Got up a bit before seven this morning so I had enough time to make Frank breakfast before heading up in the mountains to go hiking/trail running at Brainard Lake.

It actually ended up turning into a bit of an epic after we got caught in a storm at 12,000 feet and momentarily got lost!

Here are some pictures from today.

 Near the trailhead at Brainard Lake.

 Frank was scared to get out of the car becasue it was cold…ohhh poor Frank!

 Early on in the trail run where I had to wait for Pipp after dropping him!

Farther up the mountain and where the weather started to go south.  FYI that is Lake Isabelle in the background.

 Even farther up the mountain (~12,000 feet) where the weather got really bad and about the time we ended up getting lost.  It got soo snowy and windy we could not find the trail for a bit.

Frank freaked out and figured he should take a self portrait so his gf Steph could re-live his last hours!

Fortunately, we did find the trail and figured we should not push our luck and headed back down the mountain. Here we are back in the shelter of the trees at a river crossing.

Coffee/sandwhich stop at Long Lake on the way back down the mountain.  Yep, I even made Frank a sandwhich and shared my coffee with him!

 Last but not least we even had the privilege of spotting a few Moose up by Brainard Lake.

Today was a fun hike but I think we did learn a few things:

1. Wearing runners while hiking in the snow = frozen feet!

2. The weather can get bad quickly at high elevations.

3. Finding our way back via footprints in the snow does not always work…especially in a blizzard.

4. Even though I made Frank breakfast and shared a sandwhich and coffee with him today…we are not gay!

5. Being talked out of trail running Long’s Peak (14,259 ft) today was a good thing.

6. Lastly, turning back while hiking is still soft…no matter what the conditions!

On a more serious note Frank and I talked about doing some guided hikes in the mountains for offseason employment.  Initially it would be non-formal and a learning experience for us but if there are any interested guinea pigs out there let us know. It would be awesome to have the privilege to show people first hand how amazing Colorado actually is. 

Time to go thaw my feet…

later, g.