Frosty Steps

My wrist watch alarm went off at 520 AM this morning and I was excited for my weekly trek up Mission Peak. I was a little concerned that the 3 princesses would not show up...again. I checked the weather on Rose Peak, elevation 3900 feet, to give me an idea how cold it was. This weather station page is really cool. I get all the stats like average wind speed, dew point, precipitation, relative humidity, etc. The report was great-a calm 31 degrees. This meant it would be even nicer on Mission Peak. Good weather meant that the ladies would be there!

At 610 AM, we flicked on our flashlights and headed up Mill Creek road to get to the trail head. For some stupid reason, we have been running 4 miles to get to the trail head when there is an easy access point at 2.5 miles. The girls say the hill is too steep at this access point. I say bunk! I hopped the gate at mile 2.5 and the girls followed suit since am the defacto trail guide.

The ground was firm and frosty. All the weeks' rain was just a frozen Popsicle. The cows were blocking our trail as usual. I screamed like a monster to clear the path. Mama san cow has been known to charge if she thinks her baby is in danger.

The girls were not so keen on switching terrain. I had ulterior motives for doing so. They were all running so pathetically slow, that I needed to at least push them a little as they walked up the mountain. The trail is much steeper than the road. In my devilish plans, I also added an additional 2 mile detour to punish them for running so slow. One of them is training for a 50 mile race and she needs the additional mileage. I never let them know of my plans until we crossed the trail turn off.

We stopped for water at the base of Mission Peak. I filled my 2 bottles knowing that we were going an extra 2 miles. The girls as usual drank no water because they may have to...ah...well...P! It's nice being a guy.

Mission Peak was in full golden glory for the sunrise. What made the moment for me was an American flag posted on top! I have to bring my camera to capture this. I have been running up the peak since 1993 and have never even thought of posting a flag on top. Who ever did this used plastic zip ties to secure the flag. An engineer no doubt from the many one of the many high tech firms in the valley. I was greeted by a group of Eastern Indians that walk the peak weekly. I used to work with a few of them at Lam Research Corporation in Fremont. When the peak was all quiet, one of the men sang a song in his native tongue Everyone bowed their head. It had some religious significance. I enjoyed the singing. I bid my goodbyes and ran fast track down hill to my ladies.

When we hit the cross roads I announced that we were going down a different way. I got mixed emotions from them. Good thing that I am not married to them. I convinced them it was almost the same distance. I did not lie. As the crow flies, it was the same. Truth be known, I wanted a work out and it was for selfish gain only.

We finished the run in 3 hours and 2 minutes. A stellar performance!