After being on the West Coast for a solid decade, I decided I earned my chance at a solo trip around the glorious Wy'east on the Timberline trail. My first time was July 29th, 2017. I went counterclockwise and had the absolute time of my life. I've never seen such beauty, or ran on such tremendous trails. I ran it in 11:26:21, and loved every minute of it! I had so much fun, that I decided to go back a week later and try to best my time.
I got up bright and early, packed my vest with all the supplies I'd need for an unsupported solo trek (water bottles, filter, jacket, emergency kit, and enough gels to feed a large family- or one ultra runner), and headed off to Mount Hood. I started off at the Timberline Lodge, where the PCT trail intersects, at 0723 in the morning, and headed out clockwise. I bounced through Zig Zag, opting to continue on the PCT again instead of taking the Paradise Park variant. The trail was just as fun as the week before. It amazed me how different it looked from the other direction. The route was relatively snow-free, minus a small section around Cooper Spur. And that was a very welcomed sight by time I rolled through. I was responsible for at least two snow angels and a couple friendly snowball fights with passing hikers. Totally worth it. As the day wore on, the rivers became a little more difficult to cross dry, but no major hurdles. They were a great source for refilling my bottles and cooling off. In fact, the only real struggle was the notorious stretch (or what felt like 10 miles) of sand after crossing the White River. I could see the Lodge from the distance. If only it were as close as it looked! Finally back on the PCT, and a hop, skip and a sand dune jump later I was back where I started, beating my previous time by 14 min and 11 seconds. What a day!