I really slacked this week and haven't run since last weekend. I needed some big running today and maybe tomorrow too. I wanted to get to Tammany again and really push myself on the loops. However, I slept in a little and knew the lot there would be full. I drove through Lehigh Gap yesterday and figured that would be awesome.
Just driving in and seeing all the colors at their peak was great. I knew with the views and terrain there, this would be a fantastic run. I planned to climb each side of the game and get somewhere near 18 miles. That would be a very productive day.
I went with a short sleeve shirt, shorts and a shell. I was sweating a lot early, but later often a little chilly. The shell was certainly a good choice. Plus, I could carry my camera for some epic videos. I have so much to go through and eventually will make a movie from them.
I arrived around 11 AM and headed out. I was starting on the west side. I planned my usual loop, LNE to the Prairie Grass Trail to the Charcoal Trail to the North Trail to the Appalachian Trail. That is somewhere around 7 miles and it is outstanding.
I ran along nice and easy on the LNE. There we some dog walkers. Even down there, the colors were great. The Prairie Grass Trail is a nice and gradual climb. It isn't too technical. I should do repeats on there some time. With the sun beating down in the summer, this is route is tough, but today it was great.
The Charcoal Trail is steeper and more rocky. I ended up hiking a lot of this. The colors were great up there. Lots of yellow, orange and red trees. I just took my time.
I got to the blue blazed North Trail eventually. Somehow, I missed the turn to Devil's Pulpit. Maybe it was the army guys doing rescue training. It didn't matter anyway, since I had plenty of views to look forward to.
The North Trail is just spectacular. There are open views along the ridge. The zinc plant destroyed the trees, but it led to some beauty. I couldn't help but think about how everything up there was destroyed, but has bounced back to some extent. I have had a tough time lately and I need to bounce back too.
I passed a couple hikers as I enjoyed the terrific views. There were hikers throughout, but it wasn't as crazy as some other places that I go. I felt like I went on this trail longer than before. I was almost out to the Lehigh Tunnel.
Eventually, I got to the Appalachian Trail. This trail goes back in the woods and made things cooler. It was fun to be running downhill too. I had hiked a lot earlier, but now I could mostly run.
Most of it is runnable. The trail gets quite technical near the AT shelter though. I flew down some technical rocks and wondered how people can run that stuff faster than me. I was basically out of control already.
I went down the Woodpecker Trail. I came out back at my car. I was under 2 hours into the run. I refilled Tailwind and toweled off.
It was time to head to the east side of the gap. I ran across the river on the bridge. That was beautiful. I was enjoying every moment of it. I then crossed the road and was back on the AT.
This part is crazy technical. There's a huge boulder section. It is often climbing that requires you to use your hands. Even before that though, it was steep. Much steeper than the other side and I was tiring.
I took my time over the boulders. I also grabbed some video there too. I took it all in and had a blast. This is what I enjoy so much about trail running.
Going over the boulders, I came to my biggest issue of the day. I was hiking over loose ones and slipped. I caught myself, but one of the sharp rocks cut my hand. It didn't hurt too much, but started to bleed like crazy. I was getting worried. If it kept bleeding at that rate, I would've had to turn around. Luckily, it calmed down quickly.
I hiked up more now. The trail goes through some prairie grass near the top. Then, they rerouted the trail. I like this section. It like a woods road along the ridge of the mountain. The views of Palmerton and the surrounding mountains is outstanding. This is mostly all runnable, although there is some up and down.
I was focused on getting out to mile 12. I knew that would be tough. I passed a few hikers in this area. Mostly, I still had the trail to myself. After a few miles, the trail heads back to the Superfund site.
This are is spectacular too. There are views, but also some cool unique plants and trees. There were some colors too. The scenery is like nothing you see in the area. It's amazing on a normal day, but the colors added even more to it. I passed two section hikers going the other way.
This section is fairly rocky. It wouldn't have been too bad, but I was low on calories and bonking. I stumbled over rocks. In an odd way, I actually enjoy bonking. It's an interesting place that your head goes. I mostly just hiked out to mile 12. I went past the powerline. I turned around right at mile 12. I probably was a half mile from the road crossing at that point. Some time, I'll have to run all the way there.
Since I was heading back, I got a second wind. I ran some more stuff that I didn't run earlier. I was just plugging away. It still wasn't fast. I knew when I got back to the smoother ridge part, that I'd move better.
I still took plenty of video. There was a lot of interesting stuff. They had a few brush fires on both sides of the mountains this summer. I saw some small charred areas.
It was great to get back to the woods road like terrain. Even though I had bonked a little, I ran. I did have to walk some uphills. Still, I was making more progress. Before I knew it, I was back to normal trail.
I wasn't about to head back through the boulders. Instead, I headed down the Winter Trail. This a fun switchback sections. I ran most of it, but some parts were too rocky and steep. When you get out from the treeline, the view through the gap is amazing.
I then came out to the old railroad bed. One part of that was boggy. It always is. I didn't get my feet too wet though. I came out to the AT and passed one of the hikers from earlier. I then went across the road and across the bridge.
I ran around the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. That added a little distance. I didn't quite get to 18 miles, but I had enough. It was an epic day for sure. In the future, I'll have to create a fall group run here. That would be awesome. This place is a great kept secret. Not too crowded, even during peak foliage season.
I didn't have big elevation gain or many miles. However, my back and legs were quite beat. That was very surprising. I guess the rocks and all the runnable terrain dealt me a pounding. The cut on my hand isn't too bad.
I hope to run again tomorrow. Going to Tammany would be nice. I could use some more climbing and another tough day. I do need to get to more speed training in the future, but for now, I'll enjoy some tough stuff.
17.83 miles - 4:18:48 (14:31 pace) 3060 feet of elevation gain
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