Coldwater Lake (mile 45.2) to Norway Pass (Mile 63.9)
Just as the sun began to set, I ran into the Coldwater Lake aid station where I was greeted by my husband George and my boss Doug Brown, both of whom had just taken a refreshing swim in the lake. I took off my pack, sat in the folding chair and requested a shoe and sock change. Doug was brave and tackled wiping off my feet before I generously reapplied Squirrel's Nut Butter and put on a fresh pair of Drymax Socks.
George refreshed my pack, we pulled out my lights so we were ready for darkness. George and I said goodbye to Douglas and I apologized for the mess I was leaving behind. We set off and George informed me that we would be following the lake for a few runnable miles before starting a steep climb out into the Mount Margaret backcountry.
Our timing on this section was impeccable as we were treated to the most spectacular sunset. Several times I pulled out my phone to take pictures and also asked George to do the same.
Just as the colors in the night sky dissipated we worked our way deeper into the remote wilderness. The colors were gone but the stars were out as we headed up to the summit of Mount Margaret. This summit was the high point in the race. Here I stopped to pee and pretended to enjoy the panoramic views, if only there was light! After I was done, we turned around and started downhill and passed a sign that said “It’s all downhill from here!” I tucked away my poles just to then transition to an uphill. After some short complaining from me the uphill bursts ended and we descended to Norway Pass.
I was a few hours ahead of my projected splits so George enjoyed telling me about how everyone was scrambling trying to recalculate their crew and pace times while factoring in their sleep, showers and meals. They were doing exactly as they should do, taking care of themselves. As lovely as a proper meal, sleep and a shower sounded, my focus needed to remain on staying upright, taking in calories and making forward progress.
Norway Pass (Mile 63.9) to Elk Pass (Mile 75)
As George and I ran into the aid station we were flagged down by Kirsten who was ready to pace me next. Just like my previous stops we worked to restock my pack, keep my feet in good condition and address any other needs I had at the moment. Having Kirsten pace was a true gift as we used to run together several times a week prior to her moving out of state. We had a lot to catch up on and talk about, this would help pass the darkest hours of the night.
We made steady work on the climb out of Norway Pass and of course, got to test the body and patience over some downed trees in the blast area. It all seemed to flow nicely along with the conversation. There were several times I wanted to just stop dead, turn around and hug her. I wanted to just say “I miss you so much!” She is one of the people in my life who has taught and shown me what a true friendship looks like and feels like. I felt so fortunate to have her along on this journey and just like that her section was coming to a close. As we approached the aid station we began seeing Zombie Warning Signs. It did not really register in my mind yet that each aid station had a theme.
Photo Credit: Kirsten Workman
I told Kirsten “If a zombie jumps out at me I am literally going ninja on them.” I have no idea what my moves would have been, but I was ready to pull some! A minute or so later we came to an airhorn that said to blast it to announce our arrival. Air horns scare me, so I shuffled past and turned back to see Kirsten contemplating complying with the sign. She grabbed it and I covered my ears while trying to get away. HOOOONNNNNK Elk Pass we have arrived!
Elk Pass (Mile 75) to RD 9327 (Mile 90)
My original estimated arrival time to Doug was just around sunrise, but the reality was I was there a few hours early. He had been pretty pumped prior to the race about not needing to wear his headlamp. I had screwed that up. I crossed my fingers that maybe he had some extra coffee and was in a swimmingly good mood even though it was around 2:30 AM. His energy did not disappoint and he was eager to share some miles with me.
It was a fairly easy climb out of Elk Pass and the night sky was dark but beautifully illuminated by stars. We passed the miles catching up on conversation, everything from work stuff to personal stuff. I am fortunate in that Doug is my boss at work, but also a good friend. This was his first time at an ultra running event, he jumped right into the mix by agreeing to crew and pace. The time seemed to pass fairly quickly as we began to be greeted with some early daylight that revealed beautiful ridge meadows and rocky outcroppings that made way to amazing views.
We were moving along okay, but I was making careless errors. As we ran through a rutted sandy section I called out a “large hole” while pointing to it just to then fall in it. Luckily no harm and some laughter was had at my expense. Just some more dirt to layer onto my already dusty body. I also realized maybe I should never wear a white shirt again for running. We made our way into the aid station and I pointed out the cold swimming hole on our right to Doug so he could bathe in nature now that his first pacing duty had come to a conclusion.
RD 9327 (Mile 90) to Spencer Butte (Mile 101.2)
Road 9237 to Quartz Ridge was the longest stretch for one pacer so I had no question it would be Jack. The temperature was increasing. We started with a nice downhill road section but then somehow that downhill turned into an uphill. Both the downhill and uphill felt nice because being on pavement somehow felt like easy running. We made fairly quick work on this section and used these miles to tell stories that we had each missed out on since we had seen each other last. Oddly somewhere around mile 95, we crossed into the Bermuda Triangle of the Bigfoot 200. My watch froze, all the numbers on the screen stopped moving, my Garmin Inreach mini shut off and my phone said on the screen “Busy try again in 30 minutes!” I tried to troubleshoot while still running. I couldn’t get anything to cooperate. I tried not to let it bother me, but it did! Then miles later my watch started moving again, and my phone no longer said “Busy”.
We arrived at the Spencer Butte Aid and asked for my drop bag. I had put snacks and hydration refills for both of us in my bag. We both attended to restocking our own stuff while I had some watermelon and ice cubes. Jack opted for a freshly made cheese quesadilla. Finally, we were ready to check out and leave the station when someone asked if my tracker was still on my shoulder strap. I showed them that it was and they asked how much time they had before I left. I explained we were in the act of leaving, they asked for my tracker noting that it wasn’t tracking correctly. I was told, “It will be like ten minutes”. Once it was showing the correct location we were allowed to depart.
Spencer Butte (Mile 101) to Lewis River (Mile 108.8 )
This section was neat. A lot of day hikers and tourists, but the Lewis River was like nothing I had run near before. I kept asking if we could stop and check out the river, which was met with a sharp “NO”. I insisted that there was a spot that we needed to at least get a photo of. I explained to Jack that I didn’t know exactly where but I would say the word when we were there. We had to go a little past a left-hand turn for the view of the waterfall, but the extra effort was worth it and Jack even smiled a little.
After the tourist stop the trails continued to be buffed out and easy going with more down than up. I dunked my hat a few times when the rivers and streams permitted and started to dream about popsicles. The final uphill was the climb up to the aid station from the gate. Did I dare say or even think just one hundred miles to go?
Lewis River (Mile 108.8 ) to Quartz Ridge (Mile 126)
Again, I had done a drop bag for both Jack and I. We both grabbed our different items from the bag. We both discarded trash and took a few minutes to empty our shoes of sand, gravel and pine needles. The distance to the next aid station was just over 17 miles and had over seven thousand feet of climb and about four and a half thousand feet of descent. We had our work cut out for us and it just kept feeling hotter. The aid station had suggested we make sure to top off our hydration levels before climbing out of the valley so we kept that in mind.
We continued to hike uphill and to run the downs. There did not seem to be anything in between. We topped off our water by filters and then started on the steep climb out of Quartz Creek to meet back up with the Boundary Trail. We encountered some dirt bikers on the steep sections which was neat and also a bit nerve-wracking. Each time I stepped off the trail making sure they saw me, but they certainly were confident in their skills and/or didn’t care how close they got to Jack and I.
I got pretty quiet and Jack asked if he needed to tell me a story, I laughed and said “Not yet, but thanks. I will let you know when!” We ran a very dusty downhill to the Quartz Creek Aid Station. Here they asked for my tracker again, but this time as I entered and not as I was leaving. As they worked on it, I went to my crew car for a fresh change of clothes and to try and get a little sleep. Climbing into the back of the car I got comfortable and my body was stationary but my mind was active. I gave it ten minutes or so and then got out and declared it was time to go. Darkness was setting in and I was feeling sleepy, but told George, who was pacing me next, that I was willing to take a dirt nap if needed.