Church of the Holy Trail

Date: 2025-07-19 7:00am

Location: Mitchell Lake Trailhead (Brainard Lake Area)

The Pawnee-Buchanan loop, a particularly spectacular "Church" outing! Starting from Brainard Lake at 7am, we'll head up over Pawnee Pass, down Cascade Creek to hang a right on Buchanan Creek, head over Buchanan Pass, and descend awhile before hanging a right over the shoulder of Mt. Audubon back to the start. Total distance will be 28ish miles, with perhaps 7,000' elevation gain. Bring clothing to enable us to hunker down and wait out a thunderstorm if necessary. There's non-potable water everywhere -- bring whatever you desire to enable drinking it. Bring a light, in case we don't finish in daylight. Our pace is mellow, no one will be left behind, and the day will be eye-popping -- bring a camera! Please carpool! Let's meet in the Justice Center parking lot at 6th & Canyon in time for a 6:00am departure. I have a timed entry permit for one car. If we bring more vehicles, they'll need to get timed entry permits. We'll then head to Brainard for our 7:00am start. It's here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/cVzAzt2m6LL6KD3D6 One more thing: a friend is borrowing my truck this weekend, so I'll be getting in another runner's car, meaning that space will be limited unless others can get timed entry permits. I think there are currently 2 seats left in the car. NOTE: This run will happen on Saturday, so I guess it's more of a Sabbath run. :-) Lovely summertime greetings, lovely loonies in the cult of the "Holy Trail"! In researching the ancient scribes' holy tomes, the high priests of the "Church of the Holy Trail" hath unequivocally determined that Summer is provided by the deities as an encouragement for we mortals to come seek an elevated environ, far above the Beast's ghastly heat down here. The message is even stronger right now, with all the lovely wildflowers offering eye-popping vistas in all directions. Clearly, there's a blessed nudge being delivered our way. Even the sweltering tourists have figured it out: Get High! The marmots and pika welcome us skyward, inviting us high above the land of presidential politics, into the lovely color-changing tundra which hath been our favorite altar for all eternity. So, let's get there! Here's the scoop: The days are still luxuriously long right now, so let's get up in the early sunlight this Saturday, and take a lap of the fabled Pawnee-Buchanan loop! This "Indian Peaks Marathon" is widely regarded as one of the best loops in Colorado, and it never disappoints! The details are above. Most importantly, bring a light, and sufficient clothing to remain comfortable if we need to hunker down to wait out a thunderstorm at some point. And don't forget plenty of food, a camera, and a healthy sense of humor for dumb jokes all day long!

Raw email

Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of
 bouldertrailrunners+bncbdg3n5wfr4dbbnwo4dbqmgqethkujnq@googlegroups.com
 designates 209.85.220.55 as permitted sender) client-ip=209.85.220.55;
Sender: [email protected]
Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of [email protected] designates
 202.12.124.156 as permitted sender) client-ip=202.12.124.156;
Feedback-ID: id888432d:Fastmail
MIME-Version: 1.0
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2025 16:26:35 -0600
From: "Fred Ecks" <[email protected]>
To: "Boulder Trail Runners" <[email protected]>
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: [BoulderTrailRunners] This SATURDAY's "Church of the Holy Trail" run:
 7:00am, Brainard Lake
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Reply-To: [email protected]
Precedence: list
Mailing-list: list [email protected];
 contact [email protected]

Quick synopsis:

The Pawnee-Buchanan loop, a particularly spectacular "Church" outing!  Star=
ting from Brainard Lake at 7am, we'll head up over Pawnee Pass, down Cascad=
e Creek to hang a right on Buchanan Creek, head over Buchanan Pass, and des=
cend awhile before hanging a right over the shoulder of Mt. Audubon back to=
 the start.  Total distance will be 28ish miles, with perhaps 7,000' elevat=
ion gain.  Bring clothing to enable us to hunker down and wait out a thunde=
rstorm if necessary.  There's non-potable water everywhere -- bring whateve=
r you desire to enable drinking it.  Bring a light, in case we don't finish=
 in daylight.  Our pace is mellow, no one will be left behind, and the day =
will be eye-popping -- bring a camera!

Please carpool!  Let's meet in the Justice Center parking lot at 6th & Cany=
on in time for a 6:00am departure.  I have a timed entry permit for one car=
.  If we bring more vehicles, they'll need to get timed entry permits.  We'=
ll then head to Brainard for our 7:00am start.  It's here: https://maps.app=
.goo.gl/cVzAzt2m6LL6KD3D6  One more thing: a friend is borrowing my truck t=
his weekend, so I'll be getting in another runner's car, meaning that space=
 will be limited unless others can get timed entry permits.  I think there =
are currently 2 seats left in the car.

NOTE: This run will happen on Saturday, so I guess it's more of a Sabbath r=
un.  :-)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
------------------------------------

Lovely summertime greetings, lovely loonies in the cult of the "Holy Trail"=
!

In researching the ancient scribes' holy tomes, the high priests of the "Ch=
urch of the Holy Trail" hath unequivocally determined that Summer is provid=
ed by the deities as an encouragement for we mortals to come seek an elevat=
ed environ, far above the Beast's ghastly heat down here.  The message is e=
ven stronger right now, with all the lovely wildflowers offering eye-poppin=
g vistas in all directions.

Clearly, there's a blessed nudge being delivered our way.  Even the swelter=
ing tourists have figured it out: Get High!  The marmots and pika welcome u=
s skyward, inviting us high above the land of presidential politics, into t=
he lovely color-changing tundra which hath been our favorite altar for all =
eternity.  So, let's get there!

Here's the scoop: The days are still luxuriously long right now, so let's g=
et up in the early sunlight this Saturday, and take a lap of the fabled Paw=
nee-Buchanan loop!  This "Indian Peaks Marathon" is widely regarded as one =
of the best loops in Colorado, and it never disappoints!

The details are above.  Most importantly, bring a light, and sufficient clo=
thing to remain comfortable if we need to hunker down to wait out a thunder=
storm at some point.  And don't forget plenty of food, a camera, and a heal=
thy sense of humor for dumb jokes all day long!

Love and happiness,

 - Fred

--=20
BTR is a welcoming community of Trail Runners in Boulder. Please respect ea=
ch other at all times.
You can contact the managers ([email protected])=
 with any concerns.
---=20
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "=
Boulder Trail Runners" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an e=
mail to [email protected].
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bouldertrai=
lrunners/7dba2dc4-01fa-41cd-bee6-5877b69e625d%40app.fastmail.com.

Back to schedule