June's a big month, historically, for the two of us. It's the start of summer, when the big mountain trails start opening up, when Kerri celebrates another year (on the 15th!), when the days keep growing right up to their longest, the highly-anticipated summer solstice (and this year, the second annual Summer SolstASS).
The little orange tent in which it all begin, two Junes ago, elk beside us, the Pacific near us, redwoods towering behind us.
It was two Junes ago, en route to Squaw Valley to crew and pace a friend at Western States, that we first dreamed up Endless Trails. We were in northern California, amongst the redwoods, surrounded by bedding elk and our love for each other and with two whole weeks on the road - traveling both to and from Western States - we kept finding trails, both new and old, and we kept finding this sense of place, this connection to "home" - to trails. For regardless of where we ran, we found familiar friends on these trails: deer ferns or Ponderosa pines; elk or mule deer; slugs and caterpillars and ladybugs making their homes next to ours. Everywhere we went, we found trails that reminded us of other trails, of other places we called home, and we realized how much we were rooted to the trails we knew best. We realized just how much we loved "our trails," and how we wanted to protect and help preserve those trails - as well as other trails like them, other trails that are forever "home." Trails that need a little love, be it trail work - cutting brush, battling erosion and unsustainable switchbacks, clearing blow-down - or simply enough foot traffic to help keep them open and alive.
From recent trail work on the SolstAss course. These are some seriously (tough, and) gorgeous trails.
We're really jumping all in to Endless Trails this month. We've been steadily increasing our trail work, and after Beacon Rock this weekend, we'll be on the road - and on the trails - the rest of the month. From Beacon Rock we head to northeast Washington, to see family, but also to clear some trail. From the Spokane area we'll head west, to Seattle, to see a few friends (and stop in at Seven Hills, obviously) before heading back to southwest Washington, where we'll do a little more last-minute trail work to prep some of the Silver Star trails for the SolstASS Trail Run on the Summer Solstice - which our friends Joe and Ann are directing as an Endless Trails fundraiser. After SolstASS, we'll head back toward Spokane, and into the northeast corner of our great state, where we'll help with the inaugural Kaniksu 50. And then it'll be July, and we'll be on to the next chapter of the summer - more trail work, a trip to Colorado to help with Hardrock, a trip to the Midwest to watch beloved friends marry (with bonus trail work!) - and before long, it'll be August. August brings more races and more trail work, and so the summer flies into fall.
We're excited for everything that lies ahead this summer, and to hopefully see many of you out on the trails, too! In the meantime, we'd also love to hear what make your trails "home."
[To make (our day, and) a tax-deductible donation to Endless Trails, please visit our Donations page.]
We're excited for everything that lies ahead this summer, and to hopefully see many of you out on the trails, too! In the meantime, we'd also love to hear what make your trails "home."
[To make (our day, and) a tax-deductible donation to Endless Trails, please visit our Donations page.]
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