Girls Gone Wildwood

Yay, Diamond Peak Susan and I had originally planned on running Mt. Rainier's Northern Loop trail but according to recent trail reports there were still several miles of snow to cross. Which normally wouldn't scare me away but considering the distance ~37 miles and the new to us trails, I thought we should wait a few weeks before attempting it. But since we already had the day off of work I came up with several plan b options for us. One of them was a popular loop from Odell Lake to the east side of Diamond Peak . But after looking at my Diamond Peak map I noticed you could stitch several trails together and actually circumnavigate Diamond Peak Crescent Lake Knowing how much we love circumnavigations, I knew we had a plan b winner. I started Googling "Circumnavigating Diamond Peak" and I couldn't much. Then I started looking for information on Diamond Peak Trail #3699, which is the trail that runs along the west side of the mountain. But I could find very little...

Bald Mountain: perhaps the best viewpoint of Mt Hood on the whole Timberline Trail We timed our July day-off adventure to be the longest training run, four weeks before for our biggest race of the year, Waldo 100k. For a 40+ mile run, it's hard to beat the Timberline Trail loop around Mt Hood. Our last time on this route was four years ago, in 2015. Since then the infamous Eliot washout-- which was technically closed-- has been rerouted further down the mountain, adding a bit of distance and safety. We were excited to see the changes.

Mt Rainier, glaciers, alpine forests, and a trail through the heart of it all 16-18 Aug 2015 No run has reshaped the borders of my soul like circumnavigating Mt Rainier. No run has infiltrated my dreams like spending three days just running and not much else, in the middle of the longest summer in the Pacific Northwest's recent memory. No run has made me fall so deeply in love with the magical combination of mountains, wilderness, and summertime. Like all of our great long runs, Ann researched and planned this one. She discovered that most people run the 93-mile Wonderland Trail clockwise, and that we could split the route into three days with a cushy hotel stay each night. We, however, would run the route counterclockwise to start with the longest day of running first. We had a beer with our friend Heather McGrath, who had run around Rainier the previous year, to hear more about her trip, get tips, and make sure that our plan wasn't too crazy.

Susan looking at Mt. Jefferson with smoke coming from around Pamelia Lake In keeping with doing all new routes for our adventure runs, for August we decided we would head out to the Willamette National Forest area. My first thought was to run the loop around Broken Top , but the Ranger Station said that the snow was still pretty deep. My next thought was to do the loop around Three Fingered Jack , but the temperatures were predicted to be in the high 90s the week we were planning on running and most of the route around Three Fingered Jack was burned during the B&B Complex fires in 2003. Wanting more tree coverage I decided on Pamelia Lake to Jefferson Park and the Hunts Cove Loop .  The 3 Sisters and Mt. Washington Black Butte Pamelia Lake is a limited entry area and you must obtain a permit from recreation.gov beforehand. Normally you need to get a permit months in advance, but by some stroke of luck we were able to obtain one only a week in advance...

Selfie at Ramona Falls It was time to truly run all the way around Mt Hood. Two years ago we mostly did it, but due to difficulties at the Eliot washout and getting lost around Eden Park, we exited at Ramona Falls instead of making it back to our car at Timberline. Coming off a glorious circumnavigation of Mt Rainier in August (post coming soon), we felt ready. Well, almost ready. We pushed back our planned September adventure run by a week to accommodate work, and it definitely helped to have an additional week to rest from Rainier. First view of the mountain as the clouds lift Unlike last time-- when we planned and meticulously packed for our very first mountain circumnavigation-- this time felt relaxed and casual as we tossed together our trusted gear and favorite eats. We spent the night at Ann's mom's house and drove up to Timberline in the early morning, leaving on time (!). It was cold and dark at our 6:30am start, and the lodge wasn't open yet. T...

View of the mountain and the Toutle River from a scree switchback We completed the Loowit trail, 34 miles circumnavigating the volcanic lands and forests surrounding the squat, smoldering Mt St. Helens. It was amazing, but I cannot rightly recommend this route to others. The June Lake trailhead Not because it's not beautiful, mostly fun, diverse in ecosystems, and full of fascinating wildlife. It is all of those things. But it is also full of washouts and utterly terrifying descents, ascents, and traverses on huge dunes of kitty-litter-esque scree. Starting on Loowit (from June Lake) Granted, I have a particular fear of scree washouts after our Mt Hood circ attempt. But some of these washouts were incredibly precarious. Each foot placement had to be strategized and the few rocks to hold on to often came away in the sandy scree, sending an avalanche of gravel  and dust down the side of the slope, the sound of which reminds one what will happen...