Race Preview: 2016 Mt. Hood Scramble

There are road races, there are trail races, and there are even "obstacle" and "adventure" races, but all of those pale in comparison to X-Dog Events' notorious Scrambles. Scrambles are not only off-road events, they are off-TRAIL events. The courses (if you can call them that) consist of ribbons tied to trees and shrubs, rocks and boulders. Spot the ribbons and bushwhack your way through the wilderness for roughly (very roughly) 6 miles. The original, classic Scramble, "The Grandfather Of Filth", is the Mt. Hood Scramble at White River West Sno Park on the flanks of Mt. Hood on Sunday, June 19th.

No kidding, you will be running through gravel, boulder fields, thick woods and heavy underbrush, prickly ankle-high plants, deep shoe-sucking mud, large fallen logs, ice cold mountain streams, carcasses of previous participants*, and possibly snowbanks depending on the sadism of the “course” designers. And don’t forget the high elevation and lung-busting steep hills! While dislocated shoulders and kneecaps, and getting your hand stepped on while crossing a creek are rare (I’ve witnessed all three!), you can still earn bragging rights with bloody scrapes if you enter your knee and shin wounds in the post-race Best Injury competition. One year I was disappointed when my two inch surface wound didn’t even merit honorable mention.

Joking aside (except I wasn’t really joking) 😉 , Scrambles are actually a blast, and a totally different way to immerse yourself in the outdoors (pun intended). You can run them as hard and as dangerously as you want, or you can approach them with care and simply enjoy the unique chance to see a beautiful area from a totally different perspective, one that most people will never experience.

“Amenities” include awards for the brave and intact, cool raffle prizes, post-race watermelon and beer, and custom finisher’s medals that double as tourniquets (OK, I made that last one up!) But seriously, Scrambles are fun, and the views at this one are pretty spectacular!

*Not really!

What: The Mt. Hood Scramble (“The Grandfather Of Filth”)

When: Sunday, June 19th

Where: White River West Sno Park, about 5-miles from the HWY 26/35 interchange and 1-mile from Mt. Hood Meadows.

What time: 10:00a (Check in begins at 8:30a)

Registration: $47. You can register online HERE. The field is limited to 400, so sign up early to avoid missing out!