Backcountry Trail Run - Rock Candy Mountain

Located southwest of Olympia in the Black Hills of Grays Harbor and Thurston counties, the 110,000-acre Capitol State Forest is both a timber-producing forest and a popular recreation destination. Rock Candy Trailhead is a trail system shared by hikers, trail runners, off-road vehicle and mountain bike riders. The trail ascends to an open summit with views of the Olympia Mountains and the Puget Sound.

We will travel as a group at a steady pace: fast hike uphill and ~4.5 mph jog on straightaways and low-grade downhill. This is a long run, with siginificant elevation at a moderate pace. As such, please include recent runs of similar distance and elevation gain when requesting leader permission. We run as a group and will stick together given mountain bikers and ARVs.

We will *avoid* active logging areas per DNR: https://www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/em_capitol_closures.pdf. Also, I will cancel this run if significant chance of rain, and may shorten route due to extreme heat.

Capitol State Forest Trail Map: https://file.dnr.wa.gov/publications/eng_rms_cap_forest_scan_full_08.pdf

Gaia route: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=11.4/-123.1632/47.0010&pubLink=3ZAB685QxPHW9wMwmqV4hzPS&trackId=f75ee27b-ecc5-4e89-a34d-45640713a060

Full details will be emailed soon after registration closes on August 6. In the interim please contact the leader with any questions: BMPeacock@aol.com.

Meet at 7:50 am at Rock Candy Trailhead. After introductions, gear check and discussion of trail conditions and group safety, plan on starting to run at 8:00 am. From I-5 in Olympia, exit onto US 101 north. After 6 miles, merge onto US 8 for another 4.7 miles to Rock Candy Mountain Road. Turn left and proceed to the trailhead. Restroom at trailhead. Discover Pass required.