Thursday (9/15/22)
Location: Northern WA, Mt. Baker Wilderness
Route- Excelsior Pass + Tomyhoi + Yellow Aster
Today’s Distance Covered: 20 miles, 7,300 ft of elevation gain
I would describe Territory Run Camp as a summer camp for adults centered around trail running. There are about 30 of us who gather at the Mt. Baker Lodge, in the Northern Cascades of Washington, for three full days of trail running and hiking. There are all different abilities and trails to choose from to match appetite and skill.
It’s Thursday morning and the first day of hitting the trails. I head downstairs for breakfast after a crowded night of sleep. There are probably 15 of us in a bunk room, making it truly summer camp style. I grab a cup of coffee from the kitchen and sit on the bench looking at the sunrise on Mt. Shuksan.
The route I’ve signed up for today is a point-to-point over Excelsior Pass in the Mt. Baker Wilderness, which covers 10 miles. From there, you have the option to add on Tomyhoi Peak which would be an additional 8 miles and brings you closer to the Canadian/US border. Multiple shuttles in the form of Aspire vans will be bringing runners back to the lodge as we finish in bunches. I’m thinking I’ll probably add on Tomyhoi Peak, but I’m open to bailing if I’m not feeling great. The top of my left foot started to feel bruised about a week ago and I’m keeping an eye on it.
The twelve of us tackling this route begin with a steep climb, covering 3,500 ft of ascent in about 4 miles. The weather is mercifully cool, especially compared to the dry heat wave that has taken over CA this past week. I start out hiking with some other folks, talking about the various places we are coming from, including Ohio, Florida, New York, and even one fellow from Singapore. Eventually, I begin to increase my pace and spend a little time cruising by myself. I get to the top of the climb and after a series of semi-confusing turns, I find myself picking and eating huckleberries while muttering to myself about the sweet tasting berries.
“Oh hey,” a woman runner says right behind me, startling me in the thick fog that has rolled in. We run together on a ridge for a bit, marveling at the superb conditions of the trail. It’s buttery with no dust kick-up and has been superbly maintained without the slightest obstruction thus-far.
Eventually, I run into another runner, Zach, and he grabs some footage of me for his company Territory Run Camp. He shot out in front of everyone at the beginning of today and I talked to him a little last night about his 100 mile races. Zach has a similar physique to me, pretty short and about my age. He’s soft spoken but after some probing last night at dinner he told me about the last 100 mile race he did. It was canceled a few days before because the event organizer got sick. So him and a couple of his friends made their own event and ran it anyways. We cruise together for the next 5 miles as he runs with his go-pro in hand, taking film of the scenery.
Abruptly, he stops and yells out across a lake “Hey! Please stay on the maintained trails!” I look up in alarm as we have seen several hunters while running today and I wouldn’t be yelling those types of things at people with loaded rifles. But it turns out to just be his good buddy and wife, Brad and Lisa, across the trail from us. They were coming from the opposite end, doing a bit shorter of a distance, and the timing is perfect as this is the turn to add on Tomyhoi Peak.
The decision is easy, we’re doing it and the four of us go up, up, up unable to see much in the thick WA fog. We eventually reach a false summit of Tomyhoi, which to use some fancy outdoor jargin has required a Class 2 scramble at various points, meaning a bit of hand-use required and some exposure, although it’s hard to see too far down. We decide not to push on as Zach informs us to truly summit Tomyhoi, as he did a few years back, you’d probably need a helmet and ice axe for a large snow field that sticks year around.
As we head down and towards the shuttle, rain starts to fall. I find it of no concern when you’re running to a warm van that will shuttle you to a warm lodge. It’s even pleasant and as we finish our day, we run into an Aspire guide, Kara, who finishes the last three miles back to the van with us. When we get to the van, there are already 10 runners hanging out there and the van is just about leave with room for one more person. Zach, Brad, and Lisa generously offer the spot to me, telling me they’ll catch the next shuttle. I climb in and as we make our way back to the lodge we make a quick pit stop for a river dip, suggested by an elder gentlemen who I wouldn’t have pegged for such a suggestion. Most people wait in the van, but myself, him, and our driver/guide Kara all jump in the Nooksack River (I think?) and then really head back to the lodge for dinner and sleep.
Friday (9/16)
AM Route- Chain Lakes Loop, Distance 8 miles
PM Route- Lake Ann, Distance 8.5 miles
I ran a foggy 8 miles this morning with another runner named Elias and after grabbing a nap, lunch, and some downtime at the Lodge, it’s 2:30 P.M. and a group of us is ready to head back out on trail. It’s me, Zach, Brad and Lisa again, joined by Brett and Elias. We climb into Brad’s Subaru and I crawl into the trunk space for the 5 minute drive to the Lake Ann trailhead.
It’s smooth running this afternoon and a nice pace is held by the group. My body is holding up well and despite the 20 mile day yesterday and 8 miles this morning, I feel good. I’m really stoked my foot has turned out to be a non-issue as I was having some pain at the top of my left foot heading into this week. My other trip with Aspire this past June on the Lost Coast was plagued by IT Band issues on the last day.
We make a long climb up to Lake Ann and the sun is finally breaking through the clouds that have covered these mountains since our arrival. It’s absolutely beautiful here in Northern Washington, with fall colors highlighting the Alpine meadows and ridges.
Upon our arrival at Lake Ann a small discussion breaks out regarding taking a cold plunge. Elias gets in the frigid water, made up of what one has to imagine is snow melt, and yet acts unfazed, wading around. I peel off my shirt and shorts and jump in second, and my time in the water is more short-lived and less calm than Elias’s. Lisa and Brett round out the group of cold plungers and we begin the return trip.
Elias and I are the last ones to leave the lake and instead of taking a left coming the direction we came from, Elias begins heading to the right. “Where you going?” I call out.
“I want to check out the view from over here. See if there’s any more trail going this way.” I hesitate and follow him out a bit, calling it good after getting a good look down into the valley. He’s out of sight now and I start heading back the way we came, following the rest of the group.
The five of us now are all descending and I tell Brad that Elias should be coming into view soon. Five and then ten minutes tick by and we still can’t see him. “Son of a bitch,” says Brad. “Where’d he go?”
Finally, at last, we can see Elias at the top of the ridge and he’s heading our way. He bombs the descent and catches up with us quickly. I’m feeling chatty for the last few miles and talk to Elias about optimal ways of training. Elias was a collegiate cross country skier and is just now getting into trail running. The group makes it back to the car a few ticks after 6 pm and we make guesses for what’s on the menu tonight for dinner. The luxury of having food prepared of us as we walk into the warm lodge following big miles is hard to overstate. I’m finding it easier to do bigger days in this type of setting because everything is geared towards accomplishing that goal. You don’t have to think about much, outside of covering miles in the mountains.
Saturday (9/16)
Route– Goat Mountain + Nooksack Cirque
Today’s Distance Covered: 20.5 miles, 5,030 ft of elevation gain
There’s twelve of us squeezed into a van headed for Goat Mountain trailhead. In our pre-run briefing, Abram told us it’s a particularly steep trail heading up Goat. That’s saying something given just about everything in the Northern Cascades is steep.
The first four miles are indeed vertical gain and I hike with two other females. We arrive at a false summit which I foolishly mistaken as the top of Goat. “That really wasn’t bad,” I say to Eliana and Mary. “Well ya, we still have a ways to go,” Eliana replies, giving me a quizzical look. I play it off like I didn’t think this was actually the summit and we snap a few pictures of Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan.
It’s more vert and slam go my trekking poles in the ground. I lead us astray making a wrong turn somewhere and I wait for Eliana, as Mary has turned back by now. I can see two hikers above me walking on an established trail so I scramble up the ridge, on hands and knees at a few points, and yell down to Eliana that there’s trail here.
“I’m going to head back and catch up with Mary,” Eliana replies. It’s just me now and my calves burn as I climb the mountain. I find something close to a rhythm, hiking hard for 30 seconds and then stopping to pick and eat fistfuls of wild huckleberries growing right on the side of trail.
I get to the top of Goat Mountain at last and it’s a glorious view with jagged glacier topped mountains stretching as far as the eye can see. I unwrap a tortilla filled with hummus, vegetables, and cheese and talk to the two other people up on the top of this mountain with me. One of them is very familiar with many of the surrounding sights and points them out, showing me Tomyhoi Peak which we came close to summiting on the first day of the trip.
After my conversation and snack, I begin the descent down off of the top of the mountain. I run into a group of 3 guides for the trip, Sarah, Kara, and Trent and we all rejoice at the beauty of the day, with the sun out, huckle and blueberries everywhere, and the beautiful Alpine meadows and ridges that are highlighted with the colors of Fall. As we depart, Kara tells me the spot where the key is hidden to the van which has a cooler of cold drinks and some snacks stashed in the back.
I finish the descent through a shaded grove of trees and get to the van around 1 pm, having covered around 13-14 miles. The key to the van is right where she said it would be and I grab a drink and some chips and take a quick 15 minute nap on a mattress stored on the platform of the van. My plan now is to start out on Nooksack Cirque which many people have chosen to do for the day as opposed to Goat Mountain. I run a mile and a half on the dirt road and find the trailhead with a recognizable group of 4 hanging out, having just finished running out there.
“You’re looking fresh,” an older gentleman says to me. “Not like you’ve just climbed Goat and back.” It’s true- I still do feel good. The quick nap washed away much of the fatigue and my body has held up well. As I begin to run out to Nooksack, I encounter Director of this showm Abram, running back in and he radios a shuttle to get me back to the Lodge. A guide, Jewels, and Elias are out at Price Lake which is a turn-off from this current trail and I should be able to run into them and get a ride back to the lodge.
I get to the turn-off for Price Lake and there has been no sign of Jewels or Elias which surprises me a bit. It’s pretty bush-wacky to get to the lake so I just head back to the trailhead where I came from and wait there. I know there’s got to be a key stashed somewhere on the outside of the van (different vehicle than the one earlier) but I can’t find it. I’m pretty cold as I just jumped into the river and it’s getting a bit later in the day, passing 4 p.m.
As I’m sitting out there, cold but happy to have finished all my running for the trip, an older Subaru pulls up next to me. A lady starts making coffee out of her trunk and she starts talking to me, telling me how she planned on car camping in a spot a mile back only to find it crowded with people. She seems a little lonely and a little sad, and eventually she is telling me about how she grew up on an isolated island in Alaska. She asks where I live and seems to like more after I tell her about my living situation in rural Bear Valley, with population of 150 persons and the grocery store 35 minutes away.
She eventually drives off to a look for another spot and Jewels and Elias emerge from the forest at last. Jewels unlocks the van, damnit the keys were in the gas cap compartment, and I eat fistfuls of salt-and-vinegar potato chips while I dig around in the cooler to see if there are any Athletic Brewing drinks left. Jewels has a fantastic dog with her and she sits next to me on the drive back to the Lodge, while Jewels and I talk about backcountry skiing and avalanche certifications.
Evenings
While the running on the trip makes up the crux of the day, one special thing is after dinner there are guest speakers who give a talk on their subject of expertise. On day one, Sarah presented on her journey regarding running in the Olympics and transitioning to her current passion of ultra-running photography. Day two was a friend of Abraham’s who talked about thru-hiking the PCT, AT, PNT, and AZ trail, all in the past 5 yeas. Day three was a female trail runner who talked about planning and training for a season, having experienced high-levels of success in the sport (11th @ CCC, 1st @ Miwok, several FKTs on well-known WA routes). I’d have to say, thru-hiking and training for ultra running are two subjects that probably interest me more than just about anything, so needless to say I was stoked on the guest speakers.
Wow! What a great experience! I’m so happy that you were able to make this trip. Awesome photos. Thanks for sharing with us!