Looping Lake Sammamish seemed like a nice ending to the month. It is a reasonably flat trail on the east side and not too hilly, but lacking trail, on the west. I had biked it numerous times/run it once and knew that there was a major road project on the west side, but that bikes and individuals could pass through. On a nice day you get constant views of the lake and the numerous million dollar houses on its perimeter. Lake Sammamish sits amidst four cities on the Eastside: Redmond, Sammamish, Issaquah, and Bellevue which essentially means there is some inconsistent management of the trails around it. At the southern tip there is a State Park with boat launches, kayaking, and swimming beaches. Eagles love to hang out here.
I liked the idea of starting my last day from the house and thought I had done the math correctly but in getting down to the Redmond (north) tip of the lake I already had logged 5 miles. I knew the total loop was around 23 which would put me closer to 33 miles [ouch!], so I went to work thinking of ways to trim a mile or so as I took off down the easier East trail. It was a nice cool day, almost perfect for running, and fortunately mostly dry. There was an abundance of walkers and runners but not many bikers for some reason. I had worked in a building down in Issaquah by the lake for almost 10 years so knew the area which abutted the lake. Instead of staying on pavement and main roads, I could cut at least a mile by going through Lake Sammamish Staate Park if the trails there were still in order. And they were! The downside was that, as before, there were huge pools of 6-12 inch water to get through as they don’t maintain these trails. So my feet got waterlogged and it was a mudfest for 10 mins or so, but I snuck through the Park and out the entrance, heading over to the West side.
I checked in at The Little Store, a general store smack in the middle of lakefront property. Odd but perfect for bikers and runners. I was still moving well when I was stopped by the construction team for a few mins, but quickly skirted by, pausing to take a picture of the house ay 2020 West Lake Sammamish (for some reason announcing proudly their address) and up to the top end of the lake at Marymoor Park. The shortcut had worked! I made my way across Marymoor and back to the connector roads leading to my house, after texting my wife that I was “literally on the home stretch”. My spirits were high, legs and body still functioning, and the challenge completed.
The Commentaries of Shawn Aebi 