Head for the Hills
Add a healthy dose of competition to your Saturday with the Sixth Annual Hills for Humanity Trail Run and Hike. And I do mean healthy. Set in the beautifully wooded Marquam Nature Park this four-mile contest, which is organized by OHSU medical students, benefits Southwest Community Health Center and the Wallace Medical Concern, both of which provide basic health care to low-income folks and those without insurance. Also in the good-for-everyone department: free massages and a totally do-able 9:30 a.m. start time. (Note: Online registration closes at 10:00 p.m. tonight)

Re-SOLV to do Some Good
Officially, Earth Day is next week. But this is Portland, so naturally you can get a jumpstart on this hallowed day with any number of projects organized by SOLV for the weekend. My pick? The cleanup out at Gateway Green. If all goes according to plan, this 35-acre plot of undeveloped land near Rocky Butte will soon be home to a nifty network of biking and jogging trails linked up to the Gateway Regional Center and area neighborhoods. Which means by doing your part, a few years from now when everything is humming along here, you’ll be entitled to say, “Well, I remember when…”

Skidaddle
Thanks to El Nino, it’s been a tough season up at Skibowl. But all was not lost. In the last few weeks the snow has piled up. And last Saturday when I stopped by, I found the Upper Bowl filled cold dry snow, awesome steep groomers and no crowds. Which is why I’m planning on heading back up for Sunday’s Customer Appreciation day. Lift tickets are free, the snow should still be good, and the forecast calls for sunshine. If that’s not a skier’s trifecta, then I don’t know what is. And speaking of sun, the folks from the Sunshine Division will be on hand to accept donations of canned food. So don’t forget to throw a few cans in your pack on the way out the door.

Now get outta here!