Mud Mountain Rim Trail

Training for the Tacoma City Marathon has begun! The beagle and I took a leisurely 3+ mile run up near Mud Mountain Dam this afternoon. I was surprised to see new snow up there since most of ours has melted. The Rim Trail begins at the starts dam's day-use area. We were the only ones at the park, and much of the snow was untouched aside from a few boot and canine footprints from the morning and day before. The normally fantastic views of the White River Canyon and neighboring mountains were extra beautiful covered in snow. The Rim Trail is listed as 3.5 miles; you can stretch it a bit longer if you work some of the nearby gravel and/or surface roads.

The trail winds through second growth forest; I had hiked it once before in the summer with friends. It is georgeous, with lots of salmonberry, ferns and views across the canyon. We could always hear the muted rushing river sound. Since it was a short run, we doubled back after about 20 minutes. Months ago, I would not even venture out the door for a run less than 45 minutes long. Now with an achey back, I focus on what I know about Chi running to lean straight, breathe, stride right and pace myself. B's pace is really no faster than 9 minute per mile. Five minutes on the trail, it seemed she realized this was not a fun, snooping hike, that we were running. At ~10 inches high, she has to high step it to make it through the snow. She loves it, but at her own pace. I felt bad when I pushed her on a 4 mile run in the summer, so we took it easy. She is compelled to loiter and snoop. I turned back a few times to check on her progress.

Without gaiters and waterproof trail runners, my feet got fairly wet. Back at the parking lot, I looped around to cool down. I had never been to the Lookout; I gazed down at the White River and the dam for a few minutes until the near 30 degree temperature moved me back towards the car to put another layer on and stretch. I hope to make it back to the trail to do some longer trail runs - maybe in the snow.

Library Run

This guy is some kind of ultrarunner! Most people cannot understand why Sam Thompson ran 50 miles through one of Seattle's worst snow storms in recent history. Why? To visit libraries! And his books were not overdue either.

Snoquera Falls

What a chilly winter day to hike! On the way we passed the area where rains caused an immense slide that close Hwy 410 for several days in November. Thirty-four degrees at the parking lot off Forest Service Road 7155, we reached the falls to relatively warm, clear weather. The trail leads off the back end of the parking lot near Camp Shepard. We ran into a horde of Cub Scouts arriving for a weekend retreat. We passed them on the trail learning about plants and reached the falls quickly. Falling water was sparse, and the view was spectacular - skinny cascades coming off the basalt ledge. Normally, maples and thimbleberry cover the rocky area under the falls, but they had lossed their leaves by early December. We walked on the brown, crunchy leaves covering the trail around the stream.

It was an easy walk for the dog apart from a rocky 10 minute descent about halfway through the loop. The trail is well maintained, but the talus slide makes for some falls (the human kind) and erosion. Some trail reviews say this obstacle is "next to impossible" to traverse. However, continuing on the loop is so worth it! The last part of the hike is unlike the first part. We walked through some of the lushest, mossy areas I have seen in the MBS Forest. And you cross several other trail intersections, White River Trail and Buck Creek Trail, that lead to other great spots in the area.