photo by Mosi Smith
for the Siskiyou Hiker
by Ryan Ghelfi, owner-operator of Trails & Tarmac
If there is a place where the trails have been neglected for decades, and then by seemingly miraculous means they come back to life, how do you get people out there? Read how Ryan Ghelfi did exactly that.
OCTOBER 2019 | SISKIYOU WILDERNESS AREA, CA. — We are mostly creatures of habit, sticking with what is known, close to home or in places where beta is abundant. It was clear to me that the best and maybe the only way to get runners to make the first Trans Siskiyou Wilderness Run was to set it up, send out invites, and see what kind of crazy people might show up.
The Trans Siskiyou Wilderness Run was anything but a walk in the park, though there was plenty of walking involved. The route is comprised of a long gradual semi technical descent along the upper reaches of Clear Creek, one of the larger tributaries flowing into the Klamath River from the North.
The indescribable sense of being connected to a landscape which does not give two shits about our presence.
It lulled the runners into a sense of serene complacency, covering miles faster than they may have expected, taking side trips which did not appear all that hard on paper. The total distance was billed at 30 miles, the first 13 flowing by rather effortlessly, it was the perfect set up.
Photo by Jasha Reynolds
Clear Creek’s deep and guarded canyon walls open up, though briefly to allow the waters of the West Fork to enter the main stem. This is where we made our move. The trail connection heading South and West and up lay dormant for many years under a thick blanket of fallen old growth logs, tread obliterated by time, until now. This summer a group of naive backwoods patriots toiled and suffered for weeks at a time so we might pass through unscathed.
Photo by Chris McGovern
Both technical and punchy, this climb does not allow for as much running as some may have expected, the miles coming with significantly more effort, and daylight hours shedding fast. Any thoughts or worries quickly fell to the wayside as the ridgeline was gained, expansive views out to the Pacific, and across the whole scope of the greater Klamath Mountains capturing every runner’s full attention. The indescribable sense of being connected to a landscape which does not give two shits about our presence.
Photo by Mosi Smith
The dark, like the wilderness does not care, it just is. And so with resolve the runners carried on, navigating by feel, through rock gardens and meadows, cairn to cairn, each step bringing weary bodies closer to warm food, a campfire and a place to lay down. Each climb perhaps the last, but of course there is always another, and another.
Log freshly cut by SMC in 2019. Photo by Kelly Lange
Finally, after 33+ miles, no watch knew for sure, the trail widened, becoming more defined, sure signs that the front country is near. In the wee hours just before 1am every runner finished, completing possibly the first ever single day crossing of the Siskiyou Wilderness Area, energy levels buzzing, though fatigue shown deeply if you looked at anyone too long. It didn’t matter, beers were cracked, stories recounted, a full value real life adventure had just been had.
Photo by Keli Lange
How do you get people to run the forgotten trails, through landscapes which have hardly seen a trail runners tread? You ask. There is a yearning out there which I have seen first hand, it’s a hunger for something wild, real, and not without risk.
Photo by Dave Brennan
Eight runners said yes to these things, and they each found them and more in a placed called the Siskiyous.
Ryan Ghelfi is Siskiyou Mountain Club board treasurer and owns and operates Trails & Tarmac, a team of running coaches who have experience coaching and racing at every distance on trails, roads, and track. Trails & Tarmac is a proud sponsor of Siskiyou Mountain Club.
