Despite freezing weather and hours of treacherous winds we made it to the top of Longs Peak today and more importantly back down. The wind became so forceful on the way back that we literally had to cling to the rocks to keep from being blown away. None of us had ever experienced such forceful winds much less while hanging on to the side of a mountain. I am very happy everyone arrived home safely.

I was very proud to be part of this group representing Flatirons CrossFit today (Sean, Joe Brown, Josh, and I). Despite being desperate to get out of the wind after enduring such an ordeal we stopped at the bottom of the boulder field to check on a man who had been blown over by the wind and had smashed his head on a rock. He was covered in blood and his wife was in an absolute panic and on the verge of a complete break down. The winds were too strong to send a helicopter. The couple was stuck there. With no other options, the four of us worked together to evacuate this man, his wife, and all of their backpacking gear 5 miles back to the trailhead fighting those gale force winds with every single step. Without hesitation and without complaint our crossfitters endured an extra several hours of bitter winds to help these people. It was amazing to me how our mental and physical conditioning had been directly responsible for our ability to help this poor couple out of such a desperate and dangerous predicament. When the wife asked ‘how are you guys so strong?’ I mentioned we all worked out at the same gym. She replied ‘I want to come work out at YOUR gym’. The man was taken to the hospital and will be just fine and his wife was extremely gracious. Well done today, team.

Despite planning to climb Longs Peak this weekend I still agreed to go mountain biking with Todd today. Only instead of our normal 10-15 miles we did a 22 mile loop at Buffalo Creek that took 4 hours. I was feeling pretty good until about the last mile of the last climb when my legs did not want to work anymore. Slow and steady in a low gear I somehow made it up the rest of the way. Totally worth it too. The trail was gorgeous and the payoff at the end of the climb was a full 8 miles of gradual down hill. It was so fun winding in and out of the trees and around the boulders that I forgot how tired I was. (I remember now though).

The first part was through the area destroyed by the Hayman Fire. A little creepy but fun trail surrounded by wildflowers and great views.

Much of the trail was in the trees and not terribly steep.

Then for the best part. Coasting down the hill.

We also met two very nice guys at the trailhead and ended up joining them for a late lunch at a place called The Buck Snort Saloon. One of the guy’s name is Charlie Brown. No kidding. Great guys though. Looks like we may end up going riding with them again sometime.

At Regionals, I noticed the girls of CrossFit have a particular style. Along with their short shorts, several female competitors wear knee high socks. I really thought it was just some kind of fashion statement or something, girls being girls, like me putting pink laces in my lifting shoes. After attending my 3rd competition my legs are covered in scratches and bruises from scraping weightlifting bars and kettle bells against my shins and climbing the ropes at the gym. I now realize the socks, however bold, may have more practical purposes. Probably more of a fashion risk than a statement but I went ahead and finally bought myself these three pairs. I hope they help!

This past weekend was the Colorado CrossFit Open. I had no idea what to expect so my original goal was to be in the top half. I ended up in 9th! What really made it fun was that we had a lot of people from our own gym competing. Quite a few people came out just for support, other gym members, friends, my whole family. I even ran into some volleyball girls there. Small world! Anyway, everyone from Flatirons who competed did exceptionally well. I was really proud to be a part of that group. What a bunch of studs! I need to add more pictures here are a few: Colorado Open Day 2.

Monday I was completely wiped out. For dinner I caved big time and had pizza. I dipped the crust in ranch dressing because I didn’t have enough honey. Then I ate a Snickers ice cream bar for dessert. I can hear the others from my gym cringing. Needless to say, after a meal like that I didn’t feel much better on Tuesday. It was pretty obvious I needed to get the diet back on track so I made baked scallops.

BAKED SCALLOPS
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 pounds
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup finely shredded coconut
1/8 cup grated Parmesan (opt) 
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Pour melted butter into a 2 quart oval casserole dish. Distribute butter and scallops evenly inside the dish.
Combine everything else and sprinkle this mixture over the scallops.
Bake in pre-heated oven until scallops are firm, 15-20 minutes.

For the asparagus I brushed them very lightly with oil and sprinkled sea salt on them. I baked them in the convection oven for about 8-10 minutes. Then I allowed the excess butter from the baked scallops to run underneath them.