First AT Run at Route 309

It was another tough day for a run.  For some time, this winter was warm.  Lately, it has been brutal, particularly the wind.  Today, it was in the mid 20s, but the wind was over 20 MPH.  I almost didn't run, but I saw it would be worse on Saturday.

I bundled up and was out the door by mid afternoon.  I wore a ColdGear top and fleece vest.  I also had on tights, wind underwear and shorts to keep me rather warm.  I used my compression socks too.  I wore my thicker gloves and headband.  For the most part, it worked well.  At some points, I was a bit hot and others a bit chilly, but overall, not too bad.

I decided to head out to Route 309 and try a new section of the AT.  It is a bit far for me, but still not too far.  It took about 45 minutes to get there.  I wanted to start here because the route began on the top of the mountain.  With all the snow on the ground, I wasn't looking for much elevation gain.  That plan seemed to work out well.

I parked in the lot and initially had some trouble finding the trail.  There were a few woods roads around, but they weren't blazed.  I went out to the road and found the AT sign and followed it.  That didn't quite work either.  It was a trail, but it wasn't blazed and definitely wasn't the Appalachian Trail.

I backtracked a bit and realized that I had missed the turn.  It was singletrack for a bit, but then turned into a woods road.  There were some rocks, but it was very runnable.  It was weird to see some bushes with leaves along the ground.  That kept the wind out though.

After over a mile, I thought I lost the trail again.  It turns out it was just some time between the blazes.  I continued along.  I came to a fire ring and lookout.  I stopped for a photo.  The views of the snow covered farmlands to the south were amazing.

I continued on and came to a powerline.  I was still cruising, but that wouldn't last very long.  It got rocky somewhere around mile 2.  I suspected this area would be rocky.  Eventually, the trail was no longer runnable, with all the snow and rocks.  I came to the Knife Edge.  That is a cool rock outcrop with a view.  There were a lot of rocks and I stopped for a few photos.  I didn't want to get too close to the edge though.

Luckily, the trail went around this area, so I could keep going.  There was a short stretch that was runnable again, but that didn't last long.  I was back to hiking in no time.  I had hoped that maybe I could get out to Bake Oven Knob, but that would've been a full 5 miles each way, so I knew it would be tough.

I decided to write "AT Run" on a snowy rock, with my finger.  I continued on, hiking a lot of the rocky terrain.  This time, I came to Bear Rocks.  Unlike the last rock outcrop section, the trail passed directly through these rocks.  It was a bit tricky getting up them, but I wanted a view.

I did manage to get pretty high up.  However, there was a steep dropoff and I didn't need to go any higher.  It wasn't super dangerous, but being alone, it wasn't worth the risk.  My watch was nearing 4 miles anyway.  That was good enough for me.  After a few photos, I turned around and headed back.

I knew going down could be a little tricky, on the snow covered boulders.  I tried to retrace my original footprints.  There had only been one set of tracks in the snow at that point, so it was easy to follow mine.  I banged my left shin on the side of a rock and it stung a bit.

I got over the boulders and the real problem occurred after that.  I was hiking along, because it was still rocky.  Again, I slipped and bashed the same shin against another rock.  However, this time it was very painful.  I had to limp around for a bit.

After about half a mile of hiking and limping, I decided to run.  The trail was smoother now.  I wasn't running fast and it was still hurting, but at least I was moving better.  I continued on my way back.

I was surprised when I got back to Knife Edge.  I came across a hiker going the other way.  It must've been the guy that pulled in next to me earlier.  It was nice to see someone else out there, even if briefly.

I was hiking when I passed that guy, but the trail got smooth again not long after that.  I ran along.  A lot of this was now slightly downhill.  I was surprised at how soft the trail was.  It was hard to get a good grip.

I had to stop for a bathroom break, but other than that, I was able to run most of the rest of the way.  I took a woods road instead of the AT at the very end.  At the parking lot, I still needed half a mile to get to mile 7. 

I crossed the road and went to the AT on the other side of 309.  There was some downhill and the trail was along the ridge.  I was hoping to get a view there, but that didn't happen.  I ran out for a bit and then stopped at mile 7 and hiked the short distance back.  My shin was feeling better, but still sore.

It was a nice and productive run.  The snow covered trail views were spectacular.  I'll have to come back there during nicer weather.  Maybe then I can continue over Bear Rocks.  I'd like to get all the way to Bake Oven Knob.

I feel pretty good now, so I'll likely run again tomorrow.  However, the weather could be a factor.  I'd love to run for 20 miles, but that's probably not a good idea in the bitter cold.  I probably shouldn't be out there for more than 2 hours.  I have no idea where I'll go.

7 miles - 1:46:02 (15:08 pace)  628 feet of elevation gain