I made the drive to Big Bear to practice piping at elevation. See, I have a competition in Estes Park, Colorado, in a few weeks. Estes Park sits at about 7,500 feet. My usual piping at the Sepulveda Pass only takes me to about 1,100 feet; Big Bear lands me closer at about 6,750 feet.
Luckily, I'm not as concerned about breathing as I am about piping. Remember my trip to Denver (click here for post), which included visiting the Hoosier Pass at 11,539 feet? I did fine at the altitude. But, I'm admitting here, piping is HARD even at sea level!
So, I get to Big Bear, and the first thing I need to do is find some food. I strolled around the Village and decided on the The Copper Q. I thought the classic Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato-Avocado on croissant would provide a good balance of carbs, veggies and good fats to help with the acclimation. YUM!! The blackberry Italian soda was a tasty treat, too! The Copper Q has a cool cooking demonstration area, and I wish I had time to check it out on this trip. But, I'm here for a specific reason.
Properly fueled up, I found a trailhead on north rim of the lake and blew my lungs out! The hikers were a bit surprised to hear me there, but everyone was cool with it. And, I have a good idea of what I'm up against in Estes Park. Stay tuned for the full report!
Click here for The Copper Q's website.
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