Before the 4K even started I made a bet with Josh Cheema and Nana Adu-Krow to see who could grow the longest beard by the time we made it Boulder on July 4th. I know this sounds ridiculous but I knew how much my beard would grow in over a month but I had always thought Boulder would be one of the most far off times of the summer. But now I sit here, in Boulder, Colorado, having been crowned the bearded champion, with a cleanly shaved face. It is amazing to look at a picture of a map and see how far we have come, and the fact that we have only 30 days left. But enough about reminiscing, I must talk about the present.
Boulder, Colorado is the most amazing place on the face of this earth!! From the moment we started biking in I knew I loved this town, but my love grew this morning during our rest day. Now I understand that we are supposed to rest on the REST day but I knew that I would only have one opportunity to go for a run in Boulder. I started out feeling a bit lost, but then decided to head directly towards the Rockies (they tell me I’m crazy) and found a dirt path skirting between trees. I dodged branches and jumped over rocks as I was imagining myself a predator chasing my prey through the forest. The trail paralleled a creek the entire way until I reached the Boulder Canyon Trail. I didn’t even hesitate as I ran up through the canyon with mountain walls on either side of me. A few miles in I found a broken down fence with a worn path climbing up the mountain and without hesitation I decided to climb.
That is one of the things I love about Boulder, there are people willing to make their own path and allow others to follow in their trials and tribulations.
After climbing and getting a little dirty I continued up the canyon until I found myself sitting on a bridge, the creek rushing below me and walls of rock that so perfect, as if they were handmade by an artist named erosion. I couldn’t stop smiling as I ran back to the host to tell everyone about my adventure, but as I was running back I decided to go for a dip in the creek and sat in the icy mountain runoff.
I ended up not being able to show any other riders this path but I’m now realizing that this is in fact a good thing. I’m normally not this selfish but now this adventure can be mine and mine alone. A secret of mine with the city of Boulder that I can keep forever. One that I can keep until I return again (hopefully as my permanent home).
