Unlike this time last year, summer is in full swing.
The annual PDX Triathlon at Blue Lake was a success. I shaved five minutes off the previous year!
Soon after, I dipped my toes into the ultra world. I had previously hiked sections of Forest Park's Wildwood Trail, but never considered completing it in one go until my friend Kyle did it last weekend. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued, and the wheels started turning.
The Wildwood Trail is the longest urban hiking trail in the nation. It stretches for 30 miles in the Tualatin Hills, mainly in Forest Park, with its southern segment in Washington Park. The Wildwood is an easy trail for its length, with rolling hills that add up to 3,000' of total elevation gain. The trail junctions are generally well-signed, and quarter mile markers are posted on trees. The trail is open year-round; muddy in the winter and dusty in the summer.
On Sunday morning, I parked my car at the Newberry Trailhead (northern terminus), then Tom dropped me off at the southern terminus in Washington Park. I set off at 8am.
The first ten miles are the toughest. Washington Park and Pittock Mansion are very hilly and busy. I ultimately decided to go northbound to knock out this part first. In the next section, the trail gradually flattens and the crowds thins. I followed the twists and turns of the thick forest, surprised to still be in the heart of Portland. The final ten miles are mostly downhill, but I was dragging by then. My car was a welcomed sight!
