February Winter Conditioning Run: 6+ miles - Dirty Harry's Balcony & East Balcony

Meet at 8:00 am at Dirty Harry's Balcony trailhead parking lot off of Grouse Ridge Road. Following introductions, description of route and current trail conditions, plan to start hiking/jogging by 8:10 am. Discover Pass required. Bathroom available at trailhead.

Directions: From Seattle, take exit 38 towards the Fire Training Academy. After exiting, head right at the stop sign and drive 1.8 miles. The road comes to a junction. Turn left to go underneath the freeway and you will see the parking lot ahead of you with a trailhead sign and a bathroom. (The road past the trailhead parking area is closed to the public. Please don't continue past the Dirty Harry's parking area.)

This route will pass the Neverland, Lost Boys and Darkside faces, as well as go to Dirty Harry's Balcony and Little (East) Balcony.

We will hike and jog for ~6 1/2 miles total distance with 3,030 ft elevation gain, starting with the Neverland Climbing Area trail. We will quickly turn around and head to Dirty Harry's Peak trail, which then connects with the Balcony trail. We will stop at Dirty Harry's Balcony for a pic and a snack, then head over on the Ira Spring Connector to Little Balcony and where the trail connects with Putrid Peak's Trail. This is where we will turn around and head back. We will look to do an avg pace of 3 mph: moderate hike uphill and 4.5-5.0 mph straighaway and downhill. 

Goal is for everyone to run at a conversational pace, which means you can talk in complete sentence without gasping for air, can easily breath through your nose, and have an average heart rate typically less than 140 (75% of max heart rate).  Shouldn't be huffing and puffing.

For a complete description of  trail running with the Mountaineers, please consult the Trail Running Standards.

Gaia route: https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=16.9/-121.6341/47.4312&pubLink=rM0WZMtl998LnAIaEfzrDXhF&trackId=23c93af5-d4df-4eee-8fa0-bdc7c024732d

WA Dept of Natural Resources Map: https://www.dnr.wa.gov/geo/dirtyharry.pdf

Full details will be soon after registration closes on Feb 1. In the interim, please contact the leader with any questions at dboyceman@hotmail.com.