Overview

The Cascadian Wilderness Endurance Series events present an exciting opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to participate in a multimedia adventure blogging contest. These self-supported/unsupported events are open to trail runners, backpackers, fastpackers, and hikers, and each event features a unique and defined route which participants must complete on foot and in one push. Unlike traditional endurance races, there are no course markings or aid stations along the way, providing participants with the freedom to create their own adventure. It’s all up to you! Participants can choose to tackle the route solo or with a couple friends. There are no cutoffs, so participants can take as much time as they need to complete the route without pressure. This unique event is not just about the physical challenge or exploring wild and beautiful places, but also about the opportunity to capture and share the beauty of the wilderness through captivating multimedia content.

1. After finishing your route, share your trip report about your experience. You can do this by posting in the Facebook group, tagging us in an Instagram post, making a YouTube video, creating a photo album, or any other artistic endeavor you can imagine.

2. Submit your time via the event page on Ultrasignup. If you have a GPS track, please include it. If you happened to get the FKT for the year, you must provide GPS proof.

3. Each year a meetup will be held in Seattle to wrap up the previous year, kick off the next year, make any big announcements about new routes or changes, and hand out patches, awards, and prizes for the previous year’s participants. If you are unable to attend the event, arrangements can be made to mail your patches to you.

We strongly encourage all entrants to join the CWES Facebook Group and/or follow the @CascadianWildernessEndurance Instagram to ask questions about the routes, gather and share trail beta, connect with other participants, scope out the competition, and keep up to date on the most recent news, information, and general goings on. This contest is brought to you by the Cascadian Wilderness Endurance Company LLC.

The Kettle Crest

The Kettle Crest is one of my all time favorite places to be. I have skied there in the winter and run in the summer and fall. This route is 44 miles from point to point and is a rooftop crest of the Kettle River Range, the Kettle Crest Trail. I am presenting the route as one that offers a variety of options. There are at least 3 main access points to the Kettle Crest Trail which is located in the far northeast corner of the state. ( The Sherman Pass summit on Highway 20; the Deer Creek Trailhead off of Bolder Pass; and the White Mountain Trailhead off of a maze of dirt roads, again off of Highway 20). It features fifteen of Eastern Washington’s highest peaks, some of them summitted along this main route and others accessed via spur trails of differing lengths.

The trail is in the Colville National Forest and contains some of the largest roadless tracts of national forest lands in Eastern Washington. The Colville First Peoples saw in these mountains a sacredness and was a sanctuary for young warriors engaging in vision quests. I hope many of you here will take on your own vision quest in this unique north/south crest trail.

From my times spent running, skiing and most recently hiking on this trail, I have come to love many things about it. Huge trees still stand and many varieties of wildflowers bloom profusely in the tall grasses that grow in the open views. I have seen purple lupine, arrowleaf balsam, wild roses, fireweed, yarrow, paintbrush, aster, buckwheat and mustard. Forest fires have swept through the area in the past, so you can expect for there to be downed trees, more in some sections than others. The silvered snags that remain add a unique character to the route and sections with aspen whistle as the winds pass through the holes in the trunks. There is a true feeling of solitude along the trail. There are opportunities to see a wide range of wildlife including mule deer, black bear, wild turkey, grouse, pileated woodpeckers, cougar, and moose. There are huge boulders, mossy areas and bright green lichen and old man’s beard hanging from trees. It’s actually quite mystical and ancient feeling.

There are tapped springs along the route, so if you plan your water refills carefully, you should be able to stay well hydrated. The springs are maintained by cattle ranchers and also serve as water sources for free range cattle, so filtering your water is a must. Cattle tend to congregate around these areas, so getting your water and taking your actual break elsewhere is advised! There are some woodland saddles along the way and rocky buttes, a lot of runnable terrain and the option of tagging up at all 15 summits on the Crest. The peaks range in elevation from about 6,500 to just over 7,000 - Copper Butte being the highest peak.

The Kettle Crest Trail is a part of the 1,200 mile Pacific Northwest Trail. You might see a thru-hiker or two if you do the route in the summertime. The area is also popular for game hunting, and in the fall you can expect to see hunters hiking along the route or driving around on the dirt roads around White Mountain. Fall is a special time of year along the Crest for a number of different reasons, but mostly because of the larch that grow in the forests there. Their needles turn golden yellow and end up dropping in early winter. The groves of these tamaracks are really spectacular.

There are also some wetter sections with deciduous trees that turn in the fall and the cold, clear nights with no light interference creating a stargazing scape beyond what the eye can possibly take in. Be prepared for night temps in the 20’s this time of year. In the summer, be prepared for heat, as northeastern Washington gets quite hot in July and August.

The Route

The route can be done as a point to point with a shuttle arranged, or a key exchange worked out ahead of time. Another option is to do the trail as a yo-yo or an out and back, making the total mileage still doable at 88. This might be slower going than expected in the remote setting with careful planning and filtering of water; some sections of lesser maintained trail; areas of technical or rocky terrain, and a cumulative elevation gain of nearly 8,000 feet over its length in one direction. Another option for doing an out and back is to start at the Sherman Peak Trailhead at the pass and head off either north or south first, bouncing back to your start point and then doing the other direction and again bouncing back to your finish. The Sherman Pass Trailhead is probably the easiest place to access a starting spot. Deer Creek Trailhead is the northern terminus and the second easiest access point, with White Mountain being the southern terminus and the most complicated spot to access, via dirt forest service roads.

There are a lot of good places to pitch a tent or take a trailside nap. The Snow Peak Cabin is available for rental through the Forest Service, but look into making a reservation early. It is equipped with cots, a woodstove, a cookstove with some pots and pans, an outhouse, and views for days. I have stayed there in the winter and the summer both. It’s an incredible spot.

It is worth the drive to head to northeastern Washington to do this route. The peacefulness and uniqueness of the Colville National Forest is calling adventurers seeking some new terrain to explore. I have chosen all of the routes for the UPWC based on my favorite places I have been to in Washington; places that evoke a special feeling in me and where I see areas of vast wilderness and experience solitude. They are places I want to share with others and it is one of the foundational aspects to the Wilderness Challenge. The Kettle Crest Trail is one of those places.

Rationale

Why should you pay $20 to complete one of the endurance challenges? A small part of the fee will go to cover website maintenance and domain registration, as well as getting patches made and other small goodies/swag. The majority of this fee will be donated to trail maintenance organizations.

Why are we even doing this? To get people out into the wonderful wilderness areas that we have here in the Northwest and to build the community of adventurous people! The trip report is just as important as actually finishing the route, and we love it when people come up with creative ways to share their experience. Information isn't always readily available for these areas, and maps can be scarce and not always reliable (especially the Pasayten and Frank Church/Selway Wildernesses.) That can intimidate some that aren't as experienced outdoors-people. The goal is to empower people to get out into these wilderness areas and hopefully to protect them into the future.

Event's current local time: 3:43 AM PT