*Bump* - Hard to believe this was 4 years ago. 

Pre-Run

My wife, Jess, and I had several days of fun in the Leadville area with our oldest daughter. We had hikes at Turquoise Lake and Timberline Lake trails, rode the scenic Leadville train and made a side trip to Manitou Springs (where we hiked around garden of the Gods).  We sadly said goodbye to our daughter and on our last day in Leadville, Jess and I got one really good long run in on the Mineral Belt Trail, which was a good test of our legs and lungs.

Wednesday, on our way to Estes Park, we stopped for a hike up Mt Spaulding and Mt Evans from the Summit Lake Trailhead (no driving to the top as it was already closed for the season).  This was a tough hike as we had some talus and boulders to deal with on the traverse and little did we know how well this would serve us later in the week.  This was Jess’ first 14’er, and we felt like we earned it.

We arrived into Estes Park and checked into Mabel’s Cabin, a rustic 1910 cabin sitting just above the town with views of Longs Peak.  As we looked around the cabin, we were surprised to see we had a “bonus bedroom” in the attic off the second bedroom.  I checked in with Al (NH) as he was on the way to Denver Airport to get Mike (Warden).  I told them we had plenty of room and it was decided we would all stay in the cabin for the next few days and the “boys” could skip their "Brokeback" camping trip.

Mabel's Cabin - with Longs Peak in the background

Wednesday night, we walked into town for some average food but really good beers and a bar tender who had obviously been enjoying some legal CO weed.  Made it back to the cabin deck and finished off the night with a nice beer that Al had brought from WI.

Thursday, Jess and I headed into Rocky Mountain NP for the day and Al and Mike went for a run to test Mike’s altitude lungs and then also made a quick trip into the NP.  That night, Al cooked us some burgers (since they weren’t roughing it like planned) and we had a beautiful night on the deck eating and drinking (mostly water) and then off to bed for a 4:45 am alarm.

Mike and Al hard at work.

Pawnee-Buchanan Loop

After a quick meal and bag / pack checking, we piled into my rental vehicle for the hour drive to the Long Lake trailhead.  A few last-minute adjustments (and a porta potty stop) and we set off on our loop doing the classic counter-clockwise direction that most runners use. We knew the 4:27 FKT was out of the question, and joked about it often.

Guess which one is from Wisconsin.

We followed the road and trail downhill to the Mitchel Lake trailhead and then started up the Mount Audubon Trail ready for our first climb of three.  The trail rose over 1000’ in 2 miles and we tuned onto Beaver Creek Trail and had a really nice running segment dipping down into Coney Flats, were there was a 4x4 trail and a parking area.

Ooh Ahh Moment

We had a little trouble finding the next trail (which we had read was not well marked) but then found (as confirmed by Al’s GPS) the Buchanan Pass Trail.  The next climb was 3.5 miles with elevation gain of 2100’. The ascent gain was more since the trail seemed to drop every so often only to reclaim the gain (an all too familiar trend with this run).

Climb up to Buchanan Pass.

Above the treeline I stopped to wait for the others at a junction that was not on my map.  There ended up being 2 ways to get up this next section, with one being shorted and steeper.  We wisely took the longer, less steep option.  The trails eventually merged again and then we passed right next to a glacier field just before the Pass.  We hunkered down below the windy pass and ate some sandwiches and enjoyed the view back from where we had traveled.

After a beak, we crested Buchanan Pass and were greeted by a spectacular view of what lied ahead.  This also was our days first crossing of the Continental Divide.

After the Pass, we had 6 miles of mostly downhill running where we dropped below treeline. We ran through some meadows, across streams and even an avalanche field and every turn kept seeing more incredible scenery, but sadly, no wildlife. At one steam crossing, we made our first impromptu AS and refilled our water supplies and took in some more calories.

The drop continued and we reached the Cascades Trail and at 8600’, the lowest point in our journey. From here it was up, up, up as we went past water falls and bridges on our way to the basin.  After maybe ½ way up the climb, I did a water check and saw I was low, so we waited for the group to form and did AS #2 to all fill up on water and calories for our final push.

Waterfalls at almost every turn.

Crossed a few of these.

Shortly, we came to Pawnee Lake and it wasn’t long before we started losing the trees again and then got our first view of Pawnee Pass.  Only problem was you couldn’t see how he hell you were getting there since all you could see was rocks.  For the next 2 miles we went through 27 switchbacks (from what I read, I didn’t have the energy to count) and rose well over 2000’ with the last 1200’ coming in the last .5 miles. Fortunately (and unfortunately) the climb had some sections that were level to even slightly downhill as we made our way across boulders and talus.

Pawnee Lake

Pawnee Pass - the "V" to the upper middle.

Jess is stronger than she realizes.

Just before the Pass, it turned to hand over hand climbing with scree footing, and I waited above to direct Jess into where to reach as she climbed.  Jess and I crested the Pawnee Pass together (Continental Divide crossing #2) and were hit by a drop in temperature and strong winds. She took a sip from her bladder and realized she was out of water. I checked mine and had maybe 2oz of water left (meaning, I drank almost 120oz in 6 miles ).  We waited for Mike to crest and saw Al was a bit lower still.  After a brief discussion (Mike was low on water, too), Mike would stay with Al, and Jess and I would head down for our last 5 miles. Mike had cell reception and had a brief talk with his DW.

The next 2.5 miles was rocky switchbacks and really not easy to run but we made good time.  We passed a young couple coming up to camp at the pass, and they offered us some water.  We called them our trail angels.  After getting back to the treeline, the trail became runnable and we made our way towards Long Lake for our last beautiful photo-op, and then the last ½ mile to our car at the trailhead.

Long Lake

Finished

Stats:

We got off trail a few times for views and pictures, plus a diversion to Long Lake and taking the long way up the split at Buchanan, so at the end my Garmin showed 28.9 miles and almost 8700’ of ascent gain (the “elevation change” for the loop is listed at around 7000’ ).  Clock time was just over 11 hours with moving time at 8:45. We had 3 water stops and a lunch stop and multiple picture stops included in the total time.

I wore my Altra Lone Peaks (tried and true) and Jess wore her Hoka Cascadia’s.  I drank mostly water, but also drank some Tailwind. I ate 4 packs of gel blocks, a peanut butter sandwich, 1 Honey Stinger wafer and 2 pieces of beef jerky.  Nutrition was spot on, but wish I has an extra bottle with me so we didn’t run out (many race reports mention running out of water, but I still thought we were good).

Hardest climb I’ve ever done (including Pikes Peak and R2R2R).  In the Grand Canyon, the grade is very consistent and the trail not as technical, so you can get a rhythm and keep going.  The Pawnee climb was constantly fluctuating and the boulders and scree made it hard to get comfortable.  Our time in Leadville really helped and I didn’t feel the altitude as much as I thought I would.

I used poles on only the last climb, which was my plan going in, and they helped a great bit.  Jess did not use poles, as she is not comfortable with them.

Post run

We stopped for some BBQ (pork, brisket and chicken) with fixing and Mike and I polished of a few IPA’s.  Felt pretty good the next day with the exception of my right glutes.

Where to next year was the discussion in the car on the ride back.

Thanks, Al for this suggestion. Sorry we couldn't get a few more of you along for the journey.

Thanks for the Weekend Update.  It looks like you all had a great time and quite an adventure.  It looks like a great trail and I really wish I could have made it. Maybe next year...

Also thanks for the photos.

Thanks for the Weekend Update.  It looks like you all had a great time and quite an adventure.  It looks like a great trail and I really wish I could have made it. Maybe next year...

 

Also thanks for the photos.

We laughed when we saw how fast the FKT was and then saw how it was rated at 85% runnable.  Don't know who could run 85% of it.  I'd say 70% at best.

Wow, what a great trip and adventure. We did a cabin rental thing when I went there with by buddy back in 2014. It was really a great time, and September seems optimal for that area. That's a pretty long loop you did. The only thing I can compare on your big climbs is Bierstadt and the South Sister in Oregon. South Sister was really a doozy... 5,000+ feet in 6 miles, with more than half the gain the final couple of miles on lava scree.

Thanks for sharing. Looks fantastic.. the sky is so blue.

LOL, perhaps Kelly has the FKT!

George - the climb was intense, and I've done some pretty big climbs. Warden said it was his hardest climb and he has more big climbs than i do.

XT - Looked a lot like Bierstadt (and Evans).  We made a few Kelly joke, especially if we cut any switchbacks and when we saw the 4x4 parking lot we said we should have taken the shortcut.  You would have done well here.

Jamie - No bugs at all.  The deck was really a great landing spot. Unfortunately it was too cold to sit out there after we were done on Friday and we ate our BBQ inside.

Great write-up Tim!  I have to say this outing really falls into the epic category in both sheer beauty and scope.  I'm putting the climb up to Pawnee Pass in my top two toughest climbs; words are hard to come by as how tough that climb was.  In retrospect, I think I would go in the opposite direction if I were to do it again- having this climb with 20-ish tough miles under your belt is a doozy to say the least.

I will have to call bullshit on the "mostly water" on the deck though   And Al, as promised, your secret of puking on the way to the pass is absolutely safe with me.

A truly memorable trip with some fantastic folks!

Okay- wait for it................... 

 

I will have to call bullshit on the "mostly water" on the deck though   And Al, as promised, your secret of puking on the way to the pass is absolutely safe with me.

 

 

 

I left that part out since you forgot to get a picture of it.

Not sure what you're talking about.  

  And Al, as promised, your secret of puking on the way to the pass is absolutely safe with me.