It was a bit cold today. I had on tights and shorts over them. I wore my shell over a long sleeve shirt. The top of the ridge was the very windy part. When I stopped for photos, that was tough. Otherwise, it wasn't bad.I began heading along the flat part of the Switchback Trail. This is beautiful, as it runs along the creek. It was a sloppy mess though today. It's also a lot of stone and like a rail trail. I'm not crazy about that part of it.
I began going super slow. The legs were tired. I sort of felt like I had to go to the bathroom beforehand. I didn't though. I ended up having to walk in the first mile. I thought I might have to cut the run short, but it went away and I had no issues with that.
The Switchback Trail was icy in spots. The mountain laurel provide some beauty and shade. I enjoyed looking at the water. I then got to the Fireline Trail. This was super wet at the start and didn't look promising.
I continued on though and it got much better. After a bit, the mountain laurel was gone and it was sunny. It got windy as I climbed though. I was surprised at how steep it was. I guess I'm rusty on my climbing.
I had been at the bottom of this part, but never the top. I wanted to get up and run along the ridge. Finally, I got there. It was a double track road type of setup. I headed toward Flagstaff. I had no idea what I'd encounter. It was quite windy up there.I cruised along a bit. Then, I started feeling terrible. I was kind of tired and weak. I had to hike some easy parts. Some parts were rocky. Others weren't bad. I at least wanted to try to get to 3.5 miles out.
There was a bit of gradual short ups and downs. This is popular for mountain bikers I think, but it seemed like that would be kind of boring there. A few times the trail split, but reconnected a short time later.
I was about to turn around. Then, I saw some sky and what appeared to be a clearing up ahead. I kept going and was very, very glad I did.
Indeed it was a clearing. For some reason, a ton of trees were cut in this area. That might be for houses that are going up somewhere there. Although it was depressing, it provided an amazing view. I took photos and videos, especially of Lehigh Gap and the ridge there.
I continued on a bit more. There were still woods where the trail went, but clear everywhere else. Finally, it got too sloppy to continued. Around 4.5 miles, I turned and headed back.I ran a little more on the way back. Still, there was some hiking. I started to chafe on my behind. My solution was to pull my boxers down. I still had shorts on as a top layer. That worked great and saved me, as I was only at about 5 miles now.
I cruised along the ridge. There's a small pond up there too. I hit mile 6 and then was back down the mountain around mile 7. I couldn't run too much of the downhill, as it was washed out a bit. I guess the recent storm did damage.
I got back to the Switchback Trail at the bottom. I ran out the other way now. I took some photos of the stream, including some small waterfalls. It was beautiful. The legs were hurting and I sputtered along.
Finally, I headed back. I decided that when I got back to the lake and dam, I'd run across the dam. This leads to another way up the Fireline Trail. The partially frozen dam with the mountains the sun above made things amazing.
I went up the Fireline Trail. It was even more rocky on this part. I didn't take it very far. I only needed a little extra mileage. I hit mile 9 as I crossed back over the dam. I ran back to my car and finished up.
This was slower than I thought it would be. However, it was a blast. I love running and exploring Jim Thorpe. Some time, I'll have to go the other direction the Fireline Trail. I'll also have to see about taking the Switchback toward Summit Hill.
The plan tomorrow is 11 more miles. I have to get them done in the morning. I think I'm going to meet Kristin. That would be a good way for me to get up and get it done.
10.39 miles - 2:25:33 (14:00 pace) 910 feet of elevation gain
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