Temple 2.0

Guess who's back? 2 weeks ago was the prologue. Chalk it up to route scouting. Today I was back to let my feet do some talking.
Today's journey began just before sunrise. Yes I broke some rules (ok, laws) running up to Sentinel Pass all by my lonesome, but today I wasn't waiting for anyone/ anybear. Ascending while watching the sunrise over the Valley of the Ten Peaks was pretty righteous.

Mount Tuzo and Deltaform Mountains begin to hold some late summer snow as they get ready to monitor the touristas in larch valley.
At the 1/2 way point (the "pinnacle") I turn to gasp for air as the sun floods into Larch Valley and the Valley of the 10 peaks.

Next was the grey/ yellow bands and the endless slog up the ridge towards the peak. I attained the summit in 2hrs 21min and collapsed in a pile of rubble. A couple of selfies of me looking regal/ failing at handstands and I floated back to the car in a total 3hrs 47min. I'm claiming an unofficial speed record on this peak. Mostly because I don't think anyone else is stupid enough to attempt to run an 11,600ft peak.

Doesn't get much better than that! I'll give it a 9.5/10

Mount Rundle

Who doesn’t love waking up without an alarm? Rolling over and going back to sleep? Lounging in your pj’s and having a couple cups of coffee?

Meanwhile, the late summer sun is about to rise once again in the Rockies. Meanwhile, the creatures are stirring early with the fear of the looming winter a few weeks away.

Feeling lost in life? Want to find yourself? Head into the dark, quiet, cold woods alone. There’s no hiding from who you are. You’re all you have. Immediately, you leave the comfortable voices of others behind. The radio, the T.V., the iPhone. The only voice you’re left with is your own. Its fear that wakens the voice inside you. Its fear that helps you appreciate what and who you have in your life. Its fear that makes you feel alive. Maybe we all need to spend a little less time being comfortable.

I forgot my memory card for my running camera. Oh well, the photography is just a by product of the adventure.

Mount Rundle was a slog. A long approach in the woods followed by frozen scree and plenty of exposure. I summited in a heart pounding 1hr 56min. The wind howled at around 50km/ hr at the summit, so I didn't linger. Some treacherous descending along the fragmented rock was quite unpredictable, but I floated down in my usual run/ dance/ ski style. In total, the trip took 3hrs and 20min.

Here, the only photo of the day taken with my 5D of the summit of Rundle and the task of the day wrapped in cotton candy calling out to me.

“A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships were made for”. Get out of your harbor. Open water is what your ship was made for.