Started a little later than planned. I didn’t need a headlamp at the start since there was already enough light. Caught the sunrise somewhere between Rattlesnake Ledges and East Peak. Started a bit too fast, so I had to remind myself to slow down.
Rattlesnake Ridge was a little frosty. Cruising downhill was, as always, the best part, with some really nice, flowy trails.
I did a similar route four years ago and remembered a climbers’ trail branching off to the left from the powerline descent toward Raging River. I missed the entrance but managed to pick up the trail farther down. Crossing Raging River was fine, but I had to fight through some blackberry bushes to get back to the trails.
There were some new trails and roads near Highway 18. The Deep Creek crossing was challenging. I had to scramble down a steep slope, using a rope and vegetation for support.
After that, it was a mix of MTB trails and abandoned roads. I think the route could be optimized a bit to make the approach to East Tiger more direct.
Took an unexpected shortcut from the East Tiger summit. It worked out fine, although I had to backtrack a little to find an entrance into the forest. From there, it was a nice mix of runnable trails and roads toward West Tiger. I liked this variation much more than the TMT, which is quite rocky and less enjoyable for running.
Great views from the summit, with lots of people out enjoying the beautiful weather. Section Line Trail was pretty slippery.
Squak was slow, and I ran into a closed bridge. Luckily, I managed to find a way around it. Margaret Trail was nice and runnable.
Then came the last big push to Wilderness Peak on Cougar Mountain. As always, the trails there were great for running, but my legs were getting tired, so I was mostly just cruising. Passed a crew collecting signs after the Cougar trail running race.
It started getting dark around Coal Creek, so I finally had to put on my headlamp, and my pace slowed down even more. I knew about the trailhead closure and the detour through the traffic lights at Coal Creek Parkway.
From there, it was a series of dark trails with plenty of ups and downs, a few traffic lights to cross I-405, and one final push along the bike trail to Newcastle Beach Park.