Last Updated on August 10, 2020 by James Dziezynski
Time: 1:09:42
Distance: 4.33 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1,722 Feet
Fremont’s Good Citizen Grade: A
Today’s Play List: TMBG – Nasal Rock Mix
Howling winds and bright blue sky were on order today as I repeated the same running route on Mount Sanitas. On the valley trail I got a good look at a beautiful red fox sunning itself on a rock. I’m a big fan of these mountain fox and not just because they are the mascot of my alma mater studiorum. (By the way, did you know “alma mater” means “nourishing mother? ) Over the years I’ve seen quite a few black fox as well. Black coats (known as silver foxes) are a naturally occurring variation of red fox though there are rumors that the relatively high number of black fox in the area comes from one of PETA’s first daring acts where they released a number of fox and mink from a fur farm in Nederland and burned the factory down. I have no problem with this and I hope the story is actually true.
Part of Fremont’s “A” today was in part to his seeing the red fox and not chasing after him. Good boy, Fremont!
On my run, I began to think about how much I’ve always hated fur for fashion. While that’s another rant for another day, it must be said that even as a child I knew that fur belonged on an animal and not in a fancy coat. To this day I cringe at people who should know better but still wear fur. (Still have a fur as a gross family heirloom? Donate it to your local animal shelter where they can use it to line crates for cats and dogs).
Near the summit of Sanitas, I had a quick thought about extreme skier Jamie Pierre who was killed in an avalanche in Utah earlier this week. Pierre was famous for two things: being a surly bastard and for hurling himself off of 100+ foot cliffs and bombing into powder — then skiing away. Later in his short life, he found god (uh oh), had a family and continued to fly off cliffs for the sheer thrill of pounding into earth at a speed that should by all means kill him.
People like Pierre (and another RIP thrill seeker Dan Osman ) are easy to scorn but I wonder to myself are they doing what they do from a similar mind as most of us or are they just wired differently? Our brains hold up a lot of red flags when we’re faced to mortal danger; from time to time we get away with overcoming that fear. Most extreme sports athletes point to the intense mental focus as the prize for their actions, bodily harm be damned. I didn’t really reach any conclusions with this thought but I’d have to say crazy as they are, I have a lot respect for those who go big and dare to push the limits of what is possible. I have no inclination to follow in his bomb holes.
Rolling down the mountain I had one last thought. On this day in 1999 was my first day of employment in Boulder at the long lost Planetoutdoors.com. It was on my second day on the job that I made my first ascent of Mount Sanitas with my late pal Jonny Copp. I wanted to see the summit and JC was there to Boulder. He carried what must have been a 70 lb office cruiser bike 3/4 of the way to the top (good training he said) and fired off a few bouldering problems while I scampered to the top and met him on the way down. We had lunch at Mustard’s Last Stand that day, the only time I’ve ever eaten there. It all feels like a lifetime ago.
