Mount Ellinor, Olympics

Yes, that is my rear end downclimbing the slope. Steeper than it looks.

Random Smattering Of Images To Show That I'm Still Alive

Crater Rock attempt. Great day but respiratory infection makes you prone to AMS, and I could walk maybe 20 feet at a time. MSR snowshoes worked great on the steeper parts but those damn straps drive me bananas. Partner made it to Triangle Moraine, where there was ice and wind. Allow 4 hours unless you're a BEAST.

Better than being at work. Practiced self arrest and had some mac n cheese.

Beach babe. Haystack Rock with out-of-town family.

Turkey day bike ride with the hubs, in which we were surprised to learn that after 1.4 million trips to Sauvie Island there are still things to discover.

Bay bridge at sunrise, Halloween. back again to take the WSET Advanced.

MSH

Cathedral bridge in No Po.

Back in business, hitting the trails again despite some ACL issues. I need a smaller cassette on the Cannondale - why don't I listen?

October Color Weekend

My recovery from the marathon was what I expected - I walked funny until Wednesday, and by the weekend I was more or less back to normal. Encouraged by a promising weather forecast, I joined my husband and his friend (who are both much better riders than me) for a butt-kicker Rock Creek ride. It was amazingly beautiful, and almost made me forget that I need to get a bigger cassette on my new bike. Oh, and the downhills? Pure fun!

On Monday I had the crazy idea to drive all the way to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness for a hike I'd already done... just to see some larches.I invited my summer hiking buddy, and we found the trail to be a frustrating mix of ice, slush and deep snow. Neither of us brought our trusty microspikes, and I struggled with my snowshoes throughout Headlight Basin. Nevertheless, it was a gorgeous day, and one that I didn't expect to have again this year. Almost enough to take the edge off ten hours of driving in one day.

Oh hey, I signed up for the 2014 San Francisco Marathon. No big whoop.

Lakes Basin and Eagle Cap, Wallowas

The end of summer is coming, and I actually think I'll be ready after this last backpacking trip of the season. I have a couple more day hikes in me at most, including the Enchantments Traverse. I know this might surprise you, but these weekends of marathon training followed by several-hour sleepless pre-dawn drives to backwoods trailheads, backpacking in and out of the wilderness and getting home by dinnertime the next night are sort of... well, exhausting. And I miss my husband, my dogs and my bed when I'm out there, which I guess is part of the allure of the mountains. I had a soul-crushing 20-mile run on Saturday morning, and was tempted to cancel the Wallowas trip due to swollen knees and mental fatigue. But I didn't, probably since I'm feeling regretful about Tank Lakes, and I'm so glad for that. It was great! The drive took six hours on boring I-84... boy, does that part of Oregon feel remote. We hit Two pan Trailhead at 10 a.m. and after about the first rather rugged two miles the hiking was fairly easy. The East Lostine Trail took us straight to our awesome camp at Mirror Lake; in the evening Steve and I hiked to Glalcier Pass for sunset, and then summited Eagle Cap in the morning. Zero bugs, lots of horse poop, and relatively few crowds. Really gorgeous and unusual mix of granite and sandstone everywhere, with views of Sacajawea and Matterhorn. On the return trip we heard the scream of what was likely a large cat echoing off the valley walls, which was very cool. Drove back Monday afternoon. I'd say that Glacier Pass was the highlight - that whole area around Glacier Lake and the jagged ridge leading over to Eagle Cap is just astounding.