On to the day...
After the typical quick and chaotic breakfast feeding frenzy, ideas and suggestions fly about the room as to the adventures for the day. Gabe chimes in, "That's not an adventure. An adventure is when you don't know where you are or where you are going." Hiking up Fish Creek Falls seems to be the popular option for the day. Daco has already left for the same hike, but unknown to us he chose to take a different trail having already hiked the Falls trail. It takes about an hour and a half to coordinate and load up the three infants, two boys and eight adults. During my pre-trip research I found information about a trail running series here in Steamboat. One of the races is a roughly 16 mile trail run from Fish Creek Falls to the gondola atop the ski area. Although the official race isn't run until next week I found the course attractively interesting. With Cheryl's blessing I left the parking area and headed up the trial climbing quickly to around 7500' and attaining the upper meadow in roughly and an hour of fast hiking and running.
As the trail leaves the rocky outcroppings and ridges of metamorphosed granite I enjoy the swirling patterns of crystals in the rock. It reminds me of chocolate ribbons swirled in ice cream. I pass many hikers who greet me and comment on my hiking speed. A young couple comment on the GPS Velcroed to my hat. We discuss the distance to Long Lake and how far we have gone. Continuing I stop for water as the trial parallels the stream. I have always tried to take pictures while running and most often just forgot or not wanted to stop. In the upper meadows the trails become a mixture of mud dirt and small rocks, great terrain for making up time after the slow climb. I push myself and with frustration find myself struggling. I walk for a bit to lower my heart rate and decide to attempt a self portrait. 
After three attempts I think I have a good shot. Take a peek. It just kind of figures, one piece of grass and it blocks my face.
As the trail leaves the rocky outcroppings and ridges of metamorphosed granite I enjoy the swirling patterns of crystals in the rock. It reminds me of chocolate ribbons swirled in ice cream. I pass many hikers who greet me and comment on my hiking speed. A young couple comment on the GPS Velcroed to my hat. We discuss the distance to Long Lake and how far we have gone. Continuing I stop for water as the trial parallels the stream. I have always tried to take pictures while running and most often just forgot or not wanted to stop. In the upper meadows the trails become a mixture of mud dirt and small rocks, great terrain for making up time after the slow climb. I push myself and with frustration find myself struggling. I walk for a bit to lower my heart rate and decide to attempt a self portrait. 
After three attempts I think I have a good shot. Take a peek. It just kind of figures, one piece of grass and it blocks my face.The trail skirts meadows filled with purple, yellow, red, orange and white wildflowers all in full bloom. The grasses and quaking aspen flutter and sway in the high mountain breezes. The pines produce a low soft sound as the wind passes through the needle laden branches.
The trail map suggests an intersection at around 5 or 6 miles where I will leave the Fish Creek Falls trail and head toward the summit of Mt Werner on Mountain View trail. It seems to take longer than expected to reach the turn off but a 5.7 miles I round a corner and there it is. 
Mountain View trail intersecting with Fish Creek trail. There appears to be a road of some sort in two or three miles but I never seem to find it. I continue to be frustrated with my fitness level until I realize, I've running above 8500' for over two miles now, that would explain it. From here to the summit of Mt Werner the trail would continue to climb with a significant amount above 10,000'. I figure out the map issues, concerning the lack of "road", comparing the map to the GPS. What I assumed would be a road was just a well used a trail. As the summit approaches the trail circles another much larger grassy meadow. I weave in and out of the woods enjoying the smell of the Ponderosa pines in the warm afternoon. A grouse gives me a bit of a scare as he scampers across the trail and lights atop a rotting log and stares at me form a safe distance. I know there are black bear, cougar, elk and deer up here but the only sign I have seen is be the elk prints and piles of "berries". Every now and then the trail cuts through thick brush prompting me to announce my presence with a loud, "Shoo bear! Shoo bear!" If they hear me, I never see or hear them, although there was that one whiff of poop that brought me to attention. As the trail prepares to bid adieu to the meadow I peek through a break in the trees to see a heard of elk grazing at the far edge. Here is my feeble attempt at tyring to document the occasion. I guess the camera needs a stronger zoom. The blurry brown specs in the grass off in the distance are the elk. The wind was in my face as I tried to get closer. 
Then it swirled and with in a few seconds my presence was sensed by the heard. All heads turned in my direction and they were off silently entering the protection of the trees. It was one of the coolest things I have seen while out on the trails.
Mountain View trail intersecting with Fish Creek trail. There appears to be a road of some sort in two or three miles but I never seem to find it. I continue to be frustrated with my fitness level until I realize, I've running above 8500' for over two miles now, that would explain it. From here to the summit of Mt Werner the trail would continue to climb with a significant amount above 10,000'. I figure out the map issues, concerning the lack of "road", comparing the map to the GPS. What I assumed would be a road was just a well used a trail. As the summit approaches the trail circles another much larger grassy meadow. I weave in and out of the woods enjoying the smell of the Ponderosa pines in the warm afternoon. A grouse gives me a bit of a scare as he scampers across the trail and lights atop a rotting log and stares at me form a safe distance. I know there are black bear, cougar, elk and deer up here but the only sign I have seen is be the elk prints and piles of "berries". Every now and then the trail cuts through thick brush prompting me to announce my presence with a loud, "Shoo bear! Shoo bear!" If they hear me, I never see or hear them, although there was that one whiff of poop that brought me to attention. As the trail prepares to bid adieu to the meadow I peek through a break in the trees to see a heard of elk grazing at the far edge. Here is my feeble attempt at tyring to document the occasion. I guess the camera needs a stronger zoom. The blurry brown specs in the grass off in the distance are the elk. The wind was in my face as I tried to get closer. Then it swirled and with in a few seconds my presence was sensed by the heard. All heads turned in my direction and they were off silently entering the protection of the trees. It was one of the coolest things I have seen while out on the trails. The GPS says I have traveled over 10 miles and now it is really getting hard to maintain a shuffle, 10,200'. Rounding a small hill I sight a ski lift and my spirits lift. I am closer than I thought. I attain the service road at around 3 hours and 40 minutes. The Gondola summit is still a ways off and I don't think in my condition I will make it there in under four hours. The downhill is pounding my quads and aggravating my right knee, so I slow to a comfortable pace and by 4:05:37 I reach the Gondola. I find the trail designed to get hikers to the base of the ski area. I seem to have misjudged my remaining distance and find it frustrating to have few more miles left. At mid-mountain I burn a few minutes searching for the secret trail we discovered last year that leads directly to the rental house. I finally find the small break in the chest high grass and drop down for the final mile an half to the house. The trail is well over grown with berry laden bushes, sharp edged grasses and quaking aspen. I finish the trail with my standard "Shoo bear!", loud jokes and poorly worded songs to keep the predators from eating me. The trail is familiar and comforting, I've been here before. I pop out onto pavement at the 17 mile mark having been moving for 5:05:45. the final three-quarters of a mile is a slow walk on weary legs, I need a bath.
Tony
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