The Great USDA National Forest Tour, Part 1
My dad spent his entire working life with the USDA Forest Service, employed as a civil engineer. He once told me that the second half of his career felt like a hangover from the first half, where he spent his days doing site visits in the wilderness and was not yet crushed under the weight of bureaucracy (his words, not mine). I didn’t ask him enough questions about his day-to-day back then, but that’s just how it goes when you lose someone. I have a lot of memories though: mornings watching my dad don his field outfit with official patches and name tag; days spent hiking with him as he explains to me, at age 14, the nuances of a gabion wall; many instances of finding Smokey Bear paraphernalia strewn about the house. He was well-liked at his job, the jokester who could make you laugh in an instant but also knew how to get things done, and done well. Every “Entering National Forest” sign sends me down memory lane, in addition to every step taken through wooded forests and open grasslands. So does the scent of pine trees and the rush of a creek underneath a bridge that some engineer just like my dad designed.
He died in 2019 after a long and painful battle with a very rare cancer. I didn’t set out looking for some specific way to honor his memory - I do that every time I joke around with friends and family, or when I work through an engineering problem, or when I spend way too much time trying to find something that isn’t Made in China. But then in 2021, I came across the Bighorn Trail Race; a notoriously difficult but scenic race that takes place in the Bighorn National Forest, just outside of Sheridan, Wyoming. I had spent 7 years of early childhood in this small town while my dad worked to improve the infrastructure and preserve the ecosystem of that national forest. If Sheridan could host a trail race, perhaps I could find a race in all the national forests that my dad called home. And thus, my plan was born: race in all of them. There have been hiccups, of course, and I can only truly, officially, say that I’ve done a race in 3 of 8 national forests. It will take several more years and possibly some creative interpretation as to what “counts” here, but for now, here is a recap of the miles so far.
San Isabel National Forest - Colorado
This is the easy one because it’s only a few hours away from where I currently live. I also have more memories here, since this is the most recent and last forest that he worked in. We shared more than one miserable camping trip together near Buena Vista when somehow the rainiest weekend of the summer would seek us out. When my running coach suggested I look into a new, inaugural race that took place just outside Buena Vista, it seemed like the best fit. And, it took place partially on NF land! So, I completed the West Line Winder as my first 50K running through one of my favorite national forests. I talk about the race itself here, in relation to some general experiences with running. At this time, I hadn’t developed my plan yet, but I did like the idea of racing where I had memories with my dad.
I went back to San Isabel in 2022 to race the Sawatch Ascent 50K, a sister race to the West Line Winder. I didn’t do this because I “had” to as part of this mission, but because it looked like a really awesome course and I finally felt capable of doing it. I finished, just barely under my goal time, completely wrecked but proud because I knew I had given it my all. This is still my favorite race to date, and maybe I’ll be back yet again.
Coronado National Forest - Arizona
I haven’t been able to confirm that any of the races in the Tucson area are actually permitted through the USFS, so I haven’t raced any. There are a couple that come close to national forest property, but not quite. I did sign up for the Saguaro National Park Half Marathon in 2022, which had no ties to Coronado NF, but it just looked fun. I didn’t even race it due to a flared up posterior tibial tendon. So, progress here has been slow. However, in 2023 Kit and I spent a month back in Tucson, to escape the cold and to pretend that we didn’t hate our jobs by working remotely. While there, I found a big, intimidating route that went through Coronado NF, and I figured, if I don’t find an official race here, this will have to count.
The problem is that I didn’t manage to finish the route.
The trails starts up Bear Canyon, from Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. This trail has (as it turns out) 7+ river crossings. After attempting to gingerly work my way through the first crossing without getting my feet wet, I realized it was the wrong approach. Just jump in, shoes and all. (Honestly, it was liberating! And somewhat serendipitous as well. After running 14 miles in wet shoes during this run, I got no blisters. I leveled up as a trail runner. Which is good, because I’d have to put this to the test twice more in 2023, which was apparently the year of the Wet Races). After climbing away from the river, the trail winds up some beautiful switchbacks and heads deeper into the wilderness. Eventually, the trail pops up over another steep climb and connects with another trail, which I would take back down to the Sabino Visitors Center.
About a mile after the first major climb, the anxiety set in. I was feeling great (albeit slow) after conquering the river crossings, but there was NO ONE out here. I passed a few folks at the 7 Falls Lookout, and that was it. I had lost cell service, which should have been a surprise to no one, but it was something I hadn’t really thought about. And as such, I had failed to bring my Satellite phone. Visions of running into a mountain lion, or (more likely) stepping on a rattlesnake, took over my brain and I struggled to move onwards. I’d run 10 steps, stop, consider whether I was making the right choice….tell myself to be brave, run another 10 steps….and the cycle continued for way too long. I turned back at mile 5.5 and it took me a lot of time to get there. Objectively, I hadn’t planned correctly here, and it was an ambitious run for the day. I was moving slow, and it wasn’t smart to continue. But I’m still mad that it was anxiety that made me turn back, even if justified.
I did add a little “apertif” by summitting Blackett’s Ridge before calling it a day - much more populated and only a few miles (but steep!). At the top, I struck up a nice conversation with a hiker, and it made the whole thing feel a little more worth it. I still feel like my Coronado Adventure was a failure though. If I never make it back, at least I got to play on this land and see places my dad got to see. I hope to be back, whether it’s to finish this loop, or to run an official race. Or just escape the snow again.
Bighorn National Forest - Wyoming
If I ever get around to writing about this race, I’ll post it on the blog. But for the purpose of this entry, here are some facts:
I attempted the 52 Mile distance. At the time, my longest race had been about 33 miles during the Sawatch Ascent 50K. It was a big, intimidating jump in mileage on a big, intimidating course. I’m proud of myself for taking the risk even if it didn’t pan out.
This is a notoriously challenging race, which is somewhat deceptive when looking at the elevation profile. Sure, it has some climbing, but there is more descending than ascending, and a lot of the trail looks like fairly runnable singltrack. The problem is the mud. There is always mud at the top, near Jaws. And this year, the mud was a lot worse than usual - continuing for the entire length of the course that I covered. Luckily, running through the river in Coronado NF prepared me for shin-deep mud pits! It still wrecked me.
To make matters worse, in order to catch the shuttle to the race start, I had to wake up at 1:30am. I was freaking exhausted before I ran a single step.
I had excruciating pain in my left foot starting at mile 14. Uphills felt okay, downhills did not.
I made it 35 miles, which was my longest run ever. I was not allowed to continue because I missed the cutoff (but I accepted this graciously)
I met a woman at my second to last aid station who knew my dad, and chatted with her for a few minutes. And….I missed the next cutoff by a few minutes, but I don’t have regrets here. Also, some nuance: even if I had made the cutoff, I would have needed to run right through the next aid station, with no time to restock food from my drop bag or change my sopping wet shoes, or even top off water. I’m not sure I was going to make it much farther regardless. There was more than one instance leading up to this where I engaged in some high-key self-sabotage.
This race had about a 60% finisher rate, which is low.
It was a really beautiful course, and I will be back.
I’d be willing to “count” this one, even if it ended with a DNF, but I also have some unfinished business here.
Pikes Peak National Forest - Colorado
This one was a fun one! I didn’t even know if I was going to do it, because technically, my dad worked for the San Isabel and Pikes Peak districts at the same time…did it count as two separate forests? But I’m really glad I did it, because it was a great race. I “only” did the 30K, because this was about 6 weeks after the Bighorn 52 Miler attempt and I didn’t know if my body would be up for it at all. But I was feeling pretty good, my foot was finally pain-free, and I decided to run the thing. My coach and I discussed this as a training run only (“just treat it like a catered 18 miler run!”) since I hadn’t done any proper build up or taper here… but I failed to follow that advice, and I’m not mad about it. I didn’t feel like I was racing it recklessly, but I did push myself for the full 3.5 hours it took me, and I feel proud of my time with a course this difficult. It was runnable, but had a lot of elevation gain. It was a fun weekend with some friends, and a fun day on the trails! Amazing to be done before noon. I could really get behind these sub-ultra distances…
Cibola National Forest - New Mexico
In the last 1.5 years, I’ve done quite a bit of running in the Elena Gallegos Recreational Area just outside of popular vacation destination Albuquerque, New Mexico. A very good friend of mine and her partner live part-time on the outskirts of the city, just a block away from the trail system here. This Recreation Area is in and connected to Cibola National Forest. So, I’ve been on a lot of runs on this land. In 2023, Kit and I both signed up for the 2nd Annual Foothills 10 Mile Run, which takes place on these same trails. I don’t think I would have signed up for this if it weren’t for this little “forest run” goal, so this was really about checking the box here. I hadn’t done much speed work leading up to this race, and was still recovering from my self-inflicted 50-mile run I completed a few weeks prior, so I had very low expectations for my performance. But we tucked in with a mid-pack group and held on for the whole race! I finished 20 minutes faster than I anticipated, and placed 3rd in my age group. Pretty stoked.
No photos from race day, but here are some from another run on the same trails.
Onward
I just retired my first running vest, so this felt like a good time to stop and reflect. This involved undoing the stitching on my favorite addition to my running gear: one of my dad's old Smokey Bear patches that I found in his things. I transferred it onto my new vest. The adventures continue.
I don't run "for him" - I'm pretty sure he would have tried to talk me out of going long distances and told me I was "crazy" and "going to get injured" (not all wrong…) but I am fueled by the things he taught me: the importance of persistence, action, and hard work, and an appreciation of nature. And Smokey Bear also reminds me of the fragility of our forests, and how important it is that I understand that. I'm happy to carry with me this memento, especially when I'm cursing the ground beneath my feet, or hating on my body when it starts to fail me.
Here’s where we are so far:
San Isabel NF - DONE! (but will probably race here yet again just for fun)
Coronado NF - I’ll probably be back but at least I went.
Bighorn NF - I’ll definitely be back.
Pikes Peak NF - DONE!
Cibola NF - DONE!
Come back for Part 2, in several years, which will include:
Carson NF - Enchanted Forest Trail Race, 2024!
The Bighorn 52 Miler Comeback (2025?)
Hopefully back to Coronado NF, too. I’ll either complete that loop, or finish a race in the area. I’m not sure any of them actually, officially, enter the National Forest but I’ll do my best.
Willamette NF - This feels possible! It’s a big forest near a trail running community, but I haven’t found the right race yet.
Umpqua NF - This does not feel possible, I have found nothing. So, we’ll see what I do here.
It’s been a good ride so far, exploring new and old places. Hopefully I’m tracing at least some of my dad’s footsteps in the process. I have so many questions I wish I could ask, but instead I’ll just enjoy being in the trees and the dirt and the smells and the sounds. Onward.