Trail to 50

Recording my experiences, this is an archive of what I've done, what I'm doing, and what I will do. It's my Trail to 50 - states, miles, kilometers, events, ultras, hours, years...Trailto50.com

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2022: Dichotomy year. . Part 1: We started off the year with a bang, newly moved into our new place then immediately spent all our time at our old condo cleaning, repairing and selling it. I celebrated #42 by running 24 hours around 1, 2, and 3 mile neighborhood loops. We spent a week in Bend at a working sheep herding ranch, golfed with an old friend, tandem biked along the river, and ate all the Ocean-Rolls at Sparrow Bakery. I planted 18 different vegetables in our garden. I ran a 100k in California for another Western States qualifier (lottery year 7. Didn’t get selected again) and kept the trip rolling with 7 rounds of epic golf and another bucket list course, Spanish Bay. The month of June was time to bunker down, cook all sorts of easy to reheat frozen foods. We tried to imagine everything we didn’t know. And then we waited and counted down the days. . Part 2: Our lives were forever changed in every possible incredible and beautiful way on July 9 when our son, Kai, decided that it was time to join us in this world. The former life, just a short 6 month blink ago, seems an eternity and a chasm away. All the free time I once had has been replaced with the nonstop changing of dirty diapers, fighting nap time, fighting bedtime, fighting the feeding bottle, doing all the laundry, waking up at all hours of the night, and trying to figure out what he wants or needs; turns out the answer to both is Love. Life is both non-stop and infinitely more complicated, yet slower and simpler now. Time winds down and I find myself searching for only the most important of things - morning cuddles and coos, baby giggles and gummy smiles, spending all the time with Kai and watching in awe as he slowly discovers his current life. . I wouldn’t want life right now to be any other way. . . My top 9, top to bottom, right to left: 1. Seattle sunset from Jefferson Park. 2. Climate Pledge Arena. 3. Senior year high school photo. 4. Granite Curling Club. Year 16. 5. Columbia City sunrise. 6. Quicksilver 100k start line. 7. My grandparents, George and Christine. 8. Kai Christopher Blackburn. 9. California golf trip sunset. . . #TopNine2022 #2022 #Reflection #Trailto50 #TT50 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm3XCngLuNA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Back for Year 16. . . #GraniteCurlingClub #GCC #Seattle #UpperLeftUSA #Cascadia #Curling #PNW #ThursdayNightMensLeague #Year16 #Trailto50 #TT50 (at Granite Curling Club - Seattle) https://www.instagram.com/p/CijZrTFrXVA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Back for Year 16. . . #GraniteCurlingClub #GCC #Seattle #UpperLeftUSA #Cascadia #Curling #PNW #ThursdayNightMensLeague #Year16 #Trailto50 #TT50 (at Granite Curling Club - Seattle) https://www.instagram.com/p/CijZIVjr0jw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Downtown. . . #Seattle #WA #Sunset #JeffersonPark #TT50 #Trailto50 (at Jefferson Park (Seattle)) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChtiaLEuF69/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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I Pledge allegiance to the Climate of the current home of the Seattle Storm. . . #ClimatePledgeArena #Seattle #WA #SeattleStorm #FutureSeattleNBATeam (at Climate Pledge Arena) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfsDWwsPahT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Four days of spectacular golf ✅ Six rounds - two 36 hole days ✅ A bucket list links course ✅ Good weather - sunshine! ✅ Tasty food - BBQ and breweries ✅ Sharing the experience with great friends! ✅✅✅ . I wanted to take it all in and I had a hard time concentrating solely on the golf this trip. I found myself standing on the green waiting for others to putt and instead of reading the green and lining up my own putt, I was looking at the ocean or the deer or the surrounding holes or back up the fairway, trying to be in the moment and remember the entire experience. Golf scores aside, the golf was great, the weather was great, and the company was great. . 11/10 would recommend. . . #CA #PoppyRidge #PoppyHills #TheLinksAtSpanishBay #Bayonet #BlackHorse #CinnabarHills #Trailto50 #TT50 (at Monterey, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd40WN2uM3g/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Quicksilver 100k. San Jose, California. . Thoughts: 14:55 finish time. 13,000 feet of vert. 4:30am start time. Hot exposed day. 6am ice bandanas. Not enough training. But just enough. 30 miles of leg cramps. 35 miles of running with Chuck. 61.99 miles of self doubt. 0.1 miles of slightly less self doubt. Tired of drinking water. So many fire roads. Hiking poles are saviors. Popsicles for the win at Bull Run AS. That was hard. Another Western Stares qualifier (year 7) Satisfied. . #Quicksilver100k #CA #TT50 #Trailto50 (at Quicksilver) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdlYt_elf4v/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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I hope 18 year old high school senior me would approve of current me 24 years later in life. . Still own that suit and tie and they still fit quite comfortably. . A Birthday Riddle: “The Answer to the Great Question... Of Life, the Universe and Everything...Is…”? . . #42 #MyDay #Trailto50 #Trailto50 (at Seattle, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZsFDeFPpXy/?utm_medium=tumblr

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1000 Union Street, PH-C Seattle, WA 98101 is on the market for sale! . #TalismanCondominiums #Talisman #Condo #Penthouse #FirstHill #Urban (at Talisman Condominiums) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZfzJHLpVnm/?utm_medium=tumblr

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The more things change the more things stay the same (masks). Things that happened this year: celebrated 10 years of marriage with @katechristine213!, ran a 100k on 4 weeks of training, played a few bucket list golf courses, got my kicks on Route 66, hiked down a canyon (101 degrees at the rim!), ran a mile or more for 365 days straight, made new friends, cherished current friends, tragically said goodbye to old friends, embraced mask life, changed from a temporary WFH to a new indefinite WFH location, rode a rollercoaster of emotions and am ending on a small but meaningful life change. . Thanks 2021 for the memories, but I’m already looking ahead to 2022! . Here are my best nine 2021 photos. Top to bottom; right to left: 1. Siskyou SOB. 2. 🧙‍♂️Island, Crater Lake. 3. Teetering in Teanaway Country. 4. If you know, you know. (Also I shot par.) 5. GRAND! 6. #41 7. Glorious Mazama wildflowers. 8. Tucker boy doggie smiles. 9. PCT north just past the Katwalk. . . #BestNine2021 #2021 #Reflection #Trailto50 #TT50 https://www.instagram.com/p/CYKmmZlvTxs/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Timeless. . . #Seattle #WA #UpperLeftUSA #PNW #SpaceNeedle #Trailto50 #TT50 (at Space Needle) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVOeX78Ptsr/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Everyone thinks evening photo shoots at Kerry Park are the bees knees (and they aren’t wrong) but this is one of my favorite Seattle sunset vignettes. . . #TerryAve #UnionSt #FirstHill #Seattle #WA #PNW #UpperLeftUSA #Sunset (at First Hill) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU6pf2brG21/?utm_medium=tumblr

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If you’re only going to pull out driver for only one hole the entire round, this is the one to do it not because you have to but because it’s the 18th hole of Pebble Beach Golf Links! . On the 18th, I kept the ball in play off the tee box, hit three bunkers, one tree, made an up and down bogey and walked away with a day full of memories. . There was the excitement and nerves of teeing off on hole 1, the framed barranca on hole 2, the dogleg left hole 3, the 100 yard fairway bunker shot absolutely darted to 3 feet for birdie(!) on hole 4, the guy who hit a ball directly into a golf bag on the cart from 150 yards away on hole 5, the monster blind second shot on hole 6, the iconic hole 7, the intimidating chasm of hole 8, the marshals telling us to play faster on hole 9, the caddie who said to ignore the marshals once we were out of earshot on hole 10, hitting the only sprinkler head on hole 11, accidentally leaving my putter on hole 12 after an up and down bunker par, putting with my 3w on holes 13 and 14 because of said forgotten putter, realizing the round was almost over on hole 15, listening to caddie stories on hole 16, pretending I was Jack teeing off with a 1 iron into the wind on hole 17, and of course the memorable stroll down the fairway on hole 18 into the late afternoon sun trying to savor every last magical moment of this lifetime bucket list experience. . Oh yeah and there was the 84 I shot (39 out and 45 in) teeing off with my 3w on every hole except for the 18th hole. . . #PebbleBeachGolfLinks #PebbleBeach #CA #BucketList #DontMindMySwing (at Pebble Beach Golf Links) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUxuXwUpDq1/?utm_medium=tumblr

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If you’re only going to pull out driver for one hole the entire round, this is the one to do it not because you have to but because it’s the 18th hole of Pebble Beach Golf Links! . On the 18th, I kept the ball in play off the tee box, hit three bunkers, one tree, made an up and down bogey and walked away with a day full of memories. . There was excitement and nerves of teeing off on hole 1, the barranca on hole 2, the dogleg left hole 3, the birdie from the fairway bunker on hole 4, the guy who hit a ball directly into a golf bag on the cart from 150 yards away on hole 5, the monster blind second shot on hole 6, the iconic hole 7, the intimidating chasm of hole 8, marshals telling us to play faster on hole 9, the caddie who said to ignore the marshals once we were out of earshot on hole 10, hitting the only sprinkler head on hole 11, accidentally leaving my putter on hole 12 after an up and down bunker par, putting with my 3w on holes 13 and 14 because of the forgotten putter, realizing the round was almost over on hole 15, listening to caddie stories on hole 16, pretending I was Jack, teeing off with a 1 iron into the wind on hole 17, and of course the memorable stroll down the fairway on hole 18 into the late afternoon sun trying to savor every last moment of this magical experience. Oh yeah and I shot an 84 (39 out and 45 in) teeing off with my 3w on every hole except for the last hole. . . #Hole18 #PebbleBeach #CA #BucketList #DontMindMySwing (at Pebble Beach Golf Course-18th Hole) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUwhfE-rp2D/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Was fortunate to play a round here earlier this year. Was also fortunate to hit the green. . . #Hole7 #PebbleBeach #CA #GIR #TwoPutt #Par #PW #BucketList (at 7th hole Pebble Beach Golf Course) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUu9WBEpeJt/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Was fortunate to play a round here earlier this year. Was also fortunate to hit the green. . . #Hole7 #PebbleBeach #CA #GIR #TwoPutt #Par #PW #BucketList (at 7th hole Pebble Beach Golf Course) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUu7p0wpq-Z/?utm_medium=tumblr

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All the magic. Only one wizard required. . #CraterLakeNationalPark #Oregon #WizardIsland #WatchmanLookout #Trailto50 #TT50 (at Crater Lake National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRb69h5nil7/?utm_medium=tumblr