Chuckanut in February

The last two weekends I've ventured into the Chuckanuts, in anticipation of the 50k in March. January may well have been the wettest month on record. February has continued that trend through the first week. We've had pineapple winds and all manner of rain--sideways hard, steady drizzle, relentless showers. The wind has caused trees to fall across the trails, and yesterday a mudslide shut down Chuckanut after I arrived at the trailhead. I had to route home via Old Samish Highway.  Perhaps that's why the trails seemed emptier than normal this weekend--a major difference from last week, when it seems everyone and their friend was motoring up the hills, past me, with smiles.

Yesterday, I only saw one person after passing Fragrance Lake Junction, up Chinscraper, and around the back on the Ridge/Lost Lake Loop. I hiked up to the top of Chuckanut, barely running, but I managed to jog the ridge, and jogged the back side and way back to the car.  I guess I probably put in 15 miles, at an unimpressive but better than hiking pace.

The water was flowing. As per below, the trail in parts was a stream. Puddles everywhere, and I had to watch my step on the ridge, as the wet roots were surely slippery. I guess on Orcas the runners for the past few weekends have been running through trail streams. No spills for me this weekend, but last weekend I landed on my butt, hard, coming off the chinscraper trail to Fragrance Lake Road.

I am parking inside Larrabee these days, because there have been a high incidence of broken glass car break-ins in the Lost Lake and Fragrance trailhead lots. You would think the State would set up some wildlife cams to record activity in these highly trafficked places. Not that hard to do, and with a sign or too, perhaps some deterrence. They could also place park vehicle in strategic places. And catch the crooks--they should do that too.

We are ready for things to spring up a bit around here. Too much dark and rain. The sound of the furnace kicking in is getting old.

Chuckanut 50k

On the last weekend of winter, I was able to get at least one more shot at snow at the Chuckanut 50k. Concerns were high in advance, as the Chuckanuts were holding snow and ice for the last few weeks. RD extraodinaire Krissy opened things up with an early start and moved the cutoffs back by an hour, and I needed all of that time to get the course done. So, rough day out there, but a beautiful day and lots of friends sighted.

I ran my first Chuckanut in 2004. I remember signing up the year or two before that, and backing out. The distance seemed overwhelming. I ran into a few runners beforehand, from out of town, who were making this their first 50k, as so many have. It's been several years though since I last ran C-nut, though I'm up on these trails all the time.

The trails were fine until Cleator Road. As the picture above shows, snow presented somewhere up on the climb. There was a bit of a boot track, with mud spots, which made it not so bad. Much easier than a couple weeks ago, when I was marching around up there. The ridge was pretty clear--no latent ice. The third aid station was moved to the junction at Dan's Traverse, run by Doug, race founder and all around good guy. Snow on the back side, slushy.

I got passed by everyone. It became a little amusing the things people called me:  Sir (?), Bro, Brother, Chief, Boss...  I was basically doing the long walk, with intermittent jogging. I felt stiff, and I made a dozen rookie mistakes in gear, prep, etc. Familiarity may do you in. More training would help, of course. Maybe I can use the experience to learn from, although right now as I ache I'm looking forward to an old fashioned 10k.

Friends were everywhere, volunteering. Krissy as RD, of course--great job, all around. So many smiles. Dean, Terry, and Kevin at AS 1. Adam at AS 2. Doug at AS 3. After that, things went foggy for me. Actually, Glenn on Chinscraper. Great to see Dean and Terry again at AS 5. Terry was all business, warning me about cutoffs. Dean was cracking jokes. Gretchen and Kevin at the end, helping out. Good peeps, these. Thanks to all that made it happen.

The course seems to change slightly year to year. This year there was a brief detour through the 100 Acre Woods to the finish line. Aid stations were moved. Most notably--and maybe this has been the case for years--the final descent was on the Fragrance Lake trail and the last aid station was at that gate.

Views were great from up high.

A Snowy Chuckanut

I got out early Saturday A.M. and did a Chuckanut walkabout, covering the middle 18 except for the final Chinscraper climb. More like 16, I suppose. That was plenty for me, as the whole route/course was covered in snow from Fragrance Lake on. It was a slog climbing Cleator Road in the snow, and then the Ridge Trail was very icy. I was going to bail, but Deb happened to call when I was up top, and encouraged me to go for it, because it was a such a beautiful day. I navigated the Ridge, avoiding ledges, and looking for dirt to step on. Mostly careful walking. One guy passed me and I could hear him swearing, again and again, as he slipped ahead of me.

Both Fragrance Lake (above) and Lost Lake (last, below) were frozen. A younger me might've tried walking across, but I was alone, and it wasn't that cold, so no. Huge icicles hung from the rock ledge back on the Lost Lake Trail, and enormous blocks of ice lay on the ground, having broken off. I've seen it like this back there, but not in a while, and not with those huge blocks of ice. Crunch, crunch, crunch, I went.

I beat most everyone up there by leaving early, but eventually the trails were full of runners, prepping for the Chuckanut 50k in a couple weeks. Ran into Kevin. Spirits were good, with lots of hellos, and overall it made for a memorable day. Sunday is a home day.

Cleartor Rd./Fragrance Lake Connector Trailhead, snow covered

Long clear views from the Ridge

Runner approaching out by Lost Lake

Icicle City

Blocks of ice below Icicle City

Frozen Lost Lake

Blanchard Mountain

Feeling really good. I got up early on the Saturday morning of a three day weekend and hiked and jogged around Blanchard Mountain. I threw in the British Army Trail, and looped back via the logging roads. Just an absolutely terrific morning on trail.

I have an old phone, and I'll replace it one of these days. It doesn't capture the best pics, but I'd rather throw these up here and have them then not. These pics are like rumors of the full view. The temps were in the 70s, not a cloud in the sky, and the trails were not too busy, because of the early start.

I've only taken the British Army Trail a couple times. It seems like t lot of work has been done on the trail in the last couple years, and the white scrapes suggest to me that it is part of the Pacific Northwest Trail. It's a less-traveled gem, and the logging roads back to the upper parking lot was a quiet, solitary experience--just how I like it.  On the logging roads, the view of Mount Baker was tres magnifique at one point. A "Well, hello there! Sweet view!" kind of moment.

Mount Rainier was out too. Sitting square in the middle of the view, from the Overlook, looking down across the Skagit Valley flats and Bow. I do this loop all the time, but don't typically see it. The white capped Olympics Range was also in full view, over Anacortes. All here, said the mountains.

The State Legislature is wrestling with whether or not to protect Blanchard Mountain from logging, and for recreational use. It's a ridiculous debate, but politics are that way sometimes, I guess. Frankly, it looks like a lot of logging has already occurred up there, selectively. The trail is quite a bit different from when I first started running and hiking up there, so many years ago.  Also, there is four to five times the foot traffic. The place is very much used and appreciated. Blanchard Mountain needs to be preserved as it is.

Off the mountain for now. Might go up again this weekend; the weather is good. Cueing up the barbq now, with some Bob Marley beats kicking. Might have to be a homebody, and garden, roof care, and all those sorts of things. Lively up yourself, says Bob.

Train rolling around the corner on the waterline

I promise--Mt. Rainier sits large in the middle of this photo, if you squint. Click to enlarge.

Bow, Chuckanut Drive and the Skagit Flats

Skagit Flats in the foreground, than March Point, and the Olympics Range beyond

Another shot of Bow/Chuckanut/Skagit Flats

Lilly Lake

Lizard Lake - fish were hopping

Here's a fail picture of Mt. Baker.  The lighting didn't work. But the view is special, from the logging roads retiring to the upper Blanchard parking lot.

Chuckanut

I had a nice day today, taking Friday off work before the New Year's weekend.  I went to Chuckanut and hiked and ran the Ridge-Lost Lake Loop. There was snow on top of Chuckanut, and snow and ice on the backside out by Lost Lake. I find myself on days like this.

Slow and pleasant. I spent over 4 hours wandering. Temps were between 30 and 40, with the snow melting constantly off trees, and snowmelt running across the trail. Lost Lake had some ice. My right ankle didn't roll, but there is instability there. The left hip has voiced opposition as well. Worth it.

Chuckanut Footrace

Last Saturday was the 50th annual running of the Chuckanut Footrace. I was there.

I've done this race a number of times over the years, though I certainly wasn't at the first one. I suspect there were one or two locals who did the event in Year 1, and were here again this year. I stash my t-shirts because of long-running events like this. I used to have t-shirts from the 1980s, but they passed on some time ago. These days, I throw the old ones in a plastic bin, which will probably be unearthed after I pass on.  Hopefully though I'll dig through these now and then and be "that guy" at the race with the t-shirt from the middle earth days.

My time was slow, as has been frequently reported here. For the record, I felt like I had a bad day, despite my lack of fitness. Sometimes the hips and calves engage better than others. Onward with the stretching, the core exercises, the continued signing up for events.

The race itself was terrific, and terrifically run. The seven mile course starts down by the ferry terminal in Fairhaven, and then traverses the Interurban Trail out to Larrabee Park. The first three miles have a mild case of the uphills, and the final four miles are flat or slightly downhill.  Lots of healthy, happy people moving down the trail.

Congratulations to the Greater Bellingham Running Club for keeping this marvelous race going, year after year, and special thanks to RD Kelly for her years of work on this race. The bottle opener medal was a fine token to remember the race by, whenever I need a cold one.

Fragrance Lake On A Rainy Day

A rainy day is all right sometimes. We're getting flood stage river alerts this weekend, with the Skagit high on the banks. There's no snow in the mountains, as events are being rescheduled and skiers are warned about rocks and brush.

I just had to get out this morning. I've had far too hard a time finding time in the past month or so. Hiking and running trails refreshes the spirit, and gives me that balance I need. I just plod along, checking out things--lichen, a woodpecker, puddles.  Lots of puddle stomping today.  I saw a few runners out there, presumably training for Chuckanut.

The trails are familiar. I can hike them in the dark, probably w/o a light, though I'm sure I'd trip on a rock here or there. My fitness changes, but the trails, not so much. They will dry up later, but the rain makes everything that much more real. 

Eagles in Edison

Saturday mornings in February are just grand in the Skagit.  Got up a little late, grabbed a cup of coffee at S. Bucks, and drove up Chuckanut for a hike/run in the C-nuts.  A misty morning--good conditions to be out.  Ran into Grant and his brother in different spots, and a few others, all training for Chuckanut.  While not a good run for me, it wasn't horrible either.  I managed to run all the way down without having to pull up.

The highlight of the morning were the eagles in Edison.  About a half mile past Edison, on the Farm to Market Road, there were about 50 eagles in the trees above the slough.  The picture captures one group, but there were groups like this in several trees.  Presumably, they are feeding off a salmon run.

I saw that the painter Alden Mason passed away this past week. His work is in the Seattle Art Museum and other galleries throughout the Pacific Northwest and points farther.  I was taken once by a painting of his of the Skagit Valley, where I understand he has ties. RIP Alden. 

Chuckanut Ridge Run

I made it out to Chuckanut Ridge on Saturday for a nice winter run.  The valley was shrouded in a persistent fog, but up high it was crisp and clear. I ran into a few runners, presumably preparing for Chuckanut. I spotted a pileated woodpecker (the big one with the red head), a couple sapsuckers, some witch's butter (above), and a frozen Lost Lake. A winter view of Mt. Baker.

My run was pretty much a hike to the top of chinscraper, followed by a nice amble along the ridge, with a mix of running and hiking back by Lost Lake. Big icicles hanging off the ledge as you approach Lost Lake, and frozen, dusty white ground on that side of the ridge. Nothing impressive running-wise, but just the same,  a really good morning. Time on the feet.

Congrats to all my friends running in far-flung places this past weekend. Such amazing stories!

Chuckanut In December

Someone has put Christmas decorations on the trailhead to Fragrance Lake, at the start and at the top. Today was a great day to be on this trail, with clear skies and 40 degree temps. I did Fragrance to Chinscraper, and then the ridge out to Fairhaven.

The views from the ridge were about as long as I've ever seen them. There's something about clear winter air which allows for great star viewing at night, and long views in the day.  Mt. Baker and Shuksan were very visible, as was Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish.  I tried hard to see the tall buildings of Vancouver, squinting, but it seems like a low hanging cloud blocked this view.  The North Vancouver mountains were clearly viewable. I think I'll go up there with a spotting scope one of these days.

Driving to the trailhead, I saw 8 bald eagles sitting in trees off of Chuckanut Drive.   A large flock of snow geese in a field. A few swans.

Neil's 50th

 

My cousin Neil hit his 50th birthday this past week, and celebrated in fine fashion, as noted above, exiting from the Bouncy Castle. Huge barbq with lots of family and long time friends at his homestead. An absolutely wonderful time, on a beautiful Saturday.

I first met Neil in the early '70s, on a family trip to the Northwest to visit. He taught me how to catch frogs, jump off houses, and take the training wheels off a bike. He is the older brother I never had, and I eventually lived in his house when I moved out here. We backpacked and camped as teens, as a family and in youth group. Tonga Ridge, Teeanaway, Potholes, Whidbey Island, Crescent Bar, Moran State Park-- lots of marvelous outdoor places, where I sometimes now find myself returning via trail running. 

Although I see Neil and others in the family on holidays and other occasions, it's never enough. "Don't forget your family!," my aunt clearly reminded me on Saturday.

I've been climbing Chinscraper a bunch in the past week or two. I think it's going to be an all hills diet for me for the next couple months, with some really big hills lined up for September. My ankle isn't 100%, but I decided to sign up for White River, because....well, everybody plays the fool. I'm sure it'll be ok--10 miles at a time, and a fine barbq at the finish.

Chuckanut Calf Cramper

Memorial Day Weekend. After a few busy months--and a particularly busy week which included two Seattle trips--I'm happy to keep things near to home. I might actually clean up the back yard, or start an indoors project, depending how this decidedly undecided weather turns. Maybe I'll crockpot something. Serious domestication.

This morning I participated in a Club Fat Ass event, generously put together by Genissa, named the Chuckanut Calf Cramper. Various route options were available. I started at the North Chuckanut parking lot with seven or eight other souls, and headed up to Raptor Ridge. I was pretty much on my own within 10 minutes, which was fine. I felt horrible--fighting a cold or some other rogue bug. I can run up there, but today it was more hiking, in an occasional light drizzle.

Checked out the view from Raptor Ridge--picture below. Then proceeded to Cedar Lake, which I haven't been to in at least a few years. Boardwalk trails through wetlands were pretty cool. Then over to Pine Lake. The boardwalks there were flooded, due to recent rains. I went for about 50 feet--totally drowned my feet in cold water--then turned around.

Good luck to all my friends in tomorrow's Bellingham Olympics!

Lost Lake 50k+

Lost Lake 50k was wet and muddy this year. Really wet and muddy. I had mud on my face at the finish, and my shorts were caked, from sliding down the hill by the Lost Lake waterfall. My shoes have their own room right now. My socks didn’t make it.

My most lasting memories will probably be the wind spitting rain at me while going up Chinscraper. Also, slipping and sliding in the mud around the Lost Lake waterfall and back up the makeshift trail that once was Overlander. Always muddy, the course turned into a grad school course in Soils once we got to Lost Lake.

I did the early start, along with friend Rich. Early start, early done. We totally nailed a high-five right before RD Alvin said go. We ran together until Two Dollar Bill, after which I fell apart. That’s about 1.4 miles in. Oh well. There’s a hill there, and I do my own thing. Takes me a while to warm up. And this course has a lot of hills. I think it is 8200 feet of climbing. Also, the course is actually 34 miles.

It rained steady the first three hours. Not a good rain. The kind of rain that gets into everything, with a sideways wind. Times this year seemed to be about a half hour slower than the last two years, probably due to conditions. It was hard to dial in what to wear—I ran in an OR Seattle Sombrero, orange vest, blue sleeves, and then another jacket at times. Pretty much a fashion disaster, but it seemed to work.

There was this new section after Lost Lake, about 29 miles in, with steep steps cut in the mud. Alvin, Terry, and everyone put in a lot of trail work here--I was very impressed. It was a whole new trail, for quite a ways. That said, it was a tough and somewhat deflating section, because of all the climbing, sometimes with your hands, and the slipping, the sliding.

This year there was even more drinking water out on the course, with self-serve jugs left in strategic locations. I went with only one bottle, and it worked fine. Friend Mike and I climbed together up the Pine and Cedar trail—that was great catching up time. Bonked from Lost Lake to the last aid station, but always kept moving, and finished fine. Maybe I could’ve went faster, or been more ready, but overall, I’m content with the effort. A day on the trail.

I hung out a long time afterwards with friends at the wonderful post-race barbq in the Clayton Beach parking lot. Recovery comes fast, with good burgers and soup, while talking trails, runs and other stuff. Also, worth noting—a great shirt, a finisher cup, a finisher coin, the aid stations, and the barbq—it all makes a really great value for the registration fee.

Thank you Alvin, Skagit Rs, Terry, Delores, Shawna, Joe, Heather, Kevin, Jamie, Stan, Jon, and everyone else. You are awesome!

Chuckanut

I really looked forward to not running Chuckanut this past week.  Usually I do run the event, and it is always a great early-year measure of fitness. RDs Krissy, Ellen and their crew put together an amazing event, with smiles everywhere to be seen. Chuckanut was my very first ultra. This year, I opted instead to run two 50ks earlier in the month, and then take the opportunity to watch the "track meet" which this race has become, and volunteer as needed. I've never really done this.

I showed up around 7:30 AM and chattered with friends before the start. Good pre-race chatter. Great weather--a little wind, no rain, 40s during the day, a little cold at the start. Once everyone took off, friend Rich and I zipped down to Aid Station 1, aka Dean's Place, to watch the leaders come through.  Thereafter, we grabbed the Topeka Scramble at Tony's, and then rushed back to Clayton Beach to watch the leaders come through again. And then off to the finish.

It's amazing how fast the leaders were, with 10 persons under 4 hours and new course records for both men and women. The whole thing was VERY fun to watch unfold, and had us racing up and down Chuckanut Drive in the morning, just to see the leaders come through at different locations. It was exciting.

Later in the day I worked the walkie talkie, calling in the numbers of finishers, and watching the runners come around the last corner to the finish. I really enjoyed this too. I've had my tough days and good ones at C-nut, and I know the wonderful feeling you get coming around that *last* corner towards Fairhaven Park, no matter how you've ran. Especially for the first-timers, of which there are many in this race. My first year I "ran" with a sprained ankle, determined to finish no matter how slow or bad (and I was both), after signing up and backing out for different reasons the previous two years. 

Pics mostly of volunteer friends below, as well as the winners finishing. More photos of the race at this link.

Mount Vernon Harvest Festival

I decided to stay home this weekend, having ran long in the North Cascades last weekend, and knowing I’ll be running Baker Lake next weekend. Home is Mount Vernon, Washington.

It seems like I’ve gotten so busy over the last year or two---I feel out of breath sometimes. There’s my running, but then there’s also my work, my volunteer stuff, the people I know, my house. Plus there's so many channels on television anymore, and I have a lot of spices and cookbooks in my kitchen, and I have so many books, and too many magazine subscriptions and Iphone apps, and I know I should just ebay half of the stuff around my house, if I knew how. I'm being facetious in writing this--I don't have kids, and so I can't be that busy, or so some friends tell me, and I suppose they're right, in a sense, but I do fill up my time, and an unplanned weekend at home feels so good sometimes. It seems like all my weekends in my 20s were unplanned.

So, on to the next paragraph.

I managed to get a bit of trail time on Chuckanut this morning, after sleeping in late. The wind was cutting over Chinscraper, lots of leaves dropping. It wasn’t much of a run for me, just a hike/climb to the top, and a jog down. Mainly, I conducted caveman skills tests, like throwing rocks and sticks at trees (which I imagined to be rabbits), and identifying edible mushrooms. If I had a coach, they wouldn’t be happy with my efforts this morning, but I did show real hunter and gatherer potential.

After Chuckanut, I headed back to Mount Vernon, my home's town, to check out the Farmer’s Market, and ended up enjoying the Fall Harvest Street Festival, the Friends of the Library booksale, and the John Deere tractor rally. I bought eight books for $4. I have a real book problem. Or maybe it's a book challenge. The tractors were cool. Nothing runs like a Deere, or so my friend Aaron tells me.

For the record, the Skagit Valley is going harvest crazy this weekend, with competing harvest festivals in Mount Vernon and Burlington, as well as the Oyster Run out in Anacortes on Sunday. On the way back from C-nut Mountain, I saw two or three roadside organic produce stands, and truck full of corn with a sign, 6 ears for $1. It’s a wonderful time of year here, at least when the sun is out. And it is.

Now I’m off to feed the birds, prune some trees, and maybe cut some wood. Just a really nice, forgettable fall day. (: