Early Morning Run

I ran the same 15 mile route as last weekend - was not quite as magical without the full moon and clouds but I did take a camera this time to capture a few pics. I finished the initial climb about the same time as the sunrise. The peak on the horizon is San Jose Peak which is just across the border in Mexico.

At the Miller Peak Junction I stopped and poked around to see how much rubbish was in the area. I saw a suitcase - usually it is just backpacks. Yes - I did open it and no, there was not stacks of money inside only some peanut butter sandwiches. This area around Miller Peak is heavily littered - even the top of the peak is littered. The summit is another half of a mile from this junction but I did not go on up - the trails were rather icy so it was slow going in this area.

There are great views to the south and west near where the crest trail meets the Carr Peak trail. In the distance you can see a small lake - this is Parker Canyon Lake. Sometime this Spring I hope to convince my wife to load up the four kids in the mini-van and pick me up at the lake. I would run from the house to the lake - probably about 30 miles if I take the hard route up and over these mountains. When I lived in Carson City, NV I could run from my house up and over the Carson Range to Lake Tahoe. It was only about 17 miles to Sand Harbor - a great beach to meet at. I could soak my legs in the cold water and the kids loved swimming in the lake and playing in the sand. I would do this several times a year with friends and on my birthday each year - it was my day - so I would run to Tahoe and family would meet me there for a picnic on the beach.

It was enjoyable run - when I dropped of the ridge a helicopter was hovering around one canyon over. It did not look like the usual helicopter flown by the Border Patrol but I am guessing it was BP - they spent quit a bit of time closely observing a ridge. Here is the route as pictured in Google Earth - Looking from the South with Sierra Vista on the other side of the mountains.