Mount Galbraith Park

Mount Galbraith Park is just outside Golden, CO. It's an unassuming park, accessible only by a small parking lot just off the highway, however as always in Colorado, it does not disappoint. The trail spirals up and around the mountainside and in most places is only about two feet wide. We ran the trail, and the narrow trail and steep sides of the mountain below you guarantee some skipped heartbeats in some of the rockier portions of the trail. The trail begins with about a 1.5 mile ascent as it curls around the mountain and switchbacks up its sides. Mostly desertlike for the first few miles, we spotted some prickly pear cactus and other prickly-looking plants lining the trail. Later, as we approached the peak and the trail curved around the back side of the mountain, the terrain became a forest ecosystem with evergreens, moss and a soft pine needle carpet under our feet.

The rocky descent from Mount Galbraith requires lots of concentration while running. It also punishes the lazy who don't pick their feet up, as I unfortunately found out. Distracted but the incredible views from the trail, I caught a toe on a protruding rock and found myself skidding to a stop on my forearms on the trail. Lucky for me, no major injuries, just trail rash all over my hands and forearms and large bruise on my thigh that's shaped like Africa. But from what I've heard, spills are inevitable for trail runners. So on down the trail we went, a bit more carefully and quite a bit more slowly. In a few weeks when the scrapes heal, a small hole in my running pants a much more watchful eye on the trail will be all that remains from my misadventure!