Running in the Rain (and hail, and wind.....)

I was originally going to do a nice long bike ride yesterday but then I got to thinking about how nice the weather has been in the high country and I wanted to do something with my dog so I decided to go for a run in the Grouse Ridge area. However, when I awoke, it was cold with low clouds but I decided to give it a try.

Hitting the trail

There were occasional rain drops on the drive up and the sky looked threatening. As I arrived at the Grouse Ridge trailhead the temperature was 36 degrees, it was extremely windy and the low clouds kept visibility to a minimum.

I quickly added a couple layers, grabbed my fanny pack and started on the trail to Glacier Lake, just under 4 miles away. The trail immediately drops off the ridge and enters the forest which provided shelter from the wind and it warmed up a bit. I even took off my jacket and gloves. The sky would spit hail at me which was better than rain because it kept me drier. Yuba was thrilled about running around in the forest but wasn't too sure about what I was getting him into weather-wise. As we approached the lake we had to cross an exposed granite area and the wind and hail picked up. The hail would sting my neck and face as I tried to keep track of the trail across the rock as the cloud cover lowered providing limited visibility.

None too soon we reached Glacier Lake where we had a quick snack. The clouds were so low you couldn't even see across the lake to the Black Buttes I knew were there and have climbed in the past. I put my jacket back on then we started heading back. Yuba led the way at a run.

Water dog, no matter the weather

Glacier Lake behind us

Crossing the open granite area was tough. We were headed into the wind and the hail really stung any exposed skin. Apparently, I was travelling too slow for Yuba so he sprinted ahead to the shelter of the forest. Once we were in the trees the hail turned to a steady rain and turned the trail into a creek with lots of large puddles. I was soon soaked. But the running was good and I picked it up a bit and the temperature wasn't a factor, I felt warm. Yuba had a system, he would run ahead of me through the open areas and then take shelter in the trees and wait for me.

Wind damage on the trail

The final climb back to the truck put us on an exposed ridge and we became victims of the cold, biting wind again. The windward side of my truck was already accumulating ice on it. Yuba was happy to get in out of the elements. I was too. I put on a dry sweatshirt and hat, cranked the heater on, and the best part, put on the seat heater. Heaven.

Shelter at last

So I ended up picking the one day in the past month that had bad weather. But fair weather runs are a dime a dozen, it's the bad weather runs that create memories.