I went to the Warren-Highlands Trail because it is nearby, but it is a new trail that I enjoy. It is not only close by, but has some fun singletrack too. I've been thinking of it as an easy run day, but that has to change. The only thing that makes the run easy is the fact that the trail is short. There's a lot of elevation gain.
Again it was pretty warm, around 40 degrees. I had on a long sleeve shirt, but decided to put an even thinner one on. I also wore shorts, along with my Ultimate Direction vest.
This run starts off gentle for a bit, but that doesn't last. It climbs and climbs up a ridge singletrack along the side of the mountain. It has a great view of the Delaware River and Pennsylvania on the other side. This climb might not be as tough if it wasn't so early in the run.I ran the whole way up this climb, but it seemed to keep going. Every time I thought I was to the top, there was more. My breathing became very labored at the top. What makes it tricky is the ascent is just steep enough and long enough that it is runnable. Any more of either element and I probably would've been hiking.
Even after reaching the top, the run is challenging. The trail doesn't stay on top of the ridge. It winds up and down the side of the mountain, around trees and rarely goes straight. With muddy trails and lots of leaves, footing is tricky, especially on some of the short and steep climbs.
My feet and legs didn't feel all that strong. I kept running though. My only breaks at this point were because it was hard to follow the trail. Sometimes, I had to stop to walk around downed trees. I doubt many people have even hiked this area since I was last there the day before Thanksgiving.
I continued to run along. Last time, I missed the turn and went down the mountain on the yellow trail. I nearly did that again, but caught my mistake this time. The part after the split was tougher than I had expected.
It was good to finally get to the powerline cut. After that, the trail was much easier to run. It became a wide woods road. After a downhill, I lost the blazes on a split. I continued downhill, but had to turn around and backtrack at a farmer's field.
I then headed uphill again. This gradual climb was again a bit challenging. I didn't see blazes for awhile and decided to keep going anyway. There were a few No Trespassing signs on the side of the trail. I think that was just the woods property.
Eventually, I came to the end of the woods and ended up in a field. I knew the trail did that and then I saw the blue blazes to confirm it. There were some cool views of the surrounding mountains. The one in front of me was probably the one with Merrill Creek on top of it. The trail is eventually supposed to go there, but I not sure if it does yet. I could probably run on some roads to get there if I needed to.
I followed the blue blazes and then went around a farmer's fence and a stone structure. It then went in and out some small woods. It was behind some houses or farms. I was a little concerned that I might be on private property, but I kept seeing the blue blazes. Then, it looked like maybe the trail ended at someone's yard. I was at about 2.5 miles now anyway and that is near where the trail is supposed to end. I turned around and headed back.
Going back was a challenge because the earlier hills beat me. Now, I had a good, long climb between the farmers fields. I hiked some of the early part, but then ran the remainder. I headed back the way I came.
I knew running back would be much easier and it was. It was a lot more descending. The only hard part was finding the trail in spots. I had sun glare to deal with as well. I cut my legs up on several branches, including once when I got a phone call from my mom.
Before going through the in and out part, I decided to descend and then ascent the powerline. It is short, but insanely steep. I knew I wouldn't be able to run too much of it. I had to run the early part and then just hike up the rest. I nearly fell going downhill. It was that steep.
After the powerline, things were uneventful. I ran the rest of the way, except for any spots where I lost the blazes or had to go around downed trees. It was much more fun going mostly downhill now. Before I knew it, I was back near my car.
I wanted to make sure I got 1500 feet of elevation gain and 5.5 miles in, so I ran uphill a bit more. There's a pipeline hill that I followed for less than a quarter mile. I was finally done when I got to the top.
It was a good, short run. It's definitely somewhere that I need to run more often. The trail is quickly gaining my respect. It is nice and close by too. That is a big plus. I even saw a couple heading out to hike as I was leaving. Maybe a few more people will start to show up there too.
I'm planning on running a 50K on Saturday. Tomorrow, I'm running a bit longer than today. I'm thinking 15 to 20 miles. If I don't work, I'm going to head down to the Green Lane Reservoir. One loop there is 15 miles and it is good running, but not overly challenging.
5.51 miles - 1:08:48 (12:29 pace) 1527 feet of elevation gain
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