Sponsor:
The Trail Running Film Festival presented by Brooks -
Back on Tour for 2025.

The Trail Running Film Festival presented by Brooks -
Back on Tour for 2025.

As we’re entering another dark age I’ve had several conversations with friends about how dreadful we were feeling the last time around. I’ve been trying to remember all the bad things that happened, even before the pandemic threw the entire world into a tailspin (and sort of saved trump’s legacy because we ended up talking about that bad virus more than his awful leadership). I remembered the countless angry tweets I wrote (something I’ve completely stopped now), the endless doom-scrolling (which I still do), the rollercoaster of news announcements and stock market reactions, the orders, decrees, announcements, and proposals (“did you read what he did today?”). And I remembered the golf outings (so many rounds of golf).

Of course that time was awful – whenever the opposing party is in charge and moving the country into a direction we don’t like we hate the world. I understand the other side too (who wouldn’t throw a raging fit if more clean energy is being used? Or more coast lines get protected? Or humans rights are being extended to all Americans? I mean this shit is infuriating.)

I am getting ready for my citizenship interview today and am sitting here wondering if some government official might read my writing I’ll keep the rest to myself.

What all this did make me think of is something different and entirely more uplifting and positive.

What did I actually DO during those first weird four years?

Did I accomplish anything other than worrying, yelling and fretting?

It turns out I did. And that surprised me. I just thought these 4 years were lost in time. Maybe reading a little booklet on the Constitution with a timeline of events that lead to the founding of the United States and it’s first tumultuous years after made me realize that it’s our responsibility to frame our story. We get to tell what our life is all about. We get to hold on to the highlights and let those define who we are.

Here’s my (not exhaustive) list of things I did, and am proud, between 2017 and 2021.

2017:

  • For my 40th birthday I ran R2R2R. I had never been at the Grand Canyon and just showing up and taking on this huge journey was an incredible experience. Also my longest and hardest run to date.
  • That year I also ran Chuckanut 50K, it’s 25th anniversary edition.
  • And then in the summer I ran Squamish 50M – my longest race to date.

2018:

  • I launched Singletrack, the first trail running podcast with that name. And for many years I didn’t go a single week without posting an episode.
  • To test the Apple Watch 3 for (back then) one of the biggest Apple blogs iMore I ran 20 miles along the Hoh River trail in the Olympic National Park and got paid for writing a review and making a video.
  • With Trixy, my wife, we climbed Mt. St. Helens in the early Spring (but still fully in snow).
  • I travelled to Lake Tahoe and ran the Broken Arrow Skyrace 52K.
  • Over the winter of that year and leading into the next one I ran Every Single Street in Olympia, inspired by Rickey Gates’ San Francisco project.

2019:

  • I (self-)published my book Adventure Running – Exploring Olympia’s Trails sharing trail running routes in the city parks and nearby national parks and forests.
  • After years of dreaming about it I ran solo the magical Enchantments in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness above Leavenworth, Washington. Still one of my favorite runs of all time.
  • And yes, it was 2019, in the midst of all that shit going down where I built, launched, and directed my first trail race: Little Backyard Adventure. It was intense, it was a ton of work and a start of something truly special.

2020:

  • I built and hosted ‘Stories of Adventure – an evening of inspiration’. We interview local trail legends, raffled off amazing prizes and raised money for local trails, shared a beer (or two) and had an incredible time at the sold out Swantown Inn. I was so excited about the outcome that I immediately scheduled a follow top event and then the pandemic shut everything down.
  • ) Joined the annual local summer solstice run RAN (Run All Night) and ran 50 miles from town to the Capitol Forest and back.
  • After I heard of the announcement that the Tribute the the Trails Calendar Project was being shelved, I took over this long-standing and cherished project and published a calendar celebrating trails and raising money for the Washington Trails Association.
  • Cushman Six is still one of my mountain projects I’m most proud of. Linking 6 summits together above Lake Cushman in this fashion has probably never been done before. It became an official FKT and has since been completed by a few other teams. It’s gnarly with lots of off-trail travel. It’s a special project I was able to complete during the pandemic with immense wildfire smoke in the air.

Why am I sharing all this?

When looking back at these years I did in fact not just yell and scream and cry. I created. I built. I made shit happen. Stuff I am proud of. Stuff I’m still working on, or stuff that paved the way for the things that now occupy my day. Important stuff. Meaningful stuff. And this, I hope, will be my guiding light in these next few dark years. And I hope it can be for you too. Stay informed, but don’t just doom scroll. Fight, and worry, and scream at times. But also: Find the time to create, to build, to make, to live. That’s the light no darkness can take away. And that’s the light that will welcome a new dawn.

Let’s go!

MADE BY EINMALEINS