Cascadian Wilderness Endurance Series - Kettle Crest

The Cascadian Wilderness Endurance Series events present an exciting opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to participate in a multimedia adventure blogging contest. These self-supported/unsupported events are open to trail runners, backpackers, fastpackers, and hikers, and each event features a unique and defined route which participants must complete on foot and in one push. Unlike traditional endurance races, there are no course markings or aid stations along the way, providing participants with the freedom to create their own adventure. It’s all up to you! Participants can choose to tackle the route solo or with a couple friends. There are no cutoffs, so participants can take as much time as they need to complete the route without pressure. This unique event is not just about the physical challenge or exploring wild and beautiful places, but also about the opportunity to capture and share the beauty of the wilderness through captivating multimedia content.

After finishing your route, share your trip report about your experience. You can do this by posting in the Facebook group, tagging us in an Instagram post, making a YouTube video, creating a photo album, or any other artistic endeavor you can imagine. Submit your time via the event page on Ultrasignup. If you have a GPS track, please include it. If you happened to get the FKT for the year, you must provide GPS proof. Each year a meetup will be held in Seattle to wrap up the previous year, kick off the next year, make any big announcements about new routes or changes, and hand out patches, awards, and prizes for the previous year’s participants. If you are unable to attend the event, arrangements can be made to mail your patches to you. We strongly encourage all entrants to join the CWES Facebook Group and/or follow the @CascadianWildernessEndurance Instagram to ask questions about the routes, gather and share trail beta, connect with other participants, scope out the competition, and keep up to date on the most recent news, information, and general goings on.

The Kettle Crest is one of my all-time favorite places to be. This route is 44 miles from point to point and is a rooftop crest of the Kettle River Range, the Kettle Crest Trail. The trail is in the Colville National Forest and contains some of the largest roadless tracts of national forest lands in Eastern Washington. The route offers a variety of options with access points at Sherman Pass summit, Deer Creek Trailhead, and White Mountain Trailhead. Participants can expect to see a wide range of wildlife, including mule deer, black bear, wild turkey, grouse, pileated woodpeckers, cougar, and moose. The route features runnable terrain, peaks ranging in elevation from about 6,500 to just over 7,000 feet, and opportunities to see a wide range of flora and fauna.

The route can be done as a point to point with a shuttle arranged, or a key exchange worked out ahead of time. Another option is to do the trail as a yo-yo or an out and back, making the total mileage still doable at 88. This might be slower going than expected in the remote setting with careful planning and filtering of water; some sections of lesser maintained trail; areas of technical or rocky terrain, and a cumulative elevation gain of nearly 8,000 feet over its length in one direction. There are a lot of good places to pitch a tent or take a trailside nap along the route. The Kettle Crest Trail is a part of the 1,200 mile Pacific Northwest Trail.

Why should you pay $20 to complete one of the endurance challenges? A small part of the fee will go to cover website maintenance and domain registration, as well as getting patches made and other small goodies/swag. The majority of this fee will be donated to trail maintenance organizations. The goal of the event is to get people out into the wonderful wilderness areas that we have here in the Northwest and to build the community of adventurous people. The trip report is just as important as actually finishing the route, and participants are encouraged to share their experience through various creative means.