starbucks?  Reluctantly, we each left the relaxing perch on the rocks and headed back.

I don't know which was better- the view from the top or the satisfaction of the climb.  I was further humbled when I was later walking through the garden at Chautauqua to get lunch.  An older guy was sitting with an ice pack on his knee.  I shouted that I needed that too, after the Royal Arch hike.  He agreed that it was steep, and that he made that hike all the time.  Sigh.  He did, however, give me credit for making the climb after only a week in Boulder.