Lily Mountain Trail

23 Saturday May 2020

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Britt&Eric, Colorado Trail, Covid-19, covid-noir

After my Keurig run, Karen told me to enjoy the Keurig one more time, then pack up. The Covid’s comin’. Gear up to hit the trail. We got as far as Estes Park where we thought we could get some grub. We were greeted with signs like this, reminding us of just the other week when it was that way at home too. We were happy with the takeout from Bird & Jim. And they had a better sign.

The girls took our flight in stride. One more road trip for old times, I heard one of them say. Ellie Rose will go off to the Colorado School of Mines this fall, leaving Karen and me to discover our new normal as empty nesters. Ellie Rose should be safe in the mines.

Estes Park did have good food, but we found ourselves surrounded by the Colorado Mountain elk herd that’s been ranging these slopes for eons, or at least since 1913 when the then extinct herd was reintroduced from Wyoming.

We waited for the elk to fall asleep and made our escape under the cover of darkness. With the next morning’s sunlight, we found ourselves on the Lily Mountain Trail.

Karen told us this trail would lead to a new world. A place free from the horrors of 2020. She told us we would be happy in this new place.

When we got there, we saw this. We knew this hike was the right choice for the Memorial Day weekend. Karen was right.

New generations will blaze new trails up here in Karen’s woods. Summer is coming, calling all of us outdoors, hopefully not like sirens to the rocks. Wear a buff on the trail.

Zilker Park

24 Tuesday Dec 2019

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Britt&Eric, Running

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Austin

I ran my all-time favorite trail this morning – the Greenbelt that follows Barton Creek for seven miles upstream from Zilker Park. Ryan, Brittany and I ran up three miles before turning around for a six miler, while Eric and Dan got in eight miles.

Deep in the heart of a city with a million people, we saw less than a half dozen other runners and bikers on the trail. The 45° might have been too cold for most Texans. One biker was dressed up for the North Pole. I could have used my gloves for the first mile, but it warmed up nicely.

I used to run the Greenbelt almost daily when I last lived in Austin. Eric found a stretch today where Lance holds the fastest time on Strava. His college running buddy Dan recently ran a sub three-hour marathon. The two of them have a shot at beating Lance, so I’m guessing we’ll return later in the week.

The Wedding Performers

08 Sunday Sep 2019

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Britt&Eric

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loveatfirstwright

Brittany & Eric Tie the Knot

I must have a thousand wedding photos. Expect to keep seeing them. This blog post features the wedding performers. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Brit and Eric’s wedding showcased some great local talent.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Ellie Rose’s wedding toast. That speech qualified her as one of the key performers. She didn’t prepare any material. Or she did, but she lost it. It seemed to me she was making it up as she went. She was quite comfortable in the spotlight, and she made Brittany laugh.

Brittany & Eric Tie the Knot

Ben and Rachel sang the first song during the ceremonial aspen tree planting. They played and sang Make You Feel My Love, from Adele’s 19 album.

Brittany & Eric Tie the Knot

Brit used to sing in Ben Westlund’s band False Summit, back in college. He has a sweet voice that would fit in with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Brittany & Eric Tie the Knot

Rachel is Brit’s partner in their band Girlfriend Cult. Karen and I get out occasionally to Denver to listen to them play at local brew pubs and coffee houses. They have a nice sound. I’ve never heard Rachel sing as beautifully as she did at the wedding.

Brittany & Eric Tie the Knot

Brit’s good friend and mentor Monica Augustine wrote and played an original song – Captivated – for Brit and Eric’s first dance. How special is that? Listen to it below.

My favorite song by Monica has always been Telluride. You can listen to it here on Spotify.

The Wedding Hike

01 Sunday Sep 2019

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Britt&Eric, Colorado Trail

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Estes Park, Flattop Mountain, loveatfirstwright, RMNP

Estes Park was an ideal wedding venue for out-of-state guests who enjoy the outdoors, because the town is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. Eric’s father Doug, and my niece Jessy’s husband Bryan, went fly fishing. No doubt, some of the most gorgeous fly fishing in the world is in RMNP. I took four Texans on a massive nine mile hike to the summit of Flattop Mountain.

You can see how well-groomed the trail is here at the start. The Bear Lake trailhead was packed with over 100 cars, but very few hikers took our trail up to Flattop Mountain. With 3000 feet of elevation gain in the 4.4 mile distance, it’s one of the park’s more challenging adventures.

Steve

I extended invites to the two dozen or so friends on our private wedding FB group, and I had four takers – all from Austin, Texas. I was confident these four could do it. My brother Steve, pictured above, was the oldest in his low 60s, but he’s a Mahoney so I knew he was up for it.

Steve C

Karen’s brother Steve, pictured here above tree line, still rocks Austin with his band the Rite Flyers. He lives for epic stuff like this.

An avid athlete, Laura doesn’t shy away from adventure. She is so fit, I don’t think she noticed the altitude rise from 9400 feet at the trailhead to 12,200 at the summit. She did comment on the cold winds up top, but then she had just left 105° in Austin.

Laura’s seventeen-year-old son Zac is so fit, he appeared to climb this hill sitting down. I’ve been on trails with him before and he’s an experienced hiker.

With Longs Peak as a backdrop, Laura clearly won an August snowball fight with her son.

Laura n Zac

Laura and her son were naturally the first to summit Flattop Mountain. The two Steves and I maintained a more gentlemanly pace. Other wedding guests still enjoyed the outdoors by wandering around Estes Park and some of the nearby trails. The five of us will remember Brittany and Eric’s wedding for this epic hike.

Brittany Noel Got Married

30 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Britt&Eric, Storytelling

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loveatfirstwright

69629530_10220799311472585_3857098910635917312_n

A life is measured by milestones. Cairns marking babies’ births and daughters wed. It’s not the years darlin’, it’s the miles. Monday’s mile marker flashed the last twenty-seven years before me. I revisited them during the wedding toast I gave to Eric and Brittany. You can view them here.

Vows

I thought I might experience melancholy and cry. The emotions that came surprised me. Despite what some might tell you, I don’t think I cried. We were facing a strong sun during the vows. I know I wasn’t the only one with the sun in my eyes. The surprise came from thoughts of my expanded family and the sharing of future life events via Eric and Brittany. It just seems to me that raising a family, and the continuing familial growth via your children’s union is what life is all about. It was a feeling that took me back to Brittany’s birth – seven weeks premature. She was a little four pound peanut.

brit 2 (5)

Born December 6th, she was still in her incubator on December 26th, having spent Christmas with the other little preemies. The doctors were close to transferring Brittany to Children’s Hospital in Denver, but she proved resilient. Twenty-seven years later, I enjoyed the pleasure of walking her down the aisle.

FOB n Bride

And I have an expanded family with the Wright clan whom I expect to spend many more happy events with like our weekend in Estes Park. Eric’s parents, Doug and Julie, live in Boston. Julie told me to begin training to run the Boston Marathon with her soon. Eric’s brother Brad, his wife Priscilla, and their newborn Oliver, are from Dallas. They all drove down to Austin last Christmas to join us for dinner.

Wright family

Ellie Rose might mark my next milestone. She experienced a taste for weddings this past weekend. I hope my suit still fits when that day comes.

Brittany & Eric Tie the Knot

The photos have just begun to come in. Expect to see many more, courtesy of Hannah Kate at happylandic.com.

Brittany & Eric Tie the Knot

Aspen

11 Sunday Aug 2019

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Britt&Eric, Running

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Given the choice, I’d choose to live in Telluride, but Aspen is very nice. I spent the weekend there with my running tribe in a house with unbelieveable views of Mount Sopris, Capitol Peak, and the Maroon Bells. Aspen has posh shops, gorgeous homes, and private jets piled up like discarded legos, but I was there to spend time with friends and run a 14 mile trail run. It was all good.

Jen 1, in the yellow jacket, and Jen 2 standing in front of me, and Rych in the white jacket, would finish 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the 50-59 year age group. During the nearly four hours it took all of us to cross the finish line, we experienced a steep, glute-burning, 3,000 foot climb, an equally steep, thigh-crushing descent, bloody falls, and old-growth, aspen-lined trails.

Jen in Aspens

I mostly followed Rych and Dave up the hill, then ran with Jen and Jill, pictured here ahead of me, across the top of the ridge.

Jen

Jen 1, shown above, has been my neighbor for the last twenty years. She has a family blessed in athletic abilities. Her son and daughter run on the Niwot HS cross country team, one of the top prep programs in the country. Even her husband Kelly, a state champion wrestler in his prep days, continues to sport the athleticism of a man half his age. Jen passed me in the final four miles while I was performing my cool-down routine.

The real stars of our running tribe were our two marathoners, Bob pictured above crossing the finish line with his wife, Jen 2, and Keith pictured below with the bloody arm.

Keith bloody

Keith and Bob crossed the finish line near the 6 hour mark. Mountain trail runs are notedly slower than street events run below 10,000 feet. Mountain trail runs are tough. Keith told stories of passing puking runners, and of a lady near the end who asked him if he would share some sunscreen. Knowing his lotion was stashed deep in his pack, he declined, telling her they were only two miles from the finish. She pleaded, “but I’m a ginger!” Keith forged ahead, telling us later, he’s no fucking aid station. Mountain trail runners are tough.

family shower

While I was out of town, running tough miles, Karen threw Brittany Noel her bridal shower.

shower party

Just as well I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have known what to wear. Karen said Brittany was over the moon with joy. It was a big weekend for all.

Flattop Mountain

14 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Britt&Eric, Colorado Trail

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RMNP, wedding

bear-lake-map

Don’t you think this is an easy enough route? On paper, it’s fairly straight-forward. Park at Bear Lake Trailhead, as big and well-groomed a thrailhead as you will ever find. This trailhead presents numerous options for more pedestrian hikes to various lakes. I took the less-pedestrian trail that runs above treeline to merge into the Continental Divide Trail in a photopunk moonscape of alpine flowers.

I drove through the ranger gate at 6:15am, and it was open for free. Rangers have told me before that parking fills up by 7am. There are other trailheads along the drive, but this trailhead is a great place to start so many hikes. The difficulty of the hike depends on which direction you go onto the Bear Lake Loop Trail.

You take the left trail—the epic hike ends, you see pretty new lakes every mile or so after cresting shallow hills. You take the right trail—you climb this hill, and I show you Colorado from the top. Remember: all I’m offering is the truth.

The trail hits treeline about half way up, time and distance-wise. Treeline is also about two-thirds up the 3000 feet of vertical. The rocks are covered in alpine flowers here that should still be around in late August.

This section of trail, just before cresting Flattop Mountain, is convered by snowpack still. I suspect some of this will remain in late August too, but it’s passable. I’ll have a few pairs of trekking poles for those who want them.

The top is surreal, like Mars with grass and flowers.

The views were great the entire hike. At the top here, you can see Longs Peak behind me. There is an awesome view of the Keyhole and the Ledges on the northwest side of Longs Peak.

I know Nancy, Steve, my brother Steve, and really, most of you could make this hike. It took me a little under four hours. Expect five. Like this post if you’re interested Sunday morning.