Runventuring and my first ultra-distance

A race report is likely where something like this should go but I really wanted to share with you all how running has changed my life. It has changed the way I interact with the world, built and natural and broadened the horizons of the ground I can cover and what I thought was possible. This is the story of my first ultra-distance run:

Adventure challenges us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It forces us to confront our greatest fears, it teaches us to draw upon our greatest strengths. It makes us suffer, it makes us doubt. It holds up a mirror that shows us our truest selves. And if we stay with adventure, if we set ourselves on a course of life is that is refreshed throughout our years with the joys of uncertainty and risk, these wonderful hallmarks of true adventure, then we become stronger, better, more flexible and more able. -Sam Hawley

I’ve now been running for almost 4 years and over everything - the PRs, the wins, the progress – the most valuable part is the general fitness that expands the world that is accessible and allows me to experience places and things  I absolutely could not do it I wasn’t physically and mentally fit.

So, I have been taking advantage of this newfound access and have been embarking on some smaller adventures. Run-summiting some of the smaller peaks in the cascades and then doing a few other side trips when traveling.

Most recently a friend and I geared up for a circumnavigation of Mount Saint Helens. This particular volcano erupted 25 years ago and the anniversary inspired the journey. I summited the mountain (err, half-mountain)in January and have really wanted to experience the mountain another way.

The loop is approximately 28 miles (but due to a major washout, a reroute makes it closer to 30 miles-ish) and then you need to use one of the other trails to actually access the loop. We settled on the shortest, which was about 4 miles round trip. This would make the entire run approximately 34 miles and somewhere around 7,000’ of gain. There were some long stretches of lava flow that you have to rock-hop and pick your way through. This happens mostly on the southwest side so we decided to run clockwise to get the sections out of the way early on while our legs were fresh. There were also 2 or 3 water sources. This is a very exposed run and the temperatures were supposed to be in the 80s so access to water was a huge priority. Luckily these water sources were spread out such that we could refill out 3 liter packs throughout the run. Finally, there are numerous gullies to descend and ascend and this would have to be taken into account for overall energy expended. People we knew that had previously done this run ball parked it to take about 10 hours or so.

Alright, onto the run!

We left Seattle at 5:30 am and made the 3 hour drive to the trailhead. Once there we double checked that we had our water filled, our first aid kit, food and water filter. We each carried approximately 2.5 liters of water and enough food for the day. I carried 3 sandwiches and a bag of sour patch kids for fuel (I am one of the lucky ones who can handle real food on a run.) We also had emergency layers (a down jacket, beanie and gloves) emergency shelter, sunscreen and I carried a life straw.

The initial trail led us up the mountain along one of the more gentle slopes and past June Lake. A lovely little flat spot where many people backpacking the loop camp (they generally do it in 3 days.) There was a lovely waterfall spilling into the lake.

Once past the lake the trail got quite steep as we ascended the rest of the way to the start of the loop. We kept the pace as easy as possible trying to stay light on our feet (despite our relatively heavy packs.) I had a pretty bad cold and could feel my hearrate skyrocketing already. I gulped water in hopes of relief.

Once we got onto the loop we began clockwise towards the first lava flow. I was familiar with this portion of the trail, having used part of it when we summited in the winter.

Once we hit the lava flow we had to stop running and be very careful as we picked our way through the rocks. We were now about 5 miles in and quite remote. A twisted ankle from here on out could prove to be a huge challenge. The further we got the more likely a helicopter exit would be likely if something bad were to happen. I kept this at the forefront of my thoughts when making each decision.

We escaped the first lava flow and had some nice running along the shoulder of the mountain before we hit the second flow. Again, we were just extra cautious and took our time. Before we knew it we were out of the flow and had a good solid chunk of running.

From here on out it was a steady rhythm of long descending runs down into washouts then up the scree switchbacks, quickly gaining our lost elevation back.

At about 13 miles we descended the reroute into the canyon the Toutle River flowed through. Here we had to use ropes to descend and then follow the water upstream to find a place that we could safely cross without getting wet. Once we crossed we filtered water (I had finished my 2.5 liters) and had lunch.

We headed back up the other canyon wall, through a subalpine forest and out into a huge sweeping series of switchbacks on a very exposed screen face. While the footing was good the trail was a little daunting not because of the steep 400+’ scree slope and the seemingly impossible trail but also the amount of elevation gain we got in such little mileage. I have no idea how they got this trail to stay put in the constant sliding terrain but sure enough it was there and reliable.

It was really fun to slowly make our way around the volcano and watching the sharp upturned edge of the crater start to give way to the broken and disjointed north side that took the brunt of the blast.

Finally we were crossing the slopes down into the blast zone, looking into “The Breach.” The devastation was still so vast it is hard to believe the eruption happened 25 years ago. This entire section was runnable and honestly, kind of blissful. Looking north we could see Spirit Lake (which was actually quite low due to drought) and looking south into the crater we could see many, many waterfalls and steam coming from within.

There was another water source we stopped at to fill my reservoir. Unfortunately the water was VERY silty (it looked like chocolate milk) and we clogged the filter. We decided to wait for some more clear water to clean and get more. We were crossing our fingers we could find some but we had heard there was a clear flowing stream not too far away. You never know though, especially with the drought.

The fun was over and it was time to do some serious climbing out of the blast zone and up and over Windy Pass. Although the climbing was hard and relentless it was absolutely gorgeous. This was a view of the mountain I had never seen. At the top we were able to look out into the vast Plains of Abraham, a hint as to the distance we still had to cover.

The descent was sketchy but we made it in one piece. We also had found some clear running water where we cleaned the filter and filled up again. We also were unable to find a safe place to cross without getting wet so we remove our shoes and socks and forded the swift river barefoot. It actually felt REALLY nice on our hot, beat up soles.

Once we hit the Plaines of Abraham we both put our head down and logged some silent miles. We both got into our own rhythm and went to work. Before we knew it we were at the edge of the plane where we encountered two mountain bikers. This portion of the trial was notorious for mountain biking. They asked where we came from and were utterly surprised when we told them. “Wait, you guys are running the WHOLE THING? On foot? You aren’t even breathing hard?” Haha good stuff.

As we skirted the edge of the plane we were starting to gain views to the South again of Mt. Adams and Hood and into the Ape Canyon. We were slowly but surely approaching the end of our journey. We also spotted two Mountain Goats waaay up on the cliff. They always gotta show us up taking the most technical route

There were only 5 more miles but maybe it was because of the mileage we had already gotten on our legs or maybe it was the terrain but these were the hardest run miles of my life. The ups and downs into gullies, ravines and canyons seemed endless. There were also a few sections of very rocky lava flows to navigate. My mental strength was wavering a little and my legs were losing their pop. We pressed on silently, both digging deep to summon some strength from hidden reserves.

The sun was slowly starting to set and we crossed through some of the most beautiful fields of wild flowers.

Finally, finally the terrain was very familiar and we began descending into the forest. At last we met up with our connecting trail, descended to June Lake and finally, down the trail to our car.