2019 Recounted

As I like to do, here is a year-end list for 2019--

1.              Arlington National Cemetery and Gettysburg

We laid my Dad to rest in Arlington Cemetery, and visited the Gettysburg to honor his memory. 2019 will always be the year I lost my Dad, and everything else was second, and so I have to have this slotted up top. Arlington is haunting, with its fields of white tombstones. Gettysburg too, standing by rocks on Devil's Den, knowing the close quarters combat that happened there, less than two lifetimes ago.

2.              Monogram Lake

            Mike and I had  a nice, hard hike up to Monogram Lake in the North Cascades, right outside of Marblemount. Be warned: this is a climb! Maybe 5k up, but it felt like more--it felt like we’d never get there. Round trip was over 10 miles. We made it, finally, and found a gorgeous  mid-sized alpine lake, sitting beneath a cirque of cliffs. We tried to catch fish—it was a way to honor my Dad, who loved to fish—but the best I could do was lose a lure and bobber, forcing me to go for an impromptu swim. Fishing is reportedly good here--I'm just not. Great blueberries and wildflowers (lupine, astors, heather) along the way. Bear country.

3.              The Big Island

            Deborah and I visited the Big Island again, and I am sold—I could live there. Our condo was right on the water—so close, I could throw a baseball and bounce it off a sea turtle, probably. We visited Hilo and the Merrie Monarch Festival, Hawaii’s celebration of hula. This is a beloved festival for Hawaiians. I went for a pre-sunrise walk eight mornings in a row, which allowed me to see a quiet Kona and get coffee to start the day. No races this year., but a bit of running by the water. We toured a chocolate farm, visited Hawi and the north end, and attended my first luau, long overdue after many trips to the Hawaii. Aloha is a state of mind, which needs regular updating.

4.              Chuckanut 50k

            This year's Chuckanut 50k was probably not a good idea for me, but I finished, for the seventy time, fifteen yeas after my first. I am a not a good example on how to approach this though. I got up in the C-nuts before the race to train, but not nearly enough. This was a serious snow year. RD Krissy put in an early start and added an hour to the finish. I needed most of that time to get it done. I was passed by runners and walkers all day, and it got to be funny hearing how people addressed me:  “Thank you boss!” “Thank you sir!” “”Looking good!”(No.)   Great job as always by Krissy, Kevin, Gretchen, and everyone. So good to see many friends. Due to peer pressure, I am scheduled again for this event this coming March. We'll see.

5.              March Point Half Marathon

            This local course out by Anacortes is so beautiful, circling March Point and then traveling over saltwater on the Tommy Thompson Trail. I saw some seals, eagles, and herons. A small crowd for the half, but plenty of support, and a great barbq at the end. I love all the local options for events around here. Annually, there are probably a dozen half marathons within a half hour or so of home, if I start counting them up. This is one of the best.

6.              Sourdough Mountain

            My friend Craig and I both list Sourdough Mountain as one of our very favorite hikes around Washington State. It is a hard climb, but the views up top are outstanding, and it has great history and character. We finally got to cover the loop together. I was a little nervous, wondering if I was up for the distance, but it all went fine, and the hike was beautiful as always.  The back side seemed longer than ever though, with no water from the top down, and a barely cared for trail. The back side gives an entirely different view. Craig’s company made this day, as we chatted quietly about everything from John Muir to current events.

7.              Lookout Mountain

 After reading a great book on lookouts in Washington, I wanted to start tagging some of the ones I haven’t. This was a wonderful quiet morning in the early fall,  alone, This is a tough climb, and I didn’t get much in the way of views, but the Lookout was really cool.. I loved the quiet alone time on trail. The first half of the hike is the same route as Monogram. Love the North Cascades, and this one is a great trail for the hard workout and proximity to home.

8.              Monterey Bay, California and Big Sur

            I made the most of a work trip, visiting Monterey, Point Lobos Nature Reserve, Big Sur, Cannery Row, and the Salinas Valley. The clam chowder on the wharf is memorable. I also threw in a 5k—the only open race—on a beautiful out and back course in Pacific Grove.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium is really worth visiting—very educational on conservation issues, and downright stunning  aquatic viewing. 

9.              New York City- Global Citizen and Central Park

            We attended the Global Citizen Festival again, on the Great Lawn in Central Park, which was incredible. My favorite was Alicia Keys, especially her New York song. Queen was great too, and Carole King. The passion of the kids and celebrities supporting great causes was inspiring. I also got out one morning and ran the full 6 mile loop of Central Park. Crazy to see commuters on skate boards cutting through the Park. We visited Liberty Island and Ellis Island, Little Italy, and Chinatown.  We also walked through the Park to go to The Met, and I got my fill of Van Gogh and Rothko.  The Play It Loud exhibit, filled with instruments from all the legends, was terrific. A really great trip.  Now, every time when we see we the Big Apple on a TV or a movie, which is just about every day,  we say, “We were there!”

10.       Packrafting the Sauk River

Seth and I got out twice this year, as I recall.  The first was a very pleasant walk in the snow on the Cascade Trail for the Woolley Half Marathon. We walked most of the way, and the conversation was good. Terry joined us for a bit. Later in the year, I tried "packrafting" with him and Ellen on the Sauk, a tributary of the Skagit.  I was a complete and total disaster on the river, and we had to walk me out after I got hung up and later dumped. Alive and well, it makes for a funny story now. This will always be a favorite memory of mine for this past year, due to the adventure of it, and thepure beauty of the Sauk River. 

The year was filled with many other great experiences. I think one of my favorite moments was attending the Rolling Stones concert with Deb in Seattle. They were outstanding, and a band I always wanted to see. Giddy. We also saw Queen and Adam Lambert in Tacoma with Dan and Heidi, in addition to at Global Citizen. Mike and I caught The Who at T-Mobile not too much later, with a guest appearance from Eddie Vedder. Deb and I saw the Mariners and the Aquasox a few times, always a summer joy. There were local birding trips. I rekindled my joy for reading books, opting for books over other forms of entertainment often. 

There were a number of other races. I finished my 16^th Baker Lake 50k. Another Nookachamps Half in the books, slow if I recall correctly. I also completed the 50^th edition of the Seattle Marathon, on a chilly day. Another Skagit Flats half, and some  volunteering with Skagit Runners. I also volunteered at Cascade Crest 100 at Little Bear, visiting with many old friends. It wouldn’t be the Fourth without a Great Sedro-Woolley Footrace. Mike and I also ran the Labor Day Half, a race I PRed in back in the late '90s, on a Redmond trail I've biked, hiked, and ran on since the early '80s. Who says you can't go back?

In between football games on Sunday, I put down a beautiful 10k on Little Mountain, to support local trail work efforts. Also, so great to hike the back end of the Baker Lake Trail one rainy Saturday with Deb, Carrie, and Brad. Going slow here opened up new sights to me, and it was the company that made the day special. There was a crazy night, where I got up at 12 AM and drove out to Samish Island, to look for the aurora borealis. I saw a few columns, standing in a spooky field. Early in the year, I ran most of the Cascade River Trail by myself, to join Skagit Runners for pizza at Annie's. This is a club tradition.

Today is the start of a new decade. New goals, new hopes, new adventures. Thanks to all who check in here, and for your continuing friendship. All my best wishes for the new year and decade to you and yours.

Labor Day Half Marathon

I seem to be going for a bit of nostalgia and memory with some of my hike and run choices of late, as I've gone back to some oldies but goodies a number of times. Today I ran the Labor Day Half Marathon with Mike. This race is one of those annual traditions in the Seattle running community. I first ran this race in 1997, and got my personal best for the half on the course, which is flat and fast.

The course now starts in Redmond Town Center, which didn't exist back then, and after circling the Redmond area, basically goes out and back to where the wineries are in Woodinville. The course is as I said flat--it probably has an elevation gain of about 10 feet, plus or minus. The trail parallels the slough, which may have a more formal name these days.

I liked the idea of running this race again, because this is where I grew up. As I told Mike, I can remember biking down this trail as a teenager, to visit Redmond for auto parts and outdoor gear. In particular, I remember carrying a drive shaft to my car in one hand, as a I pedaled my 10 speed to B&B to have something machined. Another time, my cousin and I tried to raft the slough, which I guess they now call the "Samamish River". For me, it will always be "the slough". I think we made it from Marymoor to 60 Acres, before going to shore and begging someone to call a family member. No current. since I actually pulled out of a river earlier this year.

My run today was a little odd. I went in thinking I wouldn't run hard--I seem to do this a lot, despite the fact that the run is technically called a race. Mike and I ran the first two miles, which was pretty cool, since I knew Mike was going to run faster down the way.  I keep a pretty steady pace, but I seemed to be sweating way too much--one of those sweats where you think all the weird minerals are coming out the pores. Magnesium, chlorophyl, whatever. There was a bit of sun and UV, so that might've been it. I slowed down the slow bus a few times, but I was pretty steady. I finished in 2:22, which is actually faster than I've been running of late. Much room for improvement, but I'm running a bit more these days.

Mike and I saw some sort of big fish in the slough, making ripples, and then watched a heron go after it. This all went down in a matter of seconds, but was pretty cool.

One of the things I liked about the race was all the t-shirts, with runners representing all sorts of places. I saw Maui, the Big Island, Brooklyn, Club Northwest, Finn Hill, Poulsbo, and so on. This is an event for people racing, and the winning time was under 1:10. Picture of leader below.  They also had lots of eats at the end, a nice shirt and medal, all for a pretty good price.

Afterwards, I visited Mike's place, and then my cousin Paul's, before making the pilgrimage up I-5 through the returning-home Labor Day traffic. Listened to Field Notes to a Catastrophe, by Elizabeth Kolbert, about global warming. Not a rosy picture.

Monogram Lake

Mike and I hiked up to Monogram Lake yesterday, in the North Cascades National Park. The trail is reportedly about 10 miles, out and back. The first three miles are shared with the trail to Lookout Mountain. The trailhead is right off the Cascade River Road, east of Marblemount.

We got the early start, leaving Mount Vernon before 6 AM. Thank you Mike. After a coffee stop, we drove up in the rain--slight drizzle. We stopped at the Shell Station in Marblemount to assess. Funny thing--this gas station sells machetes by cash register, for all those who wish to venture in to the brush, I guess. "Cheaper than Wal-Mart--we buy in bulk." I bought one, and carried it the whole day, occasionally hacking nettles, ferns, and brush. This trail has a reputation for being brushy, and we did pass through one kind of thick section.

This is a hard hike, similar to Sourdough. It is just constant up. We hiked up through a steady drizzle, and while I huffed and puffed, I really enjoyed the trail. It is classic North Cascades forest, going up, with mossy trees, old growth, steep ledges. But it is all up.

We ran into a couple nice guys who had stayed at the Lookout the previous two nights. They said we passed the trail junction for Monogram Lake, so we backtracked with them (down) for maybe half a mile. After further review, we decided they missed the junction coming down, and so back up we went. Nice conversation, extra mile credit.

We found the junction, and at this point I thought we had 500 more feet of climbing, and we'd find the lake in a mile or so. Obviously, in retrospect, I was light on my research and prep. But eventually, after more climb, we came into an open basin, and then the wildflowers started popping. Surprised they were still in bloom, but the full menu was out--lupine, paintbrush, heather, asters, daisies, and so on. I think I saw the most abundant patches of paintbrush I've ever seen.

The blueberries were also abundant. As many as I can remember anywhere, really. Tart, easy to reach for, and very beary territory. We were expecting, hoping to see a bear, safely. Mike might've scared one off--big boom in the brush--but we never laid eyes on one. The reports say they are all over the place, and that's not hard to believe.

The lake seemed to take forever to materialize, and we were starting to wonder if climate change had done away with it, but we pressed on a little further, and voila, a beautiful alpine lake, sitting in a bowl.

We tried fishing, and Mike caught one. Supposedly, you can't fail at this lake, but I didn't bring one in. I did tie up a lure and bobber on a log, and then had to go in after it, because, leave no trace, and all that. Cold, but not unbearable--probably nice on a sunny day.

The return back was much easier, because it was mostly down, once we got back up out of the lake basin. The trail is a little narrow, with many steep ledges and opportunities to trip, and so maybe I'm older, but I don't really think this is a good downhill run.

Great day in the North Cascades, to somewhere new. Big thanks to Mike, who is always great company.

Nookachamps Half

Ran the Nookachamps Half today. And walked it. It was the first time in a few years that I did the half. I was plenty slow. Rich came up and ran it too, running strong.  Mike showed up at the finish. Many of the usual characters were there, volunteering. I ran into Dean out by their place, which is out by Clear Lake. Great to see the Cross-Country teams doing their part. Thank you!

The weather was very mild. If I was fast, I could've ran fast. It seemed like there were more cars than usual. I probably shouldn't have listened to the radio, but I'm trying to bring music with me again, to help with the step to step motivation.

Afterwards, Rich and Mike and I headed to Calico, and then we drove around looking for birds. Bird nation represented--they were all over the place. We made it out to Edison and Fir Island.

A very good day.

 

The Big Island

We had an amazing trip to the Big Island. We spent time with family and friends, and were there for just over a week. Highlights included hiking through a live crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, snorkeling with manta rays, whale watching off the Kona Coast, and lots of good fishy eats.

Here are a few pictures. The picture above is the manta ray experience, which I'd recommend to all friends who go there. You float, hanging on to a surfboard, with snorkel and goggles, and then they turn on an LED light. This is at night. The light attracts phytoplankton, which is dinner for the manta rays. They come up and do somersaults with their mouth wide open, taking in the phytoplankton. The mantas are 8 to 16 feet wide. Big. And they come up right next to you. Totally amazing experience, like nothing I've ever done. My sweet wife surprised me with this as a gift.

Whale watching was nice. Humpback whales, swimming in pairs. March is still Hawaii whale season, and I really wanted to get out there, at least once, to watch. We saw a bunch. My photography skills are lacking.

Our condo was terrific. We stayed at the Kona Reef. The photo right below is the view from our lanai. We were walking distance to town, which made it really fun.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park included a hike through a lava tube! Short, but how often do you get to do that? We didn't see hot, red lava--maybe we should've tried harder. We did hike across a crater, and visit the main volcano. We also went down to Hilo, and had a wonderful lunch, and visited the local stores.

Friends Mike and Fran were there for part of the time. So awesome! I hiked with them to the supposedly green sands beach. There's a picture or two below. We have lots of green algae beaches in the northwest that are much greener, so consider me unimpressed. My favorite part of this was sharing the walk with Mike and Fran, which had a sort of desolate, bottom of the world kind of feel, looking out at the blue sea.  On their final day, we also got to visit a Kona Coffee Farm and a Macadamia Nut Farm.

In a previous post, I mentioned that I ran the Brewfest 10k in Kona. Gosh, that was hot, and I was slow.

What more to say?  This was one of my favorite vacations ever, and I want to go back, because there is much left to explore, and because it's Hawai'i.

Pelton Basin

My friend Mike and I went up and over Cascade Pass last week, and hiked down into Pelton Basin.  I typically head up to the spectacular Sahale Arm, but I've heard good things about this trail, which goes all the ways to Stehekin. Cascade Pass trailhead is one of the most popular ones in the North Cascades National Park complex, and for good reason.

Pelton Basin is about a half mile beyond Cascade Pass. It rained the whole way in. I haven't hiked so long in the rain in a while. This isn't really a complaint--I have good memories of many rain hikes, and this one will be included in that group now. It's just something different. Glad I bought the right jacket, and if I had to do it again, I'd have an extra poncho to go over it, just in case things got cooler.

We made steady time up to the pass, which is still snow free. The hope was that on the other side of the pass, which I consider eastern Washington, things would dry up. Eventually they did, after we went past Pelton Basin campground. We probably went another half mile beyond the Basin, for something like 10 or 11 miles on the day, with some healthy climbing to the 6pass.

There were much better views of hanging glaciers in the valley just a bit further down the trail. Unfortunately, my camera battery died, so all I have here is a few pictures here, reflecting the conditions. Pelton Basin itself is basically a somewhat tight valley with some beautiful North Cascades style flat land in the middle, with a creek running through it. We looked for bears and other big, live animals, but at best we saw perhaps spots on far hillsides that may or may not have been.

In the next couple years, I want to take the trail to Stehekin. From the trailhead, it is a bout 31 miles or so, i think, but a bus into town can be caught from High Bridge, which is at about 22 miles. I could see it being done in a day with an early start, though there are many options.

So glad Mike could get out and hike this trail in the rain with me. Mike, you are the best! He had to get up early--probably in the 4 AM hour, just to meet me in Mount Vernon at 6 AM. We also had the pleasure of picking up two Swedish environmental science students who were on holiday at the trailhead, and were returning from Sahale Arm. It was kind of funny---they asked us for a ride to Marblemount, and hit the hitchhiking jackpot, with a ride all the way to Seattle.

Sourdough Mountain

Mike and I went up Sourdough Mountain in the North Cascades this weekend. This was a redemption hike, as we tried to get up there a few years ago, but were stymied by snow.

We met in Mount Vernon around 6 AM, and I was greatly appreciative that Mike was up for leaving Seattle at 5 AM. It's great to make the trailhead before most. One reason Sourdough is a favorite of mine is it isn't too far of a drive from home--less than an hour and half.

The hike is tough. A really stiff climb for the first two miles, and it never really lets up. I think climb is 5000 feet in about 5.5 miles. There was snow at the top, but it was quite manageable, and added to the allure of the lookout. The lookout is well known, as one of the Beat poet lookouts, once giving summer residence to Gary Snyder and Phil Whaley.

The wildflowers are blooming. Columbine, Indian paintbrush, varieties of phlox, and other annual favorites. Now is the time to be up high. The views from the top were spectacular, with Hozomeen and the Pickets Range figuring prominently.

More people on trail than usual. It is the 4th of July weekend.

The biggest highlight was the bear we saw on the way down. The bear was feeding in field, tucked between a switchback. It was not moved by the clapping of hands, or the banging of sticks. It took a good five minutes to convince Mr. or Ms. Bear to move along, and then we seemed to chase down the trail for another 15 minutes, as Bear seemed happy to opt for trail over steep slope. Pretty special stuff.

I was slow going up. When I was in shape, I could do this climb in under three hours, but we took more than four hours. Mike is in shape, and so awesome in accommodating my slowness. We kept a steady, talking pace going up, making it a terrific day with a good friend, on trail. Coming down was tough on the quads. There was some running, albeit slow and stilted. Hopefully recovery is quick.