After my previous day’s summit, I was looking for a quick trail run to keep the weekend going and settled on Little Si. I was not sure after the ascent of
if I had much gas left in the tank for anything long, but the short and sweet ascent of this peak seemed like a good middle ground. Of course, the main (very tiny) parking area for Little Si was full, so I headed for the overflow parking area about ¼ mile away.
To give myself a boost for the run, I decided on a target time of 1 hour to get to the top and back to the parking area. I started by loosening up my legs, jogging around the parking area, high-stepping, and performing a battery of other maneuvers trying to wake up the dreary muscles in my legs. After 15 minutes or so, I finally started to feel loose enough to give the Little Si trail-run a shot and headed off.
I lightly jogged the short connector trail back to the main parking area and then began the climb up the first hill. Knowing Little Si is steep at the beginning and at the end, I decided to tackle the first hill by moderately fast hiking and then transition into a fast-paced run until the final hill. Honestly, my pace felt quite slow on the first couple of switchbacks, and I was starting to convince myself that there was no way I would make time. Instead of getting into my own head, I quickly changed the music in my earbuds to something more motivating and started what felt on this day like an epic push.
Once I surmounted the first steep hill, my pace was able to quicken. Though the one thing I found slowed me was the heavy traffic along the trail. Of course, I did my best to provide ample warning for others enjoying their day so I could sneak by and continue at my pace without interrupting their enjoyment. If you choose to run Little Si, just be aware that if you don’t start early, you will be battling with a fair number of hikers to keep your pace.
The forested middle section is a pleasant run. The trail is well-cut, and the heavily ferned undergrowth provided a nice distraction from the growing burn in my legs.
Once I reached the final hill, I made the resolution to hike as hard as I could to make the summit with enough time to meet my ambitious 1-hour goal. Sparing too many remarks on my gasping and struggle, I was able to make the summit right around the 45-minute mark. Definitely not enough time to return within an hour.
After pausing my watch and taking a very brief respite at the top of Little Si to photograph the view and one errant squirrel, I began what would be a very quick descent.
The toughest section to descend at pace is certainly the first section off the summit. With sections of roots and rocks, I did my best parkour impression, bouncing wildly off all the obstacles and half praying that I wouldn’t slip and ruin more than just my time.
Overall, I was able to make the descent in right around 30 minutes, and with my tired legs from the previous day’s journey, I was satisfied with the result. If you are looking for a more challenging trail run, or even just a hike, Little Si’s bigger brother, Mount Si, is a worthy goal with an excellent summit scramble.
