20121015

Trail Run on Chuckanut

I spent two days visiting BCA accounts in the Bellingham, the City of Subdued Excitement.  I lived here for a few years getting a BA from Western Washington University, so I took the opportunity to visit a few friends and eat and drink in a few old haunts.  The Black Drop still makes the best coffee; Mallard's the best ice scream.  And the Temple Bar has actually expanded and got a liquor license (YEAH!!!), and Archer Ale House is still one of my all-time-neighborhood pubs.

But another thing I got to do was get a trail runner's spanking on Chuckanut Mountain.  The single-track trails there can be b-u-r-l-y, and I completely under-estimated my route and over-estimated my legs on this 11.5 mile, 2900 foot monster.  Ouch.

Clair managed to stay in front most of the run. Neo dogged my heals.
We broke out of a thin marine layer near the summit of Chuckanut.


With two miles to go, our one sight of Mt Baker - its there, in the haze.
Strava:  I've started using an app called Strava to map my runs.  Its a GPS application that tracks your bike or run route, then can be uploaded and applied to a map, charting your elevation.  It can be a competitive tool, letting people share routes and compare times in a somewhat-official-way.  I just like it for the record it let's me keep.  Tips - using Strava and your music at the same time eats the battery (at 20%/hour), but Strava alone did not eat it near as much (8%/hour).  Also, the GPS will often work even without a cell signal.  Its a tool - an interesting tool - but still a tool.  And it means you have to run with your smart phone.  Online it is possible to add routes in by hand - which is what I'd have to do if I wanted to conserve my phone's battery or if I don't want to carry it.  There's even a widget for putting it on the blog, which I'm debating.

Statistics:  Chuckanut Mountain, Summit Loop up the Chuckanut Ridge, down Overlook, then around on Lost Lake.  11.4 miles, 2850 feet climbed, on 11 October.