I wanted to run yesterday, but the temperature was like a million degrees. Instead, I ran today. Still, it was hot, so I waited until after dinner. The plan was 6 miles on the AT at Wind Gap. I'd go up and down each side once. I'd probably go out 1.5 miles in each direction.
I wore shorts and short sleeves of course. That worked out well. With the sun setting, the temperature was nice. It was super windy by the evening. Wind Gap isn't the best place to be on a windy day.
I started off by heading southbound. This is a fun switchback section. I knew I could run up this, but it is tough. I was breathing heavy early on. Still, I was able to keep running and moving along.
I never know how many switchbacks it is, but I kept going. Eventually, I got to the top of that part. I continued to run along. I ran over some big rocks with some more uphill. I had to start hiking the rocks at one point though, as I got to Hahns Lookout. That was about a mile into the run.
The ridge part was a mix of running and hiking. I couldn't see too well, with the setting sun in my face. I also only ate an hour before the run and didn't feel great. I kept moving forward until mile 1.5.
Coming back was more of both running and hiking. I was walking down the rocky part and saw someone walking up. He said hi, but I didn't know who it was. He was wearing khakis and a hat. I thought it was a hiker, but it turns out it was Ryan running.
I ran on by him. Now, I was able to cruise downhill. This descent is fun. It has all the switchbacks and isn't too technical. I got to the bottom and back to my car. I was at 2.9 miles.
It was now time to head northbound on the other side. I ran a little early, but I wasn't feeling great. Also, this side is steeper. I mostly hiked up. I was now well over 1,000 feet of gain at the top.
I ran a little along the ridge. I was still climbing slightly. I thought about going out farther, but I didn't feel like running on the rocky ridge. I headed back down. I ran a good portion of it. I was going slowly.
Since I was only a little over 4 miles into the run, I decided to climb the other side again. I'd head across the road and go southbound. Ryan's car was still in the small lot, so I knew I'd see him.
I ran on up, but had to hike early. I was tired and not feeling great. It was a mix of running and hiking. I could've pushed myself to run, but I didn't want to overdo it. Today isn't that important of a run.
In the second half of the climb, I saw Ryan coming down. He turned to run up to the top with me. I was leading the way. Now that I was with him, I kept running. We went off the trail a bit for more gain. We headed toward the tower.
Next, we turned to head back down. I opened it up, because I felt like flying. I felt great descending now. I pulled away a bit on the smooth stuff, but Ryan would catch me on some technical stuff. We got to the bottom. He went back up for another repeat.
I still needed almost half a mile for 6 total miles. I started going northbound on the tougher side now. I ran some and hiked some. At 5.8 miles, I turned around. I came back down and finished up. Ryan was still running.
This was a short run, but still some quality elevation gain. I just wanted over 1500 feet of gain and I got that. Not bad for only 6 miles.
Tomorrow, I'm thinking about some repeats. I hope to go to the Delps Trail again. That is something I want to do every week or nearly every week. I'd love to get 5 repeats and over 3500 feet of gain. That would be about 8 miles.
6.06 miles - 1:28:04 (14:32 pace) 1626 feet of elevation gain
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