Hello, is this thing on? Looking back on 2025.
Well hello there — is anyone still reading this thing? Despite not really blogging at all in the last two years, we are still running and having lots of adventures. And, unsurprisingly, a lot has happened in that time.
 |
| Torres del Paine |
Susan, Cedar, and I also welcomed a few more humans and dogs into our pack — Billy (dog), his human Rachael, Miriam, and Kellen. How we all met and became friends definitely deserves its own blog post.
To keep this post to something I might actually finish, I’m going to stick to monthly highlights from 2025. And without further ado…
January
My sister Courtney, Susan, and I traveled to Chile and Argentina, where we did a lot of hiking and trail running. The highlight of the trip was finally doing the W Trek, which had been on our bucket list for a long time. We lucked out with the weather and met some incredible people. This also deserves its own blog post. |
| Finishing the W trek |
February
In February, we traveled to Tucson to visit our friends Amber and David. Rachael and Kellen happened to be there the same weekend, and Kellen’s brother G$ (who’s local) took us on some excellent trail runs.I also moved from Portland to Bellingham. Leaving Portland wasn’t hard. Leaving my friends was.
March
Susan came to visit me in Bellingham, and we got to explore more of the trails around where I live. There are some absolutely wild mountain bike trails around Galbraith Mountain.
April
I headed back to Oregon, where we raced one of our favorite community races: the Peterson Ridge Rumble. Rachael, Kellen, Miriam, and Billy all joined us. It was the first time we all raced together — and the first time Susan, Cedar, and I raced with other people and dogs.
 |
| Peterson Ridge Rumble |
May
In May, I ran off to Hawaii and started outrigger canoeing with my (other) best friend, Chris. After returning to Bellingham, John and I joined a local club (BBOP), and just like that, we had a new hobby. |
| Not running with Chris |
June
Rachael, Kellen, Susan, and I traveled to Orcas Island for Rainshadow Running’s Orcas Island 50K. The course was slightly different from when we ran it in 2020 — which, ironically, Kellen also ran that year. I much prefer running this race in June rather than February. We had near-perfect weather.
Later in the month, Susan and I went to Michigan to visit my dad and family, where we managed to get some solid heat training in on the North Country Trail for our big race in July.
 |
| Pre-race in our Yum's of PDX swag |
July
Earlier in the year, Kellen casually mentioned that she had signed up for the Devil’s Gulch 50-miler in Wenatchee, WA. For reasons still unclear, I decided this sounded fun and signed up too. And of course, if I was doing it, Susan was doing it.I did not look at the course. Or the weather. Turns out mid-July in Wenatchee is usually well over 95°F, with an even higher heat index. Race day did not disappoint. The course has ~11,000 feet of elevation gain, including a brutal ~12-mile climb at the end.
Despite all of that, Kellen and I had excellent races — I honestly enjoyed almost every minute. Susan, on the other hand, had foot issues early and doesn’t handle heat as well as I do, so she dropped at mile 36. I ran the entire race in a Rabbit sun shirt, which became my default adventure shirt for the rest of the summer. (I should really write a proper race report.)
Cedar and I also took several van trips around Washington and BC, enjoying shorter runs while I recovered.
 |
| The start of Devil's Gulch |
 |
Kellen and me in our wet shirts trying to cool off |
 |
| Me & Cedar |
August
August was all about fastpacking and running adventures. Susan and I took Rachael and Kellen on their first fastpacking trip around the Three Sisters. We did it in 3 days / 2 nights — a route Susan and I had done in one day about ten years earlier. Turns out you move a lot slower with 20 pounds on your back.Susan and I also took a van trip exploring new trails in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and North Cascades National Park.
We wrapped up the month with another fastpacking trip that ended at what is probably the most beautiful alpine lake I’ve ever seen: Spectacle Lake.
September
In September, I met up with my friend Jed, who now lives in Squamish, and he took me on a running adventure to Garibaldi Lake. The color of that lake is unreal. While I miss having Susan nearby, it’s been really nice getting to explore new mountains and trails.
October & November
I’m grouping October and November together because Kellen, Rachael, Susan, and I traveled to South Korea and Thailand to celebrate my and Rachael’s birthdays. While it wasn’t really a running trip, we did sneak in a few runs. We were especially impressed by the trails around Seoul. Kellen and I also found some… interesting trails in Thailand.Mostly, though, we spent a lot of time in and around water, just relaxing.
I spent my actual birthday (November 23) in Kauai, where I snorkeled and ran on trails that somehow felt even crazier than Thailand.
We wrapped up November with a Forest Park run for Susan’s birthday.
December
We ended the year with some of our annual traditions: running Wildwood end-to-end for mine and Susan’s birthdays (I think this was our 15th year), and of course, the annual Santa Hat Run. |
| Start of Wildwood end to ehd |
 |
| Santa hat run |
Every year I wonder how we’re going to top the year before, and somehow we do. In 2026, we’ll keep having adventures — though they may look a little different with me living in Bellingham (and hopefully finding some trail friends here) and Susan solo parenting full-time while finding a new job.
I’d like to say I’m going to blog more, but maybe it’s time to transition to a podcast or more social media… which sounds like a lot of work and cuts into adventure planning. So we’ll see you when we see you.
Thanks for reading all these years — whoever you are. (Hi Courtney!)
Previous year recaps:
2024 -- didn't do one
Comments
Post a Comment