LGBTQ+ Running Celebration

Want to adventure in and around the North Cascades this autumn? Are you looking to celebrate the outdoors with an uplifting community of LGBTQ+ athletes? If so, you came to the right place! 🌈 Hosted by Out Trails and Aspire Adventure Running, the 2023 Out Trails LGBTQ+ Running Retreat @ North Cascades will allow you to experience spectacular running experiences and come away with deep connections to the place and people with whom you will be sharing trails.
And no need to worry about logistics, permits, food, and details - we got all that covered.

About Out Trails

Out Trails is a community of LGBTQ+ and ally trail runners & hikers, celebrating and promoting diversity on the trails. We believe outdoor spaces are for everyone to find community and to enjoy. Out Trails hopes to build upon and accelerate the existing, and already amazing, outdoor running communities. Our programming, group runs, and trips aim to create safe, welcoming spaces for athletes of all identities and abilities.

Description

The Out Trails LGBTQ+ Running Retreat – North Cascades is an opportunity for LGBTQ+ runners to celebrate their community and delve deep into an incredible landscape. The North Cascades, sometimes called the "American Alps", are an incredible, glaciated mountain range in Washington state. Their dramatic relief and wooly shoulders rush down into lush drainages of evergreens and cascading rivers. Runner's will explore the ridgelines on and around Mt. Baker during this trip.

Staged from the Mt. Baker Mountaineer's Lodge, 40 runners gather for 3 evenings of delicious meals, community, and celebration and 2 full days of trails, dirt, sky, and some of the most remarkable trails on the planet.

Runners & Hikers Welcome

Out Trails LGBTQ+ Running Retreat – North Cascades welcomes runners of all paces. Each day we’ll have a selection of run distances and paces. Join the group that feels good to you, or travel at your own speed.

Leisure Pace: For the hikers and run-curious, this group will walk the ups and most of the downs, enjoying the company of the group as they take in the views.
Steady Pace: For runners who love to soak in the views at a moderate pace, while generally running downhills and flats.
Motivated Pace: For runners who want to see as much of the zone as possible, and are comfortable with higher speeds and mileage.
There’s no wrong way to enjoy the mountains, and the combined Aspire and Out Trails crew are there to support each pace group.

The Out Trails Running Retreat is designed to be accessible for first-time trail runners as well as experienced trail runners. All experience levels are welcome! No matter your experience level, our goal for the Retreat is to provide a welcoming, supportive environment for you to push yourself physically and mentally–and perhaps learn something new about yourself during the process. Concerned about being able to do the Running Retreat? Remember, this is your trip–you get to decide your appetite for adventure each day, but know you won't be alone!

Weekend Overview

Thursday, Day 1
Opening at the Mt. Baker Mountaineers Lodge.
Runners are welcome to shuttle with Aspire from Bellingham or arrive at the time anytime after 5pm. We’ll have cold drinks and plates of fresh appetizers served alongside libations to set the tone for the weekend. Dinner will be at 6pm followed by a trip overview and stoke building for the running that lies ahead.

Friday, Day 2
Run Yellow Aster Butte/Excelsior Ridge.
After a hot predawn breakfast, runners will be transported to the Yellow Aster Butte trailhead. Runners can opt for an out and back summit of Yellow Aster Butte, or continue to climb Tomyhoi and run Excelsior Ridge before descending to the valley and shuttling back to the lodge. Dinner, drinks, and celebrations are a guarantee.

Saturday, Day 3
Run the Chain Lakes Loop/Ptarmigan Ridge/Lake Ann.
Runners have 3 distance options for the day, each leaving from the lodge and immediately transitioning to breathtaking trails. The 7 mile Chain Lakes Loop takes runners on a tour of alpine lakes set within a backdrop of purple heather and glacier covered peaks. Runners can add an out and back to Ptarmigan Ridge and clock a seventeen mile day. Runners opting for the 10 mile Lake Ann route will climb up the flanks of Mt. Shuksan to incredible views of Lake Ann and the surrounding North Cascades.

Sunday, Day 4
Breakfast and Goodbyes
Runners will wake up for a final breakfast, weekend reflection, and say their goodbyes. All activities will wrap by 10:00am.

About Aspire

Aspire organizes single and multi-day running adventures in backcountry and wilderness terrain. We pair logistical and emergency support with delicious meals for a unique and memorable running experience. More info about our project is available at: www.AspireAdventureRunning.com

Event's current local time: 10:10 PM PT