Beep Beep Beep. Slap. My hand fumbles the alarm clock off. Ugh. Why is it so early? My brain slowly processes the time of 4:30 a.m. Ring Ring Ring. The phone? What the heck? Then I remember. I am meeting my buddy for a 5 a.m. run. After we'd each missed early morning runs we decided to call each other to make sure that both parties were out of bed. I pick up the phone.

"Hey Matt, I'll see you in thirty minutes."

The air is cool and silent as we begin running down the trail. There is one other car in the lot besides ours, and we know most likely we won't see its owner. Matt, Marcie and I are running at Horsetooth Mountain Park, just outside of Fort Collins.

Our pace is slow and jerky as our bodies adjust to the early start. The trail is smooth and my mind drifts with the haze of the morning light. The first mile winds up and over hilly meadows covered with a host of grasses, flowers, yuccas and occasional low lying cacti. In the distance, up the hillside, I can see a forest.

The path wraps around a rolling hill and then down towards a stream. The vegetation is green and deciduous trees line the stream bed. We run across a wooden bridge and the first significant climb begins. We are all amply warmed up and the intensity naturally quickens. Our arms and legs crank in unison bringing us by pine trees and rock outcroppings. Large, powerful steps are needed to propel our bodies over wooden logs that lay perpendicularly across the trail to prevent erosion from spring melts.

We started on the Horsetooth Falls Trail today. It makes up only 2.25 miles of the 29 miles of trail in the park. We arrive at a fork and take the new route. The climb has ceased and we are dissecting the side of a steep mountain. Rocks litter the ground, and the running becomes technically difficult. Below we can see the twisting trail and the meandering stream we crossed. We pick around a large hill towards the eastern edge of the park and vistas spread out before us with the shimmering waters of Horsetooth Reservoir and the Front Range bathed in the morning light of a rising sun. I feel the warmth of morning, when the cool air rejoins us as our trail disappears into the shadows of a pine forest. We are now running on the Stout Trail.

Time, trail, and pine forest slip by as we discuss our training, and the beauty of early morning runs. We arrive at our infamous junction, The Mill Creek Trail. Approximately 1,000 vertical feet and a two mile long climb await us. It is a difficult ascent and always requires a solid push with plenty of effort. We begin.

It is steep and I recognize the twist, turns, roots, rocks, flat and steep sections as I work this 25 minute segment of heavily wooded pine forest. The climb is physically demanding, yet I stay cool in the shade of trees and the cold air that blankets this north facing slope. At the top of the climb we regroup. We decide to go to the rock. The rock is Horsetooth Mountain, the most dominating feature of the park, and can be seen from almost any point in Fort Collins. I've always heard it was named such because the large rock precipice has a huge airy fissure and from a distance resembles the gap in the front teeth of a horse. A pamphlet at the park entrance explains the Native American legend behind this landmark. "Horsetooth Rock is what remains of the heart of the Great Red Warrior slain by the Great Black Warrior in a long and ferocious battle." Below this fabulous feature spreads 2,886 acres of this county park, creating a perfect setting for runners, bikers and hikers.

We head down Spring Creek Trail. Before us stretches a large, vibrant green valley with a brook running down the middle. Forests fringe the meadow's edge and above the trees give way to large sweeping views of craggy cliffs. With pure delight we speed along. We come to the next junction, Wathen Trail.

Leaving the meadow we head up through trees, from forest to meadow to trees for 500 vertical feet.

The climb took longer then we anticipated, and we decide to forgo the short journey to the apex of the rock and instead we head along the Westridge Trail. We then drop to the car.

We have run significantly longer than normal, and enjoyed our extended outing. Often time we may only run on one trail for an hour, but today we had the luxury of running on multiple trails for three hours, and gaining and losing around 2,000 vertical feet. We are energized from the morning's activity and part ways.

And to think, this is all a few miles from the bustling city of Fort Collins. I'm glad, though groggy at the time, that my alarm clock went off!

Editor's Note: To get there from Fort Collins, head west on Harmony Road, (Exit 257). This road becomes C.R.38E and will wrap up to and around Horsetooth Reservoir. After passing the reservoir, you will see the parking lot and sign on the north side of the road. There is a fee of $6 per vehicle. For more information, go to www.larimer.org/parks/openlands.