My legs felt heavy and slow on the climb up to Longs Pass. I vowed not to look at my watch this early on. I reminded myself that I was here to move steadily and take in the experience.
The temps felt warm starting at the trailhead and up to 6500’. This was the tradeoff of going later in the day to make sure other parties weren’t in the Cascadian Couloir to minimize rockfall danger.
The warm temps made me go through two soft flasks quicker than expected, and I was out of water halfway up the Cascadian Couloir. I filled my flasks with snow at 7500’ and sipped the meltwater till I hit more snow at 8500’, where I refilled with snow again.
On the summit, I was surprised to see two golden mantled ground-squirrels darting between the granite blocks. They must get a portion of their calories from spilled summit snacks. Clouds enveloped the Cascade Crest, and only the highest volcanoes poked above them. Steeper snow near the summit pushed me to the ridge proper, with its views down to the north ridge and out to the Enchantments.
On the descent, I refilled water from a seep (with a water filter) near the bottom of the Cascadian.
On the climb back up to Longs Pass, I nearly stopped a few times to dip my shirt in the water to cool off, but decided to keep moving. At Longs Pass, a brisk west wind carried a raven over the pass. It swooped and swirled in front of Stuart. I glanced around, taking in the view from Mt. Stuart down the Ingalls valley, with a distant glimpse of the dry, yellow Wenatchee foothills.
I was not expecting this run to be that much faster than my prior fkt attempt. Especially after spending the past month dealing with a water-borne illness (from a broken water filter), which has been energetically draining (and took with it 9lbs). While I wouldn’t recommend pushing yourself when you’re dealing with injury or illness, sometimes it can be therapeutic to open up the pace.
It’s always interesting to see what things you notice when you are moving more quickly. Which elements of nature become a blur, and what sights, sounds, and smells jump out and burn into your memory? Moving quickly is not superior to moving slowly, but it does change what you notice. I suppose this is why I still do these efforts, to balance out the untold slow miles, to see how it feels to move like a wild animal, in tune with the flow of the landscape.