You Knothead!

Instead of Cutthroat, a funeral.  I still had time for a morning run, however.  It's no spectacular 11-mile trail race, but the Little Spokane River Natural Area is still a nice place for a run.  I started at Indian Painted Rocks, where the trail parallels the Little Spokane River for 1.7 miles.  From there, it crosses a paved road or driveway (I'm not sure which), and then it's 5.7 miles back to the trailhead on the Knothead Trail.  Before today I did not know that was the name of the trail, but somehow it seems fitting for me!  (Just ask my mom.  She'd second that.)  It has been a long time since I have done this loop, and I've never done it in this direction.  It was very nice!  I also saw the Shadle CC team at the trailhead--none of the girls ever caught me, so they must have been doing an out-and-back on the lower trail.

Today's mileage = 7.4
River visited = Little Spokane River

Eat & Run!

I only did a half mile with the team before their workout in the Dishman Hills this morning.  I should have done more after the girls were done, but we had potluck snacks after practice today and I ate too much!  We had soooo much food!

I had to plan an afternoon run instead, plus I had to do some work in my poor neglected garden.  I picked so much fruit and so many veggies this afternoon that I had to get the wheelbarrow to bring it up from the garden!  Once I got it into the house I got ready for my run on Mount Spokane--I started at the bottom of 110 just inside the park enterance and ran up to trail 100, took that all the way across to the old 115 intersection, and then returned via the same route.  It was 5.6 miles total.  I was running slow today, though--I could actually hear my knees creaking while I ran.  Needless to say, I'm spending some quality time with the ice packs tonight!

Total mileage = 6.1

Thursday, August 25, 2011

I got in my first trail mile of the day after cross country practice this morning.  The team has a hard workout at Camp Caro tomorrow, and I went to measure part of the route today.  I took both the Main Trail and the East/West Pond Trail as I wheeled out our route for a total distance of one mile, all in my sandals.

The afternoon was better, but it was also so hot!  I had to be at the GSL coaches meeting at 5:30, so I timed my errands so that I could run at 4pm, be done by 5pm, and still make the meeting on time.  I went out to Bowl & Pitcher in Riverside State Park and did an out-and-back on trail 25.  I wanted to do my favorite loop, but I feared that it was too hot on the exposed bluff and that I wouldn't have enough time to finish it without being late to the meeting.  The lower trail stays fairly close to the river, so it was nice and cool except out on the burned portion (in some places I think there must be underground streams entering the river--there were spots along the trail that were downright chilly).  The run was 5 miles.

Total mileage = 6 miles

Liberty Creek Falls Loop with the team

Every year the team finishes our campout with a trailrun to Liberty Creek Falls.  Some of the girls turn back there for a 10k run, but the varsity continues all the way up to the boy scout cabin and then completes the loop by running down the Edith Hanson Bridal Trail on the other side.  The girls ran great today!  Many of them absolutely love trails now, and they are getting to be so tough on the hills that I can't keep up with several of them anymore!  In fact, we realized that of our three sophomores running with the front pack today, only one of them made it as far as the waterfall last year; the other two turned back at the cedar grove.  This year, all three beat me back after completing the entire loop!

Mileage = 7.5

Tuesday, August 23, 2011: Campout with the CC team!

Today we went on the annual team campout at Liberty Lake County Park.  My morning mileage with the team was not on named trails, but for our afternoon run we did an out and back on the Edith Hansen Bridal Trail.

Mileage = 3.5
Lake visited = Liberty Lake

Monday, August 22, 2011: Cross country starts and finding time to hike gets tough

Day one for the 2011 cross country season!  We had practice at 8am and we had to shop for the team campout immediately after practice.  I didn't make it home until nearly 3pm, and I'd only had a couple of energy bars and a granola bar for lunch.  I ate some peanut butter and took off for Mount Spokane to get in a short run--I'm still determined to avoid a zero-mileage day!  I started at the park entrance and ran up trail 110 and did the short trail 100 loop before returning to the car.

I also found out that the funeral is set for Saturday.  No Cutthroat Classic for me after all.  I was feeling ready, too!  Next year...

Mileage = 4.2 

Sunday, August 21, 2011--running & huckleberries

Today I returned to the mountain for a morning trailrun and to get the huckleberries I spotted yesterday. For the run I started at the hairpin turn and took trail 100 up and then out to Smith Gap, and then followed the Mount Kit Carson Loop back to the car.  After that I returned to the snowmobile snopark lot and hiked up trail 130 and followed it out to the alpine area to get huckleberries.  I got about a gallon today.

In the evening I got some bad news, however.  My grandmother passed away today.

Mileage = 3.5 for the run & 3.7 for the hike; 7.2 total

Saturday, August 20, 2011: Around the Mountain

I returned to Mount Spokane for the "Around the Mountain" loop today.  My favorite way to approach this is to start at the snowmobile SnoPark lot and take 130 up to B-29 trail, out to Bald Knob, out past the CCC cabin, and then down the hill on the Kit Carson Loop Trail.  I take that until I reach the  next 130 intersection (also known as the chair four road) and take that all the around the mountain--past chair four in the Alpine ski area and around to chair three.  This time I took the cat track back to chair one and then just hiked back out along the road--it was a hot day and I was tired, so I decided to just walk the last part.  I took two water bottles and drained them both today!  I was also scouting for huckleberries--and I found them! 

Mileage = 11.3

Mill Butte run & Frater Lake hike

Today I decided to explore the Little Pend Oreille Lakes area.  As usual, I started out a little later than I intended and made quite a few stops along the way.  I bought some more books even though I swore I wouldn't (I can't help myself!).  I also saw a crosscut saw that I didn't buy, but I'm considering going back and getting it...on the one hand, I don't need another one, but on the other hand, it's hard to find one that isn't all rusty or has broken teeth.  This one looked good...so.

For the run I went to Mill Butte.  I think this trail was built by the WTA, and I wanted to check it out.  It's a very nice loop run and the trail is in great shape, although it obviously doesn't get a lot of use.  Most trails in this area are motorized, and most people in this area don't seem too inclined to go on foot on the few trails that aren't open to motorized use.  There were a few places where I could see footprints, but there are also a lot of plants coming up on the trail tread.  I ran the trail counter-clockwise and towards the end I discovered the Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge Rubbish Heap.  It looked like it was mostly old trash, and a lot of it would be recyclable--there were a lot of glass bottles and old metal.  I can't believe that they have never cleaned it up!  

After that I continued east and tried to find more trails that were closed to motorized traffic.  They proved hard to come by.  I did the short stop at Crystal Falls State Park (on the Little Pend Oreille River), and then I finally ended up on the Nordic trails by Frater Lake and did a loop around the lake.  Afterwards I went fishing!  I purchased a fishing license in late June or early July, and today was the first time I actually used it!  Not that I caught anything, of course.  The fish were jumping, too, but I forgot to make sure I had bait in my tackle box and there weren't any grasshoppers near where I was casting.

Mileage = 4.5 for the run & the short hike to the falls; 3 for the hike--grand total of 7.6 miles  
River visited: Little Pend Oreille River
Lake visited: Frater Lake

All is for the best in this best of all possible worlds?

That's right, I spent a good part of the day tending to my garden.  Tending to my yard isn't going to be quite as much fun anymore, however; I discovered that someone has stolen my cool old wooden reel mower.  :(  My uncle fixed it up and gave it to me so that I could save gas, save the environment, and get a workout while mowing (I loved to push it while running back and forth across my little strip of grass).  Now it's gone.

And someone broke into my basement, too.  I discovered that when I turned out the lights to go to bed last night--there was a sliver of light on my back lawn.  I investigated and found the basement door ajar and the light on.  The door was still locked, but open.  Freaky.

And then two nights ago I found the strange vehicle parked near my house, the woman inside claiming she "lived just down the road" and was "just hanging out, is that okay?"  I replied that it made me nervous when people "just hang out" by my house at 10:30pm and I'd rather she went elsewhere.  She complied; perhaps it was innocent and unrelated, but now I wonder.  I'm getting photos of all strange vehicles in the future (I went out to get the license plate number, not realizing there was anyone inside; when she got out, I didn't get the number.  Next time, photo.).

At any rate, after all of that stress and my shattered sense of neighborhood safety, I needed a good run tonight.  I returned to Mount Spokane, parked at the switchback lot, and ran up 110 to the Mt. Kit Carson Loop and took that all the way back to the trailhead.  It felt pretty good until the last 1/2 mile when I got a bit of a twinge in my left calf.  I decided I'd better play it safe and walk the rest of the way back.

Mileage = 7.6

Purple palms!

I had every good intention of getting up early, going for a trail run, and then going for huckleberries.  Really I did.  It's just that I was sooooo sore when I woke up!  Instead, I enjoyed the sunrise over Spirit Lake (gorgeous!) and then went back to sleep.  When I finally got up (nearly 7am; the sun was up and I was roasting in the sleeping bag and bivy sack) I opted for the coffee rather than the run, and then I hiked out on the Nordic trails to find the good huckleberries.  I didn't return to the chalet until nearly 3pm, and I now have somewhere around a gallon of fresh huckleberries.  Time to get out the pancake mix!

Trails hiked = Mountain View, Alpine, Lodgepole, Shady Way, Twin Lakes, Buckland; return via Twin Lakes, Raven Glide, Hemlock, Sam's Swoop, & Bear Grass.
Hint = the best huckleberries were on Twin Lakes and Buckland  :)

Mileage = 6.3

August 17, 2011: Trail run + huckleberry hike

Today I decided to go to the chalet for a trailrun followed by a huckleberry hunt followed by stargazing from the deck.  For the run I left the chalet and ran up 130 past Bald Knob, out to the CCC cabin, & then down to the big intersection with 110, 135, 140 & 170.  I took a run intermission to check out the huckleberry crop on 110 and 135 (1/2 mile of walking but the berries were all still green).  Then I continued the run up 170 to the summit of Mt. Kit Carson, took 130 across to the saddle between Kit Carson and Day, and then returned via 130. 

When I got back to the chalet I ate dinner and then headed over to the Nordic area to find some huckleberries.  I picked about a quart from Brian's Hill and Bear Grass before I returned to the chalet.

The stargazing wasn't so great tonight--it was a little hazy.  It was pretty cool when the moon rose, however--it was bright orange.  I didn't see any meteors this time.

Mileage = 9.6

Paying the price for my weekend

Yesterday wasn't bad, but today my knees hurt.  I iced in the morning, and I'd better go ice again as soon as I finish this post.

I decided that I really needed to go for a trailrun tonight.  For one thing, I spent most of my day catching up on my garden so I was short on time in the afternoon, and running my miles takes significantly less time than walking them.  For another thing, I have Cutthroat to worry about.  I have learned that no matter how much I hike, hiking does not make me a faster runner.  At least running makes me a faster hiker!

At any rate, I knew I needed the flattest trails I could find; Centennial Trail's pavement would only make my knees worse, so that left the Nordic area.  I ran out on Brian's Hill, Sam's Swoop, Lodgepole, and Quartz Mountain, and then returned via Twin Lakes, Shady Way, Silver, Blue Jay, and Valley View.  While I was out there I found a good patch of ripe huckleberries; guess where I'm hiking tomorrow?

Today's mileage: 7.9

Lake Ethel

Originally we had picked out an 18-mile loop hike for today, but we were both feeling a little sore after yesterday's hike.  We decided to pick something with less mileage, and settled on the Lake Ethel trail.  According to an old map I had, I was expecting it to be 3.5 miles to the lake, but when we got to the trailhead the sign said that it was 4.5 miles.  We hadn't allowed enough time for an extra two miles, so we knew that we'd have to turn back before we got to the lake. 

What we hadn't expected was a giant clearcut at three miles in.  The guidebook mentioned that the trail crossed some private property and that we'd see some clearcuts, but I hadn't expected a clearcut right across the trail.  It was a pretty trail until that point, and it was so sad to see a giant slash pile right next to it. 

Mileage = 6

Saturday, August 13, 2011: I can finally hike Aasgard faster than I can run a half-marathon!

Since we were camped at the trailhead, it was easy to do a 6:30am start for the hike.  Several other groups actually got started before we did!  I like to get up early in the morning, but hiking so early is hard for me.  I generally prefer a leisurely morning with copious amounts of coffee.  Instead, I barely had two sips of my coffee (still too hot!) before we bolted up the trail.  We maintained a steady pace to Colchuck, overtaking one of the groups that got an earlier start than we did.  We had second breakfast at the lake, and then we tackled Aasgard Pass.

The last time I hiked Aasgard Pass I timed it, and it took an hour and thirty-five minutes.  It's only nine-tenths of a mile.  My half-marathon PR is an hour and thirty-two minutes.  Embarrassing.  I was determined to be faster today.  I timed it, and from the base to the top it took an hour, twenty-one minutes and fifty-five seconds!  A PR!  We distance runners are nutty about PRs (okay, maybe it's just me...I'm constantly looking for signs that I'm not just old and out of shape now).

Once we got to the Upper Enchantments we slowed down quite a bit.  Jeff H. had never been there before, and I had never seen so many mountain goats all at once before.  I'm not quite as awed by them as I once was (after all, what can compare to having three different goats lick me on two different trips up Scotchman Peak?), but the goats were everywhere today!  We twice counted at least ten goats in a group.  We had one goat approach us and seemingly pose for pictures below Little Anapurna.  She was willing us to pee on a rock, but still, it was cool.  We did the side hike up to Prusik Pass for lunch and watched two sets of nannies with kids lounging in the snow.  Plus, there were all of the lakes!  Pace became secondary to photography.

Then we had to descend to Snow Lakes.  Pace became secondary to safety.  That trail is steep--far steeper than I remember.  I can't believe that the last time I went down that trail I had a fifty-pound pack on my back.  It was tough enough today with just a day-pack.

We stopped again for a snack break between Upper and Lower Snow Lakes, and we realized that we were going to be a little later than we intended.  At least the trail was super easy from there back to the parking lot.  Just before we arrived, we spotted two more goats!  I had no idea that they ventured so far down, but there was another nanny and kid standing on a rock just a mile from the Snow Lake trailhead!  

Mileage = 21.4
Lakes visited = Colchuck Lake, Tranquil Lake, Isolation Lake, Inspiration Lake, Perfection Lake, Sprite Lake, Leprechaun Lake, Lake Viviane, Upper Snow Lake, Lower Snow Lake, Nada Lake

Friday, August 12, 2011: Eightmile Lakes

Today I drove to Leavenworth for the Alpine Lakes Wilderness dayhikes with Deb and Jeff.  It was supposed to be a Mountaineers' event, but only one person signed up and then she got injured and canceled.  Deb was still injured, too, so it was just going to be Jeff and me hiking; Deb brought a bike.

My job was to get there early and find a campsite, but I failed miserably!  I left Spokane a little later than I intended, and arrived at Eightmile Campground at 4pm.  The sign said there were still spaces available, but there weren't.  I went to the next campground and found it was already full, too.  I then drove up to the trailhead for Eightmile Lakes and did a quick out-and-back to the upper lake--it was an easy trail, and I should have just run it!  It took about 2 hours to hike it.  Then I went to leave a note for Jeff and Deb that we'd be stuck camping at the trailhead.  We weren't the only ones, either--as I cooked my dinner in the parking lot several other people drove in, and we all ended up converting the back of our cars into our beds for the night.  Actually, it was pretty comfortable, and it allowed us a very early start for Saturday's big hike.

Mileage = 6.6
Lakes visited = Little Eightmile Lake and Eightmile Lake

Centennial Trail run

Tonight I had to go to Costco, so I decided to run on Centennial Trail before I went shopping.  I like to combine trips, even if it does mean going to the store in my running clothes.  It's not my favorite running route, but it works.  There were so many people out this afternoon!

Today's mileage = 6
Elapsed time = 48:51 (slow!)
River = Spokane River

August 10, 2011: Sullivan Lake hikes

After the Salmo Loop I drove to Gypsy Meadows to spend the night.  That place brings back good memories of trailwork parties with Conservation Northwest, the Mountaineers, the Backcountry Horsemen, and the North Idaho Saddle Mule Club.  Doing trailwork with the BCH and NISMC is the best!  It's not just that they pack the trail tools in for the hikers--it's that those guys know how to cook!  Every time we did trailwork with that crew I actually gained weight despite the tough work. 

This time there were no horse or mule people camping in the meadow; it seemed pretty sad to see a jeep near the creek and the high-lead lines empty.  I climbed in the tent soon after it got dark and the next thing I knew it was morning!  I couldn't believe how soundly I slept!

I had a leisurely breakfast and then headed down to Sullivan Lake to hike the lakeshore trail.  I started at Noisy Creek, hiked to the far end, followed the Sullivan Lake Interpretive Trail Loop, and then returned on the lakeshore trail.

Today's mileage: 9 miles
Lakes visited: Sullivan Lake

August 9, 2011: Salmo Loop!

The Salmo Loop is a hike-a-thon favorite; I do it every year, and last year I did it twice!  There aren't too many loops like this one: an inland temperate rain forest with huge old growth trees; a river to follow for miles; a ridge with views of Canada, Washington, Idaho, and Montana; wildflowers everywhere; and a chance to see wildlife, including rare wildlife (still no sign of the elusive caribou, however).

Jeff J. was the brave soul who joined me for this year's loop in a day.  He had never hiked it before, and said that this was only his second trip into the Salmo Priest Wilderness.

We hiked down 506 first so that we wouldn't have that steep three mile section at the end of the day.  The river crossing was really tame this time, and we spent a long time admiring rocks after we crossed the river.  I wish I could remember more from that geology class I took in college; the rocks up there are so pretty!  We went to the Salmo Cabin, spooked a moose (well, we think it was a moose--we only heard something BIG run off into the woods and saw its obvious bed next to the trail).

Once we made it to the ridge we went up to the Little Snowy Top Lookout, where I saw the strangest juxtaposition of reading material ever assembled: a copy of Playboy next to a copy of the New Testament.  Nearby were some dice.  Also a compass:  not a moral compass!  Somebody had a sense of humor.

The wildflowers on the Shedroof Divide were spectacular.  The lupine were just starting; the tiger lilies, larkspur, and columbine were in full bloom; and there were a lot of flowers that I couldn't even identify.

Today's mileage: 21.5 miles
Rivers visited: Salmo River

August 8, 2011: Trail run on Mount Spokane

Today I ran the 110-140 loop on Mount Spokane.  I can't believe that I haven't ran this since last fall (there was snow on it then!).  140 is obviously quite popular with the mountain bikers...in other words, it's super dusty.  I didn't see anyone else today, though.  I also didn't see many ripe huckleberries.  Hopefully by next week they'll be ready!

Today's mileage = 6

Good things come to those who get lost

I also wanted to get in some lake hikes this weekend.  I decided to head back toward Republic before going home in order to see what hiking trails I could find near some of the lakes on the Ferry County side.

The first lake on my list was Curlew Lake at Curlew Lake State Park; I figured that a State Park was bound to have some hiking trails.  Well, Curlew Lake is definitely developed more for the RV camping and fishing enthusiasts, but it did have a short interpretive loop hike.  I estimate that it was about 1 mile.

After that I headed south of Republic--Aaron had told me awhile back that Swan Lake had some hiking trails.  At first I was really disappointed--a kiosk at the lake said that the Swan Lake Loop trail was only 1.5 miles.  I put on my running shoes and decided that I'd better run it both directions to get in at least 3 miles, but I wasn't really looking forward to it.  Then I got about a mile in and saw a side trail that was labeled Ferry/Swan Lakes Loop!  That looked a lot more promising--a loop! and two lakes instead of just one!

Things went well at first.  I was afraid I'd lost the trail a few times, but then I'd find another directional marker (and once I was charged by an angry mother grouse!).  It was obviously not a heavily used trail.  After 40 minutes of running (and feeling pretty good for a change) I arrived at Ferry Lake.  Then I couldn't find any more markers.  I saw someone at the boat launch, so I decided to ask if he knew where the trail went from there.  He was standing in the lake looking at some ripples several feet farther out in the lake--and then a loon popped up from under the surface!  I have never seen a loon except in pictures!

The guy didn't know where the trail went, however.  He said he did it years ago, and that he, too, lost the route.  I went down what looked like the correct trail, but it was quickly too overgrown to follow.  I had no choice but to retrace my steps.  I never intended to go for a 10 mile run today, but seeing the loon made it all worthwhile.

After I made it back to Swan Lake (which included a run-in with the local bovine population plus my first lake swimming experience of this chilly summer) I drove back to Ferry Lake, hoping to get a picture of the loon.  I never did see it again, but I could hear it calling from the end of the lake--they are the coolest-sounding birds!

Today's mileage: 11
Lakes visited:  Curlew Lake, Swan Lake, Ferry Lake

Saturday, August 6, 2011: This ain't no cake walk!

Ah, cake walk: the name given to the experience of hiking the entire Kettle Crest in a day.  Months ago we picked August 6th as the date of this year's cake walk.  At one point I think there were 8 or 10 of us planning to do it.  Derrick said we'd better cap it at that so it didn't go too big; it's 43 unsupported miles, after all.  Then the attrition started.

Derrick had a meeting, Deb became injured, Aaron and his siblings bowed out, I got sick, and I don't even know what happened to the others.  In the end, it was down to just Jeff H.; Deb and I were the shuttle, and I would get in what mileage I could along the way.

Jeff got started at 5am; I was going to join him as far as White Mountain, but I slept through my alarm and decided I'd better just join him for a later section, instead.  Deb and I got to sleep in, then we packed up and drove to Sherman Pass to wait for Jeff.  I joined him from there as far as the Columbia Mountain Trail, and then I did the loop and went up to the summit to check out the rebuilt lookout cabin.  My morning mileage was 8.

After that Deb and I drove to Republic for lunch and to check out town, and then we continued up to Boulder/Deer Creek Summit to set up camp and wait for Jeff to arrive.  I felt pretty good on the morning hike, so I decided to try an afternoon trailrun.  At first I was just going to do an out-and-back on the Kettle Crest trail, but on the kiosk near the trailhead I found a sign describing the Deer Creek Summit Loop--South, 7.1 miles, and I decided to run that instead.  Well, it was really more like wogging--at first I just walked all steep uphills plus whenever I had a coughing fit, but after awhile I was just taking periodic walking breaks.  I was a little tired!

When I got back Deb had gotten the campfire started, and we spent the evening roasting sausage for dinner, having s'mores for dessert, and watching the stars and meteor showers (no light pollution!).  Jeff finished just after midnight with a very sore knee but no other problems.

Today's mileage = 15.1 (now that's more like it!)

Friday, August 5, 2011: It was a bad sign

I left town in the early afternoon in order to make the drive up to the Kettle Crest--I was supposed to meet Deb and Jeff at the White Mountain TH in the evening.  I took my time going north, stopping in several interesting shops along the way.  In one, I found that the shop owner had fallen asleep in his chair at the front of the store; he had relaxing music turned WAY up, and he didn't even hear me enter.  I felt a little like an intruder!  I don't think he ever knew he had a customer; I didn't find anything to buy, so I exited quietly without waking him.

Once I crossed over the Columbia I started looking for places to hike.  I was hoping I could find a trail on the Columbia itself, but nothing stood out on the map.  I drove up to the Log Flume trail and ate a snack as I hiked the .5 mile interpretive loop.

After that I continued up the pass, and that's when I saw the bad sign--a huge sign that said "Sherman Creek Trail."  I turned, hoping that I could get a few extra miles in.  Immediately off the highway was another sign that said Canyon Creek Trail #93, a barrier free trail (paved) that was built by boy scout volunteers.  I was sure that the Sherman Creek Trail would be longer than this trail, so I continued up the road.  The map wasn't promising: there was no sign of any trail, and it showed that the road was a dead-end at a scenic overlook.  However, the map also didn't show the Canyon Creek Trail, so I continued.

The mile markers went from three to four to five to...four!?  It turned out the road wasn't a dead-end, it was a loop; there was no scenic overlook, and there also was no Sherman Creek Trail.  At least not that I could see.

I went back to the Canyon Creek Trail and decided that it was my only option.  I hiked it both directions--it turned out it returned to the Log Flume Trail when I went east, and it ended at the Canyon Creek Campground when I went west.  Based on hiking time, I estimated that it was 2.5 miles.

Grand total for the day = 3 miles.  I'm soooo far behind.

Still sick...

Julius Caesar, Act II, scene i:
Marcus Brutus: O, what a time you chose out, brave Caius, / To wear a kerchief!  Would you were not sick!
Caius Ligarius: [...]I here discard my sickness! [....] Now bid me run, / And I will strive with things impossible; / Yea, get the better of them.

If only I could discard my sickness!  I tried to run, I tried to strive with things impossible, but they got the better of me instead.  I returned to Mount Spokane this morning to attempt an easy trail run in the Nordic area.  I was very quickly reduced to walking all but the downhill sections (and I even had to walk some of the downhills).  My nailbeds turned bluish again, but at least my heart rate remained at 10-11 on a 6-second count (in the Wallowas I checked it one morning upon waking and it was at 15 on a 6-second count!).  I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do once I'm over whatever this is.  At least I still haven't needed a zero-mileage day.

Today's total: 3.9 miles

Easy hike and cool find

I am determined to avoid a zero-mileage day this hike-a-thon, but I was still not feeling very well today.  I decided I'd better not try the Mountaineers' Wednesday night hike, but I still wanted to go to Mount Spokane.  I figured out a great way to make the hike easier, too!  It's practically cheating, but I took both Kari and Blaze with me.  I got out their skijor two-dog leash and clipped it to my hip belt on my backpack, and they practically pulled me up the big hill on trail 120A!  Then I hiked out 120 for a mile, turned around to come back, and returned via 120B.  And the cool find?  Not long after I turned around I was coming around a switchback on the trail and noticed something bright-white on the downhill side.  I debated not checking it out, but I'm glad I did in the end--I found a cool buck skull, antlers still attached!  It's a 2x3.  I didn't have the camera with me, so I had to wait until I got home to have Kari and Blaze pose with it for posterity.

Daily total: 3.2 miles (at least it's not zero!)

It's started...slowly

Last spring I planned the trip that would start my hike-a-thon: a Wallowas backpack trip that I would co-lead for the Spokane Mountaineers.  But no one signed up for the trip, and then my co-leader got an injury that would keep her at home, too.  So I scrambled to salvage at least a portion of the trip.
Instead of the 95-mile route Deb and I had originally planned, I moved the trip to the Lakes Basin.  Jeff agreed to join me for the weekend, but he had to be back to work on Monday...so I decided to go solo for the rest of the trip.
Everything started out well:  Jeff and I left town late Friday morning and drove to the trailhead, and then hiked in 2-3 miles and camped along the East Fork Lostine River that night.  We hiked to the lakes basin Saturday morning, set up one tent at Mirror Lake in order to stash our excess gear, and then took day packs to hike up Eagle Cap (9572').  There is still a lot of snow up there, and the trail to Horton Pass was pretty much entirely snow-covered.  We kicked steps up to the pass, but the ridge was mostly snow-free and we were able to pick up the trail to Eagle Cap's summit.  Then we hiked (and glissaded!) back down and picked up our gear in order to move camp to Moccasin Lake.  On Sunday Jeff packed up to leave and I hiked with him as far as Carper Pass (around 8500'), then returned to Moccasin Lake, packed up, and started hiking to Glacier Lake--I wanted to wake up to Glacier Lake for my hike-a-thon start!
Things went downhill from there.  I was feeling really, really tired by the time I got to Glacier Lake.  The trail over Glacier Pass was between 50-75% snow-covered, so I had a hard hike up with a full pack.  The pass is at about 8400', and the lake is at 8166'.  I didn't know it at the time, but it turned out I had overdone it.  A lot. 
That night there was a huge thunder storm--probably the biggest storm I've camped through.  Of course I couldn't sleep while that was going on, and then even when it ended I couldn't sleep: I had developed a hacking cough that kept me awake all night long. 
Monday morning and the start of hike-a-thon found me feeling fairly miserable after a completely sleepless night.  I even skipped the usual morning coffee in favor of three cups of tea.  I thought I had come down with a cold (now I'm not so sure).  I was supposed to hike out via Frazier Lake and the Wallowa River trail and move camp to Ice Lake (I have wanted to see this lake for years!), but I felt so awful that I decided it might be a better idea to just return to the lakes basin to camp and do a day hike if I felt better in the afternoon.  I didn't feel better.  In fact, it took me about three hours to do the three miles back to the lakes basin.  I set up camp in a different spot at Moccasin Lake and took a two-hour afternoon nap in the shade.  I still didn't feel like hiking when I woke up, and I started to suspect that something worse than a cold was wrong with me.  I started drinking Pedialyte and decided to go to bed early (influenced by another approaching thunderstorm!). 
I had no more than gotten into the tent when a very, very large group came up the trail and decided to camp right next to me!  I hadn't seen anyone else all day long, I don't think there was anyone else camping at the entire lake, and these guys camped so close I could have tossed a rock and hit their tents (and I'm not a very good shot when it comes to tossing rocks).  I counted at least 12 of them, and group size in the lakes basin is 6.  Nice.  The joke was on them, though.  I had the same hacking cough all night long, and I'm sure they enjoyed listening to me.
It was Monday night when I realized that this was something worse than a cold.  I began to suspect HAPE, which is weird considering that it isn't exactly super high altitude up there, but I did go from my house at about 2400' to over 6000' the first night, then hiked to 9572' and slept at 7473' the second night, then hiked to 8500', down to 7473', back up to 8400', and slept at 8166' when I first started to feel symptoms (and I talked to Jeff about this yesterday and he said I started coughing Saturday night--I hadn't even noticed it then).  At any rate, all of my ideas about dayhikes were out the window following my second sleepless night.  I needed to get back down instead.  I got up at first light on Tuesday (it's not like I was sleeping, anyway!), packed up and hiked out.
The farther down I got, the better I felt, but I still needed frequent rest breaks.  I just couldn't draw a full breath, and I still had the terrible cough.  I went to Enterprise to pick up some cough medicine and drove home.  My hike-a-thon starting mileage is terrible!  I need to get lots of sleep and drink lots of water and try to get caught up!
There was good news waiting for me at home, though: I was on the wait-list for the Cutthroat Classic, and I got in!  Now there's some incentive to start running more!
Stats: 
Monday mileage--3.5 miles (parts of trails 1806 (Glacier Pass) and 1810A.  Lakes visited: Glacier Lake, Moccasin Lake.
Tuesday mileage--9.3 miles (parts of trail 1810A and 1810 plus 1662.  Lakes visited: Mirror Lake, Upper Lake.  River visited: East Fork Lostine River.