I
’ve always been a runner. Since I was young I competed in track
and field and cross-country races. When I wasn’t doing that, I was
finding myself exploring the mountains near my home in Whistler,
B.C. I began to notice over the years that I constantly wanted to run
further and further. When I start running, there’s always a part of
me that doesn’t want to stop, no matter how tired I get. Completing a
solo multi-day run in the mountains is an idea I’ve always had in my
head. There’s something about moving through the landscape alone,
with very minimal supplies that has always inspired me. This story is
about my first experience with a trip such as this.
After looking over many different routes in the Coast Mountains
and the Rockies, I decided to do something at home in Whistler.
Starting at the Rubble Creek parking lot, 27 kilometres south of
Whistler, and finishing the run at Green Lake which is 6. 4 kilo-
metres north of town. Throughout this, I wanted to spend as much
time in the Alpine as possible, which made the trail choices quite
easy. The trip began at the Rubble Creek Trailhead and then over
to Cheakamus Lake, then across the valley to the Flank Trail, and
up onto the Skywalk Trail, where I linked the south end of the
trail with the north end to finish off at Screaming Cat Lakes on
Cougar Mountain.
On the first day I felt great, excited for what I had ahead of me.
Although as I began running, the intimidation of how far I had to
go in two days started to consume my mind. To be honest, I had no
idea how far I really had to run. I mean I had a rough idea, and I knew
where I needed to make it to on the first day, but the total distance
was in the range of 85–100k (I think), with at least 5 ,000 m of
elevation gain. Oh, and more than half of the trails I had to run I had
never actually been on before, so to say I was going into this under-
prepared is an understatement. Although, that’s how I planned it.
I wanted to have an adventure, and to push myself physically and
mentally with a loose itinerary.runningmagazine.ca Canadian Running 39