Workout Traverse

My idea is to keep moving. As much as possible. Well, that's what is probably in our human genes, to move, but the modern world conveniences almost totally eliminated it.
I walk every day more than 15 000 steps, and I do something else besides walking. Every other day. I either go running or I do a quick (or long) hike. It ends up as a scramble sometimes, but I don't generally do impromptu scrambles. No need for thrills.

One of my favourite workout hikes is a Sulphur Mountain traverse. I usually do it counterclockwise. Hike its west side, and descend the east side. I enjoy it because it is safe. No immediate avalanche danger in the winter, nothing too steep or treacherous. It follows the Sundance trail and if done respectfully (in Boris World that means to increase your heart rate  :)), it ends up as a wonderful workout.

This and all images below are from a zigzag, east side

Surprisingly :), there are usually no people on this traverse. Or it is just logical that there are no people there whatsoever. Well, it is around a 4 km walk to get to the trailhead, and for 99.9% of people that is too much. Imagine now walking an additional 5.5 km uphill, gaining more than 900 vertical meters? Especially when there is a gondola on the other side of the mountain  :)

Everyone takes a gondola that takes them via the east side to the upper gondola station, and from there, tourists hike additional 50 vertical meters to Samson peak. It is always interesting to see the tourists on wooden stairs that lead to the peak - there are always quite a few people there, women in heels, or in very light shoes, wearing light clothes, with naked ankles, no hats, no gloves........
I bet that some of them wish that they had an app that would take them to the summit  :)

I am a bit sarcastic here - I know that I was a similar tourist elsewhere.
But I always see there happy and engaged people. They take lots of phone photos, even more, selfies, and I always sense the excitement as nobody is immune to the beauty of the Rocky Mountains.
Everyone is enjoying themselves and beautiful nature.

This was the fast one  :) (The old watch!)

For me, it is about moving. Feeling my heart and my lungs - feeling how both of them are working. Being almost without a breath, but happily and excitedly moving. Not dragging myself but pushing myself. Not to win anything, but to feel and see how well I can do. Mixing physical and mental. Finding out how much I can do. Finding out when it becomes too much, and then still pushing.
It feels great every time. Adding to it the scenery. And knowing that nobody can spoil it.

It is a 23.5 km long traverse. Takes me around 4.5 hrs by power walking. In the past, while training for the Death Race, I would run up the east face, and the goal was to beat 1 hr, to get to Samson peak faster than 60 minutes. If I remember, my FKT was 56 minutes, in 2010.

                                           Someone might remember this, the old upper gondola terminal flags/distances

It is a 23.5 km long traverse. Takes me around 4.5 hrs by power walking. In the past, while training for the Death Race, I would run up the east face, and the goal was to beat 1 hr, to get to Samson peak faster than 60 minutes. If I remember, my FKT was 56 minutes, in 2010.

The old upper gondola terminal and other Sulphur mountain peaks

Nowadays I don't run up anymore - no need for that. I spend time on the west side as it is always sunny there, and the views never disappoint  :).

Perhaps, I will still challenge myself, to see if I can make it in less than 1 hour.