Wed 8/15 - AM 5 hour run/hike, Medano Lake

Not nearly as much of an ordeal as my last visit to the Medano Pass primitive road, but no walk in the park either. Unlike 14 months ago I was able to make it to the lake at end of the trail. No snowpack this time. I can say definitively I had no chance of getting to the top last year, and didn't even get close in fact. The day began with breaking camp in the dunes and hiking back out to my car, which took longer than I would have liked.

 campsite, amidst sand and sunflowers

sunrise on the dunes

escape dunes that jumped the creek

Not long after starting off down the road I noticed the medial aspect of my left knee was sore, no doubt from all the trudging up and down and along the dunes. Soft and uneven surfaces, where they cropped up, didn't help with this. Patience wore thin on the final section of the ascent, from where the trail splits off from the road. I misread the trailhead sign and thought it was 3 miles of climbing, in fact it was closer to 4. As ever, the upper reaches were the steepest and there was almost no running to be done the final couple of miles to the lake. Those 4 miles ended up taking almost an hour, with my patience having worn very thin. Took a long break at the lake, where two people were fishing:

The return trip, while tiresome, was a much better experience than last year. I didn't run out of fluids this time which was big. Took a couple of well-timed breaks including a soak in the creek that felt fantastic. Chased down the road for a time by a developing shower, no lightning though and it stayed above the mountain not extending as far as the dunes. Legs tired from the soft footing at the beginning and end, and all the hiking in sand yesterday. Easy days ahead in advance of Saturday.