Gear :
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UltraSpire Basham Vest w/ (1) 500ML water bottle
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(4) Honey Stinger gels ( minimal for route )
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(2) Salt Tablets ( taken just before run )
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small Anti-Chafe Squirel Nut Butter ( not used )
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empty Katadyn BeFree filter ( not used, due to water quality )
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Coros Apex watch
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Phone w/ offline GPX trail uploaded, via AllTrails
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Standard size Bear Spray
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Emergency Blanket ( newest addition to pack, stashed and never remove )
Route Stats :
Garrick Arends ran in Spring w/ some snow. I did use his GPX and know he had snow covered sections to navigate slightly off. route Resulting in 44miles , 8622 ft overall. My watch read 45.06 miles 8,816 ft. In other words, no surprises.
Route Information :
Unfortunately GPS almost required. There are sections of this route that are little convoluted, which look better on paper. First being the start, which navigates through camp fire parking lots. I found the correct access to the trail, but I did run through someones reserved camp site. It seemed a little strange, as they were making breakfast. I had the route uploaded for offline use, via AllTrails. The app was open for almost the first two miles as reference, prior to hitting a straight forward uphill trail. This next long stretch was jamb packed full of tree fall, which I had expected. This makes running fast impossible, but someone might prove me wrong. I did bring bear spray specifically for this morning section. My partner and I heard a bear grunt here just a few weeks ago.
Mile 14.2 turn was stated by a past FKT post. There is an unmarked intersection here that you certainly want to note. Take a sharp right or you will find yourself wondering the woods. I've done this mistake in the past. Next Hell Roaring Lake and especially Imogene Lake after are beyond words beautiful. Highly recommend visiting these two prior to attempting this FKT. Getting up and over the saddle wasn't as bad as I had imagined.
The turn out to Edna and Ardeth Lake was new to me. If I was not exploring this FKT route, I would skip honestly this. Sorry Garrick. To simplify the route and stay on better trail conditions. The alpine lakes here also fall short to those encountered. There are signs here, but you need to make sure you know the direction. It can be disorienting. I used GPS to verify my turns, until the sign pointing toward Hidden Lakes. There is nice flowing water in most of these parts, which I used twice before heading up the large Temple saddle. I hit a physical wall on this next uphill, due to overall elevation gain, distance, mid day heat, and a steeper section. However, I had run this saddle prior and knew it would be shortly over.
On paper, you might plan on running this next long downhill section fast. However, with all the items just listed, plus technical terrain, I was struggling to move the pace envisioned. Instead I found a conservative pace and embraced the ride. Still a good ways to go. Upper Cramer Lake is the third stunning alpine lake that is worth visiting separately. A rare waterfall feature, linking lakes that you can see and hear.
Keep your head up for the turn off at mile 39.5, near Redfish Lake. I missed this, but quickly noticed w/ GPS and corrected. This last climb is not too terrible. A subtle incline and mostly shaded. You can really feel the last last stretch vibe here, as you traverse parallel to Redfish Lake. I noticed I could potentially break sub-9hr and so that prompted me to make move out of my comfort zone. The rest of the 3 miles went by fast with such a target in mind.
If you do not have time for such a Sawtooth adventure, there is a shorter 30 mile variation that hits all prominent lakes and saddles. Otherwise, I think Garrick did an amazing job putting this route together. The 45m and 8,816ft vert is perfect training numbers for those heading into a 100m mountain race. Nice work Garrick Arends.