UN12,130 “Cherokee” (Indian Peaks Wilderness)

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Stats

Distance: 15.5 mi
Elevation Gain: 4000
Difficulty: Easy Class 3
Time: 10Hrs round trip

Useful Links

Camping

There is Arapahoe Bay Campground near the trailhead, which a good option for staying the night before hiking.  The campground was full so we elected to sleep in the back of the truck at the trailhead.  There are a few VERY nice backcountry sites along the trail.  There are 2-3 sites just above the waterfalls at 4.5 miles.   There are 8 sites 7 miles back at Crater Lake.
I believe all back country camping in this area requires permits.  June – Sep

Trip Report

Jeremy, Dayton, and myself have been trying to coordinate schedules ever since our unsuccessful attempt at Juliet Couloir this spring.  Jeremy proposed this relatively unknown 12er in the Indian Peaks wilderness.  It didn’t take long for Dayton, and I to agree to making Cherokee Peak our objective.  Both Gerry Roach and the author of the summit post page, lavish praise on this peak and the Lone Eagle Cirque.  This praise is WELL deserved! Continue reading →

26.2 Here I Come

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be-the-best-version-of-youFor me one of the keys to maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle is picking big goals to motivate me.  If the goal is big enough to scare me a little even better.  Well the thought of running a marathon scares me more than a little.  So I have decided to take the plunge and commit to running my first marathon.   After doing research and reading reviews I choose the Colorado Marathon.  I like the time of year, as it will allow me to train over the winter / spring when it isn’t too hot outside. It is also supposed to be a beautiful course that runs along the poudre river.  When it comes to motivation I will take a beautiful course over screaming fans any day.  My only concern about the date is that I will be peaking for the Marathon during couloir climbing season.  I really hope I can find a way to fit in at least a couple of climbs.

After a summer focused on mountaineering I am back to running 4 days a week.  I am working on getting back to being “run fit” for the Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon on Oct 20th.  I feel like I came off the summer quite fit, while still being rested and healthy.

In addition to completing the marathon I have some other goals I want to stay focused on during training.

  • Be healthy!  Running a Marathon is very stressful on the human body.  I want to be careful to do things in a smart way that allows me to complete this big goal injury free, and more healthy than I started.
  • Stay balanced: Obviously training for this is going to consume a lot of time and energy.  I want to devote the attention that a race like this deserves, while still maintaining other areas of my life that are important to me.
  • Eat Well!  In order to be successful, and be healthy I need to focus on great nutrition.
  • Find great gear:  If you no me you know I am a gear head.  I am motivated by quality gear, and have a lot of fun trying out new stuff.
  • Be minimal:  Last year I began transitioning to minimalist foot wear.  While it has been a long and hard process, I love running in less shoe.  I have also never felt healthier as a runner.  I know that putting on this many miles in a truly minimal shoe will be difficult and may not be realistic for me.   I intend to incorporate them as much as possible into my training, and run the marathon in the least shoe my body can handle.

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