As I mentioned there was a lot of logistical stuff at the start, mostly because it was self supported and I wanted to be self sufficient getting back to my car. I figured it would be cool to close the loop using human power.

Per the course description there were two options, the low route: 10 miles 400' gain and available to cyclists and the high route: 20ish miles, 4,000' gain on the PCT. Which one do you think most people chose?

Ha! My line of thought is, hey, I may as well take the scenic route! I run the rails to trails route all the time and while beautiful, I love running trails. Of course "high route" is always an appearing phrase for me as well. I will get back to the two route options a little later.

So I start out and all is going well. It's a stunning end of summer day. The leave are just starting to turn and the hills are coming alive with fiery fall colors.

A big chunk of the gain happens right away but I have run this section a few times and knew what to expect. Because this was a very casual run with no specific start time, I just wanted to enjoy it. I wanted to run as fast as I could but I also wanted to stop and take photos and explore.

Just before I hit lodge lake I had a sharp pain in my finger. i shook my hand but the stinging didn't go away. I looked down and sure enough, I had been stung by a bee. I pulled the stinger out and kept going. Luckily I'm not allergic but that hurt! My finger swelled up a bit but not too bad.

I turned off onto the short side trail to the lake. Fog was burning off the lake, the sun shining bright. The lake itself was glassy and wonderful. I was glad I took the slight detour.

I continued on, traversing the hillside through some old avalanche and rock slides. I cut around the backside of the mountains and then started making my way up towards Windy Pass.

The PCT shares the forest service road for a moment before branching off into the woods again. I saw the turnoff but it wasn't marked for the PCT. In the winter there is a network of cross country ski trails up here and I thought it was one of those. I kept traveling on the road, realizing shortly that I had missed the turn. I knew the area pretty well and knew I could get back to the PCT without backtracking. What I didn't realize was that in the late summer, the overgrowth was over my head.

A two mile detour through thick brush later, I finally make it back to track.

I ran through Olallie Meadow ( a slight detour) because I think it is so incredibly beautiful. I eventually veered back onto the PCT towards Silver Peak.

The trail climbed gradually but was mostly a traverse then it descended slightly. I was cruising pretty good when I have to navigate a stretch of rock slide and twisted my ankle pretty good. I didn't go all the way down but I was forced to slow. I had a moment where I wasn't sure how bad the twist was. Luckily after the initial shock subsided I could hobble along. Slowly the pain faded and I was back to my normal gait. (phew!)

Descending down into another valley I came across an incredibly beautiful lake that I had never heard of. This is exactly why I love adventures like this. You can live your whole life without knowing some of this beauty is just over the hill in your own backyard.

I took another side trail to the lakes shore and explored around a bit then got back on track (as you can see, I am easily distracted in the wild.)

After the lake the trail descended rapidly down to Yakima Pass then up again, gaining another ridge. This was all unknown territory and incredibly beautiful.

I was only carrying 10 about 20 oz of water but brought my filter. It was pretty hot at this point and I was almost out so I stopped at a stream and filtered for the first time, about 12 miles in.

I was in an exposed section that had been clear cut at some point. I thought a lot about the unsustainable demands our lifestyles put on the environment. I also appreciated the resiliency of nature, the second growth already thriving.

The exposed miles left me parched and I depleted my water stores and had to filter again in less than 5 miles.

Because of my wandering, I had added a few miles to the journey but was still feeling pretty good. My GPS hit 20 miles just as I made it to Stampede Pass. It was here that I would leave the PCT and use a network of fire roads to get to Meany Lodge.

I hadn't seen any other runners. I imagined they were all already at the lodge, having started earlier and taken less scenic side trips than me.

The fire road descended quickly and I picked up some speed for the first time in a while. My legs felt great but I was starting to get a little tired and ready to be done.

As I turned off of one road to the next and Jeep pulled up next to me as I ran. A young man leaned out and said, " Are you running to Meany Lodge" I told him yes, indeed I was. "OMG!!!!! You are the only runner to tackle the high route!!!!! I am so happy someone is doing it!!! You're going to win!!!' he shouted, enthusiastically. I couldn't believe it. Every single other runner (and cyclist) had opted for the low, ten mile option. "I'll see you soon at the lodge just a little more running to go, Wooohoooo!" he cheered at me as he drove away.

I suddenly felt a little less guilty about all my wandering and photo taking since I had managed to do so AND win the race (or did I lose the race :) )

I took the final turn to the lodge which in the winter hosts a private ski hill. (which I went to last year, what a trip!) It's very steep and this time I had the opportunity to descend it on foot. The RD was at the top of the hill cheering me on as I descended to the finish.

Having been the only one to choose the high route I was by far the last finisher. The BBQ had since been packed up. Lucky for me the Mountaineers members at Meany lodge are some of the sweetest people I have ever in my life met. This is something I noted when I was there in the winter as well. Anyway, they quickly pulled food out of the refrigerator and fixed me up with all kids of stuff, including beer from the keg. :)

The RD insisted on getting a photo and hung out with me while I ate and we chatted about the race.

All in all I had a great time and was glad I chose the high route. A little company would have been nice though!

After refueling I told the folks and Meany goodbye and set off on the borrowed cyclocross bike back to the finish to complete the loop.

I thought this would be a breeze since it was a gradual downhill but as it turns out there was a slight headwind and the gravel on the road was al little bit deep. I ended up having to do a whole lot more peddling than I thought I would. It turned out being pretty challenging, I am sure more due to the 23+ miles I ran on the trail. By the end of it I was cursing under my breath but honestly, I couldn't really complain too much. It was so damn beautiful.

Finally I reached my car for a grand total of 40 miles, human powered!



Recruit some company.