[pct-l] Hood-To-Coast Relay

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning, All,

This is a reminder for PCT hikers in the N. Oregon area that on Friday, 24
August, Timberline Lodge will again host the starting line for the
31stannual Hood-To-Coast (HTC) relay race.
The race begins at Timberline, continues for 199 miles, and ends at a big
party Saturday at the Oregon coast.  http://www.hoodtocoast.com/

In 2012 the race totaled 12,600 runners and 3,600 volunteers.  This year
1050 teams, with approximately 8-12 runners per team, will
participate.  Beginning
Friday at 6:30 AM and continuing until 6:45PM the teams will stage their
starts from the Timberline parking lot with the slowest teams starting
first and the elite, world-class teams starting last; the idea being to
compress their arrival at the coast.

The effect on PCT hikers is this:  Anyone arriving at Timberline on Friday
expecting amenities or services is likely to face crowds of several
thousand runners, volunteers, team support people, well-wishers, curiosity
seekers, press, etc.  at any one time between 5 AM and 8 PM.  Obviously the
associated roads – the Timberline access road and Rt. 26 westbound – will
be a serious mess.  Believe me:  I live off Rt. 26 near Sandy, and we plan
to stay entirely off the roads and out of town on race day.

This is a great event, and they do their best to lessen adverse impact on
locals, but with that many people in such a limited corridor, inconvenience
is impossible to avoid.

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/