Left Seattle at 3:20AM, started hiking with Christian and [Redacted] around 8:50 AM. [Redacted] is a fairly private person, does not have a Strava, and believes that real FKTs move in silence like lasagna - you wouldn't believe how many Fastest UnKnown Times (FUKTs) he has. Didn't set out with any speed goals but just hoped to see good larches and minimize headlamp time. Efficient 1:40 to Raven with a quick stop at Crater for water. Frost and moisture on the ridge to Hoodoo had us backtrack and traverse gully systems to Hoodoo. Incredible larch views! Happened to run into Annette, Brent, Michael, and a few other friends on the way back from Hoodoo. Fantastic meadow frolicking and easy forest travel on the way to Hoodoo pass. Fun scree skiing on the SW face of Bigelow. Water resupply at the Boiling Lake outflow. Got to the top of Martin and realized it was only 11 miles and nearly all downhill from there to the car and we could probably make it before sunset - fun jog down the single track and didn't have to pull out headlamps.
Counterclockwise is definitely the move for this route. Efficient travel on durable surfaces to the top of Raven, get your more technical stuff done while your legs and mind are fresh, scree on SW Bigelow is far more fun and efficient to descend than climb, the single track back to the TH is so rippable. Excited to see how low this time can get, because this current time is pretty soft tbh - we spent too much time giggling and having fun :)
Friendly reminder that this trail system is largely built for and maintained by the mountain bike community. Don't be obnoxious; rather than insisting on your right of way, be kind and step to the side to allow climbing bikers to maintain their momentum. If counterclockwise, consider timing your start so that you descend in the evening after most climbers are off the trail.