Cultus Ridgeline Ultra // Reflections on the Cure to Comparison

Greg Luesink
Jun 15
5 min read

An epic day out with Tim and Uriah. Nothing like suffering for a while in the mountains together.

The route description will be brief, but combined with the GPX file there are enough details for anyone interested in tackling a Do-It-Yourself 50k in Chilliwack. In lieu of detailed route features, I would like to elaborate on some of the conversation shared among friends on this outing.

In March, I mapped out a route starting at The Eddy, going up Vedder Mountain, running along the border in Columbia Valley, and then climbing up to Mt Amadis before descending down to the valley via International Ridge trail to make a nice loop around the ridges of Cultus

Check out the activity on Strava to the left, or click the link for the GPX file:

After inviting a few friends, Uriah and Tim, we picked a weekend that worked with our schedules (which happened to be Father's day weekend, which turned this outing into a "gift" from their wives). We hoped the weather would pan out, although a little rain wouldn't stop us.

We met at about 7 am at The Eddy, trotting towards Qoqo:Lem trail, where we'd eventually make our way up Vedder. This section was really pleasant, with well maintained trails winding up the mountain, interrupted only by brief navigation at intermittent junctions.

Along the way, we discussed family, fatherhood, and the cure to the poison of comparison. Often, in the world of Strava (basically athlete social media for those that don't know about it), it is easy caught up by seeing other athletes pulling off incredible feats of endurance, strength, or audacious grit. While some would look at our current adventure as incredibly hard, the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn resounds in my head:

"There's always a bigger fish"

Certainly, running a 50k is no small feat, but it is all too easy for me to look at other athletes and feel dissatisfied with my achievements. How is _______ running 5,000m of vert each week?? How does ________ have time to summit 3 new peaks per weekend?? There will always be someone doing something bigger, longer, harder, faster, or all of the above combined. Unless you're Kilian Jornet, that is, the man can't be topped.

Undeniably, the sickly flowers of dissatisfaction have deep roots in the habit of comparison.

"What is the cure for comparison?" I often ask myself. Logically, if the outcome of comparison is (usually) discontentment, then the cure must be something that elicits contentment.

"What creates contentment?" I queried Uriah and Tim.

Uriah thought for a moment, then responded with, "Gratitude."

I'd previously landed on "Celebration" as a possible antidote, in a conversation with Jas. In their own way, both seemed helpful.

Tim, quietly running behind, exemplifies these traits well.

Tim has that certain Golden Retriever energy, just absolutely stoked about everything he is doing, and doubly stoked for you and what you are doing. I strive to live this out: to celebrate other's achievements, and practice intentional gratitude for what time, energy, and space I have in my life for adventure amidst all of life's other demands and joys.

Easier said than done, but certainly worth chasing.

I think it is also helpful for me to recognize that comparing stats provides only a narrow view into someone's life, similar to how someone's curated Instragram feed doesn't provide an accurate picture of their life. As I've mentioned in other posts, sometimes I believe that I want to be in the alpine, but can find myself regretting not staying home with Jas and simply biking to dip in the river. Just because I crushed my stat goals that week doesn't mean that I was fulfilled or even happy.

Shocking though it be (I hope this drips irony through the pixels), I have found that true happiness does not reside in slamming out back-to-back 4,000m weeks summiting every mountain I lay my eyes on. Sure, in the past, this has been very fulfilling. But, as I grow and change, so do the things that fill me up and drain me. Mountains are a two edged sword, simultaneously filling up my cup of adventure, but not always meeting my need for connection, especially when I am away from Jas. I am learning (note, I avoid the use of "learned," as the process still continues) to strike a balance between pushing my personal limits, resting, and enjoying simple activities like jumping in the river with Jas and soaking up the sunshine on our porch. I'd like to think I am getting better at discerning what my needs are and choosing the best activity (or lack thereof) for an evening or weekend. But there are always times when I get distracted and equilibrium must be created again.

We summited Vedder, then continued south along the trails until we met an FSR that loops around the middle of mountain like a belt. Continuing down an off-shoot, we jogged down, filling up with water at a stream along the way. Eventually, we hit the pavement of Iverson Road in Columbia Valley. Here, we continued at a steady pace towards the US/CAN border.

Pavement is my worst enemy.

It's probably because I rarely run flats, on asphalt even less, but any road section of a run is the absolute worst part for me. Mentally, I am trying in earnest to prevent myself from slowing down to a walk. Truth be told, if it weren't for Uriah and Tim keeping me accountable to a 6min/km pace, I would have walked.

Jas had very graciously agreed to meet us with an "aid station" at Andrew and Sandy's house. Fresh strawberries, watermelon, and a sandwich for me were waiting for us, as well as some seats to take a break. Sandy offered us some freshly baked muffins, which were spectacular. We spent a good 30 minutes scarfing down some food before plodding off towards Watt Creek Ridge Trail, a 1200m climb in just over 3.5km.

"Trail" might be an overstatement.

I'd done this segment of bush in both directions in previous years, and all I have to say is that it is steep, bushy, and there is flagging... here and there.

I'm sure Tim and Uriah were cursing me under their breath, especially when I led us astray up some distracting goat trails. Eventually, thanks to Tim's persistence, we regained the marked trail. This made for some slightly easier travel, at least until the greenery turned to deadfall.

Shrouded in clouds, we reached the Amadis Ridgeline, and bushwhacked our way towards the most uninspiring summit in the entire region. Much to our surprise, the clouds parted to reveal a temporary view before swallowing up the sky once more.

Thankful to be back on some single-track, our legs were rearing to turn over quickly, especially after high-stepping up the Watt grind for nearly 3 hours. International Ridge has got to be one of the most beautiful trails, with lush moss covering both sides of the trail, a steep ridge, and great views of Cultus Lake. One caveat is some slightly exposed side-hilling sections towards the north end of International Ridge. There are some hand-lines which are helpful, especially in muddy conditions.

Once we started descending the trail, we got in a good rhythm. I messaged Jas a time estimate to meet us at Banter so we could get some ice-cream, which served as a motivator for us to press on! The final flat gravel FSR kilometers flew by, and my legs felt surprisingly good when we realized the day was going to be more than 50km. We clocked some pretty fast splits towards the end, which was very encouraging to see that the body was holding up nicely after such a big day.

Jas was waiting in the Banter line for us, ice-cream orders ready to go when we rolled back into The Eddy. That ice-cream was magnificent! Our total stats for the day were ~56km, ~3,000m gain/loss, and we just dipped under 12 hours.