The Hike-A-Thon is On!

 How many miles will I hike this month?

I started the Washington Trails Association's 2012 Hike-A-Thon with a bike trip! It was actually a car-free hiking research trip to Sidney, BC on the Saanich Pensinsula north of Victoria. There I hiked 10 miles in the John Dean Provincial Park and 10 miles on Sidney Island in the Gulf Islands National Park Preserve. It was a research trip for my upcoming book, Day Hiking San Juan and Gulf Islands and the first one  I did car-free. I took my bicycle over on the  Anacortes-Sidney Ferry and stayed right in Sidney (at the waterfront Sidney Pier Hotel) from where I biked to John Dean Park and took a passenger ferry to Sidney Island. I then biked part of the Lochside Trail researching it for my book as well. You see this will be my first book that also explains how to get to trails and campgrounds by bicycle and whether trailheads and campgrounds and lodging are bike friendly. The Sidney Pier Hotel is-they'll lock your bike in a secure room.

The San Juan and Gulf Islands and Victoria-Saanich Peninsula are ideal for bike touring and bike-hiking options. Big advantages aside from not using gasoline is the convenience of getting on ferries. No reservation needed. No long line ups and only a fraction of the expense to get to the islands. Try it!

Now about the Hike-A-Thon. SPONSOR ME! (please!). I'm hoping to raise $1,500 for WTA this year to help protect and enhance the trails that we love so much! To give you an added incentive to sponsor me, I will be giving away some of my books and thanks to the generosity of Green Trails Maps, I'll be giving away a few special series maps too!

Anyone who sponsors me at $25 or more will have their choice of a special series Green Trails Map (a $12 value).

Anyone who sponsors me at $40 or more gets a map and a membership in WTA (if you're not already a member).

Anyone who sponsors me at any level is eligible to make a little wager as to how many miles I will hike in August. Make a guess (send it to me at Craig@craigromano.com or on my facebook page "Craig Romano Guidebook author) and the person who comes closest to my August total without going over will win his or her choice of two of my guidebooks! How cool is that?

Finally, because I want to pay-it-forward; if you help me make my $1,500 goal I will personally donate $100 to the Skagit Land Trust’s Barney Lake campaign. WTA and Skagit Land Trust have partnered in the past on such great projects as Guemes and Vendovi Islands (both appearing in my new book, Day Hiking San Juan and Gulf Islands).

So, what are you waiting for?! Make a donation today!
Ready to get started? Just click "Sponsor Me" to make a donation.
Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Sponsor me and save a trail, get a map, win a book,

and help me protect a lake!

Greetings friends and loyal readers:

I have decided this year to participate in WTA's hike-a-thon in addition to the in-kind donation I give every year volunteering as one of the prizes to lead people on an all day fun hike. I'm hoping to raise $1,500 for WTA this year to help protect and enhance the trails that we love so much! To give you an added incentive to sponsor me (and to add a little more fun to this event), I will be giving away some of my books and thanks to the generosity of Green Trails Maps, I'll be giving away a few special series maps too!

Anyone who sponsors me at $25 or more will have their choice of a special series Green Trails Map (a $12 value).

Anyone who sponsors me at $40 or more gets a map and a membership in WTA (if you're not already a member).

Anyone who sponsors me at any level is eligible to make a little wager as to how many miles I will hike in August. Make a guess (send it to me at Craig@craigromano.com or on my facebook page "Craig Romano Guidebook author) and the person who comes closest to my August total without going over will win his or her choice of two of my guidebooks! How cool is that? I am researching two books and doing some mapping for Green trails to give you an idea of how much I'll be on the trail. Previous Augusts have averaged about 150 miles for me.

Finally, because I want to pay-it-forward; if you help me make my $1,500 goal I will personally donate $100 to the Skagit Land Trust’s Barney Lake campaign. WTA and Skagit Land Trust have partnered in the past on such great projects as Guemes and Vendovi Islands (both appearing in my new book, Day Hiking San Juan and Gulf Islands).

So, what are you waiting for?! Make a donation today!
Ready to get started? Just click "Sponsor Me" to make a donation.
 Thank you in advance for your generosity! And Giuseppe (one of two of my furry office assistants) says "Mille Grazie!"

(photo taken by Karen Sykes)

Hiking In Kind

I like to put my money (and occasionally other people's money too-more on that to come) where my boots are. I support a handful of recreation and conservation groups that work on behalf of keeping our trails and parks open and in good shape; and in purchasing new lands for conservation and helping to protect the ones we have already secured. In addition to making monetary donations, I often give in kind donations to help out some of my favorite organizations. Through in kind donations I can often leverage more money for these groups than I can provide on my own.

Four groups that recently benefited from my in kind donations are the Skagit Land Trust, Columbia Land Trust, Washington Trails Association and the Washington National Parks Foundation. In three of these cases I put myself up for auction to personally guide folks on some of their favorite trails, In addition to receiving my hiking service  for the day, my publisher throws some books in too! For the Columbia Land Trust we extended the auction to allow other folks to buy a spot on the hike that I lead. We raised $1,000 on that hike! At the Skagit Land Trust auction, my hike secured $250; and for the Washington National Parks Fund, my hike brought in $400.
I also spend the day hiking with one of the winning groups in Washington Trails Association's annual Hike-a-Thon. And my 50 for 50 run last year raised $4,240 for WTA.

Collectively all of these events that I participate in raise some serious money for our trails and special places. WTA's Hike-a-Thon raised $67,000 in 2011. The Skagit Land Trust's 2012 auction brought in over $100,000. Washington National Parks Fund's recent auction raised $65,000 and the Columbia Land Trust's auction last year brought in an amazing $150,000! In these time of fiscal austerity, it is nice to see that folks are still generous and care enough to continue protecting our special places and leaving a natural legacy. I hope you too are finding ways to give back to your favorite trails, parks and wild places!

(Photo-A great day hiking the Weldon Wagon Road Trail and raising money for the Columbia Land Trust-photo courtesy of the Columbia Land Trust)

50 for 50 Final Wrap Up

It's nice to once again be concentrating on something more manageable than training for a 50 Mile Run--a new guidebook! I spent most of the first part of this year focused and training on participating in the White River 50 Mile Endurance Run and raising money for the Washington Trails Association in the process. It was a successful event for me culminating in my landing on the cover of Northwest Runner Magazine--a publication that I have written for over 12 years but was never able to secure getting on the cover (I shot a couple of cover shots though). Anyhow-I am now back in a more comfortable role of hiking my butt off instead of running it off- busy researching the next installment in the Day Hiking series-Eastern Washington. Here is the final column I wrote for my 50 for 50 series in Northwest Runner. It was a great journey and great way to  celebrate my new age. One thing is for sure, when I turn 60, I'll be doing any such run using the metric system!
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Fifty for Fifty

A Northwest Runner’s golden challenge
By Craig Romano

I DID IT! I successfully completed the White River 50 Mile Trail Run. It was my first 50 miler and my way of welcoming turning 50 years old this year. Before April of this year, I had never run beyond the marathon. I decided in February that I would run a 50 miler—and not just any 50 miler—but the tough and incredibly inspiring White River 50. I decided too that I would do it as a fundraiser for the Washington Trails Association to give back to the trails that I love and keep me employed as a guidebook author. I launched my 50 for 50 campaign (which ultimately raised over $4,000) making public announcements to both the running and hiking communities. After letting thousands of people know of my ambition. I was committed!

            After the initial excitement of starting such a grand journey, I would experience a full range of emotions throughout the next six months. Excitement. Nervousness. Anticipation. Dread. Intrigue. Anxiety. Self-doubt. Confidence. Determination. And Jubilation!

But in spite of a couple of physical setbacks along the way; just before the race, I knew that I had trained well. I was ready. Four weeks before race day I did my last long run—33 miles on the East Bank Ross Lake Trail in the North Cascades. My running partners were experienced ultra-runners; Alvin Crain, Joe Tompkins, and Shawna Tompkins (the woman’s winner in this year’s White River). I picked their brains as we put the miles in. They gave me great advice on hydrating, eating, staying focused, and most importantly for this race—how to properly run downhill.

            Over the past five months as part of my training plan, I had run one trail marathon and three 50K races. I had run several times up Blanchard, Chuckanut, Hamilton, and Anderson Mountains. I cross-country skied, did numerous bike rides and a fair amount of hiking as cross training. Twelve days before the race I did my last hard run; 16 miles up and over Fourth of July Pass in the North Cascades twice. The fact that I could run the 3,500 feet of sustained elevation gain gave me confidence that I could tackle White River’s infamous climbs. And I got an added adrenaline rush when I ran into a young bull moose along the way!

             I tapered to easy maintenance runs during the final week, resting completely the two days prior to the race. I spent most of that time mentally focusing—imagining myself on the run—and most importantly repetitiously seeing myself coming over the finish line.

            I arrived early at race headquarters at the Crystal Mountain Ski Area the day before the race. There I picked up my number and got reacquainted with race director Scott McCoubrey, his wife Leslie, and a handful of the wonderful volunteers. Scott had graciously invited me to spend the night at his ski club’s lodge allowing me close proximity to the race start.

            Staying at Scott’s lodge was convenient but also gave me anxiety. For also staying at the lodge were some of the Northwest’s ultra-running stars, including William Emerson, Greg Crowther (who along with Paul Morrison had given me great advice leading up to the race), and two-time (soon to be three time) White River winner Uli Steidl. Of course they were all gracious. I was just so nervous going into this race that watching these guys prepare, got my mind playing all kinds of tricks on me. I’m under prepared. I’m not in shape. I shouldn’t be out there. I had to call to my wife Heather to help rid these pre-race demons. She assured me what I already knew. Run your own race.

            I got very little sleep that night. I had anticipated that. Up at 3:30 am for a breakfast of oatmeal, banana, yogurt, a blueberry bagel with almond butter, and four cups of coffee— I was out the door at 4:40. I chose the 5:30 early start giving myself an extra hour to make the finish cutoff at 7:30 pm.

            The morning was fairly warm and as I met up with old friends and new acquaintances, volunteers and supporters; I relaxed. I was ready to run! Starting out with ultra-veteran Mike Mahaney who I completed my first Ultra, Mount Si with, we set into a good pace. Betsy Rogers joined along—and Betsy and I would see each other throughout the race.

            Under a cool canopy of old-growth we cruised to the first aid station at 3.9 miles. Seven miles of climbing would start soon afterward. Most of the climb involved well graded switchbacks, but there was one section through a steep ravine utilizing a staircase. We walked that part, but ran most of the rest of the climb. We paused briefly along the edge of the Palisades, an impressive series of cliffs hovering above the valley we started from. Mount Rainier revealed herself—so did Sun Top across the way. We’d get to that peak later in the day.

            Beyond the second aid station we hit snow. It slowed us a little but wasn’t too problematic. Race volunteers had spent days earlier shoveling out steps and leveling sloping sections. Beyond the half mile or so of snow it was smooth sailing along a mostly open ridge hovering around 5,500 feet in elevation. Views were grand—but I mostly concentrated on the tread at my feet.  By this time the faster participants were breezing by us. Winner Uli Steidl passed us way before the second aid station around 10 miles into the course. Female winner Shawna Tompkins passed us in the snow.

            A little before the third aid station at Mile 16.9 we passed race photographer Glen Tachiyama. I made sure to smile as he captured me coming down the dusty trail with Mount Rainier shining in the background. He would capture us all and then do it all over again on Sun Top at Mile 37. We made it to the third aid station at 4.5 hours and were happy with the pace. We refueled while a volunteer refilled my camelback.

            It was then back across the ridge retracing several miles and exchanging smiles with runners still heading to Corral Pass. At Mile 22.1 it was on to the Ranger Creek Trail and a five mile descent. By this point I was running alone—Mike had gone ahead. But as I made my way down the long, but nicely graded trail, passing runners offered encouragement.

            At mile 25 I was stung by a yellow jacket, which luckily I didn’t react to. I passed my wife at SR 410 where she volunteered making sure we crossed the busy roadway safely. Reaching the aid station at Mile 27.2 was a welcome. But here over halfway was the hardest point on the run for me. I was having a hard time taking food in. The heat made me nauseous. I was 6.5 hours into the race. I had plenty of time to complete the course, but I was worried because I wasn’t feeling well.

            With a handful of animal crackers I walked—first languidly—then with more determination on my way up Sun Top. It was quite warm by this point but I kept taking in plenty of water, electrolyte tablets and gels. The aid station at Fawn Ridge at Mile 31.7 was a lift with its cheerful volunteers.

            The climb went on—but the grade eased and shade and cool creeks along the way kept me from overheating. As I approached the summit of Sun Top, something magical happened—I recharged. Here at Mile 37, a wildflower and American flag lined path through open country lured me to the aid station at the 5,271- foot summit. Mount Rainier glistened in the background. It was surrealistic! Friends Bob and Amy Wismer, who were staffing the aid station, helped me refuel for the final stretch. I took some S-caps which a fellow runner suggested to thwart muscle cramping in my calves. They worked. It was now 3:30pm. I had 4 hours to finish the race. My confidence increased.

            I ran the next six downhill miles at a good clip. It was on a hard surfaced gravel road. Uncomfortable—but I had my eyes on the prize. Race director Scott McCoubrey passed by in his truck giving a thumbs up. I reached the last aid station at 4:50 pm. Here at Mile 43.4 I figured I could crawl to the finish if I had too. I almost vomited trying to take in food. But I had been smart throughout the race and was well fueled—I continued running. By this time I was starting to chafe a little, but I had very little trouble in that department after experimenting with clothing and body lubes during my training.

            I was warned about the last 6 miles being deceptively easy—you actually climb 500 feet on a way lined with roots and rocks.  But I found the trail’s tread was generally good and the surrounding old-growth forest and paralleling roaring White River kept me in awe.

            I came over the finish line in a time of 12 hours 58 minutes and 55 seconds. I nearly broke down—not because I was hurting—but because I was overjoyed that I made it! My wife greeted me at the finish—so did friends new and old; Mike, Joe, Shawna, Julie, Janna, Uli and Trisha—all who had encouraged me over the months and over the race course. It was one of my proudest moments. I was glowing!

50 for 50 Coming to a Finale

Since the beginning of the year in celebration of turning 50 I have been training hard to compete and complete my first 50 mile trail run . I chose the White River 50, which with its 8,700 vertical feet of climbing, is not exactly the easiest 50 miler I could have chosen. But it is without a doubt one of the most beautiful, prestigious, and well-organized. There will be a record turnout this year too-nearly 300 folks have signed up. The more the merrier for helping me stay excited and focused to run 50 miles in a day. The weather is looking good and may even be warm on parts of the trail-particularly the appropriately named Sun Top. I'll be wearing a camelback and packing lots of bars, gels, goos and electrolyte tablets. There is a 1.5 mile of trail still covered in snow and that may prove problematic. I have 14 hours to complete this course and I need all the time I can get! I hope the snow only proves to be a minor nuisance.

I am in my taper mode now-doing easy workouts and trying to stay focused. I've learned on my training runs that a couple of things help get my heart going on a long run-scantily clad good-looking women (has experienced at the Rainier for Ruston  50K) and a charging moose (as experienced in the North Cascades on a training run). I am anticipating neither at White River so I'll need other motivators and adrenaline rushers!
I am looking forward to crossing the finish line-and putting to end a six month focus, adding it to my  life experiences and challenges. I am looking forward too to turning over a sizable amount of cash to the Washington Trails Association as part of my fund raising efforts in this run. Will you please help me do this by donating if you haven't yet. Thanks! And thanks too to all of you who have encouraged me along this very long journey. White River 50-here I come! And after this, marathons will look like easy runs!

(photo-Fourth of July Pass-Ross Lake National Recreation Area)

Fifty for Fifty Update

The White River 50 Trail Run is rapidly approaching--the target for My 50 for 50 campaign, which is my attempt to run 50 miles in celebration of my 50^th birthday raising $10,000 for the Washington Trails Association along the way. Am I ready? Before April of this year I was not an ultra runner. From April to June I ran in and successfully completed four runs of at least 50Ks including the incredibly challenging Lost Lake Ultra.

I’ve done a lot of sustained elevation runs too—runs of two to three thousand feet of elevation gain. A lot of cycling as well—I’m just not made for running day after day. I’ve had a couple of setbacks—a long illness in February and March that hurt my training and after 50 years I developed an allergy to peanuts! Do you know how many peanut products I have consumed for power food? Do you know how many products contain peanuts? I have had to change my training diet and be vigilant about not accidentally ingesting these beloved tubers. Just think—no more Reese’s peanut butter cups. Sigh.

I have trained in three different shoes-Brooks, Oboz and Montrail and haven’t decided which ones I want to wear for the race. I tried new shorts and packs. I’m set on my Bridgedale socks. I’ll take the early 5:30 am start—I probably won’t get any sleep the night before anyway. What’s my strategy? Run steady and strong in the beginning taking advantage of shade and cooler temps. Eat and hydrate constantly. Take electrolyte tablets and other goos, gels and beans. Summon inner strength and do a little soul searching along the way too.

And how’s the fundraising coming? I still have a way to go for my goal, but the donations are coming in! I have currently collected over $2,700 for our trails. The Cowlitz Valley Running Club was the latest of our Washington Clubs to make a generous donation. I hope a few more running clubs will make a donation as well. And of course all individual donations are accepted no matter the amount. Donate $40 or more and you’ll become a WTA member. Visit http://www.wta.org/50for50 to contribute. Please help me make my fundraising goal. I'll work on the running goal! And if you already donated--thanks!!! Our trails will be better because of you!

(photo-Trail running at Hozomeen Lake in the North Cascades-photo by Alvin Crain)

I Should Have Been A Rock Star

Here I am busy busting my hump training to complete a 50 Mile Trail Run and hoping to raise $10,000 for the Washington Trails Association in the process—and I have rounded up $2,000 so far! But check this out—Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder donates an autographed ukulele to the Ferry County Rail Trail Partners and he ends up raising over $17,000 for them! I mean what the heck!!!!? I am running 50 freaking miles!!!! What did Vedder do? He cleaned out his closet!!! You know the song—money for nothing and your chicks for free!!

But seriously—good for the Ferry County Rail Trail Partners! That’s excellent news for this trail in progress. That $17,000 will go a long way in making that trail a reality. And good for Eddie Vedder too—he has been a real partner in helping some of Washington’s special places. And how did Eddie Vedder get involved with a 30 mile trail in one of the remotest sections of Washington State? You can thank Bob Whittaker, President of Ferry County Rail Trail Partners for that—he has quite a few rock n roll buddies to call on!

So hey, Bob and Eddie—how about sponsoring me in my 50 for 50 campaign to raise $10,000 for the Washington Trails Association!?! I’ll even hum a few Pearl Jam songs while training this week to make my 50 mile run become a reality. In the meanwhile—while I wait for Eddie to respond, you can make a donation to my cause. Just click here and make your donation. Donate $20 or more and I’ll give you a special series Green Trails Map. Donate $40 or more and I’ll give you a map and you become a member of the Washington Trails Association (WTA)—an organization dedicated to maintaining and protecting our precious trails—in Ferry County and throughout Washington State!!

(photo-Eddie and the $17,100 Ukulele-photo by Bob Whittaker)

Trail Funding Continues to Trail Behind

I miss the good old days of the 1970s and 1980s. Seems like back then we had more trails and more funding for trail construction and maintenance. That's because we did! State and federal governments under both Democrats and Republicans allocated fair amounts of money to parks and forests to build and maintain trails--and provide access to them. The money was never enough-but compared to these days of fiscal meltdowns-the money was a windfall. Sure, taxes were higher back then (you get what you pay for) and ironically the extraction of timber from our national forests meant a lot of money coming back to fund roads and trails. But alas, the timber industry has collapsed here in the Northwest and both the federal and state governments aren't giving out too much doe any more for trails and land acquisition. And roads and access? We continue to lose them too and our trail inventory shrinks while our population continues to grow.

What to do then? We certainly can wait for better economic times and vote in government officials that will give us sound fiscal policies and sustainable and adequate funding. But I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. Instead, We the people need to get involved in the private sector and partner with state and federal agencies to help maintain our trails and acquire more public lands. Land trusts are great for protecting land and I belong and actively support a handful of them. Trail organizations fill the gap in keeping our trail system in good shape and I belong to a couple of these groups as well. I throw the bulk of my support to the Washington Trails Association which works statewide building and maintaining our priceless trails in a wide array of public lands from city and county parks to national park and forest wildernesses. But while our trails may be priceless, they do require some funding to keep them open. And that money isn't coming from the government. It's coming from you and me-or at least I hope it is coming from you and me. I invite you to join the Washington Trails Association and become one of thousands of Washington hikers who put their money where their mouths and boots are.

And I invite you to join the WTA through my 50 for 50 campaign. I have taken it upon myself to raise $10,000 for this organization by running in the White River 50 Mile Endurance trail Run in celebration of my 50th year here on planet earth. Please sponsor me by making a donation to WTA. Of course, any amount will help! But if you donate $20 or more, I will give you a special series Green Trails map ($12 value) and if you donate $40 or more I'll give you a map and you will become a WTA member which entitles you to a subscription to Washington Trails magazine (which I contribute to from time to time). How about it? Can I count on you for a donation and call you a fellow WTA member? It would be a great move to celebrate this year's National Trails Day!

(Picture-A WTA volunteer crew construct a trail on the future Miller Peninsula State Park, WA) 

How about a Set of Guidebooks for Five Dollars?

My 50 for 50 fundraising campaign is literally off and running! In celebration of my 50th birthday this year, I am challenging myself to compete in and complete the White River 50 Mile Trail Run on July 30th. That's a big challenge and I continue to train setting my sights on my next 50K race in two weeks- the hilly and rough and tumble Lost lake 50K. I have also challenged myself in trying to raise $10,000 for the Washington Trails Association. To date, I thorough your donations have raised over $800. I am hoping that more of you can donate to this great cause with all that money going back into our trails and public places. Any donation is good. And if you donate at least $5 this month (time is running out) you will be entered into a drawing to win a set of my day hiking books. That's right-for just a $5 donation, you may end up winning $76 in books. So, click on this link and make a donation-please! Any amount of $40 or more will also land you a one year membership in the Washington Trails Association. You'll receive a year's subscription to Washington Trails Magazine and become part of a 10,000-plus member strong community of hikers and trail users. Can I count on a donation from you? I'm running my culo off in the process!

A Si of Relief (and Joy)!

Okay-first of all I want to apologize for the long lapse of time between entries. I have been busy beyond belief! With the launch of my new book, Day Hiking Columbia River Gorge, assignments for VisitRainier.com, Seattle Met, Adventures NW, Northwest Runner, and a few others-I can't keep up! And of course there is the launch of my 50 for 50 fundraising campaign for the Washington Trails Association in which I am training to run and complete the White River 50 mile trail run in celebration of my 50th birthday and to raise $10,000 for trails here in Washington.

With our country buried deep in debt and Congress slashing the budget; trails and parks are feeling the pain. Now, more than ever, we the people need to take responsibility for funding and caring for our parks. The Washington Trails Association provides thousands of hours of trail maintenance on our public lands-and they represent us trail users going to bat for us in Olympia and Washington DC. So far, I (thanks to many of you) have raised almost $700 for WTA. Yahoo! I am excited for this response and I thank you.

Last week was also a milestone for me in that I ran and successfully completed my first 50K (31.1 miles) trail run. Taking just over 6 hours to complete, I participated in the Eastside Runner's Mount Si Ultra Runs. Directed by avid hiker and runner John Dickson, it was a great event, even though the weather wasn't optimal. But for the most part I was able to stay dry, and with the help of a drop bag was able to change into a dry shirt 10 miles into the run. I ran the entire race with Mike Mahanay who provided me with lots of support. He's a veteran at this Ultra stuff. I've only just begun-and I still have lots of training to do to reach 50 miles. Egad!! In the meanwhile I hope to see you on the trail and see your name on the donor list for 50 for 50! (photo-All smiles at the first kilometer. Photo by John Dickson)