Slushy Tammany Double

Ryan and I had planned on running Mt. Tammany yesterday.  However, I wasn't up for it and I just took the day off.  That meant I had to run today and I went up there for the run.  It was around 3:30 PM when I started.  I took advantage of the extra daylight that we now have.

The parking lot was super crowded and so were the trails.  It was a Monday afternoon, but the temperature rose into the 50s.  I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt.  That was kind of weird with plenty of snow still on the ground.  I was warm at times.

I didn't know what to expect for trail conditions.  I kind of figured that it would probably suck.  There isn't much snow on the ground any more, but still plenty in the woods.  I was hopeful at first because the early stair section and the flat part after that weren't bad.  They were a little muddy, but very runnable.

I ran the beginning of the first steep and rocky section.  However, that section never gets much sun, so it was tough.  There were probably still a few inches of snow.  In the steeper parts, it was slush and tough to get any grip on the steep part.  A guy coming down was actually smoking.  That was so annoying and the first of many stupid people up there.

After this first part, the trail becomes a bit more gradual of a climb.  Some parts here had completely clear trail.  It was weird to run these parts.  Some other parts still had snow.  I had to hike some too.  I wasn't feeling too bad.

Then, I got to the very steep and rocky section.  I had to hike all of this.  It was super difficult.  I had to grab some of the exposed rocks, just to make it up.  I saw a hiker up ahead, but I guess I wasn't fast enough to ever catch him.

I did hike most of this, but also did some running when it flattened out at the top.  There were a bunch of people at the overlook.  I didn't venture down.

I had to run around a group of women sitting on a rock.  They were blocking the paht to the Blue Trail.  This part along the ridge was a mix of clear and rocky trail and snow covered trail.  I basically ran all of it.

Next came the Blue Trail descent.  This was very interesting.  It was all runnable, but very slow and challenging.  On the steepest parts, I was basically sliding down the hill out of control.  I guess it was probably like skiing.  I was amazed that I wasn't falling.  It was pretty dangerous.  The whole trail still had a couple inches of snow on it.

I passed some hikers who were also struggling with footing.  They must've really thought that I was crazy.  I commented about the condition of the trails, as I slipped on a downhill and fell into the snow on the side of the trail.  I slid into a log later and banged my knee.

One part of the trail had water runoff over it and then it was wet underneath the snow.  My feet got a little wet.  There was runoff at the bottom too.  My socks were soaked in no time.

It had been very slow going for this loop.  I finished up at just over 58 minutes.  Usually, I can do a loop in 50 minutes.  I filled my bottle with Tailwind.

Since I have an ultra this weekend, I strongly considered passing on a second loop.  I didn't want to fall and get injured.  However, I was having too much fun.  I went back out there.

At first, this seemed like a big mistake.  I was feeling very sluggish.  The heat was getting to me and I was mostly just hiking up the Red Dot Trail.  That was frustrating.  I passed an Asian couple coming down.  The woman realized that she saw me earlier and that this was my second loop.  She was impressed.

I took my hat off and that help reduce the amount I was overheating.  Still, I was struggling, at least until the descent.  I battled to the top though.  I got to pet a dog coming down and slipped slightly while doing so.

I encountered some more annoying things on the way up.  One group came down and the guy was blasting music on a boom box.  I'm out there to enjoy nature, not listen to hip hop.  Another guy was smoking weed off the side of the trail.  I do miss having this trail to myself, especially with all the city hikers that show up here.

It was nice to get to the top.  This time, I was alone up there.  I took and photo, but didn't spend much time.  I slipped and nearly fell on a clear rock.  That would've been ugly.

Again, I ran along the ridge of the Blue Trail.  Then, it was more cautious running down the trail.  I didn't fall though.  Some hikers kindly moved out of the way.  I was running pretty consistent.

Before long, I was at the bottom.  The waterfall is now rushing.  I came up behind a group.  One person already had soaked the back of their pants.  As I was passing them, another in the group fell right into some runoff.  These people make me laugh.  They come to one of the toughest hikes around and wear jeans and sneakers, as if they were walking around the paved loop at the county park.  I certainly don't feel sorry for them.

It was good to put in a quality run.  I can't believe that people are going to try to run 10 loops there on Saturday.  That should be interesting.  I'm glad I'm not one of them.  I'd probably just quit early.  It would be easy to fall once I start losing concentration.  It is nice to have some clear trail, but it looks like Tammany is still several weeks away from completely clear trails.

Tomorrow, I'm planning on running again.  I have to go to the doctor in the afternoon.  I'll run in the morning if I don't work.  If not, I'll run after the appointment.  Either way, it probably won't be too long.  Perhaps I'll go to Trexler.

7.09 miles - 1:59:00 (16:47 pace) 2541 feet of elevation gain
11th and 12 summits of Mt. Tammany in 2015