We started at the Woodmen trailhead in Colorado Springs and headed 2 miles north on the Santa Fe trail. At Ice Lake, we headed west and followed some Air Force Academy dirt roads towards the base of Blodgett.
It is hard to tell with no leaves, but this scrub is actually a version of Oak tree called Gambling Oak. It grows on open slopes that have lots of sun exposure.
The trail gains about 2500 feet in 2 miles, so it is quite steep in places.
At about 8800 feet, we finally get off the arid eastern slope into a more alpine environment.
Rick getting close to the top.
Tara on the top.
Rick pointing out where he took a dump on the way up.
CRUD Group Shot
We came across this very cool ice in a creek on the Stables trail. It reminds me of wood grain going all different directions.
After the top, we split up into two groups for the return trip. There is an old airplane crash nearby that some went to check out, while the others cruised down to the Falcon trail and then back to Woodmen. All in all a nice run interrupted with a beautiful hike up Blodgett.
3 comments:
wow, what a scenic run! Great pictures too. Okay so I have to ask... What's the deal with the consistent warm weather that Colorado receives, particularly Denver and Co. Springs. Growing up Colorado was mecca for cold and an abundance of snow. In the paper each morning I commonly see temps in the 50's even 70's this time of year. What gives.... Is global warming rearing its ugly head... I mean I know the demographics and climate are unique in that area, but come on!
those pictures look as if you're running in summer conditions, I'm a little jealous, or maybe it's just a little cabin fever. Ha!
Great looking run, Paul. I'd love to come down for one of your CRUD runs soon.
Hey Wynn - well the winter weather along the front range is generally a lot better than most people realize, but this year has been crazy dry. We always have some nice 60 degree days mixed in the winter, but this winter has been weeks of them.
Tim - I enjoyed seeing your recent run photos too. Def. let us know if you can come down for a run. You might want to join our Yahoo group to keep in the loop of the upcoming runs (just go to Yahoo and search for teamcrud). I try to limit hte number of emails so you won't get bombarded....
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