I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year’s! I love New Year’s because it’s a time for planning and starting new goals, and of course for me that means mapping out new trails to trek.

That being said though, I wanted to start off by sharing a recap of some of my more recent hikes this past December, since I went on some pretty neat excursions. 

Unfortunately this winter season we haven’t been granted as much snow as we’re typically accustomed to (ahem, climate change). So at about the same time that I would normally be strapping into my snowshoes, this year I dawned the usual hiking gear I use pretty much year round, and just with boots or running shoes instead; and I checked out some nearby trails that looked interesting. It’s not sponsored, but I typically use AllTrails to plan my hikes, so I’ll include the links to the trailheads where I can.

Another big part of my December that I thought I would mention was my exciting trip to the Grand Canyon- but the full story of that adventure is in my other post.

The Paint Mines

Being located in Denver, we’re pretty fortunate to live a manageable hour and a half drive away from Colorado Springs, where my sister and our mutual friend Suzy (a fabulous photographer by the way) and I toured the Paint Mines per her suggestion; and wow it was amazing. The camera roll on my phone was flooded with photographs; everywhere we turned there was an even more gorgeous curve than the last! The photo above this post is just a sample of its beauty, and if I’m being honest, it doesn’t do the formations any justice. 

The Paint Mines Interpretive Park is an absolutely stunning place, packed with curvilinear formations of Pikes Peak Granite and sandstone, as one sign informed us of the composition; among others like selenite clay and jasper, which I learned after checking out  El Paso County’s information page for the park. I just love rocks, so I had to investigate.  Furthermore, the county says that the site was used by Native Americans for gathering clays for paint, which is how the name was derived. The colors are simply brilliant, so it is no wonder people are and have been so drawn to it. 

It was crazy to think that we had only just heard of it so recently, it was so cool (and free) and easily accessible that I thought everyone would be talking about a place like this and that it would be a huge hub of visitation. It just went to show us that there’s always something new, and that no, we haven’t done it all. 

Just be careful where you step, and naturally stay off of the formations and follow the trails, because we don’t want any unwanted anthropogenic erosion happening on these beautiful rocks!

Winter Runs 

At higher elevation, even in the summer, the air is a trifle crisp, but in the winter, my goodness is it sharp! I don’t really mind though, if I’m being honest, because the air feels so fresh, and there’s something about the smell of the cold that I just love. Is it just me? 

Anyway, even with the snowpack being less than desirable this year, I was still able to get out and explore a few places with a dusting nearby. 

One particular experience stood out to me, and that was in Evergreen.

Evergreen is always a great choice for hiking. It has a good range of trails in length and difficulty, and obviously the thick forest is so easy to lose track of time in while taking in its beauty that it’s great for scenic meandering. 

For me though, keeping track of time was imperative on this one as I used one of the Alderfer Three Sisters Park Open Space Park trails, the Evergreen Mountain West, Summit, and East Trail Loop to get myself back into running a 5-mile route, and to further test out my sweet trail running shoes that I had purchased during an REI sale. Though thin was the layer of snow, it was still enough for me to grip easily with the treads on my Salomons, and it still covered the ground so as to give the illusion of a winter wonderland. Needless to say it was still beautiful and definitely worth it. 

The reason this was an important return was because I had had back pain as a result of an injury over a year ago that was preventing me from running and/or doing anything fun except walking and hiking (whew) for such a long time, so there was good distance between the last session that I was able to pound the gravel and get off scot-free from and this one; and I was finally feeling ready. I should note that unimpressively, the back injury in question was from lifting a box of books in Louisiana, so it was nothing epic. Nevertheless, over a year past and several chiropractic visits later, I was feeling pretty good and ready to romp around at almost full-swing again thanks to my Uncle Shawn, who is objectively the best Chiropractor in the world. Thanks, Uncle Shawn!

The run itself was a little slow, and was by very definition a footslog; and I clocked it at an hour and a half to complete the full thing, but I was so proud that I had made it after not being able to even use the treadmill for so long that I didn’t quite care. Plus, I was able to get outside, and that’s never a bad day.

Kenosha

My dear friend Kate and I recently went to Kenosha Pass to hike. Ironically this was after finding no room at the inn at the Three Sisters Park trailhead I mentioned previously.

We wanted to hike alone, and we wanted to see some views but not go too far. I’d say this little trip just about fit the need perfectly.

We only walked about 3 miles, and we didn’t go to the top of a mountain like we wanted but like I’ve said, I’ve never regretted taking a hike, so it was still fun.

Sometimes it’s the simplest trails that are the most interesting, especially with good company. Kate is a repeat-hike buddy, so if you read on down the line I’m certain you’ll hear more about her in other post.

Another cool thing about this hike-it’s part of section 6 of the Colorado Trail. Any thru hikers here? 

I’m not quite there yet financially to be able to complete a thru-hike, but  I’d definitely say it’s on my bucket list. For those of you who are maybe wondering, a thru-hike is basically when you live outside for a month (on the CT) or a few months (on the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail, for example) and complete the trail in its entirety. Cool, right? 

From what I’ve heard, and from the very minimal research I’ve done into these hikes, they are not average, and take a lot of planning and time to  complete, so I’m saving that  for another year.

So, during this small hike, Kate and I merely dreamed about how neat it would be to add the Colorado Trail to our resume, and I boldly declared that the next time I would be walking on that path I’d have a pack strapped to my back and I would be grumpy, but doing the CT.

So I guess we’ll see in a few years if that’s true, eh?

The Grand Canyon

Ok, so this one I’m super excited to share, not only because it’s the Grand Canyon, obviously that is plenty reason in itself, but also because the love of my life asked me to marry him there, and naturally I said yes. 

So to read the full story, click on over to the next post where I give the full run-down, and thanks so much for joining me today on the Footslog Blog!