Timberline Trail CCW

Strava-official.

As I learned the hard way, running the Timberline Trail is really hard. I’m proud to report I completed all 41 miles with 9k feet of elevation gain in 14 hours 33 minutes. Plus, I was fortunate to do it with a great crew (Nick, Michael, Jordan) on an absolutely gorgeous day.

For the unacquainted, the Timberline Trail is a big ol’ loop around Mt. Hood. Most people take 3-4 days to backpack it, enjoying the incredibly diverse ecosystems and views around the mountain. The more hardcore folks (and saps who get suckered into it) try to run it as fast as they can. And if the distance and elevation isn’t hard enough, there are about 20 steam crossings to contend with and the trail quality can be quite variable.

The key to completing? Don’t bonk. If you let your body end up in a depleted state, you’re a goner. For me this meant:

If you do bonk, you might be 10 miles from a trailhead. So don’t bonk.

The fearless crew: Daniel (me), Jordan, Michael, and Nick.

One Comment

Albert August 16, 2022 Reply

Well done dude! That’s quite a run.

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