Running Week 10

While I haven’t been able to stick to Hal Higdon’s plan perfectly (Hal Higdon’s marathon training plan), it’s nice to see enough progress that my long runs are now medium distance runs. The 7 miles around Lake Siskiyou is an easy run.

That being said, it’s hard to find a longer run without climbing a mountain. I returned to Deadfall Lakes to check out a new section of trail along the top of the Sisson-Callahan Trail. We ran the Pacific Crest trail from the Park Creek trailhead to the junction with the Sisson-Callahan Trail. As we turned east, I thought the trail would follow the contour to the saddle below Mount Eddy. I was wrong. The trail went straight downhill to the headwaters of the north fork of the Sacramento River where we found ourselves in a grove of old growth cedars. It was amazing to be in the headwaters of such a large river but that’s where the trail disappeared. Luckily, route finding was pretty easy because the mountains formed a bowl that pointed in one direction and there was water in the meadow everywhere except one path. I kept my feet dry. Just as I would commit to a direction, I would find a white trail marker on the side of a tree confirming my decision and so I continued scanning for them but never found one until after I had chosen a path each time. It slowed the run down but not like the climb out of the bowl. I kept my heart rate up but my pace was slow as we climbed from 6610’ to 8005’ in 1.6 miles. As we crossed the saddle into the Deadfall Lakes basin, we were greeted again by one of the most beautiful areas I have ever been. Descending through the series of ponds and lakes, the dogs were in heaven jumping in and out of the water…running, swimming, and chasing chipmunks…what could be better.

I stopped to help one group with directions and after the gentlemen complimented the dogs on being so beautiful, Roxy unabashedly stuck her head between his legs so he could pet her. How to get to know people quickly! The dogs have gotten so much better on the runs as they greet other dogs, take a sniff and move on. Six months ago, I didn’t know if this was possible as they seemed fine on their own but they had an assertive pack mentality when together. People are so complimentary of the dogs and it’s great to see a pair of rescues who had such a troubled past having fun and becoming good trail dogs at the same time.

Strava Lake Siskiyou Run

Strava Deadfall Lakes Loop