Adventures and State Champs

Summer nears, and I'm busy planning, scheming, and coming up with little challenges for myself.  Besides racing, I've got a couple of other big days scheduled.  I figure if I make public my plans, I'll hold myself accountable to actually do them.

Brooks and I are planning to run a part of the Nolan's course in late June - from Huron to Yale.  I estimate it will be something in the order of 7 peaks, 18 miles, 20,000'.  Weather permitting, we'll start in the evening, and between the half-moon and our headlamps, we should have plenty of light.

I think I'm going to do this climb on July 4th.  Pretty sure I'll start from Lead King Basin.  Snowmass and Capitol. Going to cross the Pierre Lakes basin via Heckert Pass and the Wandering Dutchmen Couloir.  Haven't decided whether I want to then re-trace my steps, or exit via the Capitol Creek drainage. (I'd need to arrange a shuttle in order to do that)

Rough idea of what I'm thinking.
Photo by Bill Middlebrook.

In other goings-on, "my" boys (I don't coach track in the spring but I am an ass't XC coach in the fall) won the 4A state track meet yesterday.  I'm so proud of this group of seniors; they were a bunch of mediocre freshmen that just decided that they were going to excel.  They went from not qualifying to 8th to 2nd to 1st at state XC in their four years here, and their performance yesterday seals their fate as the strongest class of runners Cheyenne has ever had.  4 of the top 8 in the 3200, 3 of the top 6 in the 800 - are you kidding me???

LOVE this version.