Sea-Tac Sixteen

I'm a week away from home in the Seattle area (Bellevue/Redmond) to participate in an event at Microsoft. I've run here before, early 2012, mostly on roads, seeking out scraps of trails. I'll be running here again, so something a bit different to blog. Just as well, been a long time since I wrote anything.

So, let's start ... for boring reasons I'm overnight Saturday in a hotel near Sea-Tac airport. Well, I say a hotel, its comfortable enough, I'd overnight here again if need arose, but same time it feels a bit like a prison, because I'm surrounded by endless parking lots, convenience stores, fast food restaurants, hotels, ... really not my kind of place. Only one thing for it then, free time on Sunday, get me elsewhere out on some trails. I'm thinking of Discovery Park, alas its more than an hour from here, but I do have a lot of free time.

Comfortable hotel, or barren prison?

Sunday morning, I had a long long day yesterday, slept late this morning, and perhapsdefinitely had an extra long workpigout at the breakfast buffet. Late for the start, I have to set dreams of distant trails aside, and do something around the area of the hotel. Quick look at online maps, there seems to be a creek trail a few blocks away, leading down to the Puget Sound. The start, heading south on Pacific Highway, not so inspiring ... but its got to beat the treadmill in the hotel gym? For sure, at least I am outdoors!

The start south on Pacific Highway, run away from here old plodder!

I remember now, one of the problems running in cities in USA, very often there are no sidewalks, so road running is a literal description. No matter the trail head is soon reached. I remember now, urban trails in USA, still road running. Oh well, at least I can run along the softer verges, maybe there will be some good side-trails. Just a few hundred metres and here is temptation to my left, a great looking little side trail, alongside the river, its got everything, mud, fallen trees to leap over, and to duck under, but alas it soon ends at "fallen trees swamp".

Road running in USA is often literal ...

... and trail running can be a form of road running.

Yay! Tempting little side trail ...

... running alongside a pretty little river!

Leap!

Duck!

Boo! Trail ends at "fallen trees swamp".

Returning to the asphalt I am reminded how close I am to the airport as a plane roars over my head on take-off. Its nice enough being among the trees here and near the river but one thing is definitely wrong ...the soundscape is unnatural. More side trails come into view, to my left a river crossing is on offer, to my right I can be straight into the trees.

The airport is near, lots of sound pollution, ...

... but pretty sights through the trees along the river.

Hmm, maybe a muddy scramble and a river crossing ...

... reckon I'll take the easier right and get myself into the trees.

Now this is more like it at last! The imprints in the earth tell me that these are mountain bike trails, so I can expect a lot of short steep ups and downs, sharp turns, ... fun!  Pretty flowers! Nature's carpet beneath my happy feet! I've got my rhythm now, it feels good, but it wont last forever. The trail peters out and I have to bushwhack a bit down to the asphalt again.

This is more like it!

Loving the carpet!

Bit of a bushwhack.

The asphalt now is less fun, the verges are not runnable, but I soon reach the Puget Sound. I take a little stop here to absorb the place. I like running, feeling my heart and lungs working, the movement of my body, even the sweating part, but sometimes its good to be still, to take time to sense the detail in the environment. Zen moment: Sitting still, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself. I'd hoped to run north along the shoreline and find another creek trail back into the urban sprawl. Unfortunately this is not going to do-able and I'm going to have to get back on the suburban roads for a while. I might get lucky and hit some more trail, you never know. Its unlikely there will be anything worth seeing for now, so the camera is stowed here. Slight problem, I did not think about a "Plan B", I have no route plan from here and no map to consult ... I'll just have to trust sense of direction and mental compass I guess.

The verge to my right is not runnable ...

...  neither is the verge to my left (but at least there is a duck).

The Puget Sound ...

... and Des Moines marina.

Nope, definitely not runnable.

I know I need to head north and at some point turn east. I feel like I've been running uphill on the same road for miles. I've been heading north on 1st Avenue South for the last couple of miles and climbed over 400 feet. I'm starting to tire, my top is soaked in sweat ... a short pause to take on water and I realize I've gone too far north. I've just passed 192nd Street, I'm sure I was on 200th Street at the trailhead. Hmm, backtrack and east along 192nd, more undulation, Seattle is not a flat place! I can see ahead, this street ends, I think it might be due to the presence of the airport complex. Turn south until 200th, then east, if I'm right then I know the way back from there.  More uphills and downhills then a familiar little monster appears before me, but at least I am found. Returning north on Pacific Highway I see a glimmer of light on my right and turn to investigate. Its a little park and a pretty lake, with a backdrop of dark and brooding mountains in the distance. Nice here, in an urban sense, folk kayaking, fishing, picnicing, smell of bbq smoke, kids playing, pretty blossoms in the trees, nice. Just a couple of minutes later and I'm back at the hotel, which curiously no longer invokes in me the notion of a prison.

I recognize this little monster ... I am found!

Angle Lake, a pretty little place ...

... lovely white blossoms.

No longer having that kind-of-a-prison sensation!

This was a bit of a mixed feelings run. I had some fun in the creek but was disappointed I could not run along the shore. It went downhill (and uphill, so much uphill) from there, in the end I was just relieved to know where I was and the route to finish the thing. Nevertheless, definitely glad I did that, definitely good to get out and about and explore a bit. On the go today for two hours and one minute, about five minute stop at Puget Sound, and another couple of minutes at Angle Lake, distance 16km dead, and approx. 300m ascent/descent. Here's the route ...

... with a bit of luck I'll be able to find some trails in Bellevue/Redmond later in the week, if I can get my lazy body out of bed early morning.


Enjoy!