hike Archives - Just J.Faye

Seven Sanitas Summit Challenge

April 24, 2018 by Jenna

On March 31 Michael and I hiked to the top Mount Sanitas for my first time in 2018. On the way down he gave me the Seven Sanitas Summit Challenge: hike Mount Sanitas six more times before April 14.

Challenge accepted.

Why the challenge?

At the end of March Michael and I decided to plan a trip for some backpacking in Utah for mid-April. We found backcountry permits for the Lathrop Trail in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands. The Lathrop Trail starts at the top of a mesa and extends down to the Colorado River and then back up to the mesa. The 21-mile out and back is flat to gradual aside from a 1.5-mile stretch that is quite steep with about 1200 feet of elevation gain/loss.

Since my heart still isn’t at 100%, we decided to test out my abilities on Mount Sanitas, a trail in Boulder with a 1250-foot gain over 1.3 miles and is similar to what we would encounter on Lathrop Trail. I used to hike Mount Sanitas allllll the time – before work, after work, weekends, you name it. It definitely is a butt-kicker and is one of those trails that you love to hate.

Knowing that I could get to the top just fine, Michael then extended this challenge to me. By doing Mount Sanitas 6 more times we would both gain more confidence in my abilities and wouldn’t be quite as nervous that anything negative would happen while backpacking.

This link has some more information on the trail itself.

Quick side note on my heart health

Before I continue I’ll give a quick update on my heart. Since the yurt-defibrillator-shock fiasco things have been going really well! With the new medication that I’m on I haven’t had any arrhythmias that needed my ICD to kick in with therapy. This is huge! I went from receiving 1-5 therapies daily (caused by VT) during the first two weeks of January to receiving NONE mid-January through now.

After getting shocked I had a hard time getting back to exercising. It’s not that I didn’t want to, it’s that I was scared to. I was scared that I would receive therapy again or, worse, get shocked.

I took it easy and tried to go for daily walks or hit the gym for some leisurely biking or ellipticaling (<- don’t think that’s a word). I continued to get stronger and more confident, especially since I hadn’t had any episodes with the new medication. Each week I tried to push it just a little bit more.

And that brings us to today!

Let the challenge up Sanitas begin

March 31 was my first time hiking Mount Sanitas this year. I started out very slow and only slightly scared with my only goal being to get to the top safely. I tend to do best when I settle into an all-day easy pace so that I don’t have to stop for breaks. One step at a time, slow and steady progress.

And guess what?! I did it! And then I did it 6 more times! I hiked it through a range of weather – hot and sunny, foggy and snowy, chilly and windy – sometimes by myself, sometimes with Michael.

Here are my times for hiking to the summit (does not include the hike down):

March 31 – 45:30
April 1 – 44:36
April 3 – 41:16
April 5 – 38:53
April 8 – 50:13 (took an alternate route up which was .6 miles longer)
April 10 – 39:45
April 12 – 38:53

You can see that I was able to shave off about 6.5 minutes from my first hike to my last. It may not sound like much, but the trail is only 1.3 miles long, so I’ll take it. Back in the day I could run/hike to the top in around 30 minutes – lots of room for improvement!

Not only did I get faster, but I got stronger and more confident in myself. I was able to feel that rush of endorphins that I hadn’t felt for so long. It’s such a good feeling!

Challenge fever

I had forgotten what it’s like to pursue a goal – a clear, concrete goal with a deadline. Up until 2017 I had trained for either a half marathon or a full marathon at least once a year for 7 years. It was a lot of time and a lot of work, but so satisfying. Without working towards anything specific (because my general “get back into shape” wasn’t super inspiring) I felt a little lost.

The Seven Sanitas Summit Challenge left me feeling driven and motivated, excited to tackle anything that came my way. I know Michael has a few more challenges for me coming up. I can’t wait to smash them. I’m lucky to have a partner that encourages and inspires me.

And here are some extra pictures, because I took a lot during my 7 times up and down.

Colorado Hikes: Gem Lake

October 5, 2016 by Jenna

Gem Lake is a beautiful Colorado hike. This 3.5-mile roundtrip hike in Rocky Mountain National Park is worth every bit of that 1000 foot elevation gain.

Oohhhh hiiiiii.

I’ve been away. And by “away” I mean, in Denver, but away from this space. Instead of being here I’ve been spending the bulk of my free time forming relationships – with Denver, with new friends, and with the mountains.

And you know what? It was a nice little break from blogging/writing/baking. However, lately I’ve found myself wanting to return. I think part of it is the change in the weather (there’s just something about fall, you know?!). No matter the reason, I’m happy to be here.

As I mentioned I’ve spent quite a bit of time forming a strong bond with the mountains and doing a lot of hiking. I don’t want to say I’m obsessed, but I am in love. So I decided I would share some of my hikes on here.

To log the experiences so that I can remember them for personal reasons.
To share them with you in case you are ever in Colorado with the urge to hike.

With all that said, let’s jump right in.

This first one isn’t a super intense hike, but it is a beaut: Gem Lake.

The Gem Lake hike is located in Rocky Mountain National Park just outside of Estes Park. It’s a small, beautiful lake (pond??) nestled right in the mountains.

I did this hike on the 4th of July with friends that were visiting from Minneapolis. A few of my Denver friends had hiked it the previous day and after seeing their pictures I decided that I needed to go see Gem Lake for myself.

Because seriously, look:

We got to the Lumpy Ridge Trailhead at about 8:30am. Luckily it was still early enough to grab a spot in the parking lot. Parking is always a little bit of a gamble, but we got one and then we were off hiking.

The first 1/2ish mile goes through a sparsely wooded area with a slow and steady incline. The incline isn’t too intense, but it will get your heart pumping! Especially if you aren’t acclimated to the altitude. The trail continues and opens up to some beautiful views of Estes Park, Long’s Peak, and other mountains.

From here the trees are a little bit more dense and the switchbacks begin, most of which are created with stone stairs, like a rustic spiral staircase through the wilderness. That’s fun, right?

After about 1.7 miles from the trailhead you’ll get your first view of the glorious Gem Lake!

What a gem! Am I right?!

Baahhhahahaa.

After exploring the area for a bit (and taking 3 gazillion pictures) we climbed up some of the rocks on the far side of the lake to hang out and eat some snacks. We were equipped with pb&j, apples, bananas, Clif bars, trail mix and (of course) Bud Light. It was the 4th of July, after all.

If that isn’t an All-American picnic I don’t know what is!

When we got our fill, we packed up our things, took a few more pictures, and hiked back down to the trailhead.

Overall, I would highly suggest this hike to anyone and everyone!

The views are ridiculously gorgeous.
It’s not too intense, but you still have to work a little bit.
It’s not an all day commitment. The total hike should take 2-3 hours, depending on how long you hang out at the lake.
You can hang out in Estes Park afterwards.

Oh and did I mention how beautiful it is?

I went in the summer, but I bet it’s absolutely stunning in fall with all the aspens changing colors. Let me know if you check it out!!

The stats:

Length: 3.5 miles
Type: Out and back
Beginning elevation: 7860 feet
Ending elevation: 8900 feet
Elevation gain: 1040 feet
Location: Estes Park, CO
Trailhead: Lumpy Ridge Trailhead

North Table Mountain Park Hike

April 13, 2016 by Jenna

A few friends and I hiked North Table Mountain Park on Saturday, so I thought I’d share a little recap.

Who knows, maybe one day you’ll find yourself in Colorado looking for a little hiking adventure?! If so, call me up and I’ll join you

April is still pretty early in the hiking season. It seems like it is still winter in the mountains – they are covered in snow and full of skiers; however, it is definitely spring in the foothills! The hikes in these areas may not be as intense, but it’s a great way to get some warm up hikes in before attempting to conquer a 14-er. Which I hope to do soon.

North Table Mountain Park met our criteria of being moderately difficult, ranging 5-10 miles long, not covered in snow, dog friendly, and not too far from Denver. So, to North Table Mountain we went!

Our crew consisted of 5 people and 1 dog – just enough space to all fit in my roommate’s Ford Escape. We left Denver at around 10:00 and it was only about a 30 minute drive to get to the trailhead in Golden. There were a surprising amount of people at the start and the parking lots were full, so we had to park along highway 93. Slightly frightening, but it worked out just fine.

North and South Table Mountain offer a few different routes that vary in distance from 2.5 miles to 8ish miles. We choose the longer one, which was advertised on AllTrails.com as 7.6 miles. At the end of the hike my GPS showed 8.8 miles, but then when I checked it later the distance was recalibrated down to 8.0 miles. Still not bad overall!

This was our route:

As you can see we started the hike with a nice steep incline (going counter-clockwise around the loop), then had a gradual decline, and finished off the last few miles with some rolling hills. We took some scenic picture breaks, water breaks, and sunscreen breaks over the course of the hike. Overall it was a little over 900 feet in elevation gain. Since North Table Mountain Park is basically right in Golden, we weren’t fully enveloped in “nature”. You’ll see power lines and houses in our pictures, but there were still some great views of the mountains and a pretty little view of downtown Denver. No one was complaining.

Would you?

Judging by the amount of cars and people that we initially saw, I was expecting the trail to be pretty crowded. However, the specific trail that we took wasn’t too bad. We came across a few hikers, a few runners, and a good number of mountain bikers. At times the trail was pretty narrow, so we would have to stop and move to the side to let others pass (or vice versa). Everyone seemed to have good trail etiquette, but it’s always a good reminder to be conscious of the other people around you.

The weather was perfect at 65 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze. We still needed snacks and plenty of water. Also, sunscreen. I missed a few spots and got burnt. I’m not used to the intense sun yet and my pale skin was all “wtf is happening here?!” If it was any warmer it probably would have been too hot, so I would not recommend doing this hike in the prime summer months. There is no shade. It’d be brutal! But you could do it if you like that sort of thing.

The hike wasn’t too strenuous, but it was still a good workout. I could feel it in my glutes the next day (side note: “Good for the glutes.” Is my mantra while hiking up hills. I find it to be very motivating.) By the end we were all ready to be done. I may have some “only one more mile!” about three times and prematurely got people’s hopes up, but a little extra walking didn’t hurt. We all survived.

We rewarded ourselves with beers at the Buffalo Rose in Golden for all the effort we put in that morning. Beer after hiking is pretty much the best thing, especially when you’re with such a great crew.

Overall, I enjoyed hiking the North Table Mountain Park trail. I feel I would do it again and would be completely comfortable going by myself. Maybe even to take a stab at trail running? I won’t get ahead of myself.

But if every weekend of my life going forward involves the mountains, beer, sunshine, and great people I will be a happy, happy (and grateful!) lady.