Lazy Man's Hardrock

In 1991 Gordon Hardman placed a notice in Ultrarunning magazine that in the summer of 1992 there would be a 100 mile run in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. Thus, the Hardrock 100 was born. The Hardrock 100 is arguably the premiere 100 mile mountain race in the US. The route starts and ends in Silverton, CO, and is basically a big circle encompassing the four mining towns of Silverton, Telluride, Ouray, and Lake City. The actual course goes through all of these towns with the exception of Lake City.

The Hardrock 100 has always held a certain appeal. I found out about it in 1995, when Doug and I met Rick Trujillo and Ricky Denesik during one of their speed attempts on the 14ers. They decided to climb the 14ers because the Hardrock 100 had been cancelled that year due to snow.

The are several challenges with running Hardrock. First, the qualification process requires one to complete another 100 mile race. Barring a major change in lifestyle and motivation, I just don't see myself training for any 100 mile race. The 2nd issue is that Hardrock can only accommodate ~150 runners each year, and because of this there is a lottery system for aspiring runners. The chances of a first timer gaining an entry via the lottery are somewhat less than 25%. Another issue is that the Hardrock 100 typically takes the winner at least 24-27 hours to complete. It takes the average person closer to 40. This means that a lot of the race is done at night, in darkness. While I'm sure this is a unique experience, I would much rather be able to enjoy the mountains during the day time.

So, in light of all these, I developed* what I call the "Lazy man's Hardrock". The basic idea is to do the Hardrock course in 4 days, spending the night in each of Silverton, Telluride, and Ouray. I'm not talking about backpacking or camping - but rather stay in real hotels with real beds and hot showers at the end of each day. The goal is to go as lightweight as possible, probably just carrying a small day pack with one change of clothes for the end of each day. (Note - this is just *one* change of clothes. Not a separate one for each day). With this, and some minimal gear (waterproof jacket, first aid, food, water, etc), I think each person would be carrying about 5-7 pounds each day, hopefully less.

Of course, it's still by no means an easy trip. Going in the clockwise direction, starting at Sherman gives the following distances and elevations:

Sherman - Silverton: 28 miles, 9020 / 9350 ft of climb / descent

Silverton - Telluride: 27.9 miles, 9943 / 7983 ft

Telluride - Ouray: 16.2 miles, 4390 / 5460 ft

Ouray - Sherman: 27.9 miles, 9609 / 10169 ft

Note that I took these distances from the 2011 course description. However, I think they are backwards as listed there. For example, they give the leg from Ouray - Telluride as having 4390 feet of elevation gain and 5460 feet of descent. But this is backwards - Telluride is about 1,000 feet higher in elevation than Ouray. So I think the way I have it is correct.

Of course this doesn't exactly split the distance equally for each day, but I think a shorter 3rd day would be nice, especially ending in Ouray with the hot springs.

One problem with this route is that Handies Peak is the very last climb on the last day, just before dropping back to Sherman. This would subject us to potential storms late in the day. If we were to go the opposite direction (Sherman to Ouray, Ouray to Telluride, etc) Handies would be the very first climb of the trip.

A brief description of each day:

Day 1. Starting at Sherman (9,600 ft) climb up to Cataract Lake at about 12,000 ft, and then descent to Pole Creek (11,300 ft). Then climb Maggie Pole Pass (12,500), Buffalo Boy Ridge (13,000+) and Green Mountain. Descent to Cunningham (10,500), then climb Dives-Little Grant pass, (13,000) then descend to Silverton.

Day 2. Another early start. From Silverton, climb up to Putnam-Cataract Ridge, then Cataract-Porcupine Pass (each higher than 12,000ft). Descent to to KT (10,700), then climb Grant Swamp Pass (12,900). Descend to Chapman Gulch. Then climb Oscar's Pass (13,000+) and descend into Telluride. Proceed to the Fat Alley BBQ for Mitch Morgans.

Day 3. After a leisurely breakfast in Telluride, climb directly up Virginius Pass (13,000+) , then descend into Ouray. Spend the afternoon relaxing in the hot springs.

Day 4. Early start. Do the ~5,000 ft climb up Engineer (close to 13,000), then descend into Grouse Gulch. Climb up to Grouse-American Pass, then Handies (14,000+). Descend to Sherman. Drive home.

Here is some more insight into my thinking, in the form of Q&A:

Why not just backpack instead of staying in the towns? Wouldn't this give a more wilderness experience? My main motivation is to cover large distances each day, unencumbered by a heavy pack. Even a lightweight pack with everything needed for backpacking would still come in at 20+ pounds, which would be quite a challenge given all of the vertical. As I get older, my body really appreciates the recovery that comes from a nice shower and a comfortable bed.

Why do it in just 4 days? Why not take more time? Well, as a husband / father it's tough to get away for more than a few days. Of course I would love to spend a couple of weeks exploring the San Juans, but it's not that feasible. And as I stated above, my main motivation is to cover large distances each day, and the three towns split the route very nicely into four days.

Why go clockwise? This is a legitimate question, and I could possibly be persuaded to go counter clockwise. Going clockwise is described as going up the "steeps" and down the "ramps" (e.g. going up Virginius Pass is pretty steep from Telluride, going down Camp Bird Mine Road into Ouray is a much gentler "ramp"). I think this is probably easier on the body. It also puts one in Ouray (arguably the most enjoyable of the three towns) on the 3rd day, when ~75% of the route has been surpassed.

So that's the basic idea. The best time of the year is probably mid July - mid August.

Thoughts?

*Certainly I'm not the first person to think of this concept. But I haven't read any firsthand accounts. If you've heard of this before, please drop me a note.