Hike the Canyon Event, 2012

Successful knee surgery, followed by a summer of hiking every week rekindled the spark for my passion, hiking.  The daily regiment of prescribed and self-imposed PT was behind me.

A daily exercise routine has extended my ability to enjoy life with family and friends.  My routine needed a boost, a recharge, maybe a challenge.   

It was July, 2011, when I decided to actually challenge myself.  It would be reasonable in terms of what I expected of my stamina and physical abilities.  I had kept a detailed log documenting hundreds of hikes and thousands of miles during my hiking career.  The only thing needed, one additional column to track hiking miles completed for the next ten months.

 

The kickoff was August 2.  Denver photographer and friend, Jason Hayes, signed on to document the day in photos.  Learn more about Jason by clicking on the "Hayes Photography" button at top right.

Jason Hayes, honing his craft.

We first did the North Rock Creek trail, in Eagles Nest Wilderness.  We returned to the TH and hiked the Gore Range Trail to Boulder Lake, logging 10.9 miles on the day.  Jason captured a number of awesome images.  One would be used on “The Hiker” blog home page above.

The author captures images of the Gore Range.

A few dates were highlighted as  milestones on the calendar to track progress.  The final date of the challenge would be May 10th.  My trail log would remain the repository for miles completed.  Plus, I wrote journal entries after each hike like always.  By September, there were 52.9 miles logged to the challenge.  Ahead of schedule, yes, but could I keep the pace?

That question was answered sooner than expected.  On October 18^th, a 7.1 mile hike at Heil Ranch, broke the 100 mile challenge goal.  Had I been to naive to think I may have trouble hiking 100 miles in ten months?  It seemed like a  reasonable goal at the time.  

After some thought, I added a secondary challenge of completing 20 miles on snowshoes between November and March.

(L to R) Ed Blum, The Author, and Louisa Sandoval

November 1, the transition to snow shoes was made. The first hike was on the Sand Beach Lake Trail.  Hiking buddy, Ed Blum, plus Louisa Sandoval and Nancy Bralic, from High Country Hikers group signed on.

Image from North Ten Mile Creek Trail at Frisco.

By the second milestone in mid-January, 148.8 miles had been logged.  On January 5, the secondary challenge (20 miles on snowshoes) had been met with a 6.2 mile snow shoe hike on North Ten Mile Creek Trail, at Frisco.  It would be all downhill from here.

Mid-March was the third milestone.  Instead of having sub-par results, I was looking at a number that astounded me.  The mileage on snowshoes, had grown to 54.2 since November.  What would the final number be?

As the date of May 10^th came closer and closer, emails went out explaining how the event would unfold.  Those who were interested were asked to first go to "The Hiker" blog and donate/pledge to PAR.  Next they were to contact me and register for the hike.

"Hike the Canyon participants, Jo and Jonelle on Eldorado Canyon Trail.

Promotional support was solicited from REI, Outdoor Mindset, Leave No Trace, and PAR. On May 10th, a small group of fun-loving enthusiasts met at Eldorado Canyon State Park for the finale.

Hike the Canyon  members (L to R) Outdoor Mindset staffer, Patti Abendroth; Beth Allen, The Author, Shirley Haithwaite, and Jo Murphy, and Jonelle Bidwell, members of High Country Hikers group in Aurora.

                                                                                                               


                                                         

Each participant received a "Hike The Canyon" button.

It was a wonderful day both in terms of trail experience and of funds raised...almost $500.00. 

In the end it was not a matter of miles completed, rather it was about enjoying one of the most unique landscapes in the area.

It was about enjoying the journey.

Eldorado Canyon State Park, check it out.