First Run at Warren Highlands Trail (Marble Hill)

I've been so busy at work.  Every day, I take my trail shoes and gear with me to work, hoping that I can find some time to run.  That finally happened today, as I had a 3 PM order and then an 8:45 PM order.

The order was in Phillipsburg, so I decided to run a nearby trail, The Warren Highlands Trail.  It's a new one that I explored by hiking a few months back, but haven't run yet.  I discovered it by accident while doing a road run over there.

I was hoping to find the upper lot, but I had no luck, so I parked on the lot on River Road.  It was great weather.  I was able to wear shorts and a short sleeve shirt.  When can you do that in late November?  Of course it won't last with snow coming tomorrow.  I also put on my orange vest, since it said you could hunt there.

When I started out over the summer or early fall, the grassy first section was quite overgrown, so I drove up the road to the lot.  Today, the grass was dead and this section was a breeze.  Before long, I was on to the singletrack.

This part was fairly rocky and my foot bothered me slightly.  It got better as the run went on though.  There was quite a bit of early climbing.  What made it cool was that it was a singletrack along the ridge.  You had a seasonal view of the Delaware River on the other side, as you climbed.

It seemed like I went up and up and up.  The climb was gradual and not too challenging (other than it was early in the run).  My breathing was only slightly labored.  I stopped for a few photos, but mostly I ran on.  I thought I gained a lot more elevation on this climb than I actually did.  It was still quality though.

The singletrack does weave in and out after climbing.  The leaves are now on the ground and following the trail started getting tricky.  The problem is that it isn't used too often, so you really have to focus on the blazes.

I ended up missing the blue blazes when the trail split with the yellow trail.  That meant some fairly steep downhill running.  This part is used even less and even more difficult to follow.  It was still fun though.

Eventually, I somehow made it to the road.  I ran on the road a bit, until the parking lot that I knew.  Then, I quickly checked a map and headed back out on the yellow trail.

I was trying to find the link back up with the blue trail.  Again, I wasn't paying much attention.  I ended up passing a hunter in camouflage with a bow and arrow.  That was weird because I think he was in a section that doesn't allow hunting.

The trail seemed to get worse and worse.  Shortly after passing the hunter, I didn't see yellow blazes any more.  That was frustrating, but I continued on.  Eventually, I came to a bunch of disgarded tires.  I ran on some more and lost the trail.  I went back to the tires because I knew the other trail must lead to the road.

It did and I began running on the road.  I was hoping to find the blue trail some how.  I thought it went by the fairgrounds, so I wanted to go there.  I was on the road for quite some time.

I don't like running on roads, but this was a nice one.  It was lightly traveled with rolling hills through farmland.  I could see the Delaware Water Gap and Wind Gap from high above.  I ran by a bunch of cows and sheep. 

Going up one climb, I was surprised by a bicyclist passing me.  He was encouraging me as I was breathing heavy.  I kept going and going, but this road never ended and I never found the trail.  Finally, I turned around at mile 4.

It was nice knowing that I could go mostly downhill on the way back.  A dog at a house barked at me.  I had been more worried about the cows, because their fence looked weak.  They did nothing though.  I saw a horse along the road as well.  I enjoyed running into the setting sun.  It was getting chilly.

I wanted to try something different.  Therefore, I decided to run up this powerline near the parking lot.  It looked super steep and like crazy fun.  It was grass covered, but relatively clear.  I figured I'd give it a try.

That was a mistake.  I ended up running for a bit.  Then, it simply got too steep and muddy.  I had to hike.  I was hoping to make it to the flat part.  I ran a little more, but mostly I just hiked all the way up.  I think it was about 300 feet of elevation gain in about two tenths of a mile.  That's just insane.  It seemed like a perfect place to practice both running and hiking for Hyner.  I may come back to do repeats there.

This got me a lot of elevation gain and I was now over 1,000 feet.  At the top, I encountered the blue trail.  I ran on it, but it was tricky to follow.  It was overgrown in this area in the summer and there were still branches here and there.  A giant tree was even blocking the path.  I had to watch closely for the blazes.  Eventually, I found them.

As I got farther along, the trail was more worn down.  It really opened up and became fun.  That was especially true as I went downhill.  Before I knew it, I was running along the ridge and then I was at the bottom of the ridge.

I was closing in on 8 miles as I got through the grassy part.  There is another powerline, perhaps the same one, near there.  I ran up this for less than a tenth of a mile.  This was a more gradual climb.  It was fun.  It would be good for more runnable repeats.  I then finished up with 8 miles and walked back down to my car.

This is an excellent place to run.  It has some fun and somewhat challenging singletrack.  I can get some crazy powerline climbs in if I chose too.  I like having a trail like this so close.  I do wish it was used more often.  Maybe when the whole Highlands Trail is finished, it will be awesome.

I have no idea when I'm going to run again.  I'd love to get out in the snow for an hour or so tomorrow.  That depends on how the day goes.  I want to play in the snow.  If I can't run then, I probably won't make it out there until Black Friday.

8 miles - 1:25:44 (10:43 pace)