Hocking Hills July 2024

Whispering Cave Hike

Hocking Hills Lodge to Whispering Cave

Trailhead Elevation: 986 ft.

Distance: 1.00 mi.  (1.71mi on Garmin)
Elevation Gain: 265 ft.
Start Time: 1:58pm
End Time: 3:09pm

This was a great family hike for us. We made it to the park to do lunch at the Lodge Cafe and then were looking to get outside to explore. It was more hot and muggy than we would have liked but we decided to give this a go. We followed what was a fairly obviously walkway downhill and east from the Lodge which was a connector to the Whispering Cave to Old Man's Cave trail. There was a nice trail staircase to take us down the hill. We had Ben, Noah and Anya as littles to aid along the hike. All of us adults took turns helping them along and holding hands. The first bit of the trail was a nice forest trail. It then headed down a rocky-like staircase area to a small overhang area with a nearly dried up waterfall. This led to a section where we were along the base of a cliff area. The trail rounded a corner in here and then a tenth of a mile later it ended at Whispering Cave which was an even larger overhanging cliff area with some waterfall going. The Hocking Hills area had been dry lately and so the waterfalls were not flowing very heavy. Anya was a great hiker the whole time and on the hike out was leading the way and full of energy. Ben also hiked most of it and by the end even dropped my hand and was moving over some difficult trail on his own. It was fun to see them take up the adventuring. The heat was real and I could see it affecting everyone which meant the hiking would be brief today. We all carried water for this hike to help out. As our first hike in Hocking Hills this was enjoyable and a nice introduction.

Leadville Silver Rush 50

2024 began with the hope and dream of running the Leadville 100 Ultra Race. It had become clear to me that I've been building and preparing for that adventure for over 6 years now. I have spent time on various parts of the route including Hope Pass. I have been envisioning what it would be like to run through the night and to cover all that scenery. I've even envision various members of the family pacing me along the way. I've been learning more and more about ultras and in particular running further and how to train the body to do it. Even my family summer schedule was lining up for this to be a great year for me to train and race it. I signed up for the lottery and was anxiously waiting by my computer in January for that welcome letter saying I had been selected. I had a good feeling about this. Until I didn't. I was not selected. On January 8 the e-mails came out and I got the bad news. The rumors of the difficulty of getting into the Leadville 100 proved true.

Mount Shavano 2024

It was 1998 when I last stood atop the summit of Mt. Shavano. Just long enough that I didn't have much memory of that first ascent as an 18-year old. In my adventures of repeating many of the 14ers and enjoying other peaks I had been wanting and waiting for a return here. As I was out in Leadville preparing for the Silver Rush 50 and wanting acclimation hikes this one eventually fit the bill. My brother, and two of my sons, Luke and Seth were eager to join.

Trip Info:
East Slopes route

Trailhead Elevation: 9,782 ft.

Summit Elevation: 14,230 ft.

Distance: 12.04 mi. 
  (inflated from the norm 9.5mi for Shav)
Elevation Gain: 4,755 ft.
Start Time: 7:59am
End Time: 5:18pm

Huron Peak 2024

This was my third trip to Huron Peak and it is one that I will always be happy to return to. It is a beautiful route and not overly difficult. The summit views are some of the best in the state. It is definitely a mountain worth repeating. Here in 2024 I was in Colorado preparing for the Silver Rush 50 race on Saturday July 6. We had Wednesday and Thursday free for acclimatizing hikes leading up to the race. The goal was to toe the line between getting some high altitude time and work without blowing up the body. I've done this a couple times in the past preparing for the Pikes Peak Marathon in 2016 and Run Rabbit Run in 2019. I also had my father, brother, and two of my sons along and we wanted to have a great fun hike and also a new one for my two boys..

Trip Info:
Northwest Slopes Route from 4WD TH
Trailhead Elevation: 10,588 ft.

Summit Elevation: 14,003 ft.
Distance: 8.91 mi. 
Elevation Gain: 3,835 ft.
Start Time: 7:47am
End Time: 3:26pm

Barr Lake State Park

Looking for a nice hike near Denver International Airport we happened to find Barr Lake State Park. It has an 8.8 mile loop around the lake as well as some short trail loops along the way. It was a 20 minute drive from our hotel on Tower Road.

Trip Info:
Out and back on the loop trail
Trailhead Elevation: 5,102 ft.
Distance: 5.97 mi. 
Elevation Gain: 52 ft.
Start Time: 9:54am
End Time: 12:17pm

Trip Report:
We parked at the Nature Center at Barr Lake and quickly found the loop trail nearby. There is a decent signage to point hikers and wanderers in the right direction. We decided to see if we could make out to the Rookery Gazebo. We were thinking about 5 miles. On the hike out we passed the "Niedrach Trail" loop and the Fox Meadow Trail loop and decided to walk each on the hike out. The trail was essentially a flat double track dirt road. There was very little sun cover out there so we covered best we could. It was in the 60s so we were staying comfortable for the most part. The views were beautiful looking over the lake and also seeing the Front Range mountains in the background.