Capital Forest 50 miler

Backpacking has been a passion of mine for the past 6 years and still continues to be. Until i added a new passion to my list more than a year back, mountain biking. I have trained for many things through out my lifespan including hoopfest, bloomsday, a half marathon (which i never ran) and many other running events but never a bike race.
        My passion with mountain biking started at Capital Forest. Before hitting the CF i only had mountain biked around my parents house as a teenager. I romed Riverside State Park which has some sweet trails along with some singletrack but unfortunately I romed around on a huffy with no shocks. Not enjoyable!!
        My first ride at CF was the Waddell loop, which is all singletrack. I had recently bought a Motobecane hardtail MB and was eager to ride! Soon i found myself exploring all the trials in CF from Mima Porter trail to the Green Line trail. I'm not a MB junkie yet as backpacking has dominated but that might change a bit this summer. I have determined to tackle the CF 50 miler in august.
       I have never rode 50 miles at once in my life and i have to combine three back to back rides to even reach 50 miles. I enjoyed running races in the past but disliked the training. So i am combining my interest in racing with my MB. As of august 25th i will find out if combining these two interests produces a new passion. 

      The Capitol Forest 50/100 mile Endurance Mountain Bike Race is set for august 25 2012. The 100 mile starts at 6 am and 8 am for the 50 miler. 10% of the proceeds go to benefit the Friends of the Capitol Forest. The FOCF build and maintain the awesome trail network up at CF. Last year alone the race raised 3,500 dollars. 80% to 90% of the race will be singletrack. These trails are well maintained and during the race aid stations will be plentiful. Among the stations will be fresh fruit, sandwiches, clif bars and gels, electrolytes and cookies among others. Categories include men's open, 40-49 and 50 plus. Women's categories include open and 40 plus. Both men and women can also enter the singlespeed category. Once registered, free camping, a post-race fest, raffle items, finisher prizes, after finish massage, bike mechanics at each aid station and EMT's are all apart of the package!
          There's no question this race will beat me up and shove me to the ground...multiple times, hopefully not literally. At this point my goal is to finish but i have started training and hope to up my goal of finishing in the 6 hour range as my training goes well. Keep tuned in on my unprofessional training program (more blogposts) as i try to accomplish my first mountain bike race ever! One thing is for sure, it will be EPIC!!! Hopefully not an epic failure!

Coldwater Lake snowshoe: Mt. St. Helen's

Looking northeast from trailhead

Its March 21st and the first day of spring has come and gone. Spring's not quite here and winter's jaws still seem to be clamped down on the calendar. For the last month my body and mind have been couped up in Olympia's concrete jungle, nature is calling. I own no snowshoes but desired to gain some elevation and peer into some rugged alpine vistas. So stopping by REI i rented a pair of MSR snowshoes for $20 a day and $10 each additional day, tails included.
Saturday morning my phone's alarm clock interrupted my sleep and by 8 am I was staring at the start of the trail. Every time i visit St. Helen's the wind has been almost overpowering and today was no different. Snow was falling lightly and dark clouds moved in from the southwest. Thank goodness the clouds were high as last time i visited this area no peaks were to be seen.
For about 4 miles coldwater trail hikes along the lake with the trail being mostly snow covered with few exceptions. As the miles went by sun breaks flashed from time to time bringing hope.

Looking back at the trailhead

Along the lake I wasn't the only traveler. Elk tracks littered the trail itself with scat everywhere. I smelled the herd before setting eyes upon them as the ridge above was treed. Finally I was able to behold a herd of 20 elk. Two of the twenty were three point bulls. They didn't mind me as they held their distance. They traveled fast with no clumsiness. I was jealous, it seemed like they rubbed it in as they would look back every 50 feet secretly laughing.

The view of Mt Margaret backcountry which holds Coldwater Peak, Mt Margaret, Mt Whittier, The Dome and Minnie peak slowly revealed it's self in it's full glory. The loop would just bring be to the edge of the backcountry only to impress me enough to plan a summer backpacking adventure here soon. Coldwater lake finally came to an end at mile four exposing it's marshy beaver lodged pond. Signs of spring were in full affect with Frog and Salamander eggs thrown about on the ponds shores. I turned down onto trail 230 which switchbacks for 1.8 miles up 1,700 feet elevation gain stopping to gaze at the backcountry's peaks which forcefully presented themselves at every halt.

From the end of the lake all the way up the switchbacks snow was deep and soft as the sun was out in full force by this time. Collapsing 6 inches to a foot was common and made climbing the 1,700 feet intense. At every switchback i rested fighting back my urge to become frustrated. I came along a Douglas Fir and pinched of a small 5 inch long branch. Sticking the twig under my beanie i continued to climb and collapse. The sweet fir smell actually helped me take my mind of the intensity of the climb.
The climb was over and I was on top of Coldwater ridge with view after view surrounding me. The trail here is clear of trees as the eruption cloud came roaring over the ridge taking out all vegetation. Mt. St. Helen's finally came into view. As I stared deeply into this quiet but active beast of a volcano my phone beeped. I had received a message, crazy! 4,000 feet up and I have 5 bars!! Therefore i was able to call my family and sent some pics.

The descent kicked into full gear as i started the three mile hike back to trail 230a's parking lot. Within the descent two old logging machines sat on top of the ridge most likely destroyed by the intense eruption in 1980. The sun was setting and time grew short as my body told me to quickly descend but my mind told me to enjoy every minute.
The Coldwater loop was my first adventure snowshoeing but won't be my last. The snow brings such a purity and glow out of the vast wilderness. Summer is coming but for now winters amazing splendor had me completely captivated never to underestimate it's secure place within the seasons again.

Here is video of the 360 view!!