June 5, 2008 |

It’s getting Juney

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Military tanks rolling along a city street during a parade, with a person standing nearby.

Nineteen years ago today… this guy stood in front of a tank, and the end result is we Americans get to buy cheap crap from Wal-Mart. Somehow I don’t think that is what he intended. ~ Todd Bellamy


The Aspens are starting to leaf out. It is definitely springtime in the Rockies. The temps are rising, snow is slowly starting to melt in the high country (though it is still hanging pretty tough up really high), the humming birds are in full effect. As much as I will miss the winter it is fun to see the seasons change. One of the many things I would miss if I ever had to live elsewhere.


This week has been a little hectic but good. After our ski last week, I was geared up to go back out on Saturday but that fell through so I went for a run instead. Kind of explored around a bit in the woods near my house and found some cool new stuff. I started out down the Beav then went up to Whispering Hope (a new trail a couple of miles from my casa). From there I climbed back up to familiar territory: Tin Can Alley to Funky Boss. I then did some exploring around an incomplete trail I call Tupperware and hooked up most of it but there is still some work to do to get it completely hooked up. About 9 miles total. Good stuff.


Rach and I cleaned cages at the Bunny Ranch on Sunday then she headed down to stay at the shelter for a week on Tuesday. She usually co-Manages but for this week she is running it on her own. It is a ton of work with help… this is going to be a big week for her running the show solo. Plus, I’ll miss having her at home to myself. I’m selfish… whatchagonnado?


The weather yesterday was kinda crappy but it broke mid-afternoon so I headed out for a trail run. I wasn’t quite sure how long to go and just played it by ear. Cool and cloudy, it threatened to rain pretty much the whole time and thundered a bit. I was really lucky, however and never got dumped on.

Google Maps view of a red route near Golden Gate Canyon State Park, with map and satellite tabs visible

I ran out my door and into the woods behind my house with the goal of getting up to Golden Gate Canyon State Park and then would decide from there how far to take it. I took it easy on the way out with the goal of running the second half faster than the first (not sure I accomplished that, really) and felt great by the time I hit the Park. I pretty much decided to just go for it and dropped down to what I call the Zoo Loop: Elk to Mule Deer and back up and around to Raccoon. It is about an 8-mile loop and I managed to run most of it – only walking the steepest or most gravely sections. Felt decent most of the way and only started to fade a bit towards the end. Roughly 14 miles total. Good run. Check out the stats.


I am still not sure about Leadville… giving it until the middle of the month to decide on that one. Overall, however, I am feeling pretty decent. I’ll keep you posted with progress.

Thoughtful strategy. Practical execution.

Clear thinking, honest perspectives, and experience shaped by years of doing the work. No shortcuts, no borrowed opinions, just lessons learned by showing up, solving problems, and following ideas all the way through.

Four hikers with backpacks walking along a rocky mountain ridge under a blue sky
May 8, 2026
We are each our own greatest inhibitor. People don’t want to do new things if they think they’re going to be bad at them or people are going to laugh at them. You have to be willing to subject yourself to failure, to be bad, to fall on your head and do it again, and try stuff that you’ve never done in order to be the best you can be. ~ Laird Hamilton Yesterday: Hit Range Balls/Hike – Casa del Critters, 1:15 Today: Run – GGCSP, ~2 hours Tomorrow: Ride – Somewhere singlespeedy, ~2 hours Yesterday, Rach and I took a nice stroll in the woods around our house. The songbirds were going crazy-nuts and surprisingly, we only saw one other person walking his dog. I love where we live – close proximity to fun trails and the ability to get away from it all in just a short walk from our house. During lunch yesterday, I went to the driving range to get a few cuts in before playing a round of golf with my dad next week. I don’t get to play very often so need to brush up on my skills (or lack thereof) whenever I can. I am looking forward to playing with my pops and hope to break 100. I shot a 102 the last time I played so I am within striking distance of the sub-triple-digit score. We’ll see how things go. I usually do okay for most of the round and then fall apart on a couple of holes pushing my score way up. Dad shoots in the low 80s usually (I think). I am not sure I will ever play enough to be that good but it is fun to get out on the course now and again. I also went to see Dr. Paul yesterday for my ankle problem (which seems to have been resolved) and my knee (which is still a bit swollen but has decreased in size markedly over the past several days). The knee stems from my unscheduled nose-dive back in May (see this post for details). The shot some pictures and believe that everything is a-ok so that was good news. I just need to select better places for splashdowns in the future. And today is Luke’s birthday. Age is one place where I will always beat him but visit his blog to congratulate him on trying to catch up. Until next time…
Runner silhouetted at sunset on a rocky trail, mid-stride between hills.
May 8, 2026
Progress comes from the intelligent use of experience. ~ Elbert Hubbard Yesterday: Run – Casa del Critters/Flume, 1 hour 15 minutes Today: Ride/Hike/Relax Tomorrow: Run/Hike – Pawnee/Buchanan Passes, 6 hours? Yesterday I ran around the house. Not literally, mind you, but in the neighborhood. It was a gorgeous evening – calm, cool. Perfect. The wildflowers are really starting to take off up here and I was treated with a bold display of color throughout my run. Tons of Columbine lined the trailside as I ran on old mining roads and singletrack trails. It is really fun to see how much differently I am able to handle familiar terrain. I used to have difficulties running this loop and would have to walk major sections. Last night, I ran the entire loop without trouble and was able to moderate my speed to maintain a steady cadence through the run. Good times. Contracting is staying steady. A bit of a drop-off this week given the holiday but I am still managing to put in a decent number of hours. I picked up another new project today and will need to get started immediately to ensure that it gets completed on time.  Tomorrow, we are going to head up Pawnee Pass and loop back around to Buchanan Pass in the northern Indian Peaks Wilderness. This should be a fun challenge as we’ll get up pretty high, have to navigate some snow (most likely) and will be out for quite awhile. I am looking forward to it for sure . Movie time: I forgot to mention Shopgirl, a Steve Martin vehicle, we watched the other night. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but found this to be a charming film about loneliness. It was well acted and would recommend it for sure. The pacing is steady throughout and some might find it a little on the slow side but it was an engaging film that had a lot to say without being overly sappy.
Hands holding a tablet displaying a video player interface. The video is paused.
February 20, 2026
In case you hadn’t seen these (and also for my friends at Adventure Film ), here are a couple of must-see running movies from Joel Wolpert:  Geoff Roes: Slogging to the Top