Wow, TB Pro Willie McBride's been busy ticking off adventure after adventure as part of his 40 for 40 challenge.
This latest recap takes us from stateside trails to coastal Canadian landscapes to the countryside of Iceland. We weren't kidding when we said Willie's been busy!
How he does it, we don't know. But we at TB HQ feel darn lucky to get to follow along and cheer Willie on as he continues to put down challenges and fundraise for Big City Mountaineers!
Enjoy the recap from June AND July!
Need a resfresher on Willie's 'Why?' - Find it here.
9 of 40
Broken Arrow Iron Face Challenge
This short, very steep race on the Via Ferrata system at Palisades Tahoe was the first of its kind in North America. It was great to take part in the inaugural edition and awesome to experience the exposure of the unique route on the way up and enjoy a gravity-assisted 3.5 mile run back down. Nice Friday race to kick off the Broken Arrow weekend!
Adventure #9 Theme Song: Wolf Like Me by TV On The Radio
10 of 40
Broken Arrow 50k
Slow and steady was my mantra on this tough, two-loop course with 10,000 ft. of gain at nearly 9,000 ft elevation! It was a pleasure to embrace the "comfort with discomfort" mentality in such stunning scenery with hundreds of other racers, all testing themselves, from front of the pack to the back. Shared some miles with the wonderful Doug Mayer from Run the Alps and caught up with old friends over the weekend too...what a treat! So much to be grateful for!
Adventure #10 Theme Song: A New Error by Moderat
11 of 40
Juan de Fuca Trail
Wow, what a "trail"! :) I like gnarly, tough trails and this 50k point to point along the coast of Vancouver Island east of Victoria, brought the gnar in a serious way. Sustained technical trail, lots of vert, mud, staircases and ladders, suspension bridges + dear friends/loved ones and stunning weather = glorious adventure time in a very special area of the world.
Adventure #11 Theme Song: Loving Cup by The Rolling Stones
12 of 40
McGregor Mountain, North Cascades
Climbing McGregor Mountain while staying in Stehekin in the North Cascades for 3 nights over the 4th of July weekend with good friends has definitely been a highlight of the summer. Enjoying the absence of cell service and WiFi was also a true gift... What a magical place!
Adventure #12 Theme Song: L.A. Woman by The Doors
13 of 40
Hornstrandir Traverse, Iceland
Grateful for another incredible adventure with my friend Paul Holmes, this time to Iceland. Our first objective was a ~50 mile traverse (over a 2.5 days) of the wild and remote Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in the NW reaches of the country, a ferry ride from Isafjordur in the Westfjords. Hard to describe such a beautiful, untouched space. Hugely thankful to have lucked out with the weather too!
Adventure #13 Theme Song: Rising Water by Andrew Bird
14 of 40
Fimmvorduhals Trail, Iceland
Besides the Hornstrandir Traverse, our other objective in Iceland was to do the popular Fimmvorduhals and Laugavegur Trails, back to back over two days. We started at the coast in Skogar, after busing that morning from Reykjavik, and headed north on the Fimmvorduhals trail, completing the 15+ miles to the Volcano Huts, an amazing place to stay in Porsmork.
Adventure #14 Theme Song: Silvia by Miike Snow
15 of 40
Laugavegur Trail, Iceland
After some food and a little sauna time, we slept just 3 hours that night and started the Laugavegur Trail in the wee hours of the morning, to give us plenty of time to complete the 35 miles before our 3:45 pm bus back to Reykjavik. We left the Porsmork at 1:30 am and pulled into Landmannalaugar 12 hours later, having enjoyed a long, steady walk through incredible, otherworldly scenery.
Adventure #15 Theme Song: Big Time by Angel Olsen