The views from Panorama Ridge are some of the most scenic in the area and certainly the best in Garibaldi Provincial Park, with a full panoramic view of Garibaldi Lake, Black Tusk, and the Helm Lake area. Visiting the park without taking the short detour to the summit would be a real shame.

There are quite a few route options. The ridge can be reached from either the Cheakamus Lake trailhead just south of Whistler or from the Rubble Creek parking lot just north of Squamish. It can be done either as an out-and-back from either point directly to the ridge, or as a point-to-point along the Rubble Creek Classic 25k route by shuttling two vehicles.

In addition to (or perhaps instead of) Panorama Ridge, you could do a summit of Black Tusk, although I hear it gets pretty busy up there and the view looking back at Black Tusk from Panorama Ridge is much more dramatic. A short detour down to Garibaldi Lake is another great option.

We decided to do what seems to be the most popular option for trail runners of a point-to-point, dropping off one car at Rubble Creek before starting the trip from the Cheakamus Lake Trailhead.

It was my last big weekend of training before Waldo 100k a few weeks later and the trip marked my second fairly epic run of the weekend, after having done a loop through Hanes Valley the day before on Saturday. My Instragram feed that weekend was gold, I tell ya!

It’s pitch black as we line-up at 5 am under the gondola in front of the Willamette Pass Ski Lodge, 70 miles east of Eugene, Oregon. With headlamps ready, we say our good-byes and, at the sound of the horn, begin to climb directly up the ski run.

The Waldo 100k is a loop-type course, starting at an elevation of 5,120′ and climbing up several mountains including Fuji, The Twins, and Maiden Peak before returning to the ski area for a total of 11,000′ in elevation gain (and equal loss). The race is considered the most prestigious in the state and has included many of the biggest names in Oregonian ultrarunning such as Tim Olson, Hal Koerner, and Ian Sharman. Registration sold out this year in less than 40 minutes.

Hanes Valley is a favourite among local trail runners and it’s no surprise why. It’s essentially a backcountry route connecting Lynn Headwaters and Grouse Mountain, two more popular areas of our local trails, which gives you a real sense of isolation and adventure.

You can do it either from Grouse or via Lynn Valley, but most seem to prefer the latter. This allows for a nice warm up as you complete the relatively flat and familiar trip out to Norvan Falls before making your way up the valley to Crown Pass, around Dam Mountain to Grouse and finally returning downhill via Mountain Highway and the Baden Powell (or any other of the many routes back) for a full loop.

I’d made an unsuccessful attempt last Fall with my buddies Karl and (Salomon West Vancouver teammate) James, when early season snow made us turn back halfway. This was my last big weekend of training before Waldo 100k a few weeks later and with the route completely clear of snow it was a perfect chance to attempt the traverse again with Karl and 4 others.

“Up for doing a bit of running in San Diego in June?”

I had quite a few big training runs on the schedule leading up to my first 100 km race, the Waldo 100k later this summer, so when two friends asked if I’d crew and pace at the San Diego 100 miler, it sounded like a great excuse for a vacation.

My friends Hozumi and Jeremy, both much more experienced and talented runners, have been really great in mentoring me over the past year as I transitioned from road to trail and in training for longer distances, so I was happy to help.

I first heard about the Kneeknacker North Shore Trail Race a few years ago while training for a marathon. It sounded nearly impossible at the time, running from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove along the Baden Powell trail with 8,000 feet of climbing over 30 miles, when having to run up even a small hill in a marathon seemed like a challenge.

With Waldo 100k coming up in 4 weeks, Kneeknacker was technically a training run. I did take a short taper of a week or so, but was still running 75-100k per week in the two weeks prior. So I felt a little over-trained for a race of this distance and relatively fast pace (I never thought I’d consider a 50k to be too short and fast) and perhaps a little under-rested. But don’t get me wrong – I was definitely there to race and gave it my all.