Weekly RunDown: July 26 – August 1 / Cascading Waterfalls, Alpine Peaks, and 45 Years of Adventure

From Pacific Northwest Parks to Oregon Trails 

Week two of our cross-country trip was a whirlwind of early mornings, stunning Pacific Northwest landscapes, and unexpected adventures! From adapting to hotel gym setups for post-op strength sessions to scrambling up boulder trails in Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks, every single day brought a new landscape to explore and another memory to log.

We capped off the week meeting up with dear friends in Oregon—navigating a hot, smoky, and gravel-heavy ride that was saved purely by great company, and celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary in style. Here is a look back at all the miles, waterfalls, and park map milestones from another unforgettable week on the road!

Overview of the Week

Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…

Sunday

Road trip: Day 8: Burlington, Washington

Hiking: . 4 miles / 1.54 miles
• Average pace: 21:12 minute/mile / 29:11 minute/mile
• Surface: paved / dirt and rocks
• Elevation gain: 17 feet / 251 feet
• Start time: 1:17 PM / 2:51 PM
• Location: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
• Weather: 54° and cloudy with occasional drizzle / 52° (feels like 47°) and foggy, dropping to 50° (feels like 45°)
• What I wore: shorts, l/s shirt, fleece jacket, and rain jacket

Stretching: Peloton 10-Minute Full Body Stretch with Joslyn Thompson Rule

We were incredibly torn between returning to North Cascades National Park for a challenging hike above the tree line or heading in the opposite direction to Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. In the end, the national forest won out, with our sights set on capturing that iconic photo of Mount Shuksan reflecting in Picture Lake. While heavy cloud cover and a light drizzle kept us from getting the perfect mirror shot, we still enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the water and captured some wonderfully moody photos.

Later, we drove up the harrowing mountain road to hike the Artist Ridge Trail at Artist Point. What we expected to be a short, straightforward walk to a scenic vantage point turned into a bit of an adventure. After deciding to hike farther along the trail, we accidentally wandered off course, resulting in an impromptu scramble up some boulders!

Picture Lake Trail

Artist Ridge Trail

Monday

Road trip: Day 9: Drive from Burlington, Washington across the Puget Sound via ferry to Sequim, Washington

Strength training: 54 minutes of total body

Core: Peloton 10-Minute Core Strength with Emma Lovewell

Hiking: 2.15 miles
• Average pace: 25:17 minute/mile
• Surface: paved and dirt
• Elevation gain: 452 feet
• Start time: 3:24 PM
• Location: Olympic National Park
• Weather: 61°, cloudy, and windy
• What I wore: shorts, l/s shirt, fleece jacket, rain jacket, and visor

I was up early to hit the hotel gym, which was a delightfully cool 65°. I managed nearly an hour of lifting, and while I’m still modifying a few movements, I was thrilled to reintroduce exercises I haven’t been able to do for two weeks. I even completed my first post-op core class, which felt amazing!

A few hours later, we arrived at Olympic National Park to hike Hurricane Ridge. Once again, what started as a plan to just walk to the first viewpoint turned into a summit push. When the paved path ended and the steep, root-covered dirt trail began, I definitely regretted not swapping my sneakers for my hiking boots. My trusty trainers held up fine, though they are now covered in a permanent layer of Hurricane Ridge dust as a souvenir of the incredible view.

The day was packed with wildlife sightings, both from the trail and the car. We were lucky enough to spot a bear safely from the road, while all our other animal encounters happened up close while we were hiking.

Hurricane Ridge Trail

Tuesday

Road trip: Day 10: Sequim, Washington

Core: Peloton 10-Minute Core Strength with Emma Lovewell

Hiking: 1.03 miles
• Average pace: 31:36 minute/mile
• Surface: dirt (mud)
• Elevation gain: 88 feet
• Start time: 11:40 AM
• Location: Olympic National Park
• Weather: 72° in the hotel gym,  68° and clear outside
• What I wore: shorts, l/s shirt, fleece jacket, and rain jacket

Core: Peloton 10-Minute Core Strength with Emma Lovewell

Our first stop of the morning was a roadside pullover along Lake Crescent, where we watched the fog lift behind a full rainbow—one where we could actually see both ends touching down!

From there, we headed to the Hoh Rain Forest section of Olympic National Park. After waiting an hour and a half at the entrance gate, we enjoyed a wonderfully muddy stroll through the lush, mossy canopy.

To top off the day, we followed a dirt trail winding down from Route 101 through the coastal trees, coming out right onto the shores of the Pacific Ocean for a peaceful afternoon walk on the beach.

Lake Crescent

Hoh Rain Forest

Pacific Ocean

Wednesday

Road trip: Day 11: Sequim, Washington

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Post-Run Stretch with Joslyn Thompson Rule

Walking: 1.58 mile
• Average pace: 20.07 minute/mile
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 234 feet
• Start time: 10:36 AM
• Location: Olympic National Park
• Weather: 62° and mostly cloudy
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, fleece jacket, and visor

Hiking: 2.21 mile
• Average pace: 24:34 minute/mile
• Surface: dirt and roots
• Elevation gain: 432 feet
• Start time: 12:17 PM
• Location: Olympic National Park
• Weather: 63° and partly cloudy
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, nylon jacket, and visor

I walked into the gym at 5:30 AM, looked around, and scratched my head—where were the dumbbells? When I stopped by to check out the gym two days prior, I hadn’t even noticed they were missing! Fortunately, the cable system allowed me to get in almost everything on my plan, and since I had the room to myself, I made it work seamlessly. The rest of the setup was well-appointed (there’s even a treadmill tucked out of sight in the right corner). Odder still were the official gym hours: 9 AM to 10 PM. I’m usually a rule-follower, but the front desk had already let us know that plenty of guests work out much earlier and management simply looks the other way!

Highlights from the rest of our day centered on the park’s stunning waterfalls. We enjoyed a relaxing walk to Madison Creek Falls, followed by a peaceful stroll along a closed road running parallel to the creek. Later, we hiked to Marymere Falls—a steady, rewarding climb up a root-covered trail with steep timber-and-dirt steps guiding us right up to the cascading water.

Madison Creek Falls

Marymere Falls

Thursday

Road trip: Day 12: Drive from Sequim, Washington to Sisters, Oregon

Hiking: 1.41 miles
• Average pace: 29:07 minute/mile
• Surface: paved and dirt
• Elevation gain: 514 feet
• Start time: 10:51 AM
• Location: Mount Rainier National Park
• Weather: 53° (feels like 56° and mostly sunny
• What I wore: shorts, l/s shirt, fleece jacket, and visor (took jacket off half way up the mountain)

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Seated Full Body Stretch with Logan Aldridge

Up at 4 AM, we checked out of the hotel and made it to Mount Rainier National Park by 9 AM—beating the dreaded two-hour mid-morning entrance lines we’d read about online! We lucked out with brilliant blue skies and a few puffy white clouds, getting to admire Mount Rainier in all her glory.

After stopping at the visitor center, we hiked up the Alta Vista Trail for a closer look. Rainier was crystal clear when we first reached the vista, though a few clouds rolled in right as we posed for a picture. Post-hike, we walked a mile back to where my husband had parked the SUV (he had dropped me off at the visitor center so I could stamp my national parks passport and grab a few stickers).

We spent the rest of the day on the road, driving south into Oregon to meet up with grad school friends at their second home. It was a long travel day and arriving around 8:30 PM was the perfect end to a scenic leg of the trip!

Mount Rainier

Friday

Road trip: Day 13: Sisters, Oregon

Strength training: 47 minutes of total body

Cycling: 19.2 miles
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Average speed: 9.7 MPH
• Surface: paved, gravel, sand, and rocks
• Elevation gain: 407 feet
• Start time: 12:05 PM
• Location: Sisters, Oregon
• Weather: 81° and sunny, climbing to 92°
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

Walking: 2.68 miles
• Average pace: 17:24 minute/mile
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 69 feet
• Start time: 5:25 PM
• Location: Sisters, Oregon
• Weather: 92° and sunny
• What I wore: shorts , s/s shirt, and visor

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Post-Ride Stretch with Hannah Corbin

Staying with our friends, I put together a well-balanced strength workout using a combination of my traveling resistance bands and tubes alongside my friend’s home equipment.

When we stepped outside later in the morning, we could already smell the thick smoke from nearby wildfires. Still, we drove to a local park and mapped out a cycling route. Thank goodness for the company of great friends—because between the heat, the smoke, and trails packed with deep sand, rocks, and loose gravel, it was a pretty miserable ride!

Once back, I decided to walk out to capture a few pictures of the local Smokey Bear sign, drastically underestimating how far away it actually was. Needless to say, between the tough ride and the extra walking miles, I was completely pooped by the time I made it back to the house!

Saturday

Road trip: Day 14: Sisters, Oregon

Walking: 1.08 miles / .51 mile
• Average pace: 18:41 minute/mile / 22:02 minute/mile
• Surface: paved and gravel / paved
• Elevation gain: 11 feet / 43 feet
• Start time: 8:47 AM / 5:11 PM
• Location: Sisters, Oregon
• Weather: 67° and sunny / 72°, sunny, and windy
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

Hiking: .91 miles / 2.13 miles
• Average pace: 21:31 minute/mile / 22:39 minute/mile
• Surface: dirt / paved, dirt, and grass
• Elevation gain:  85 feet  / 17 feet
• Start time: 12:03 PM / 3;34 PM
• Location: Whychus Creek Overlook Trail, Oregon / Black Butte Ranch trails
• Weather: 76° and sunny / 73°, sunny, and windy
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Lower Body Stretch with Rebecca Kennedy

We had a busy, wonderful day celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary exploring the Sisters area with our friends. Out and about for over ten hours, we were treated to views of the Three Sisters mountains—Faith (North Sister), Hope (Middle Sister), and Charity (South Sister)—from countless gorgeous vantage points. We topped off the day of celebrating with drinks and dinner at a cozy downtown saloon.

Whychus Creek Overlook Trail

Black Butte Ranch