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| Apryle running Carter Mountain Trail |
Soon after arriving back
in the United States Apryle and I packed up the moving truck full of our
belongs and made the voyage east toward our new home of Tonasket, Washington.
Tonasket is located in north central Okanogan county on the eastern bank of Okanogan
River. It was named for Chief Tonasket of the Okanogan and is currently home to
just under one thousand people.
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| Tonasket Track & Hills |
I began work at North
Valley Hospital, traveling between clinics in both Tonasket and its neighbor to
the north, Oroville. All the while Apryle continued to work on her PhD. We both
settled in nicely to our new home and were never at a loss for new adventures.
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| Apryle & I in Whistler Canyon |
July was a crucial month
for Apryle and I in terms of training. She needed a few final long runs and a
solid taper for the White River 50 miler and I needed to increase my mileage
and vertical training for the IMTUF 100 miler in September.
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| Fishing from stream below Forde Lake |
The running went excellent
and as a result of car troubles my cycling mileage increased drastically as
well. In thirty-one short days we explored much of the eastern part of the
state, including: Carter Mountain Wildlife Area, Salmo-Priest Wilderness,
Whistler Canyon, Similkameen Valley, Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, Burge Mountain,
Clackmas Mountain, Molson Museums, Ferry County Rail Trail, and Cactus Mountain.
Tonasket Track Hills
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| Track Hills at Tonasket |
Despite all of the amazing
places we visited, one of my favorite spots for an evening run remains the
small network of trails behind the high school track. It is simply a network of
single track game trails or old vehicle ruts through the sage brush but it is
perfect for an undulating evening run, that is quite close to home.
Carter Mountain
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| Carter Mountain Running |
This is an ideal 6-7 mile
out and back run along a dirt trail that meanders through a valley surrounded
by rocky outcroppings. The trail has relatively little elevation change, but
bushwhacking up and down the craggy mountains provides quite a challenge. This
was one of the first areas we explored and loved the diversity of the landscape
which included shrub-steppe, grassland and sparse conifer forest. The unit is
over 2,000 acres and is home to black bear, cougar, bobcat, mule deer and
migratory birds.
Salmo-Priest Wilderness
 |
| Salmo-Priest Wilderness |
This is perhaps one of the
most secluded and areas that Apryle and I have visited yet. It is in the
northeastern corner of the state within the Selkirk Mountains. There are
numerous hikes to be done and the trails that we covered were densely forested.
One of the most interesting features of this area to me is the fact that
Grizzly Bear have been spotted here from time to time. I am torn between
wanting to see the majestic animal and not wanting to see it…
Whistler Canyon
 |
| Whistler Canyon |
This canyon is quite
accessible, and is even on the way home from work in Oroville! The trailhead is
right off of highway 97, and features about 1200 feet of elevation gain in the
first 2.5 miles.
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| Whistler Canyon |
Additionally it offers excellent views of the Okanogan Valley
and its orchards below. Not only is there a trail network, but there are also
several climbing routes on the surrounding cliff sides. Needless to say, this
is a must stop trailhead for Apryle and I on a weekly basis.
Similkameen Valley
 |
| Similkameen Trail |
This is an excellent 7.5
mile out and back accessible right from downtown Oroville. The trail is quite
flat, as it used to be a railroad, which leads to the Enloe Dam. This trail is
a nice break from all of the elevation gain associated with Cactus Mountain or
Whistler Canyon and it continues to be a staple in my weekly runs. What it
lacks in undulation and distance, it makes up for with scenery, offering
beautiful sweeping views of the Similkameen River Gorge below.
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| Sinlahekin Valley |
Apryle and I found this
hidden gem 2.5 miles south of Loomis with the main intention of fishing and
birding. However, we found that there was also a nice 7-8 mile trail that cuts through
the heart of the valley. This trail is quite scenic and ranges from wide
sections among sparse ponderosa forest, to narrow sections along the creek
lined with mountain alder, hawthorn, water birch and intrusive grasses and
sedges reaching mid-thigh height. Of course an eastern Washington trail would
not be complete without a shrub steppe complete with wheatgrass, big sagebrush,
bitterbrush and serviceberry.
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| Running Sinlahekin Trail |
The valley is bookended by
craggy rock walls which are home to herds of Big Horn Sheep. Several bird
blinds dot the trails and offer excellent opportunity to view all the colorful
species that inhabit this area. We fished out of four main lakes: Conners,
Forde, Blue and Fish and while Apryle pulled in three fish, I gutted out a
total of 18 miles on some ideal single-track trail.
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| Enloe Dam at Similkameen |
There are a few barriers
on the trail which include a few gates to push through and a few road crossings
but other than that it is relatively unbroken. The first 4 or 5 miles are well
cleared, but the path does get a bit overgrown as it meanders along the Westside
of Blue Lake. The route also begins to pitch up in this section and skirt along
a scree-field at the base of a rocky cliff. The hillside here is full of vibrant
purple fireweed, which melds into a grass-covered, non-visible chute around
Blue Lake.
Burge Mountain
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| Climbing at Burge |
Burge Mountain is evidently
not a frequently visited area as indicated by the nondescript entrance and the
overgrown trail. The main purpose of our trip to this mountain was rock
climbing, which we found plenty to keep up busy. Apryle began leading a route
when we picked up on the signs of an incoming thunderstorm and decided it best
to rappel back down and head home. However, with several bolted routes strewn
about a half mile rock face, we will certainly be back for more exploration.
Clackmas Mountain (…kind
of…)
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| Trail View |
The trip to this mountain
was planned around a Jimi Hendrix/Led Zeppelin cover band concert in the great
American city - Republic. We decided to do a quick jaunt up to Clackmas
Mountain from the Sweat Creek Trailhead off of highway 20. However, we must
have taken a different route because we ended up on an unnamed peak and already
past our distance goal.
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| Randy Hansen (Jimi Hendrix Cover) |
So we decided to head back to the trailhead so that we
could make it back to shop at our favorite store - Mom and Pops in downtown
Republic. We ended up with a 13 mile day and nearly 4000 feet of elevation
gain. The trail was pleasant, offering some beautiful views of forested
mountain tops. The trail was quite undulating, but completely runable from
start to finish, which is rare with the amount of vertical feet we accumulated.
Molson Museums &
Sidley Lake
This area is quite
unique, just a stones throw from Canada and and steeped in history. There are
two museums in this town of about 35, as well as a lake with public fishing.
The first museum is an assortment of old buildings including homestead cabins,
a bank and mining company office. 
The second museum is an old schoolhouse which
closed in 1969 and was preserved in nearly the same condition. Traveling a few
more miles north of the museum leads to Sidley Lake where I am told the fishing
is phenomenal. The final leg of the journey reaches the former site of the town
of Sidley, British Columbia, which is nothing more than a sign and barbed wire
fence separating the US/Canada border.
Ferry County Rail
Trail and Curlew Lake
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| Led Zeppelin Cover Band |
Another trip to
Republic was warranted for paddling on the seven-mile Curlew Lake. Apryle is an
avid kayaker, with experiences that include an 111 day, 1200 mile trip along
the Inside Passage from Gig Harbor, WA to Glacier Bay, AK. Although my only
experience is limited to a 5 mile paddle around Port Aransas in Texas in a
two-person kayak with Apryle, we still were able to enjoy a three mile leisurely
outing.
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| Western Tanager |
After some time in
the boat it was time for a 20 miler. Fortunately, Ferry Counties Rail Trail
project has been restoring an old railroad into a walking/biking trail. And
even more conveniently, there are several access points right off of Curlew
Lake! The pathway extends from US/Canada border into downtown Republic, but due
to my location, I simply did a series of out and backs finishing up on the
Golden Tiger portion of the trail in Republic. It is ideal for a quick pace on
a soft surface without much vertical gain. It is not the most scenic, as it
runs past an old airstrip, a few factories, and cattle grazing land, but there
are some stretches where it offers views of the San Poil River below and forested
hillsides above. Ultimately it is an incredible resource that eastern
Washington is fortunate to have.
Cactus Mountain
& Lake Osoyoos
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| Cactus Mountain Running |
During the last week
in July I started doing some exploring in Oroville and stumbled upon two great
mountain climbs. The first was a bushwhack to the top of a mountain with
various towers and the second was a sandy trail to the top of Cactus Mountain.
Both of these mountains are just to the east of Lake Osoyoos and offer stunning
views of the valley and lake below. Because of the fear of rattlesnakes and
grasses sending off their barbed/needled/serrated-edged seeds into my socks, I
decided to hold off on any more ascents of the unnamed peak. However, Cactus
Mountain has become my new favorite hill repeat course. At just ¾ of a mile to
the top and over 1000 feet of elevation gain, this little peak really packs a
punch.
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| View from Cactus Mountain |
There is an average
grade of 24% and the trail is composed of loose sand that adds another
component of misery to the ascent. The descent is so steep that it is often
times difficult to make the turn without flying off the edge into a patch of
sage brush. By the time the descent is over my quads are so wrecked that I
actually look forward to the ascent, but by the time I reach the top my heart is
beating so quickly as I gasp for air that I can't wait to glissade down the
sand once again. This is the reason that I love Cactus Mountain, both the
ascent and descent are so miserable that it actually makes you look forward to
the other. That and the cool refreshing waters of Lake Osoyoos below, which
makes an excellent cool down destination.
The Final Leg
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| Okanogan Sunset |
The month of July
ended with a bang; a 39 mile run with my friend Adam Braddock traversing the
Northern Loop at Mount Rainier National Park and Apryle's incredible White
River 50 Miler performance. Both of these adventures warrant their own post; so
at this point I will conclude this rather lengthy post.
Month
|
Days
|
Miles
|
Time
|
Vertical (ft)
|
Long Run
|
Bike Miles
|
July
|
1 to 2
|
23.53
|
3:28:35
|
2,231
|
10.42
|
-
|
July
|
3 to 9
|
95.55
|
18:31:29
|
13,494
|
26.1
|
35.64
|
July
|
10 to 16
|
75.52
|
11:33:38
|
10,643
|
18.37
|
69.26
|
July
|
17 to 23
|
75.75
|
12:51:59
|
7,779
|
20.06
|
-
|
July
|
23 to 30
|
89.36
|
17:25:04
|
23,556
|
39
|
-
|
Totals
|
29
|
359.71
|
63:50:45
|
57,703
|
39
|
104.9
|
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