Monday, July 11, 2011

Colorado and Wyoming

I just recently returned to Ohio after a 15 day trip to Colorado and Wyoming.  I had a great, low cost opportunity to fly into Denver, meet my former roommate, Reece, who had been on Geology class trips in the West since May and spend a couple weeks camping, running, and relaxing in the mountains.  Reece was slated for two three night shows at Red Rocks and then up in Alta, WY so I was in for the ride.

The tip started out in Boulder where I met Reece and the next morning we drove down through Colorado Springs and headed Northwest and camped at Hoosier Pass.  The next day we drove through Breckenridge and camped short of the town Winter Park.  The next town we went to was Evergreen and then into Golden while Reece drove to Morrison three nights of concerts.  That Monday we headed North toward Wyoming and found Lake Fremont.  This was a prime campsite that we ended up staying for two night.  We traveled just a little ways away to Halfmoon Lake and enjoyed another nice lakeside site.  We headed further north to Granite Creek campsite areas within the Targhee National Forest boundaries and camped under some massive mountains that made the sun set a little earlier than normal.  After one night at Granite Creek we drove to the Tetons and into Alta, Wyoming which is to the West of the Tetons.  This is where we stayed in a cabin for three nights that was reserved for Reece's mom, who ended up not being able to make the trip.  Three nights here and then we drove the 29 hours East and finally made it to Ohio.

The trip gave great chances for me to be in the mountains and get a lot more experience running in the mountains.  I saw a lot of wildlife that I had never seen in the wild before and felt the real solitude of being alone on a mountain top for the first time.  Although I didn't record such surreal moments accurately enough, here are some of the pictures I took while on the trip:

This is Reece's CRV somewhere close to Freely, CO.
Looking at the map searching for a place to camp and run for the next few days in Grant County.

Here is our campsite at Hoosier Pass which the Continental Divide runs through - sits nicely at ~12,000 ft.


Another view from Hoosier Pass - these peaks around us are nearly 14,000 ft.
Campsite number two near Robbers Roost in some National Forest I forget the name of.
Eating on the hood of the car - Frijole Roll-Ups with re-fried beans and rice. 
Saw this guy hiding in the shade one morning after unzipping the tent door.
Up above the quaint ski town of Winter Park.
Aptly named - Red Rocks
If I played music I would love to play in such a natural amphitheater.
This is Lake Fremont, the first night after leaving Colorado and going to the Wyoming wilderness.  Just an amazing location.
Reece getting dinner ready.
These little guys were not shy.
Lake Fremot from up above.
Soaking my legs in Lake Fremont and being so comfortable.  The lake was too cold to swim in but perfect ice bath temperature.

Halfmoon lake campsite.
We didn't eat lightly on this trip that's for sure - Burgers with fresh peppers and then chicken brats the next night. 
A grove of Aspens.
Reece and I decided to wade across this because we thought the trail picked up at the other end - we were wrong.
This is what it turned into.

The hardest, fastest flowing mountain stream I have ever saw - beautiful.
Spectacular singletrack.
This is what I woke up to in Granite Creek, WY.


5 comments:

  1. Those are neat pictures. I especially like the ones of you =)

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  2. I hope thise means you are going to start training at the Olympic facilities in Colorado!!!

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  3. Awesome man. Pretty lucky to have a moose in your camp...seriously.

    Next time I'll be around and we will have to go for a run.

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  4. Sounds like fun! Drop me a line if you find yourself on this side of the pond. Plenty of good running here too!

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