Change is afoot! Plus, Doug returns to Washington and explores Staircase, Mathias walks Olympia and both reminisce about the stunning trails in the South Puget Sound.

Podcasters are scared of a little bit of weather and Peloton get’s dumped on again, apologizes. Also, trail races are coming back in 2021, we hope. But we do wonder what this will look like. Are you going to race?

Check out Tailwind Nutrition’s Seasonal Flavor Drop at Tailwindnutrition.com.

Training goals are adjusted, and pizza is baked. Fall is here. We’re dreaming slowing down for the colder month eating copious amount of delicious cake, and are debating the best pizza toppings.
Apologies to the dieters.

Those who frequent trails in bear country know that you should never be without your trusty bear spray. More successful at preventing a bear attack than guns, bear spray has quickly become another essential everyone needs. Yet, for many outdoor enthusiasts, finding a comfortable, accessible place to hold your bear spray can be a challenge. That is where Scatbelt comes in.

Doug bakes zucchini bread, Mathias whines about dentist appointments. Fall is here and while Mathias still enjoys is downtime Doug sneaks in a couple more epic adventures. Buffalos, cornices, and boulder surfing, all this and more!

In this week’s episode Doug finds trails after a rest period and Mathias submits is run to the Fastest Known Time database. Philipp Reiter’s Alpfronttrail project is discussed and the future of the American shopping mall decided.

…smoke on the water, a fire in the sky…
Doug discovers backcountry camping bliss on, not off ‘the beaten path’ and Mathias finally knocks off his biggest project to date: The Cushman 6: 6 peaks in one, probably-never-before-completed run along the mountains above Lake Cushman in the Olympics. These big projects deserve a big show, and this one lives up to it.

It’s smoke and fire season in the west and everything is burning…. ugh, your favorite podcast hosts had plans, and great plans for one more big adventure run before the winter. We also dive deep into the questionable inspiration of one of the most popular trail races in the world. Deep stuff, as always.

Heading to Lena Lake, Upper Lena Lake or The Brothers? You’ll need to change your plans. A press release sent out by Olympic National Park and Forest is letting people know that this popular hiking destination on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula is now closed to hiking due to a forest fire that has been burning since August 16th. This area was also closed in 2018 for forest fires. 

Doug gets almost blown off a mountain top and Mathias sneaks in a mid-week climb of the beloved Mt. Ellinor. And he find goats. Yes, there are still there, as well as photographers or at least people with camera gear. Oh, and the trail is getting spruced up, which is very nice, thank you Mt. Rose Trail Crew. Let’s get some more mountains in before snow falls, shall we?