Washington

The Backcountry Rise takes place in some of the most beautiful terrain I have ever seen. Mt. St. Helens (Loowit) blew its top on May 18, 1980, and I got to witness the eruption from my living room window. I remember when ash fell from the sky for weeks and covered everything outside, over and over and over. One time I was on I-5 southbound and traffic stopped for hours as ash falling from the sky accumulated like snow on the freeway. Mt. St. Helens put on quite a show. 

Daybreak Racing is a company owned by Oregon race director Jermey Long. I became aware of them because they also put on a local race called Gorge Waterfalls that sells out every year in April. I had recently climbed Mountain Hood with another trail runner who mentioned that the Backcountry Rise course was one of the most beautiful races she had ever run, so I knew I had to run it. It is technically a little challenging (elevation gain 7600') as it takes place on dusty and rocky trails that can get hot in the summer, but the scenery is spectacular. I ran the race in August, 2023, with wildfire smoke moving in from Canada. The flowers were still beautiful, and other than the view being a bit smokey, it didn't bother me. Later I found out at dinner that I was one of the few runners who didn't get stung by yellow jackets (phew!). Again, Mountain Saint Helens is full of surprises. I finished in 2nd place for women 40 years and older and first in my age bracket. I hope to run that route again on a clear day. Photo credit: James Holk