Global Warming is Grand

Just two years ago on nearly the same day, Jeni and I were shoveling this in epic proportions.

Today I took off from my house (up on the mesa off in the distance of the photo below) and ran over through town and climbed Animas peak.  The lower trails were dry, and the BLM have not shut down the upper trails as they usually do when the Elk make it their winter home.

 Animas is my go to mountain bike ride, and the plan here was to just run through Sailing Hawks, but when I saw the upper trails were open, I did not hesitate.  When the opportunity is there for an epic, you take it - and make the rest of the day conform. 

 My prediction for this year is that we will get late snows, very late snows - like the big one we had last May.  So if that is in the future, hit the trails and don't look back.  Rumors are abound that Phils World is dry, and all of Farmington/Aztec.  Not sure if I am willing to drive just to ride a mountain bike right now, when I can hit the cross bike and find epic dirt roads, or run on some fun singletrack all from the doorstep.

The run up to the top of Animas and back ended up being 15-miles and 2600-ft of climbing.  I was fortunate that I actually packed water and food this time, as I usually run without either.  It made a big difference and the thought of running up on Raiders after this flashed through my brain.  Enduro junkies always think of the next hill.