Mt. Si

 On Wednesday, June 29th, I went on my first trail run-hike of the season! Lots of my favorite trails are still under mountain snow, so I went out near North Bend, WA to climb Mt. Si. I did this trail three years ago and it nearly crippled my quads on the way down because it is such a steep steep grade. This time I vowed to be careful and gentle with my legs on the way down. I ran almost 4 miles at cross country practice that morning, then got in the van and drove to the mountains for my trail run-hike. The forest welcomed me back like an old friend, and I felt all kinds of Pacific Northwest love as I basked in the greenery and breathed that fresh Cascades air.

"It was calming how the trees stood and offered themselves to my heart." 

--Quiara Alegria Hudes, My Broken Language

"It was calming how the trees stood and offered themselves to my heart." I heard that beautifully apropos quote by Quiara Alegria Hudes in my audiobook on the drive to the trail, and it hit me right in the chest. I pondered it for most of the run. Trees are majestic.

My legs were tired to begin with, and it was much warmer and more humid on the trail than the forecast led me to believe, so the journey up the trail was a bit of a slow-moving hot mess express situation. The lenses of my glasses kept fogging up from the humidity on the outside and my body heat on the inside. The 3.5 mile trail up Mt. Si gains 850 feet in elevation per mile, which is a brutal 19% grade. It was more of a 50/50 run-to-hike ratio on this one. So, I ran uphill until one or both of these things happened: my lungs/legs felt like they were going to explode, and/or the trail got too rocky/root-y for safe running. Sometimes it was the legs that failed first, sometimes it was the lungs. Other times it was the terrain that stopped me, and sometimes I couldn't tell which system forced me to a walk. 

As I zigzagged my way through the gorgeous trees up, up, up, the trail, the temperature slowly decreased so I wasn't quite so steamed. I wore long sleeves thanks to the cooler weather forecast, and once I reached the top of Mt. Si I finally was able to unroll my sleeves back down to my wrists. Up top, thick mist filled in what is usually a vast valley view. I scrambled over a few rocks and admired the wall of mist for a few minutes, taking a few fuzzy foggy pictures, before turning around and facing the quad shredding descent. It took me a solid 20 minutes longer this time than last time to finish this trail, and most of that was gained on the descent. It was worth the TLC. My quads were definitely shredded and so sore for the next few days, but I could still walk down stairs facing frontwards after this run, so I know my carefulness worked. It took me nearly two and a half hours to cover the 7 miles.

Since I was only 45 minutes from my sister's new place, I did a quick baby wipe bath-and-wardrobe-change in the back of the van and then bravely faced downtown Seattle traffic. Mel and Braxton live in a darling apartment near the Space Needle. They showed me their place and cooked me a heavenly dinner. My three hour visit flew by in the blink of an eye! Mel gave me some ibuprofen for dessert and I was back in the van heading homeward by 8pm. It was a 3 hour drive home, and I was sleepy. Thankfully the ibuprofen helped my trail-battered body from aching too much, and after I finished my audiobook, I listened to peppy music to get me all the way home. It was so FUN to be able to visit my sister without the hassle of an airport! Mel and Braxton have only lived in Seattle for a month, and it is THE BEST having a sibling of my own in the same state as me for the first time in well over five years.

This picture almost captures the steepness of Mt. Si.

Prop the phone on a rock, set the timer, and scramble across the rocks...didn't work the first try, but I managed it eventually.

I was prepared for the possibility of not much view from the top, so I wasn't too disappointed. You can't fight the mists of the PNW!

This was my first run in my new Altra Superior 5 trail running shoes, and they were excellently grippy on the steep trail. Also, rainbow compression socks forever!

So much glorious GREENERY! It feels like forever since I plunged into so much green.

A tree growing out of a fallen tree log.

Ferns growing out of moss growing out of a tree trunk.

Those moss-covered tree branches are somehow both creepy and pretty.

Approaching Seattle. I am SO not a city driver. I only got honked at once, but I definitely had to verbally pep talk myself with every lane change, tunnel entry, merge, and exit.

Mel!! Will the novelty of visiting my youngest sister on her own turf ever wear off? I love it!

I gave Braxton a hand in our picture.

I don't want to besmirch this happy post with something yucky, but when I filled up the van with gas in North Bend, it was the most per gallon that I've ever paid in this country. $5.79 per gallon is nothing compared to 6 euros per liter that we have paid in France, but that's always been on a vacation budget, which is somehow more palatable and less shocking than this $5.79 per gallon in my everyday life close to home. 100% worth it for a trail run and a sister-visit!