A year defined by running...
...and perilous peaks!
Another year has come and gone and as I've grown older, it really does seem as though time has accelerated. Despite a busy year of work commitments and various professional obligations, I still managed to squeeze in quite a few fun adventures and explorations. There were races, journey runs, motorcycle tours, highpoint excursions, tropical getaways, treks to nowhere, and quest-ending climbs up towering Colorado mountains (just to name a few). In compiling my list for this year, I was surprised at just how lengthy it was, so without any delay, let's dive in....
The View from Oak Creek Canyon (Sedona) on Dec 31st.
I began 2025 with an early-winter jaunt down to warmer temperatures in Sedona. In many past years, I have carried out a rather silly tradition of trying to adventure out to someplace as remote and random as possible to celebrate the start of the new year right at midnight. This year, we decided to hike up the rather diminutive Sugarloaf Mountain at 11:30 pm so that we could sip our small champagne glasses right at midnight from the summit, while overlooking the lights of town. It was a fantastic way to ring the new year.
A few days later back up in Flagstaff, while still being spared from any snowy weather, I took out my smaller dual-sport motorcycle for a day-long adventure along a 50-mile stretch of the Arizona Backcountry Discovery Route (AZBDR). While it was a bit chilly out that day, the views and terrain were well worth it. I even got to test out my new drone with some fantastic "active-tracking" shots...
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHSQJZSlQGY
Tearing up some rocky sections of the AZBDR
Frozen Lake along the AZBDR
Some "Active-Tracking" Footage
In January I did my best to keep up with my running, as I did plan to once again run the Black Canyon 100K race in early February. This meant not only did I need to get in my daily miles, but I needed to do a tune-up race some time in January. As I have done many times before, I chose to race the Coldwater 40K down in Phoenix as a way to gauge my fitness. I had a ridiculously good day on the course, placing 14th overall, and averaging a 9:06 pace over the entire day.
Early miles on the Coldwater course
Really solid running to start the year!
As the year progressed into February, it became clear that I was going to be selling my Royal Enfield Himalayan 411 motorcycle. This was a very difficult decision for me, but after almost 5 years of reliable riding, I ultimately decided that it was time to step up to something just a little bit more powerful. Given this development, I decided to go out on a few final sentimental rides with the ol' girl before parting ways. The good news about all of this, was that I did end up selling the bike to one of my former graduate students. Every once in a while I see her riding around town on it, so I know that it has gone to a good home.
Riding out at Harding Point
Visiting SP Crater
The Black Canyon 100k came up quickly in mid February and it would be my first true test of my running fitness for 2025. Several of my friends had signed up to run it with me, so I was hopeful that I'd at least get to run the first few road miles alongside good company. Overall the day went quite well, although I did struggle a bit over the final 10 miles. I was really hoping to break 13 hours this year, but came away just a bit over, with a final time of 13 hours, 19 minutes.
A 4th Black Canyon Finish (13 hours 19 minutes)
Just nine days after crossing the finish line at Black Canyon, I made my way up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for another Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim attempt...this time with my good friend and fellow Barkley Marathons alum, Travis. Normally, it would be impossible to do a R2R2R in February due to snow and icy conditions, but we had had an anomalously dry winter. The day went really well and we had a blast. We opted to move at a much more casual pace for our crossing, meaning it was less strenuous, but also that it was a much longer day (nearly 16 hours). Sadly, due to that aforementioned dry winter, 2025 ended up being one of the worst fire seasons along the Grand Canyon (with the entire North Rim burning...including the Lodge).
Crossing the Colorado River
Looking up to the North Rim
Resting down by the Colorado River
A slightly snowy North Rim
Travis standing in the 2 inches of snow near the North Rim trailhead
Just a few weeks later, we did finally get a proper winter snowfall and I was able to get up to the local Nordic Center for an ol' fashioned round of classic skiing.
Skiing at the Nordic Center
Over a foot of new powder
Later in March I finally got word that the new motorcycle I had ordered had come in (after being hung up due to import tariffs). I made the quick jaunt down to the Cottonwood area and picked up my new Ibex 450. It didn't take long to get out on some new adventures and realize I really loved this new bike.
Link to Journal Post: https://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2025/03/some-new-adventures-on-horizon.html
Picking up the new girl...
Out on my first real adventure...
A trip out to Mormon Lake...
As April crept in and as the semester was wrapping up, I did manage to get out for one additional formal race down at the Dam Good 40k Run (again in the Phoenix area). I had a decent day, but much slower than the January Coldwater Race (mostly due to the higher temps). Despite the tougher day, I still had fun moving along the trails.
Finishing behind a very happy gentleman at the Dam Good Run
Just one week after running along the hot desert tracks at the Dam Good Run...I agreed to run the 48-mile Flagstaff Loop Trail back up in town with a good friend. She was going to be running the 250-mile Cocodona Race in May, and needed one final big tune-up run. As is usual for the FLT, we opted to take on the day as more of a journey run, with planned stops at various gas stations and markets to refuel. We had a nearly-perfect day out in the mountains, and even modified the course to include the big climb up and over Mt. Elden (not part of the standard FLT). Rather coincidentally, we actually ran into my friend's running coach while we were out on the course.
The full 48-mile FLT route (including the big Mt. Elden climb)
The view of Humphreys Peak from the Mt. Elden summit
Our refueling stop at mile 20
A happily refueled friend...
As the semester was wrapping up, I had big field trip planned for my Energy Policy graduate course. This trip would entail taking my entire class of 20+ students up to Glen Canyon Dam for an in-depth tour (from the site director). The tour was absolutely fascinating, and I learned a lot about how things operate at a large hydroelectric facility.
View of the dam from afar
Up close and personal with Glen Canyon
At the end of April I found myself thinking back often to my trip across the Grand Canyon with Travis in February. I got a nagging idea in my head of seeing if it was possible for me to complete the out-n-back journey in under 12 total hours (my fastest time to date was about 13 and a half hours). My training was going well, and the weather was perfect for an attempt...so on April 25th, I headed up to the South Rim for a sub-12 attempt. The crossing over went nearly perfect, and I made it to the North Rim in my fastest time to date: ~5 hours 30 mins. This meant that I had about 6 and a half hours to make it back to stay under 12 total. My return back down to the river went well, but the final climb up to the South Rim went terribly. About 2 miles from the end, I finally ran out of gas, and my muscles started to cramp up from a mismanagement of my electrolytes. I had to walk the last two miles and ended up finishing in 12 hours and 20 minutes. I still beat my fastest time, but was annoyed that I lost the sub-12 in the final two miles. I didn't take any photos that day, but did record my track.
My sub 12-hour attempt at the R2R2R
Total Time : 12:20:30
Back over on two wheels, I took the Honda CRF300LS out for a fun adventure over to Le Barron Hill...a place I had wanted to explore for many years. Due to private property boundaries, I had to get creative with how I approached this elusive peak. It turned out to be quite a fun little adventure...
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuM9cs-3T68
Heading out to Le Barron Hill.
In May, with the semester now over and my work commitments easing back, I decided to tackle an adventure that I had wanted to do for MANY years....the Hole to Hump (which I opted to rebrand: Canyon to Crest). This adventure involves hiking down to the Colorado River (into the Grand Canyon), dipping a toe in the water, and then traversing all the way back to Flagstaff on foot, ending on the summit of Humphreys Peak. The entire route covers about 70 miles, and includes over 13,000 feet of climbing (going from about 2500' elevation, up over 12,500' elevation). I had quite a bit of help and support on this adventure, and opted to tackle it as a pure journey run. Given this, I took it relatively easy, and tried to soak in the beauty and enjoyment as much as possible. Of course, there were still some rough patches (particularly at the beginning on the New Hance Trail), but overall it was a very memorable adventure.
Link to Journal Post: https://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2025/06/an-arizona-canyon-to-crest-adventure.html
Link to Podcast Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/treks-to-nowhere/id1648212644?i=1000711876507
Starting Canyon to Crest (at the South Rim)
(Mile 0)
Traversing the high country near Babbitt Ranches
(Mile ~35)
Refueling at one of my caches
(~Mile 45)
Nearing the high peaks (~Mile 60)
At the finish on top of Humphreys Peak
(Mile ~70)
In early June, I had to make my way out to Denver for some lab work at the NSF Ice Core Facility. While there, I decided to finally visit Pikes Peak by way of a proper hike (and not just by car). I had realized that in my quest to finish all of the 14ers, I had never actually climbed Pikes Peak. I needed to rectify that situation before tackling my final two summits later in July. My trek up Pikes was ultimately successful (despite a fair amount of snow), although it didn't come without some tragedy. I learned a few days after my summit, that another hiker I had met on my climb had fallen down an ice couloir...and didn't survive.
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS3l1lQSzhU
Nearing the snowy summit
Pikes Peak summit (having reached it under my own power)
As part of this trip to Colorado, I was also able to complete a small adventure that I had been hoping to do for years. I have been on a multi-year journey to summit all the state high points, and one of those points has been particularly difficult to reach. That point, known as Charles Mound, sits along the northern border of Illinois. The issue with reaching this peak is that it is on private property and is only open to visitors on a few weekends per year. I was able to coordinate my trip to Denver such that I could take a quick one-way flight on a budget airline over to Cedar Falls Iowa, and finally reach this elusive summit. I now have just seven summits remaining (although technically eight, since Michigan's high point has recently changed).
The start of the hike up to Charles Mound
On the Charles Mound "summit"
Two short weeks after my trip to central Colorado, I found myself back in Colorado for the San Juan Solstice 50-mile race. I had done this race in 2024 while incredibly ill...and nearly timed out. This year, I wanted to return and enjoy the course while hopefully much healthier. The short story is that the run was fantastic and I was able to enjoy the miles without that stress of pushing time cut offs. I had a blast all day, and finished in a comfortable 14 and a half hours (with over 90 minutes of cushion remaining).
Link to Journal Post: https://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2025/06/a-delightful-loop-along-colorado-trail.html
A lovely spot in the San Juan Mountains
Grinning from ear to ear at mile ~40
Next up for the year was my big ticket calendar item: my week-long mototour through Colorado on the new Ibex motorcycle in mid-July. What made this year's moto-adventure through Colorado so special was that I had planned to summit my last two 14er peaks: Capitol and Snowmass. These two peaks are noted as being two of the most difficult of them all, and they did not disappoint; Capitol Peak was truly terrifying and I will never go near that mountain again. The entire trek was fantastic and I came away with so many wonderful memories. I did successfully finish these two summits, however it was recently discovered that East Crestone is actually 4 inches taller than Crestone proper...meaning I will need to go back to the Crestones at some point to truly finish off the 14ers. I wrote an entire post about this trip, so will simply link to that as well as some of the videos I compiled from the trip.
Full Journal Post: https://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2025/07/a-14-year-colorado-mountain-journey.html
Podcast Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/treks-to-nowhere/id1648212644?i=1000719073972
Colorado 2025 Trailer Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e76GMh5zQYE
Colorado 2025 Video Capitol Peak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5IAEO-zmms
Colorado 2025 Video Snowmass Mountain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA_WtRIbGp0
Summit of Snowmass
Looking up the south slopes of Snowmass
Summit of Capitol Peak
Colorado Mountain Lake
Mexican Hat
Just a few short weeks after my solo adventure through Colorado, C and I took a trip together out to the Big Island of Hawaii. I didn't post anything about this trip as the entire purpose of the adventure was to go "off-grid" and disconnect. Needless to say, we had a wonderful time relaxing on beaches, snorkeling, volcano watching...etc. I'll share a few select photos below...
Southernmost point in the US
One of many beach views
A lunchtime gecko friend
Sunset from the hotel
Summit of Mauna Kea
As the summer drew to an end, I once again opted to run in circles down at the Jackrabbit Jubilee run in Phoenix just before the start of the semester. This year, I had to contend with 100+ degree temperatures even after sunset. It was brutal, but I still managed to push out over 32 total miles. Not bad considering the conditions.
Some number from the Jackrabbit Jubilee
Just a few short weeks later, I tackled my first and only 100-miler of the year just up the road from my house: The Stagecoach 100. I typically run the shorter 35-mile version of this course, but this year was feeling a bit more bold. The race went surprisingly well and I even wrote a full run report about it here on this site. I somehow managed to eke out a sub-24 hour finish...something I wasn't sure I was still capable of. If you're interested in all of the gory details...check out my post from last month below.
Full Run Report Link: https://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2025/11/stagecoaches-and-masochism.html
Start line of the Stagecoach 100
Somewhere around mile 35
Nearing the finish
Shortly after the Stagecoach 100 in early October, I ran a smaller local race known as the Solstice Run. If you've spent any time in the Flagstaff area, chances are you've heard of this race. It's a local home-town classic that many run (particularly for the finish line party). I had a good day running around some of the smaller volcanic cinder cones to the west of Flagstaff near the town of Parks. It was around this same time in October that the Aspen were also in peak colors up on the big mountains, and I made sure to make a few trips up there with the pup to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
The Soulstice 30k race
Start line of the Soulstice (I'm on the far left)
Peak aspen season
In late October I set out in search of "Arizona's largest tree." More specifically, I was in search of Arizona's largest Cottonwood tree (and possibly the largest in the US...it's still somewhat unclear). The trek involved riding through some of Arizona's most beautiful and remote regions...ultimately ending in the small hamlet of Skull Valley where I did find success at the monstrous tree!
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt6iq7sr5og
"Arizona's largest tree"
Just a few short weeks later I set out another trek to nowhere, this time looking for the elusive, and appropriately named, Secret Mountain. This adventure took me down some incredibly remote forest roads on my much smaller dual-sport motorcycle, and ended at a desolate trail head that looked as though it hadn't been used for years. At one point on the ride, I was stopped by a massive log and had to get a little creative. Once on the hike out to one of the mountain's high points, the trail disappeared completely and I found myself free hiking into the great unknown...truly my idea of a perfect trek.
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlA02VvU1Aw
The immovable log...
In early November I once again made a trip out to Virginia for my annual pilgrimage to the Mountain Masochist 50-mile Run (MMTR). This has become a regular tradition for me, and a way to reunite with some of my Barkley Marathons friends. This year marked my 9th running and we were even joined for the first time by Barkley Marathons course-record holder, Brett Maune. We were graced with perfect weather this year, and had a grand ol' time navigating through the George Washington National Forest up and down the leaf-covered mountains. I'm genuinely looking forward to returning next year for my 10th finish! Before flying home this year, we all spend a day galavanting around DC...on scooters no less.
Journal Post for MMTR: https://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2025/11/stagecoaches-and-masochism.html
The run details...
Five Barkley Finishers at the MMTR finish
(Brett, Travis, JB, D-Ho, Me)
Travis and me coming into the finish
The gang on Mt. Pleasant (Mile ~37 on the course)
Scooting around DC
In late November, I hit a big milestone with regards to my 2025 running....I passed 2000 total miles. To most endurance runners or ultramarathoners this is not a particularly massive number, but for me, it represented a large achievement. I had not hit 2000 total running miles in a single year since 2017, so I was thrilled to reach this key number. As I sit here today, just a few days shy of the new year, I am incredibly excited to note that it's likely I will end the year right around 2200 total miles!
2000 Miles!!!
Thanksgiving came and went and I once again participated in the local "Turkey Trot"....running up and down Turkey Hill here in Flagstaff. This event is a gathering of local runners all looking to get in a little hilly torture before the big turkey dinner. As always, we definitely earned the bird.
The fun little Turkey Trot course...
Runners at the start line
Everybody on the summit of Turkey Hill
In December I still had a couple of adventures to take on. First, I spent a day riding down to the Tonto Natural Bridge State park on the Ibex. I had quite a bit of fun hiking around on the trails and exploring the natural tunnel carved into the travertine bedrock. It was quite a bit more dramatic than I was expecting.
Following my jaunt down to Tonto, I had one last race on the calendar left to tackle: The McDowell Mountain Frenzy 50k. I ran this same event last year in a remarkably fast time, and was hoping for a repeat. Sadly, things didn't go quite as well and I struggled over the last 6 miles. In the end, I still managed a respectable time, and came away pleased to have spent a good part of the day moving along some beautiful desert trails.
Some details from the McDowell Mountain Frenzy
Crossing the line still in a relatively good mood
As the Fall semester was wrapping up I decided to go on one last adventure on the Honda CRF300 out to a small--and relatively unknown--peak in the area known as Davenport Hill. I had seen this small mountain on a return trip from Williams earlier in the year and it seemed like a perfect place to go explore. On this trip, I managed to find a remote trail that climbs to the summit and spent the entire day by myself exploring the peak. It was a perfect way to the end the year on the CRF. As soon as I got home, I winterized the bike and it is now all buttoned up until spring. I did capture some fun video on this last adventure (see below)
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqOR-LFJwG0
The summit of Davenport Hill
My last order of business before closing out the year was celebrate the graduate of ten new Climate Science MS students. We held a full hooding ceremony event for this group and I attended their commencement the following day. I will sincerely miss this engaging and inspiring group.
Celebrating w/ the Class of 2025 Climate Science MS grads!
And that my friends, will just about do it. As I write this I find myself amongst family for the holidays once again incredibly grateful for an amazing year. I have been so incredibly fortunate to have been able to have so many wonderful adventures and treks in 2025, and I can only hope that 2026 will be full of similarly thrilling and rewarding exploits and/or escapades.
Happy Holidays to you all....and if I can ask just one thing of you...it is to please continue to scratch that explorational itch....and get out there. There is so much to see and do in this big wide world...
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