View Workout (Joe Uhan)
North Cascades - Hannegan Pass to "Silesia Camp"
August 31, 2019 (Morning)
Exercise Type: Run
Weather: 50-60s, nice
Comments:
Long, but easy and GOOD trail day.
Slept in, somewhat, then had a decent breakfast before departing for a long outing. We weren't sure how long -- CA had found this "28-mile loop", but I was way too gunshy to commit to that, so we, for now, just ran up the 4-mile trail that got us to the boundary of North Cascades NP.
The climb was somewhat Hardesty-esque, but with on exception that was the theme of the weekend: AMAZING VIEWS. The first four miles ran along a creek 'til climbing to a pass that effectively dumped us into the park.
From there, the trail ran up another ridge, above a different drainage, til we were above the tree line. The views were 360 and outstanding all around.
My energy, on the other hand, was pretty mediocre. We hiked a ton of the uphill, rugged trail, and after a couple hours, the ankles started to bark, again.
Once we hit 8 miles, up on the ridge, we stopped for a snack, rested, then turned back.
It's been SO long since I've had a good long run. Truly, since June. I have zero confidence.
But this run restored some: we had a nice, fun, enjoyable and STRONG descent. I was descending well and CA let me go ahead, and I just moved as best as I could, doing my best pawback and hinge that I could.
Felt great!
4.5 hours total for 16 miles! (But this included our long lunch/nap).
Post-run:
* jumped in the frigid-ass creek at the trailhead! (Dang you, CA! But there was a perfect deep pool)
* drove down, then back up to the Baker Ski Area and upper trailheads. This was inundated with tourists, so we didn't stay long
* drove back down and made "dinner" (brunch)
* drove down to a brewpub outside Glacier to watch the Ducks blow a 21-6 lead with 9 seconds to go. :-\
| Distance | Duration | Pace | Interval Type | Shoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16.0 Miles | Topo FlyLyte - Blue |