"2 miles to Summit"

Today I ran on the famous Barr Trail, starting out of Manitou Springs, Co. This is the 13 mile trail that summits Pikes Peak. This time of year the trail can get very crowded, as folks ramp up their training for the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon in August.

Just to add to the chaos, the Bacon Brothers (as in Kevin Bacon) were playing a concert at the summit of Pikes Peak today as a charity event. No one has ever done this before, for more reasons than I can list here. Regardless, there were many folks trying to hike up to see the show, most of whom did not appear to be fully prepared for a 13 mile hike to 14,100 feet. Let's just say that I was asked more than once by Passersby "how much further". I am not sure what is worse, lying to them and telling them they are almost there, or telling them the truth.

For those familiar with this trail, there are several well known markers that help you gage your progress. My plans today were to run to either "bottomless pit" or "A Frame". I ended up running to the "2 miles to summit" sign, which means I went 11 miles up, then proceeded 11 miles down. From the car to where I turned was a 6500' climb over 11 miles. I really would have liked to summit today, as I was keeping a good pace. But duty calls, and I had promissed Jen I would be home by 11:30. Not every wife let's their husband play in the mountains for 5 hours at a time, it is not a good idea to be late!

Overall statistics, 22 miles, 6500 feet elevation gain, 12,718 feet peak elevation. Great weather, and no, I did not see Kevin Bacon.