Fitness Friday: That Time I Saw A Moose

This was a much better week!  I ran twice this week and went on a hike so I am pretty pleased with how the week turned out.

Tuesday I did a lunchtime run and it was so stinking hot.  I did have to stop and walk but I didn’t really care.  I was out running and that’s all that mattered. Then we took the dogs out for a walk and I ran some intervals on the trail with Penny to wear her out a little more.  We let the dogs cool off in the river which is Avery’s favorite part. He will lay down in the river while Penny will dig around for rocks.

Wednesday I went out again in the afternoon for a run and thankfully it wasn’t nearly as hot and there was a lovely breeze going.  I only had to walk once during the run which made me extremely happy!

The heat and the fact that it’s a later run (for me, I’m a morning exerciser) is why I had to take walk breaks.  Otherwise I’m willing to bet I could have run the entire thing.

The best part of the week though was going on an afternoon hike up in the Poudre Canyon.  I went with Kristin and two other ladies all of which have way more hiking experience then I do.  This is exactly why I wanted to go, to gain more hiking experience so that Scott and I can get out more and explore.

The plan was to hike the trail up to Zimmerman lake.  It is an “easy” 1 mile hike in to the lake and 1 mile back out.  Easy in quotes because for a n00b like myself, I don’t really consider anything easy.

We passed the trail head since it was very small and mixed in with another larger trail.  We stopped to turn around and that’s when Kristin quickly pulled over because there was a moose hanging out eating in the field next to the road.

Moose in Poudre CanyonNot the best quality picture I know but considering this was taken with my phone zoomed in and from the backseat of a car, it’s really not too shabby.

I could have happily went home at that point because MOOSE.  This was my first time seeing a moose and it was awesome.  His horns are starting to grow in and they are all velvety.   He was beautiful.

We headed back down and pulled back into the first trail head that we stopped at and finally spotted a sign for Zimmerman Lake trail.

Zimmerman Lake Trail Head

That’s how tiny it is so you can see why we missed it the first time around.

We were up around 11,000-12,000 feet in elevation.  The air still had a chilliness to it but not so much that it was cold.

Zimmerman Lake trail

The trail was snow covered, more than any of us were expecting.  We all agreed to push through and try to make it to the lake.

This made the trail a lot more challenging! My quads and calves were definitely working hard.

Zimmerman Lake

We made it though and it was totally worth it.  Look at that view!  Gorgeous lake!  It was very peaceful and calm up there.  Yep, I get to live here.

We didn’t stick around too long because we had somewhere to be and maybe because we also saw some bear poop.

For my first major elevation hike I did really well!  I made sure that I was well hydrated and I brought my camelbak.  When we first started up the trail I was a little short of breath but I took things slow and didn’t try to force my pace any faster.

Once we reached a certain point my breathing leveled out and I was able to breathe normally and wasn’t quite as slow on the trail.  I also didn’t get a headache.  I’m calling this a successful hike!

Afterwards we headed out to meet up with some more friends for some beers and food at a local bar located on the river.  It was an awesome day!

 

 

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