North Table Mountain Run

I saw this big grasshopper while running on North Table Mountain in Golden, CO on Friday. Most of them were clicking away into the grass as I passed by, but I slowed and this one stayed on its stem.


When I pulled the camera out to get a close-up, it would shift around the stem away from the camera so it was always on the opposite side. This went on for about 15 seconds. LOL. Finally it must have realized I wasn't going to eat it, and it stayed in one position long enough for me to snap this photo.

Check out those little grippy-claws. Pretty cool.

The North Table Mountain trailhead and lot on CO 93 are new. The mountain has been Jefferson County Open Space for a while, and I've run there before, but it just recently got another paved parking lot*, new trails, and a map. The lot is still under construction and it appears there will be a restroom to replace the wheelchair-accessible port-a-john that's there now.

I did just a very short easy run, about 30 minutes and 3 miles. It was a combination of singletrack and existing dirt roads. This trail passes by the spot where I once saw coytoes hunting a group of deer.


It was nice, and it was pleasantly deserted due to being Friday evening, but wow, I got a face full of bugs under the big power lines. Are they attracted to the electricity? Ptooey! (imagine Three Stooges face-wiping motion)

*Before, there was an odd parking lot on the south side, accessed through a gated, one-lane dirt road on the side of a steep hill (across the highway from Coors), as well as several access points from local neighborhoods, including a small lot on the west side nestled in a residential area, on Wyoming Circle.