Little Bear At Cascade Crest

I volunteered at Cascade Crest last week, working the Little Bear Aid Station. This is at about mile 20. The aid station is operated by the San Diego 100 folks, who are terrific. BJ of Florida Gator fame is the chief operator. We went to school together in the '90s, and have an infamous history of misadventure. The stories pile up, but Saturday was just good times, no misdeeds.

The day was perfect running weather--a bit overcast, but not too cool. Most of the runners came in looking fresh. As one said, this is still early, as far as a 100 mile race goes. A lot of runners liked the sugar coated animal crackers. Little Debbies were also a hot commodity.

I hiked up to the top of Blowout Mountain, and looked around. I was hoping to see a bear or a cat, but not that day. We had lots of laughs, and were back at the fire station by 6 PM. It was great to see so many friends. The Cascade Crest brings everyone together, again.

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.

 

Cascade Crest

This is a bit of a catch-up post, but I made it out to the Cascade Crest 100 a couple weeks ago. My intention was to volunteer with BJ, Erica, Mike, and Killer at Little Bear. Alas, due to fires, the course was re-routed into an out and back to Hyak, and Little Bear was vaporized. Rich and his team did an amazing job adjusting things. I had great fun hanging out with folks before the race, and then later out at Stampede Pass. Stampede was a happening place, with a pretty big crowd watching the comings and goings. I cheered on Seth, Shawn, and a bunch of other runners. Also, great job by everyone involved. Way to go peeps! 

I include here also a pick of the Chew and Butts sign from Cle Elum, just because. Also, August brought us the Great American Solar Eclipse. This deserves its own post, but basically at 10:20 in the morning, shadows grew long, the sun disappeared behind the moon, and society stood still for a few minutes. It was really cool.

Starlight Overnight

I had a nice Saturday night last weekend at the Starlight Overnight run, outside of Cle Elum.  I haven't spent much time with a headlamp on in the past couple years, and this event presented the perfect opportunity. The event starts at 8 PM, and runners are welcome to do the 2.3 mile trail loop as many times as they like, until 5 AM.  Afterwards, there is a breakfast.

I walked with Glen, and did four loops. We had a good time chatting, and had our hellos with many other friends, as they ran around in the dark. I didn't really feel like running--I just wanted to look at stars. Its been so rainy on the west side, all winter, and I was just looking for an excuse to visit the clear skies of eastern Washington.

I didn't camp out--I came back afterwards. It's probably a better idea to stay the night, but I've been gone a lot lately, and wanted to catch up on some things at home on Sunday. Plus, I like driving when no one else is on the road, with the music rolling. I listened to Bob Marley's Catch A Fire three or four times, and then opted towards some remix of the Hamilton soundtrack. This is night driving.

All the props in the world to Gretchen, Matt, Keri and the Endless Trails peeps for putting on a very special event. Hope to make this trip again next year.

Birch Bay Half Marathon

Great day up at Birch Bay, running the half marathon. The skyline was beautiful, with Canada in sight throughout the course, snow on the ground, snowcapped peaks in the distance. A fast course, but I didn't run fast--I was out for a trot. The weather was terrific, at about 34 degrees at the start, but climbing to mid-40s as the day got going.

The first three miles are along the waterline, and then the course heads over to Drayton Harbor. I was able to see the Peace Arch--the actual Peace Arch, as well as White Rock, in the near distance. Then, onward over by Semiahmoo, with a finish back to Birch Bay State Park.

Rich has the marathon on his calendar for a while, and ran an amazing race. I was happy to come up, trot my half, and then cheer him on at the end. Great to see Linda, Reed, and some other great peeps. Somehow missed Stan, but I heard he was out there. The Pearsons and their team put on a terrific event. When the weather is good, this is as beautiful a course as anywhere. That was today.

Fort Ebey Kettles Half Marathon

Ran and hiked the Fort Ebey Kettles Half Marathon out on Whidbey Island yesterday. This is a terrific rolling course. The race works out perfect for me, being about 40 minutes from home. The views off the bluffs of Whidbey Island towards the Olympics are as good as anywhere.

We had wind all day, but it never really rained. Appreciated the later start--actually got to have a cup of coffee at home before starting out.

Rich, Linda, and Jamie were there. Rich and Linda ran the full; Jamie ran the half.

Step by step, trying to get back into shape. My third event in the last five or six weeks. Hoping I can get my legs swinging the way they need to.

Run Ridge Run 25k

Traveled north to Canada on Saturday for the Run Ridge Run 25k.  This is a new 13k/25k which is the finale of the Coast Mountain Trail Running Series.  The course largely pulls from the Diez Vista course, which I did a few years ago.  The trail is full of rocks and roots, and is a trail runner's delight, if you like technical running.  The view from Diez Vista Ridge, as seen above, is expansive, looking across a beautiful inlet.

For me, it was more like the Walk Ridge Walk.  With longer runs over the previous two weekends and a recently turned ankle, I couldn't run worth beans. Therefore, I hiked, with purpose. The roots on the ridge were slick from all the rain, as were some of the rock faces. There was lots of climbing, some slipping, and on occasion my hands and knees got dirty.  I was in last place almost from the start, with the friendly grim sweeper always not too far behind. I just plowed ahead to the DFL. Not my first even-- but as long as I'm getting them, I'm outside, I guess.

The day started with an absolute downpour, but things turned pretty nice by midday. Views from the ridge were somewhat obscured, and there was frequently mist on the trail.

The flagging on the course was some of the best ever. Seriously, there was a flag every three minutes. Gary is a terrific race director--really enjoyed his contagious enthusiasm, and the volunteers everywhere were all smiles and encouragement, despite my less than awesome result. Thank you. Really great to see friends Linda, Gary and others and hang out with Rich on the way up and back. 

Footnote 1:  we got stopped and subjected to a random search when we crossed into Canada. When they send you around, you're supposed to go inside. You're not supposed to stand outside your car eating a sandwich, waiting for the search team to arrive.

Footnote 2: the homemade tacos my wife prepared for us when we got back home were the best. Home sweet home.

Easy Pass to Colonial Creek

Rich, Allen and I went from Easy Pass to Colonial Creek in the North Cascades on Saturday.  This is a favorite route of mine. The weather was good to us, and fall colors were in abundance. The famed larches were in full turn to gold. The berry bushes provide hillsides of reds. We saw mushrooms and fungi of all sorts and colors--this route is particularly good for this.

As I'm not in ultra running shape, this was a tough effort for me, though it shouldn't be for anyone who is running long frequently.  The distance is somewhere between 25 and 28 miles.  This is a point to point, requiring two cars. I pretty much had to walk the last few miles, and we walked many early miles too, just because. I rolled my ankle near Fischer Camp, which meant 20 miles of careful steps later. Rich and Allen were phenomenal in showing patience with me.

This is a favorite route of mine. The trail cuts through the heart of the North Cascades, while going through several ecological zones. The trail starts in east side sub alpine and finishes in west side old growth. The best part in my opinion is the Fisher Creek basin, which is simply spectacular. There are magical green moss fields down low, clear creek water running over riverstone, and a stunning headwall at the top of the valley.  Lower, but before the forsest begins again, you run through shoulder height bushes which surely hide bears and other critters. Nary a soul. In fact, we didn't see anyone the whole day, which is amazing, for such a long trail in the middle of the North Cascades. Such solitude is treasure.

There were a few creek crossings of modest safety interest. One log bridge was missing a rail, which gave me a slight surge of fear, as it required four steps on the wet log, about 10 feet above running, ice water. A couple other crossings had high log crossings, but I decided to get the feet wet rather than trust my untrustworthy balance.

A good day in the mountains. Thanks guys!