This past weekend I checked another long-awaited destination off my list: Black Canyon, located in the hills between Yakima and Ellensburg in central Washington. Sadly, due to last year’s Evans Canyon Fire it was mostly burnt out: trees lacked any leaves for shade. This was my first actual hike in quite some time and was intended as a longer-distance test of my trail runners, which they failed, although perhaps not miserably. With temperatures around 90F I opted to hike on the way in but run back to the trailhead.
Gear
What Worked
Surprisingly, the Charter Escape wide-brim hat was just fine to wear, even while running in 90F weather. The chin strap was invaluable given how gusty it was, and I wondered whether you could get baseball caps (or visors) with chin straps and how embarrassing they might be to wear in public.
I used my CNOC Vecto to stop and fill up on water at a tiny creek. Still works like a charm. I’d been thinking about possibly trying to ditch it in favor of inline drinking (soft bottles?) when I migrate to a vest, but it’ll be hard to let go.
My Casio AB watch was great for telling time and scheduling breaks, didn’t notice it on my wrist at all. This has always been the case, of course, but I just mention this because I forgot it on my last couple runs and finally remembered to bring it. I even remembered to calibrate the barometer at the trailhead so I’d have more accurate elevation readings.
The Columbia PFG Zero Rules long-sleeve shirt was fantastic. Kept the heat off and the cooling once I started sweating was noticeable. Still the best hiking shirt ever. If I can get away with a long-sleeve shirt in 90F weather and no shade, even at high activity levels (well, as much as running downhill counts, I suppose), when can’t I wear this shirt?
What Didn’t
I knew that the Scarpa Spin Ultra trail runners were tight, but running downhill with them after miles of hiking was downright uncomfortable and my toes were constantly ramming into the front of the shoes. They are hereby sentenced to the unloved gear bin.
The Osprey Levity 60 was a total disaster. It’s a great pack, to be sure, but useless for trail running. Without any compression to hold the contents in place, everything just constantly bounces around. I even shattered one of my camera filters somewhere along the way, leaving shards of glass all over the bottom of the pack. It has become even more obvious that a proper vest is in order.
In breaking with tradition, I wore Prana Stretch Zion shorts rather than pants. Ventilation was much better but they felt long and flappy while running, and I had to use sunscreen which always annoys me. A proper pair of running shorts is in order, and I already own a couple pairs to choose from. Running shorts do not offer much in the way of storage, however, so once again: time to get a vest!
I had removed the base plate from my camera while using it for a home office videoconference setup. As a result, I had no way to attach it to my pack’s shoulder strap for easy access. So, into the pack it went, and out came the smartphone. All of the pictures in this post are from the Pixel 4a, and while I didn’t exactly get any noteworthy shots, they’re not terrible. In fact, had I had the phone configured to emit both RAWs and JPEGs instead of just JPEGs they’d undoubtedly look better, but in the end everything is just getting cropped down anyway. Words I never thought I’d say: I’m going to try skipping the camera for a while and just use the phone for photos. Keeping the phone also means there’s no need for a smart watch with GPS navigation support, which saves money.
Finally, my favorite backpacking underwear of the past several years, the Saxx Quest 2.0 Loose Cannon, was too loose to provide proper support for running. Regular-fit Saxx Quest, or even the classic ExOfficio Give-n-Go (which I still have a few pairs of), will hopefully solve the problem. If not, the Saxx Pilot running shorts might be an all-in-one option.
What’s Next
To their credit, the Spin Ultras have a decent amount of padding, but I felt like I could have used a little more. Originally I was wavering between them and a pair of Hoka One One Speedgoat 4s, which have even more padding, but decided to try something a bit more off the beaten path. Now that I know I need to size up, why not kill two birds with one stone? The Speedgoat 4s are new enough (or popular enough) that they’re almost impossible to get discounted, so I opted for a barely-used pair of Speedgoat 3s instead.
I”m currently surveying the market for running vest options. I’m leaning towards something in the 12-15 liter range with ice axe loops (or comparable bungee attachments), so that I can pursue my dream of actual mountain running with gear for snowy bits. Also, something that can carry a single trekking pole in case of injury (or an overnight). The Ultimate Direction Mountain Vest 5.0 is leader of the pack, although not without its flaws. Stay tuned.
Route
Stats:
- Distance: 4.5 miles
- Elevation: 1,900 feet
As soon as you turn off of Wenas Road, you’re greeted by a DNR sign indicating that you’re entering a recreation area. This is the best place to park: rather than a road, a Jeep track continues 0.4 miles ahead until reaching a gate.
Immediately to the left of the yellow gate is a pedestrian-only red gate with a sliding bolt which can be used to make further progress.
There were only two water sources along the trail. A spring at 2.5 miles in supplies water to the stream just below it, but this dries up rather quickly:
The other water source is a cistern at 3.3 miles:
Photography
Gallery URL: https://turigrinos.smugmug.com/Adventures/2021/Black-Canyon/
History
- 2021-07-04 Added a note about underwear
- 2021-06-28 Original version