I like maps. I like doing fun things with spatial data in R. Recently, I’ve taken up running and, when given the chance, trail running. Running through the woods is my Zen.
I prefer new trails to ones I’ve done before. To push me to explore more trails, I took on the challenge of running across King County (East-West direction) in 2023. From the Lighthouse at Discovery Park to the warming shed at Snoqualmie Pass/Hyak. And to do so by taking trails whenever possible, with a priority for non-paved. Roads were used only when no reasonable trail option existed (I counted unpaved Forest Service Road as trails). This was made a lot easier by the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail.
It wasn’t always fun or easy. There are some odd, ugly and difficult trails needed to tie all this together. I got lost a few times despite my GPS. I ran through some snow, some rain and the occasional overgrown thicket of devil’s club. I saw two elk, many vestiges of last century’s industrial prowess and – other than a few places on Cougar, Tiger, Rattlesnake and my city runs – relatively few other runners.
99 Miles, 85 of them on trails. Many hours of fun in the woods and some in the city.
Next up? North-South? Kittitas County? Washington?