Muddy Shoes
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| Trail conditions |
Today, I set the alarm for and planned on a little different than the ordinary morning. Instead of getting up just after for work as usual and having a casual breakfast, a short dog walk, and a few relaxing moments over a brew of coffee. The plan was to sneak in an early morning trail run and hill climb before work. An early morning trail run offers an abundance of reasons to set the alarm clock a bit earlier. Including, the first light of the day, solitude and quietness, being first on the trail, the sunrise and its colors on the mountains, birds singing and chirping, the fresh air, and much more.
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| Bella dog on summit |
So shortly after I made a quick exit out of the house and was on the road. It was raining outside, but that didn’t alter my plan, in fact it made it more appealing on this day. Breakfast was still settling in the stomach as I drove towards work and the trailhead. My dog Bella was looking like she wanted in and I knew the trail and running distance would suit her well. She slept in a bit and gulped her food down and was ready by the time I was. She jumped in the back of the car in the darkness and we were off. I was sipping a good up of coffee and had some good music playing in the car to get me going for the day.
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| Action |
The rain continued off and on as I drove to the trail. I was moving on the trail by and Bella dog didn’t seem to notice the rain at all. The trail run was 2.7 miles and gained 1,850 feet on a service road. I started easy and watched Bella bolt around the new surroundings with ears popped up with alertness and wild excitement. I jogged further up the trail and enjoyed the intermittent rain showers. The trail was in good shape down low and had a few spots of wetness and slickness at the higher elevation. In the end the trail offered everything from dry under canopy, to tacky, to slick and wet in spots. But, all in all, it was as expected and if anything the rain seemed to soften the trail quite a bit. I picked up the pace the final 10 minutes of the 35 minute hill climb and finished in a complete sweat.
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| Mud shower |
At the top, the weather had backed off and wasn’t raining. I took in the views from the summit with Bella as she scanned the valleys for creatures, scent, and movement. Clouds dominated over the 11,000 foot mark and behind me the next wave of showers was ready to rumble in. Bella was excellent company and I could tell she had had a great morning. I was in agreement and sometimes the morning run is a great way to start your day.
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| Dog owner |
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| Muddy Bells |
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