A the beginning of a typical dry, hot September in 2017, a teenager threw fireworks into Eagle Creek Canyon, setting off a t hree month long blaze that destroyed 50,000 acres of beautiful forested wilderness in the Columbia River Gorge. Many parts of the Gorge have been closed ever since, as burned areas and the subsequent dead trees lead to many issues like increased erosion, flooding, and invasive species. While trails have been slowly opening (like Angel's Rest ), many of us who love the Gorge have been holding our breath for the reopening of the Eagle Creek Trail . Eagle Creek was the first place I ever went hiking with my now husband over 20 years ago and one of the first trails I took Susan running on outside of Forest Park. It happened on Friday, 1 January 2021-- perhaps proof that this year will be better than the last. As soon as I found out I pinged Susan and said we need to take a day off and go run Eagle Creek. We decided on Thursday, January 7th hoping that it would
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.
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 if you should
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