MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IN THE OLYMPICS
EPIC #6
FRIDAY: EARLY BIRD MYSTERY RUN
SATURDAY: SKYLINE 45 OR 21 MILES WITH 8 OR 2 GRAND OF GAIN
SUNDAY: ENCHANTED VALLEY 58 OR 26.2 W/ 12K OR 2K OF GAIN
MONDAY: COL. BOB'S A SOB 21MILER W/ 8,500FT OF GAIN
THE DETAILS:
Either thursday nite or friday i'll head to the quinault area to reserve our campsites. graves creek camp will serve as our base camp for the weekend. from here we'll start and finish sunday's run and it's just a short drive to all the other trail heads. it's ten bucks a site per nite. last year we were able to fit 2-3 tents in a site. please let me know which nites you plan to camp with us by thursday so i can reserve all the nessecary sites. the site will be primitive but it will have potable water and toilets.
graves creek camp is in the south west corner of the olympic national park. take hwy 101 to quinault lake. take south shore rd to graves creek rd. camp is at the end of the road. it's about 3 hours from olympia, 4hrs from seattle and 4 1/2 from portland via hwy 12 to hwy 101.
the camp is a long way from a grocery store so come with your coolers stocked with yummy food and beverages for the weekend. last year we cooked and ate meals as a group for the most part. there may be a grill but bring a camp stove just in case. and you'll wanna bring cooking and eating utensils too.
the plan is to start each day's run as close to sunrise as possible so we'll have plenty of time to finish before dark. last year we probably started 1hr after sunrise most days i think we'll shoot for that again.
don't forget your camera. this is gonna be one super long photo op. we'll be running thru some of the very best scenery in the northwest if not the whole country.
there will be no aid stations, no drop bags, no course markings, nothing. come prepared for wilderness travel. maps and profiles can be printed from this site for each days run. but a quality map is made by national geographic and is highly recommended and it's only $10 at park stores or outfitters.
anyone and everyone is welcome. if you're not an experienced ultra-runner or unfamiliar with wilderness travel please prepare yourself in advance. these runs are not going to be easy. and for a novice it could be dangerous.
for more information, or if you have suggestions or whatever email me or call. don't hesitate. i'd love to hear from you. jvarner@wildmail.com 360-259-2486
related links:
trail conditions:
http://www.nps.gov/olym/wic/conditions.htm#GRAVES
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/olympic/conditions/quin.pdf
campsite: http://www.nps.gov/olym/campgrnd.htm http://www.nps.gov/olym/pphtml/camping.html
weather: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew/