September 2008 – Leor Pantilat's Adventures

Big Canyon and Eaton Parks

Big Canyon and Eaton are two small parks located in the San Carlos Hills. There is about 4.75 miles of highly enjoyable trail with many seasonal streams, hardwood forest, and vistas of the San Francisco Bay in one direction and the Santa Cruz Mountains in the other. Big Canyon Park is more in the open…

Bald Knob – Purisima Redwoods

Bald Knob via the Purisima Creek Road parking area is a great hill climb loop under a lush redwood forest canopy in Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. The run starts with gradual incline along Purisima Creek (starting elevation 400ft). After 1 mile, the hill climb begins up the Borden Hatch Mill Trail which is…

Adventure Running Article

I am honored to have been asked by the Northwest Mountaineering Journal (NWMJ) to write a feature article about my adventure running in the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. It was interesting to write about myself. The article was just published. Check it out! http://www.mountaineers.org/nwmj/08/081_Pantilat.html From the journal website: “The mission of the Northwest Mountaineering Journal…

SttS breakdown

My goal times for the Skyline to the Sea 50k last Saturday were remarkably close to what I actually ran. I started out a little faster then goal pace, but finished a little slower so the finish time was right on. I don’t quite have the endurance yet to close at 6:30 pace, but hopefully…

Skyline to the Sea 50k

I have looked forward to running the inaugural Skyline to the Sea 50k ever since I learned about it in the Spring. The concept is fabulous – a point to point 50k running from high on the dividing ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Pacific Ocean at Waddell Beach. The trail passes through…

New Phase

I’ve been back in CA for almost two weeks now, but I only moved into my new place a few days ago. I’ve been busy buying home furnishings, kitchen stuff, appliances, and food. Also, since I am now a permanent CA resident I got to visit the local DMV office to get a CA driver’s…

Backpacking in Desolation Wilderness

Serena and I went to the Desolation Wilderness along the crest of the Sierra Mountains for a one night backpacking trip. The 63,690 acre wilderness area is near Lake Tahoe and is characterized by rocky basins, granite peaks, and dozens of lovely alpine lakes. We hiked in 6.1 miles from Echo Lake to Lake Aloha…

Soaring Eagle Park

Unusually cool late summer weather in Western Washington means no trips to the mountains to finish out my stay here, but great runs. I took the opportunity hit the trails at one of my old stomping grounds – Soaring Eagle Regional Park. I was running the single track here over a decade ago when it…