My drive to work every morning consists of some pretty amazing views. Daily I think, wow, how could it ever get old looking at these mountains? Then the following thought came to mind: I really need to be more intentional in making efforts to enjoy the outdoors and nature where I live. The first spring/summer here I set out to explore different hiking routes and although they were great and full of amazing views, my lungs struggled horribly. I still climb a flight of stairs to my office and sound like Wheezy the Penguin from Toy Story, but, I think these sea level lungs are finally getting the hang of this Rocky Mountain air. It’s only taken two and a half years but I think my lungs and I are finally getting along in the thinner air. That and being more conscience about exercising regularly. It was pretty evident when we ran the Capital 10K a month ago and could carry on a full conversation the whole run.
So this past weekend I hit up the North Table Mountain area near Golden and picked a reasonable 3.2 mile loop with ~540 feet in elevation gain. Reading that the first 0.5 mile was a bit of an incline I was prepared, and yep, it was (~20% incline, yes I did the math); but my legs went to work and my lungs only complained a little. I was in awe of some dude running up and down the 0.5 mile incline (twice in the time it took me to go up once). But that is the mentality of outdoorsy/sporty folks here – very serious about their outdoors/sports. Once at the top of the mesa it was pretty flat and a nice walk. There were a lot of birds, deer, and frogs! This trail wasn’t too busy before 8am, although I was passed a few times by groups of mountain bikers. The nice thing about this trail was an ample size parking lot with real toilets at the trailhead (not drop toilets which is a whole thing). I would consider it a decent hike for folks from out of town (you fellow sea level lungers). There is no shade so start early or be sure to have sunscreen, for real, less atmosphere here to block those UVs.
As a reward for burning those calories I hit up my favorite taco place – G’s Tacos – quietly hidden away in a small mall area off 100th in Westminster. You can’t go wrong with their Cowboy Tacos and chips and salsa.