Lehigh Gap with MICROspikes

Monday was a planned day off and that was good with freezing rain and rain throughout the day.  Yesterday, I headed to Wind Gap to run repeats on the AT.  To my surprise, the trail was completely covered in ice.  I could barely even walk on it.  I had my MICROspikes, but wasn't prepared to use them, so I went home frustrated.  I just didn't run.

No matter what, I had to run today.  Since I've never used my MICROspikes, I wanted to start off with a kind of flat trail.  I drove up Blue Mountain Road to run the AT.  However, the parking lot was so icy that I couldn't make it up the hill with my car.  I had to change my plans.

I went to the Lehigh Gap Nature Center.  This route would include a crazy, technical climb, so it wasn't ideal.  I figured that perhaps I wouldn't run the 7 miles that I originally planned.  I got going on the LNE Trail at 3 PM.

The weather was cold.  It was in the 20s, but at least there wasn't much wind.  This area can get very windy.  I wore my thick gloves and headband.  I had on a ColdGear top, fleece vest and my tights.  This worked out great.  The headband came off during some climbing, but most of the time I was wearing everything and comfortable.

The beginning short climb of the LNE is rocky singletrack.  It was slippery.  There's great views of the Lehigh River.  That was interesting today, because the river is blocked completely by ice.

After the climb, the LNE becomes a smooth rail trail.  I wasn't sure what to think about running on this with my MICROspikes.  I don't want them to wear down on normal surfaces.  I tried to go off to the side and run in the snow, since the trail was clear.

I then got to the Prairie Grass Trail.  This is a climb up the exposed side of the mountain.  It is a bit rocky and pretty steep.  I ran for quite awhile, but after a few hundred feet up, I had to begin hiking.  My feet weren't used to the MICROspikes and were getting sore too. 

I continued along.  I went from the Prairie Grass Trail to the Charcoal Trail.  This trail continues up the mountainside.  There was more snow and ice, as I climbed to higher elevations.  I alternated hiking and running.  I wasn't doing too bad.  I saw some prints along the trail that looked like they were from a turkey.  I didn't really see any human tracks up there.

I got more and more confident with my MICROspikes as I climbed more icy and snowy terrain.  They gripped great and I ran perfectly.  Before I knew it, I was at the top.  I went down to Devil's Puplit and took a cool photo of the other side of the mountain and the switchbacking Winter Trail.

I then ran along.  There was still gradual uphill, but I was mostly at the top.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep going, but with most of the climbing out of the way, I headed to the North Trail.  I was probably around 2.5 miles at this point.

The North Trail starts in the woods and then becomes a fun singletrack along the ridge.  Without MICROspikes, it would've been dangerous.  It was very icy.  With them, it was like running in summer.  I flew along the top, enjoying the view and having fun.  I was having so much fun in fact that even after 3.5 miles, I kept going.  I love winter running and this place is so unique.

I did have to duck around some trees and avoid a few frozen overgrown sticker bushes.  It was a blast though.  I turned around right in front of the first communication tower.  That was at mile 4.11.

I knew heading back and running mostly downhill would be a blast and it was.  The ridge running was fun and I danced over rocks like they weren't even there.  Before I knew it, I was back to the Charcoal Trail. 

I flew down both the Charcoal Trail and Prairie Grass Trail.  It almost seemed easier than running in the summer.  With the MICROspikes, I noticed that it was hard to even twist my ankle on the uneven, rocky terrain.  They gripped so well and they blew away my expectations.

I did slow a bit on the boulder field parts, but for the most part, I was able to run those too.  I had so much fun descending.  I only had to worry about tripping on the rocks.  I nearly did that once.  With less snow at the bottom, I was closer to twisting my ankle too.

When I got back on the LNE, I had about a mile left to hit mile 8.  I decided that since this was clear, I'd take off my MICROspikes.  I was more careful at the end, when I got to some icy spots.  I slipped slightly, but overall it wasn't bad.  I turned around and did a slight uphill for a short bit to get my elevation gain over 1500 feet.  I was nearly at my car when I got to mile 8 and finished up.

This was an awesome run and why I love winter running so much.  The scenery was so unique.  I may come back here again in winter, now that I know I can run on the snow and ice.  It was a blast.  These MICROspikes exceeded my expectations.

I still hate to travel anywhere and find out it isn't very runnable, but maybe I'll consider a trip tomorrow.  If I stay close, I may try my repeats at Wind Gap again.  This time, they should work with my MICROspikes.  I guess I should've used those yesterday.  Tomorrow should be a productive day regardless

8:01 miles - 1:37:38 (12:12 pace) 1501 feet of elevation gain