If Bigfoot Exists, He definitely lives out in the Cascades Somewhere
Bigfoot 200 | Ultramarathon #126
The Trek from Texas to Washington | Bigfoot Prerace Travel Log
AUG-05
AUG-06
AUG-07
AUG-08
Hunting for Bigfoot
The run begins from the parking lot at Marble Mountain trailhead and is basically a long slow climb up to the base of Mount Saint Helens. Everyone was excited and anxious as the group of runners always is at the start of races. I had positioned myself somewhere in the mid-pack and so I was trapped into a consistent (but slow) pace through the trees. Soon the crowd thinned out a bit after an hour or so as we emerged above the treeline and into the volcanic boulder fields. What a cool visual and unique experience this was. I had never run on this type of terrain before and I was taking it all in and simply just enjoying the adventure. My eyes never strayed too far from the trail in front of me as I did not want to miss a step (it would be a bloody mistake!). Every once in a while, I'd take the opportunity to glance up at the glorious Mount Saint Helens looming just above us, knowing well that I'd be circling most of the way around the volcano throughout the afternoon heat.
The large volcanic rocks got larger the higher we went. But the boulder hopping was fun. Trail marking was interesting during this initial section, but they had warned us about this in the runner's manual and the prerace brief. You simply had to follow the planted trail posts which were in the boulder field and served as the only thing sticking up within the rocky landscape. These wooden poles had the small trail ribbons tried around them, but it was easier to pick out the poles once you got used to looking for them in the distance of the rock formations ahead. It was also early enough in the race there was a bunch of runners around me so I kept an eye on the few just in front of me, so I'd know about where to go, and followed my fellow Bigfooters.
The first aid station of Blue Lake came up fairly quickly after about 2.5 hours of forward movement around the Mount Saint Helens and nearly a half marathon complete. My Garmin had it slightly less than the 12.2 Mi prescribed in the race manual, but either way it was a pleasant surprise to see the first group of volunteers out there assisting us. I did not take long at all in this aid even though the next section was the longest of the run (which I was aware of). I had all the nutrition I needed still stuffed away in my pack so I just ensured that I filled up all my bottles. Just over three minutes in the aid station and I was off again for my next marathon (...well 25.2 Mi) to Coldwater Lake. As we dipped in and out of the trees the sun penetration definitely felt hot, at least that was my gauge of it. Coming from the Texas heat the actual ambient temperature was not the issue, more of the constant sun exposure and dehydration that came come with that especially at higher elevations that I am currently accustomed to.
The terrain and views kept fairly constant for a bit as we continued our circumference following the Toutle Trail around the volcano. Soon enough we got to a trail junction and hopped onto the Loowit Trail where there was a river crossing down and back up short but very steep nearly dried up river gully of the South Fork Toutle River. Descending down to the water there was a rope to assist yourself down if you choose, but it was not needed in my opinion. However, on the adjacent side of gully going back up the embankment was a slightly longer climb back out of the river gully and up towards the mountain which did require the assistance of the rope that had been fixed to assist the runners. It was only 75 feet or so of really steep climbing, but this portion was a neat experience. To cap it all off one of the race photographers was there at the top of the climb snapping pics to capture the moment and the beautiful scenes in the background.
The trail then seemed to level off for a while as the trail took us from the West side of Mount Saint Helens now around to the back side of where we began all the way to the North side. The terrain changed from to more runnable meadow like smooth trails for a bit and then eventually we came to more of what is referred to as the blast zone. The Blast Zone of Mount St. Helens refers to the area devastated by the catastrophic lateral eruption (1980) and is a fan-shaped area north of the volcano, stretching roughly 17 miles outward from the summit. The smooth trails turned into silty fine dusty paths as the trail weaved through this blast zone area. The afternoon sun and lack of cloud cover did make this for a warm trek across the unique landscape, but how cool was this?! I was downing my water fairly quickly given the warmth and the amount I was sweating so I did op to filter water at the one stream we crossed with good flowing water: Step Creek around the ~22.4 Mi (36 km) mark. It was flowing good, but it was still very silty just because it was so fine and such small particles. I got my one filter bottle full and was going to use it if needed since I still had 20 km to go till the aid station (in the end I did end up drinking over half of it). A few fellow runners were dipping their hats in and splashing water over themselves to help cooldown. This little silty oasis-like creek turned out to be the only really viable water source in this near-marathon segment early on in the run.
The trail then merged North, onto the Truman Trail, putting Mount Saint Helens at my back and I continued towards the large ridge in the distance. Truman Trail joined up with the Boundry Trail which was now following the ridgeline. The Johnston Ridge Observatory was not far. It’s perched dramatically within the blast zone, offering a direct line of sight into the crater itself looking Southward. As I passed the building I took a minute to take in the view, as I knew this was the last portion of the volcanic terrain we'd have to pass though. Secondly, glancing at my Garmin watch (and the awesome "Hill Climbing Pro" feature), I knew there was a long descent ahead of me all the way down towards the next aid station. My legs were starting to feel the pounding of the distance, but I did enjoy the faster pace of the downhill section. A very rare crossing of a road during this run as I crossed over the Spirit Lake Hwy and ran the last gentle downhill road into the campground area where the Coldwater Lake aid station (AS02) was located. Over 55km done at this point and now the impending first night was here. I took a nice 24 minute break here at this aid getting in some food, refilling all my fluids again, and getting my kogalla waistbelt situated and ready for the darkness.
Now about 55 miles had elapsed and it was nearing 02:30 after nearly 14.5 hours of sustained running. It was now Saturday, not that this mattered. Another 24 minutes break here at this Norway Pass aid station (AS03) and then I continued my journey onward through the night. It was a basic sustained climbing from Norway Pass all the way to Elk Pass (AS04) which was another milestone distance of just over 100 km. I arrived there after 19 hours and so it was just about first light again. The sleep monsters had taken ahold of me in those last few miles and so I opted for my first short nap here. I simply kicked back in one of the anti-gravity chairs and piled on the blankets and slept for 23 minutes. This was refreshing and needed before I continued. I pushed on with the daylight now on my side, or so I thought. The next 15 miles to the following aid station was me slowly progressing forward without any sustained pace progression. I was definitely a sleep-deprived ultrarunner at this point as my little 23-minute nap was not doing it for me anymore. Another shorter break at the RD-9327 aid station (AS05) and I pressed on, assuming the refueling and rehydration would sustain me. The heat of the day was back out again after the sun fully emerged from the cloud cover. The tree canopy did provide nice reprieve for most of the trail, but in the open sections it did certainly felt warm. Only a few miles down the trail and the need for a dirt nap hit me hard! I laid down in the moss on the side of trail and slept for 7 minutes. Ahhh - refreshed again - for now!
The next section took me down the Spencer Butte Trail and ended at Forest Road 93 where the aid station (AS06) was set up in the middle of what seemed like nowhere. I think it was here where I first noticed David Goggins during the race. He was there with his pacer and getting aid as well along with a couple other runners sitting in the chairs refueling. This would be the first of many times I'd see these same people over the next 100 miles as I had no seem to align myself with the same paced runners which happens in these longer multiday runs. It was warm out, but at least we were nicely shaded under the tall Pacific North West forest canopy. Goggins and his pacer were setting off down the road which gave me the motivation to get going as well after nearly 20 minutes in this aid stop. Leaving from here we followed the forestry road for ~3 miles which was a narrow-paved road that was ever so gently going uphill. Soon I came across the Destination Trail arrow sign pointing me to the right and dive back into the forest. Glancing at my watch and aligning it with the landscape I could see in front of me through the trees this was going to be a very steep downhill section leading me down all the way to what was Lewis River (I did not know that at the time - although the next aid station name was...well...Lewis River).
Eventually I made it down the grueling steepness and arrived onto a gentle forest carpet of a trail that was by the river. The air was cooler and the terrain was gentle and rolling through the forest winding and following the contour of the river itself on my right side. There was a lot of people and hikers starting to be visible around, this was one of the few times that the public was near the Bigfoot route. I could see the road and the signs for the campground as I continued on, and soon I could see why everyone was here. I got a stunning view through the trees down to the Lower Lewis River Falls down below me. A large flowing section of the river cascading over rocks that dropped maybe 50 feet down into what appeared to be the perfect swimming pool hidden in this PNW oasis. I even stopped at one of the lookouts and took a few minutes to just enjoy the picturesque scene. I also knew I was close to the aid station at this point, so I continued on and found my way to the out and back that led me to the aid station setup. I passed a few familiar faces again who were just leaving the aid as I came in, and others were there sitting down too. I was feeling tired, but it was late afternoon so I did not want to sleep fully yet as I was trying to hold off until nightfall. I spent nearly 40 minutes here refueling and hydrating to get myself a nice reset before continuing my journey.
Lewis River (AS07) marked the halfway mark on the Bigfoot route, so this was a nice little milestone to check off in my mind. Running back down from the aid I rejoined the Lewis River Trail and continued following the smooth river trail which took me now to the Upper Lewis River Falls. These were just as stunning as the lower ones and I even stopped and got my phone out of my pack for a picture here. The end of the day was coming and I was definitely tired, but my goal was to push this section and get to the next aid before assessing my sleep. That may have turned out to be a bad decision as this was 17 miles with over 7,300 feet of elevation gain. Essentially it was a long grind of a climb for this section back up and out of the river canyons I had just been following. A couple hours down the trail I was moving so slowing and inefficiently I opted for another dirt nap. I laid down for 8 minutes around mile 109. I got up and pushed on, only to have to repeat this again for 7 more minutes around mile 112. My mind was just focused on getting to that next aid station now. Darkness was here and so the coolness of the evening helped encourage me to keep moving as well. The second dirt nap helped more so and I was able to get myself up to Quartz Ridge aid station at mile 118. It was nearly 02:00 in the morning (now Sunday...I think?!). This section ended up being my slowest paced segment of Bigfoot, partially due to the 2 dirt naps, and mostly due to my zombie like pace that led to me needing those dirt naps. The vibe here was chill and they had some nice propane fire heaters going for the runners. After downing some food, I eyed up an empty cot just behind me and went for it. I did not even set an alarm, as an experienced 200-miler I knew my body would wake me up either in like 15-20 minutes or more likely an hour or so. This is exactly what happened. I ended up with 73 minutes of sleep time by my count (I always note my start/end times for reference). A good sleep of near full REM cycle for me during the actual night hours was just what I needed for a reset.
I got up and continued on now with some renewed sense of purpose and drive. Only 80 miles to go! Another four hours of running through the wee morning hours and 16 miles later I arrived at Chain of Lakes aid station (AS09) around 09:00 Sunday morning. The same familiar runners I had been leap froggin' around for the few segments were there as well. I passed a couple of them on the out and back to the aid station itself, including Goggins and his same pacer. I slept for another half hour here at Cispus River (AS10).
Cispus River all the way to Twin Sisters (AS11) was a big section that I knew would be tough at this point in the race. A near marathon distance and limited water sources as per our Gaia and the runner's manual. After hydrating like a camel, I took off knowing this would take me probably rest of the hot portion of the daylight hours. It was a mix of gentle rolling trails and forestry roads that followed the river itself. The known water source was the crossing itself so I was anticipating that. That finally came about halfway into this segment. I popped out of the trails and arrived at the road bridge crossing. I noticed a nice spot to climb down on the near side of the bridge and get to the river and so I choose that as my spot. I hopped the guard rail on the road and found my way underneath the bridge, where David Goggins and his pacer, Ben, were there as well refilling water and taking in the shade. We chatted for a bit by the side of the river as we all focused on getting cooled down and refilling our various hydration vessels. I filled up and took off before them. I knew the last half of this segment was now all uphill and going to be a grind. I crossed the pavement road over the Cispus River and then followed the trail back into the trees not too far on the other side of the water. The road itself curved not long after the bridge and the trail actually brought us back over to the road to cross over it one more time. Here there was "trail race magic" as the Destination Trail team had placed a table and water jugs here for the runners. (If I had known this I might have skipped the river and just filled up here instead of filtering). I downed a full bottle of what I had and then filled back up before continuing on. Another runner and his pacer caught me at the table, and they barely stopped and then I tried to run with them continuing on.
My Garmin now informed me I was at the climb of nearly 8 miles of solid uphill. It appeared to be lower to medium grade, but sustained climbing none the less. I could not keep up with the other runners and they slowly put some gap on me during the initial portion of the uphill. Not long after Goggins and his pacer then caught back up to me and also passed me. Hike...hike...hike. Eventually I got those 8 miles done and my stupid Garmin let me know there was still another 3.5 miles of uphill. This was a brutal grind in retrospect just due to how long it took. I arrived at Twin Sisters (AS11) after 7 hours and 19 minutes to cover those 24.5 miles. It was now a little while after dark (...again). I took a long near hour break here trading stories with the other same familiar runners as we all contemplated our current life choices. I got in a lot of good actual food here which for sure helped.
Another 16 nighttime miles lie ahead of me now as I made one final peak summit out and back to tag Pompey Peak (~5,150 ft | ~1,570 m). The night was very clear and the summit up there provided a nice view across the valley below. I took a night mode picture with my iPhone that captured Mt Ranier in the background as well. Now it was all downhill from here - literally. I tucked my phone away and ran nearly 10 miles all net downhill towards the final aid station at Owens Creek.
I arrived at Owens Creek (AS12) in very wee hours of the morning and now with only a measly half marathon that stood between me and a brand-new buckle. The climbing was done, the trail section only had 2 more miles left and then it was simply following actual real-world roads back into civilization of Randle, WA. (FYI: Randle has a population of approximately 2,555 residents. It's a small, unincorporated community nestled in Lewis County, known for its proximity to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the scenic Mount St. Helens Windy Ridge viewpoint). Everything hurt, sure, but the body doesn't know much different after you convince yourself to just keep moving forward. Surprisingly I ran most of this half marathon and kept moving towards Randle. I knew sub-70 was well in the bag, so now I was just ensuring that no one was going to catch me from behind in the last few miles. I crossed the main Highway 12 in Randle around 07:00 which signaled I had less than 3 miles to go now to get to that track. The school was in sight, and I turned into the parking lot and down into the fenced area of the track itself. Race Director, Garrett Heath, was there to announce my name as I circled the 3/4 lap of the high school track and came in under the Destination Trail Races arch surrounded by all of country flags. I did it! My journey through the Pacific Northwest landscape from Marble Mountain to Randle was complete.
Results
- 67:31:36 | 195.86 Mi (315.21 km) | 36,604 ft+ (11,157 m+)
- 25th overall | M20
- Total Sleep Time: 2h 34m (3.80% of my total race time)
- 23m @ AS04 Elk Pass (67.2 Mi) - in a chair with some blankets
- 7m trail dirt nap (~85 Mi)
- 8m trail dirt nap (~109 Mi)
- 7m trail dirt nap (~112 Mi)
- 1h13m @ AS08 Quartz Ridge (118.2 Mi) - in a cot wrapped up with blankets
- 7m trail dirt nap (~124 Mi)
- 29m @ AS10 Cispus River (146.6 Mi)
- Total Aid Station "stopped time": 7h 39m (11.32% of my total race time)
- This was my 126th ultramarathon run and my 5th ultra of 2025.
- My 9th 200 Mi(+) and my 47th 100Mi(+) completed.
- STRAVA: Bigfoot 200 (25th overall), Marble Mountain, Cougar, WA | Strava
- UltraSignup Results: 2025 Bigfoot 200 Mile Endurance Run 200 Miler - Results
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| My splits by segments based on my STRAVA data. |
My Gear Used*
*covers the required gear list from the race as well
- Jackets - rabbit Treeline rain jacket (rabbitELITEtrail team kit)
- Gloves - BOCO
- Lighting setup - kogalla RA Adventure Light (waistlamp) & Nathan Sports Halo Fire (headlamp)
- LS Shirt(s) - rabbit LS (rabbitELITEtrail team kit)
- LS base layer - rabbit Layer One (rabbitELITEtrail team kit)
- SS Shirt(s) - rabbit (rabbitELITEtrail team kit)
- Shorts - rabbit 5" shredders 2-in-1 trail
- Pants- rabbit Runners (rabbitELITEtrail team kit)
- Headwear - rabbit/rnnr (rabbitELITEtrail team kit)
- Eyewear - goodr
- Shoes - rabbit High Country (rabbitELITEtrail edition)
- Socks - injinji (2 pairs)
- Hydration - NATHAN Trailmix 12L race pack with x2 20oz soft flasks, & Katadyn BeFree™ Water Filteration System™ (1.0L & 0.6L soft flask).
- Anti-Friction Lube - Squirrels Nut Butter
- SPOT tracker - provided by the event
- Watch (with GPX track of course) - Garmin fΔnix® 6X - Pro Solar Edition
- Cell Phone - apple iPhone 16e (also with Gaia GPS app)
- Emergency Bivy - SOL emergency bivy
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