What a great run today! We had about 25 people show up on a bit of a gloomy day to power up Hollyburn and see what the reality is for snow and visibility on the mountain. It was great because everyone seemed up for the adventure and also they weren’t the least bit concerned with altering their plans as necessary. This route can be very unpredictable because of the conditions. The state of our runners at this point in training seemed very good though so I was happy to see people give it their best shot.
I advised everyone based on recent knowledge that the upper section on Hollyburn would be a bit brutal given the snow still on the course. I’m glad I did because it turned out the weather was making things tough as well, not just because of the several feet of snow still there. Most runners turned around at the Ranger station and I know that some did extra distance down below. In fact on my way back I found Mark Courtenay weary after completing a few dozen laps up and down the Chute … okay 3 laps, whew.
After running over several new bridges on the first section and hiking around several blow downs on the Hollyburn Chute, I myself was determined to make it all the way to the top of the Hollyburn ski runs where it turns into the trees. It was a bit of a challenge since the trail was well hidden under the complete covering of snow and also because of the heavy cloud cover. But after going in circles a couple of times I made my way up the ski route and into the trees just in the right place. For those of you that know the spot, the first bridge you come to is actually bare. The only challenge was getting to it since I was standing on snow, right beside the bridge, with six feet below me and the wooden crossing. There was something seriously wrong with that picture but that’s the truth. The snow is still piled high to say the least.
But that doesn’t mean it won’t all be gone by race day. There is still well over a month to go and that adds up to a lot of sun, rain, and warm weather for melting. FYI, in 1999, we had almost this much snow on race day. That was fun!
I didn’t bother going into the trees because I knew that section would be very tough. Instead I just turned around and picked up the pace as I floated over the hard packed snow on my way back. It was fast and fun and I earned it by that point.
I understand that August and others made it all the way to Cypress Bowl but I suspect they went at least one direction on the road between the Ranger station and the big parking lot. Mark told me he saw them briefly on the way back but they missed me somehow.
It was a great day and it looks like we all got at least 3 hours of tough running in (without any rain). It was 12:45 when Mark and I got back to the Dam together and we were both happy but spent. Another great Knee Knacker training run under our belts.
Next week the route is “Grouse to top of Seymour Grind return (long option to Old Buck)”. The best part is you’ll get to see the results of our Trail Work Party yesterday. Good luck this week and be sure to show up an hour earlier at 7:00 am next Sunday.
Craig Moore
(e-mail me with our feedback form)