Memorably Good Runs

Recently I was thinking about memorably good runs, where I was very happy during and after. No doubt it's not just the trail, it's the weather and frame of mind I was in that day too. But that's okay. Here they are. If any are interesting to you, good chance I blogged it - but you'll have to use the search box as I'm too lazy to link to all of them.


NORCAL

• The Anti Ranger Run in Muir Woods - multiple times including this year (so I've heard) - Marin
• Marin Reservoir - Yolanda Trail around Phoenix Lake and back via Eldridge Grade
• Point Reyes Estero Trail, Marin Coast
• Point Reyes to Mt. Vision, Marin Coast
• Point Reyes Red Barn to Mt. Wittenberg to the old Arch and back, Marin Coast
• Point Reyes Palomarin to Red Barn (that was in the rain), Marin Coast
• From the Clayton side of Diablo to the top, East Bay Mountains
• Tilden along the ridge to Redwood Preserve - anything including French Trail, East Bay Mountains
• Soda springs in Purisima (didn't they re-name this? I'm old and can't learn the new name), Santa Cruz Mountains
• Pomo Canyon, Sonoma Coast
• Big Basin - to Wadell Beach, Coast
• Yosemite - Half Dome (duh), Sierras
• Yosemite - Curry Village past Half Dome, past Vogelsang Peak, to Tuolumne Meadows, Sierras
• The K2 Loop at the North-Middle Fork of the American River Confluence area near Auburn at the end of the Western States Trail, Sierra Foothills
• Red Star Ridge and Lyons Ridge on the Western States Trail, Sierras
• Pioneer Trail in Auburn (from China Bar to Folsom), Sierra Foothills
• Darrington Trail in the spring along the South Fork of the American River/east end of Lake Folsom, Sierra Foothills
• Up Mt. Lassen from forested lower forested area of park - Cascades
• Feather Falls, Northern Sierra
• Desolation Wilderness - from Echo Lake past Lake Aloha to Emerald Bay

SOCAL

• Big Sur - the one that goes back to the hot springs
• Pismo Dunes
• Up and over Santa Barbara front range to Gibraltar Reservoir
• Santa Monica Mountains, ie Boney Mountain
• Up San Gorgonio, most under-rated hike in Socal
• Cactus to Clouds (up Mt. San Jacinto)
• Crystal Cove, Orange County Coast
• Around Trabuco Ridges above Silverado (inland O.C.)
• "The Secret Valleys" - east side of Miramar Marine Air Station in San Diego, unfortunately now much better patrolled
• Rancho Penasquitos - to the falls, connecting to an adjacent canyon (eg McGonigal) or all the way to the coast

NON-PACIFIC, WEST OF MISSISSIPPI

• Bryce Canyon (not big but unbelievable)
• Grand Canyon South Rim
• Canyonlands - crossing/scrambling up and down several canyons to get to the Colorado River, through the Needles unit of the park. This is actually the run that started me thinking about this.
• Glacier Natl Park - including the Garden Well (twice!)
• Grand Tetons (to the west/above the lakes)
• South Sister, Oregon
• Bandera, Texas Hill Country

EAST COAST

• New Jersey Pine Barrens
• State College - the only road run on this list, all the way from downtown to Shingletown Gap

INTERNATIONAL

• La Palma - up along the original caldera toward the summit
• High Tatras in Poland/Slovakia
• Ermei Shan in Sichuan Province, China
• The road at the top of the island in Hong Kong. I will be back to hike from HKK up to the Buddha on Lantau Island.
• Routeburn Track, New Zealand. IMO blows the rest of the (also awesome) treks out of the water.

I am fortunate to be able to say that I am certainly missing some, and will add them as I think of them.