View Workout (Joe Uhan)

Return to Log

Elwha River solo grind!

June 23, 2019 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: 60, nice

Comments:
Busy day. We were planning on another day of hiking, so we had to get in our "pre-exercising exercise", early today, once again.

The plan today was to drive to the Elwha River road. I'd run solo, while Callie - calf improving - was going to do a run-walk, then bike.

The Elwha River is a cool river that runs from essentially the heart of the park, north to the Straight. Back a hundred years ago, they decided (stupidly) to dam it, but only a few years ago, like 2014, they removed the dams! Since, the river's been allowed to "go wild". And it has: wiping out sections of the park road, a whole campground, and a key bridge! Thus, the road has been closed to vehicles at the outer entrance. But you can still run and bike on it (as there was a temporary bridge in place - last we were there!)

We parked outside the park and I took off at 7 or so. As this is a mountain river, the run would be uphill out and dowhhill back. The plan, then, would be to speed up appreciably on the way back.

First couple miles were paved and lightly uphill til the road closure/trailhead. Stopped to deuce there, then kept going. I made it a mile on the closed road 'til the washout.

Three years ago, there was a temporary bridge. Now? NOTHING! Shit! I'd notced a "trail detour" but, since we didn't need to take that last year, I skirted it, and instead followed this sketch trail that ran beside the out bridge and the river 'til I saw a HUGE tree had fallen on the new arm of the river. I sketchily crossed that to the road, which was destroyed by the river: just a plain of river rocks and ashphalt remnants.

Tiptoed on that for a quarter mile...only to find the river again! It had created a whole new arm and made an island of this road section! No magical crossing logs over this rushing rapids, either. F'd.

So I ran back, crossed the sketch log again, then continued on the sketch trail, upriver, 'til it joined with the formal detour, which was a nice trail that took us around the river and dumped us back on the old (intact) road.

From there, another paved uphill mile, this one a bit steeper and more legit, to the shuttered ranger station.

At that point, the road forks:

* to the right, the paved section that ascends to the old reservoir level, then continues climbing to the hot springs. CA and I ran that in '16 and it was really steep

* to the left, a dirt road that went to some eastern TH's

I took the latter.

And it was STEEP! Gravel road that, in some sections ran as steep has Hardesty. Makes sense, as it has to get to the same, previous reservoir level.

Ran on this for 3.5 miles, up past the old dam lookout, before turning back. I pushed moderately hard, here.

Once at the turn, I tried to go fast. Among the fitnesses I'm trying to recover is my downhill ability. There's some local Oregon guys (including this dude, "Justin James-Long", from Springfield) who can simply fucking FLY downhill. It's ridiculous and annoying.

So I found myself conjuring his name as I flew (/clunked) down the steep gravel (and up a rather significant shitburger up, on that return). Saw 5:0x on my watch a few times, which was solid, but my fastest overall mile was only 6:0x.

Once back on the road, I kept it up, but started getting fatigued. Got REALLY tired once I got on the trail detour; as it turns out, the formal detour climbs a SHIT-LOAD! Like, half a Baldy or more!

Finally got up and over that, and had about three miles of light downhill to the van. Didn't breathe super-hard 'til the very end (and out and back uphill to get 14), but it was a tough run!

Splits:
7:57
7:25
7:51
9:55 (washout, log-crossings)
9:09 (" " + trail detour)
7:36 (steep up)
7:47 (steep up)
6:27
6:48 (down, plus up-shitburger)
6:03
8:38 (trail detour- STEEP up)
6:13
6:30
6:33

It's too bad that 6:30s are that tough, but looking back at my '14 pre-Waldo log, I was doing similar work in June and July.

Good run. Really happy with the effort. AND, it had 1800' of gain! Great multi-tasking!

Rest of the day: immediately hopped in the van and drove to pick up CA, who was riding westbound on 101 toward our meeting point on Lake Crescent.

Caught up to her just before the lake, then we both went to the boat launch and jumped in! Chilly but a nice "lake bath!"