After putting some quality time in on my bike I thought it was about time to change some things up. This past week I noticed that my lungs were giving out before my legs and heart (not very technical) so after talking with my Friend Erick Carlson (also teammate for CSU and possibly Velox cycles) we planned a camping trip at Lake Agnus, Cameron Pass, Colorado. The deal was that we would pack in enough gear for the weekend, dig a snow cave, and then climb the crags. The crags usually are only climbed in the warmer months due to snow and ice. They are basically cliff like mountains.
We hiked in Saturday morning (packs weighing around 60lbs.) 1.5 hr hike, dug our snow cave (2.5hrs), then scouted the route that we were going to take in attempt the summit the crags.
The Snow cave was pretty intense. If you have never dug one or slept in one I will admit that it isn't for the average person. The Cave was about 7ft*9ft*4.5ft. The temperature in the cave was above freezing all night even though the outside temperature was around zero.
Sunday we made our way to the base of the crags. Already sitting at almost 12,000ft (on The lake) we were looking at another easy 1,000 feet of climbing.
The climbing was intense. This is where the cross training took place. Being high in altitude and pushing your body to do things that shock it (breathing at high elevation while doing work). It was physically challenging as well as mentally. You had to rely on the person on the other end of the rope. One slip and you could easily fall and not stop till you either hit a rock on the way down or the lake itself at the base.
This weekend was a good change of pace. I was able to clear my head, think about what I have to do in the next couple of months, as well as let me know what stresses my body is able to stand (pushing through the pain threshold barrier is a constant struggle).Back to business with Monday's 8AM classes.
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