Repeat

Catching air in the backcountry! Wheeee!

Fun sled dogs, fun times, fun day! Whee!

After having our favorite network of trails FINALLY skijorable yesterday, we HAD to return today! It was a very similar outing to yesterday with one exception. Come along for the ride.

As usual, we started on unmaintained backcountry trails to tickle our toes in soft powder. Along the way, we pass by some of the remnants of the old, historic mining town of Preston. This town was once bigger than Breckenridge in the 1800 mining days but was abandoned in the early 1900s as is nothing more than a collection of old mining and mining town relics at this point.

Zipping by one of the old mining cabins once in the town of Preston.
There are tons of old cabins like this littered throughout the forest near
here as Preston was once such a large town.

After galloping through the Preston townsite, it was time to connect onto the groomed trails at Gold Run Nordic Center. Before doing that, though, Jack & Rudy had other plans to cool off first :)

Both fun kids wanted to hop off trail to roll in the soft & untouched powder.
Yesterday was 1 degree (F) when we started the outing, today was 10 (F). As
you see, 10 is "hot" and makes you want to get into deep & cold powder ro
roll and cool off!

Ok, the one difference between yesterday and today? Well, unbeknownst to me, I bumped the camera on my chest after the snow rolling break above. As a result, the camera was pointing at my feet the rest of the outing, so I have no further footage. Oh well, trust me, it was as nice & fun as yesterday all morning long.

Today's video highlight goes along with the first two photos (before I bumped the camera). Come along for today's fun skijor in the backcountry as we approach and enter the old townsite of Preston.

[watch on youtube if no video loads below]

Back to the trailhead and Nancy's camera was still pointing upright :)

The great kids on a snow wall to receive end of run treats. What a fun day!

An almost identical skijor as yesterday except for most of the video footage being lost: 8.4 miles traveled with 700 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 22 MPH.

2025/2026 Season to Date: 25 days on the trails covering 159.2 miles with 18,500 feet of elevation climbed.

Real Snow, Bad Camera

Finally - REAL (and deep enough) snow to really get our 2025/2026 skijoring season underway!!!

Whee - laying fresh tracks up Boreas Pass in about 4-5" of fresh snow!

This is only our second outing of the 2025/2026 season due to lack of snow across pretty much all of Colorado. But, significant snow FINALLY arrived last night. So, we got out just after sunrise to truly enjoy this late start to the season.

While the snow was PERFECT, the GoPro camera was NOT! I knew my camera was nearing its end of life and today was the day it gave out. Every time I turned on the video, it would run for 10-20 seconds and then beep, say "low battery, powering off" and shutdown. I'd then turn it back on, see that the battery was over 90% charged, turn on video again only to have it shutdown in 10-20 seconds again. Boo!

At our turnaround point, the camera had clicked off and I missed capturing Jack & Rudy rolling dual snow angels. So, I got myself centered on them, clicked the video on once more and asked "Who wants to roll snow angels again?" I knew I had only 10-20 seconds for my pals to respond. Well, here's what I got:

"You don't have to ask me twice! Rub a dub dub!" goes always rolling Jack.
"Nope, you get a big WOOOOO for asking me to perform!" responds talkative Rudy.

I kept trying to turn the video on every 10 minutes or so, hoping the camera would come back to life. But, that did not happen, I never got more than 20 seconds of video at a time (often closer to 10 seconds). Bummer....

Quick shot of the return leg before the camera shut off again.
Those are our "up tracks" to our left. We were laying fresh tracks
all the way up & down Boreas. Too bad the camera didn't cooperate!

Back to the trailhead and at least Nancy's iPhone video worked for end of run treats:

"Ready!" says always happy Jack.
"You have my FULL attention!" adds intense Rudy.

We finally got snow - yay! But we had a bad camera - boo! I'll be switching to an old backup camera in hopes of getting real footage on our next outing!

Today's tally: 8.4 miles traveled with 900 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 17 MPH.

2025/2026 Season to Date: 2 days on the trails covering 11.5 miles with 1300 feet of elevation climbed.

 

Footage Issues

Fun "shot from the front" of the happy, happy kids towing me to the finish of this morning's skijor!

Wheeee - smiles all around!

We started out the outing laying fresh tracks in a light layer of new snow over a mini groomer track in the backcountry. A mini groomer is a snowmobile towing a grooming sled, so the resulting "groomed trail" is the width of a snowmobile. 

Whee - laying fresh tracks in the mini groomer track!
Nice shot of my skis too: shift weight to my right leg (in track) to
speed up and shift weight to my left leg (out of track) to slow down
and/or get under control :)

Today's video highlight will go along with the prior photo. Come watch as we are galloping along in this mini groomer track and, then, watch Jack & Rudy kick it into "high gear" and really take off for the last 20 seconds or so of this clip. Fun time!

[watch on youtube if no video loads below]

Shortly after the prior video clip, the following happened: an unapproved game of "tag, tackle & wrestle" broke out :)

"I double dog dare you to try and tag me!" says instigator Rudy.
"Easy kid! Here I come!" responds Jack who immediately leapt into Rudy
right after this posturing :)

Well, apparently my GoPro did not approve of this unsanctioned episode of play either as it shut off shortly after this point and would not turn back on for the rest of the outing. Well, it would turn ON but it would record for about 2-4 seconds and then shut off again. So, the rest of today's awesome outing was lost due to issues with the GoPro :(

Then we get to the second "footage issue" of the day. Nancy has a new, fancy iPhone to take "end of run" shots with. Well, she was operating fine at first (see the first photo above). But, once it got time to share end of run treats, she was, well, way too close to capture us properly. She cut off most of Jack and most of me. I guess Rudy is her favorite (hahahaha).

Somebody needs to learn to backup with her new, fancy iPhone to get
us all in the photo :)

A fun time was had by all, unfortunately we lost most of the footage: 6.3 miles traveled with 500 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 23 MPH.

2024/2025 Season to Date: 34 days on the trails covering 251.2 miles with 23,600 feet of elevation climbed.

Oops

Celebrating a wonderful May skijor with "end of run treats" for all :)

"Great day! Ready for treats!" declares the happy kids.

Unfortunately, I FORGOT to turn on my GoPro camera at the start of this morning's skijor. It's a shame, because the footage would have been INCREDIBLE. We found a short groomed trail to speed along. Then we toured the Spring Crust around the base of Walton Peak. Then we flew across the crust in a vast meadow before completing the outing on the same groomed track we started with. 

Oops, but trust me, it was incredible: 9.4 miles traveled with 600 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 23 MPH.

2022/2023 Season to Date: 151 days on the trails covering 1335.8 miles with 122,100 feet of elevation climbed

Lost Footage

Such fun to share the 'end of run' treats with my happy sled dogs!

The "happy & very focused" trio :)

Unfortunately, today was a day of "lost footage" as I did not realize the GoPro inexplicably turned off early on in our outing and did not record most of our fun day. Oh well, come along for what little footage I did get...

Fun shot of the power trio launching me up the initial hill from the French Gulch Trailhead Parking Lot. Zoom!

Up we go, zoom, zoom, zoom!

Once you leave the parking lot at French Gulch, you quickly encounter an access gate which prevents all but a few people from driving out the gulch (there are a few private cabins in the gulch and the owners have keys to the access gate). I love showcasing my PERFECT skijor partners with complex obstacles to navigate with me on the trails.

Come along and watch as my perfect partners slow (without command) on the approach to the gate. Then, all 3 move right to tow me through the pedestrian slot in the gate (again, without command). Then a simple "wait" request from me and all 3 pause until I am safely through the gate. Finally, once the human is safely through, we TAKE OFF skijoring up & out French Gulch. Wheeee!

[watch on youtube if no video loads below]

As the video showed - cautious through the gate and then zoom:

Flying along French Gulch.

A few minutes after the prior photo and the darned GoPro stopped recording. Here's a description of what I wanted to show today. First, we eventually out skied all existing tracks on the trail and found ourselves laying fresh tracks in 4-5 inches of powder far back in French Gulch. Second, we were doing an "out & back" on this trail so we stopped in some deep side powder to turn around and Jack & Rudy rolled snow angels in some beautiful deep snow. Finally, we came back the same way and polite Jack & Rudy let elder Zorro run in my ski tracks from the way out while the two youngsters continued laying fresh tracks on the other side of the trail. What a fun day!

Anyway, at least Nancy's camera worked so we got the fun 'end of run' treats photo above and the following nice shot of the happy faces towing me to the finish of the day's outing:

"We had a BLAST!" says the happy, happy trio.

A wonderful day in French Gulch for us but, unfortunately, not much footage to share with others: 6.2 miles traveled with 500 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 20 MPH.

2019/2020 Season to Date: 80 days on the trails covering 550.3 miles with 51,300 feet of elevation climbed.

Lost Footage

Look at those happy boys patiently waiting for me to come up the trail to hook up and start an incredible run atop Rabbit Ears Pass this morning.

"We are READY!!!!" says the trio so happy that I am finally coming up the trail
to join them.

Unfortunately, today's blog is one of lost footage. Unbeknownst to me, the GoPro camera shutoff very early into our outing and very little of the day was recorded. Unbeknownst to Nancy, she had a big thumb print on the cover of her camera so we got no arrival or end of run treat footage. It is too bad as it was an INCREDIBLE day on the solid snowpack around Walton Peak at Rabbit Ears Pass. The crust was solid enough to let us make our own path while the temperatures we also just warm enough so that the snowmobile tracks on set trails were soft enough to use as well!

What fun we had. Oh well, come along for what footage we did capture...

Starting off on the snowmobile trails going to Walton Peak. Zoom we go up the hill!

Riding the skijor tow rope up the trail!

Over the first rise in the terrain and time to test the crust going down the backside of the rise. Zoom!

Floating Jack & Rudy with outstretched Zorro. What a perfect crust!

The path we took crosses over a river that is covered in deep snow all winter. At some point in May or June, the river becomes completely exposed. It is always amazing to see how big this river actually is when you consider you have been skijoring over it for months!

The river is becoming exposed in places, but there are still plenty of solid "snow bridges" to cross it. We came upon our first sinkhole exposing the river and Rudy was FASCINATED. As this is Rudy's first May skijoring, this was the first "spring melt sinkhole" of his life. It was Jack's 2nd or 3rd time seeing such a sinkhole as he had a few short training runs last May. It was, of course, at least the 50th, maybe the 100th sinkhole Zorro has encountered :)

"Whoa - look at that FAST running water!" exclaims curious Rudy.
"I don't think you should go so close to the edge!" suggests smart Jack.
"Yes kids, that's an evil 'sinkhole of spring melt'!" adds veteran Zorro.

Shortly after the sinkhole, the darned GoPro just turned off. This does not happen often, but it is such a bummer we lost the incredible footage of the excellent conditions after we crossed the river and went higher and higher up Walton Peak.

Oh well, a great day that only Zorro, Jack & Rudy know about :)  7.3 miles traveled with 700 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 21 MPH.

2018/2019 Season to Date: 117 days on the trails covering 676.0 miles with 63,200 feet of elevation climbed.