3 surefire signs that spring has come to Pemberton: dog poo, skunk cabbage and the Mosquito Lake trail run.

Saturday, April 27th MOSQUITO LAKE TRAIL RUN/WALK: 9km, $15 goes to Pemberton Search & Rescue, 9:30am registration, 10am start!

Want to know more?

Here’s a Q+A with Anna Helmer before last year’s run, explaining how the grassroots fun race got its start.

What is the deal with the Mosquito Lake run? Give me the lowdown. 

Everyone starts arriving at 9:30am and registration goes til 10, at which point we start (after a quick talk to describe route). $15 for each runner/walker and all proceeds to PSAR.

When a runner finishes, they check their name off a list and after everyone seems to have come in, PSAR goes in and searches for and rescues whoever has not checked off their name. We always find everyone.

And that’s it. Home by noon. With sore legs and dirty shoes.

I haven’t gone for a run in 6 months. My shoes still have November mud caked on them. Should I still enter?
I would. I do. Usually. Sometimes I chicken out. Walking is totally acceptable. In fact I have never yet actually run the entire route.

Assuming I’m coming to kick some ass, what’s on the line? Prizes? Money? Glory? Fame?
Mostly glory – Dave Steers will probably take your picture and you’ll end up on the cover of the Question. For prizes, you can expect eggs (if the chickens laid that week), seed potatoes, marigold starts…vintage SFCS shirts….

Is it a set course? Or is it set according to the course-setters whim?
Set course, unless there is a washout the night before. But you have to keep your head up and look for the next ribbon ’cause it can get confusing up there.

How did it get started? What was the impetus?
Mom wanted people to experience the trails up there. She used to spend hours and hours up there in the spring, exploring the trails. That area loses the snow so much earlier than the farm that it is like a taste of spring even though it might still be winter down below. Plus, I think she was really inspired by the Wolfes, who she would see running for miles and miles over hill and dale.

What makes this a quintessentially Pemberton kind of event?
Great views of Mt Currie, gnarly course, lots of socializing.