I was at Musconetcong Gorge to hike and enjoy nature on Sunday. It was lovely, so I decided I'd invite people along this evening. No one said they were coming and no one did, so I was on my own. I didn't want a lot of miles. I figured I'd do the loop on my own and maybe the out and back.
It was actually a nice spring evening. Even with shorts and short sleeves, I was still sweating. The climbing got me working hard.
I started from the lot and headed up first. This was fun in the beginning. I thought I was running nice and easy and cruising along. It wasn't long before I had to work at it though. There's some good climbing and plenty of rocks.
I was able to run most of the way to the waterfalls on this upper trail. Then, it was too steep. It's basically straight up out of there. It was a mix of running and hiking and a lot more hiking. It would take a lot of effort to keep running here. I probably could, but I sure would wear myself down. It is also quite rocky.
The trail kept seeming to go up. Finally, it got a little better after the big rock. Still, there were some little ups and downs along the ridge. I continued on past the white blazed trail.
I wanted to run all the way out to the road. I figured I would stay on the trail unless it descended too much. This ridge part is much less used. There were still a lot of leaves and footing was tough on the narrow singletrack.
After less than half a mile, the trail began to descend too much. I decided to just turn around and head back. I was only around 1.5 miles.
I came to the white blazed trail. Now, it was time for the fun switchback descent. It was about 500 feet in around half a mile. I had fun cruising down. It is a little technical and steep in spots, so I didn't push the whole time.
After getting to the bottom, there's some gradual climbing. I was around 2.5 miles. It wasn't long and I was at the waterfall on the bottom trail. I took it in briefly, but kept running. I hiked a little after the waterfall, until I was on the ridge again.
Now, I had some ridge running, as I worked my way to 3.5 miles. I knew I had some tough climbing to go. I kept pushing myself, but wasn't able to keep going. I hiked a bit near the end. This was a short day, but some fun and pretty good elevation.
I want to run here with Angie some time. Maybe next Monday. Tomorrow, I'll probably take off. Maybe I'll run on Thursday. I should do some repeats again at the Delps Trail. I'd love to get over 4K of gain. That would make for a long day.
3.62 miles - 48:12 (13:19 pace) 560 feet of elevation gain
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Monday, May 9, 2016
Wind Gap AT w/ Angie
I've been slacking off big time lately. I haven't run since Shenandoah last weekend. I refused to run in the rain. Sunday was nice, but I still only hiked. Angie asked me to run last Monday, but I didn't see it since I was offline. Instead, we ran this week. She's running World's End, so she needs some trails.
We decided to meet at Wind Gap to get on the AT. She has never run there. That would give us some elevation and rocks without killing either one of us. I rushed to get there and had no lunch. She drove us to the trailhead and we set off.
It was a nice day in the low 70s. However, it hasn't been that warm in some time. I was sweating a bit during the run, especially since I had on my UD pack. A slight breeze did help.
We began by heading southbound first. We crossed the road. Once we got on the trail, I told her to lead. It was her run. I also told her that it is hard to run the switchbacks on this part, but it is runnable.
She began running, but did hike a little early. We ran a good portion of the way up. We passed a hiker at one point. We stopped at the overlook to the north. Then, we continued on, over some rocks. Another guy was at the south overlook, so we kept going.
Now, we were on the rocky ridge. It was pretty runnable and I followed behind. I remember when I used to think this was really technical. It can suck, but it isn't as bad as it used to be. It is just slow.
Angie was leading the way and kind of killing me. I wasn't strong thanks to having no lunch. I did drink some Tailwind, but I'm not sure enough. I continued to try to keep up, but it was a struggle.
She finally took in some calories before mile 2. I then caught up, but was dead. We decided to just head back. We came to a hiker we saw earlier. He had on a full pack and his dog had on another pack. It was cute.
We cruised along pretty easy. We stopped for some photos at the overlook. I told her that I made a Strava segment for the downhill and she took off. I tried to keep up, but it was too much work. I didn't want to fall, so I played it safe.
She cruised well ahead. I had been staying even, but since I couldn't gain ground, that was enough for me. It was so fast of a descent that I set a PR and even the 2nd fastest segment to date. She was flying and crushed me and got the course record by over 30 seconds.
We stopped at her van to refuel a bit. She just wanted some hiking, so we hiked up the other side. That made chatting easier. This part is steeper, but hiking made it better.
A little past the top, we decided to turn and mostly hike down. I would've liked a little more running, but I couldn't keep up with her anyway and she preferred to hike. We hiked down past the guy we saw earlier. We finished up at the car, under 5 miles.
It was a fun day. I always enjoy Angie's company. I don't run with others very often, so it is nice. I wish I felt stronger. The layoff hurt for sure. I should get back into better shape before Colorado.
I will run again tomorrow. The plan is to run the Gorge in New Jersey. I set up a run for tomorrow evening, but not sure anyone will go. I may hike earlier in the day too.
4.8 miles - 1:33:45 (19:33 pace) 1,081 feet of elevation gain
We decided to meet at Wind Gap to get on the AT. She has never run there. That would give us some elevation and rocks without killing either one of us. I rushed to get there and had no lunch. She drove us to the trailhead and we set off.
It was a nice day in the low 70s. However, it hasn't been that warm in some time. I was sweating a bit during the run, especially since I had on my UD pack. A slight breeze did help.
We began by heading southbound first. We crossed the road. Once we got on the trail, I told her to lead. It was her run. I also told her that it is hard to run the switchbacks on this part, but it is runnable.She began running, but did hike a little early. We ran a good portion of the way up. We passed a hiker at one point. We stopped at the overlook to the north. Then, we continued on, over some rocks. Another guy was at the south overlook, so we kept going.
Now, we were on the rocky ridge. It was pretty runnable and I followed behind. I remember when I used to think this was really technical. It can suck, but it isn't as bad as it used to be. It is just slow.
Angie was leading the way and kind of killing me. I wasn't strong thanks to having no lunch. I did drink some Tailwind, but I'm not sure enough. I continued to try to keep up, but it was a struggle.
She finally took in some calories before mile 2. I then caught up, but was dead. We decided to just head back. We came to a hiker we saw earlier. He had on a full pack and his dog had on another pack. It was cute.
We cruised along pretty easy. We stopped for some photos at the overlook. I told her that I made a Strava segment for the downhill and she took off. I tried to keep up, but it was too much work. I didn't want to fall, so I played it safe.
She cruised well ahead. I had been staying even, but since I couldn't gain ground, that was enough for me. It was so fast of a descent that I set a PR and even the 2nd fastest segment to date. She was flying and crushed me and got the course record by over 30 seconds.
We stopped at her van to refuel a bit. She just wanted some hiking, so we hiked up the other side. That made chatting easier. This part is steeper, but hiking made it better.
A little past the top, we decided to turn and mostly hike down. I would've liked a little more running, but I couldn't keep up with her anyway and she preferred to hike. We hiked down past the guy we saw earlier. We finished up at the car, under 5 miles.
It was a fun day. I always enjoy Angie's company. I don't run with others very often, so it is nice. I wish I felt stronger. The layoff hurt for sure. I should get back into better shape before Colorado.
I will run again tomorrow. The plan is to run the Gorge in New Jersey. I set up a run for tomorrow evening, but not sure anyone will go. I may hike earlier in the day too.
4.8 miles - 1:33:45 (19:33 pace) 1,081 feet of elevation gain
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Old Rag - Shenandoah National Park (Saturday)
Yesterday at Shenandoah was fun. This day would be so so. More crappy weather was here today, in fact
it was even worse than yesterday. The
plan was to climb Old Rag, the most popular hike in the park.
I wore shorts and short sleeves for most of the run. I was slightly chilly. Toward the end, it rained a bit more and I
wore my shell. It wasn’t great
conditions, but I survived.
I started around 9 AM.
I knew this would be a light traffic day with the weather. However, I was surprised to see only two
other cars in the lot. One was a guy
with a huge pack. He hiked out shortly
before me.
I sort of knew where I was going, but I didn’t have a full
map of the area. I’d be following Old
Rag Fire Road. At least it was a fire
road and would be kind of fast. It was
wide and pretty smooth. I ran past the
guy early on. He was the last person I’d
see for miles.
Most hikers start at the bottom, not off of Skyline
Drive. Still, I was surprised to
encounter no one on the way down. It was
easy running and mostly downhill, but that was the only positive. It was boring as hell. I saw a sign a couple miles in that said 4.9
miles to the summit. I toughened it out.
These miles weren’t too bad.
Not as bad as later on would be.
There were woods around, but not much to look at. It was foggy and at times rainy. I finally saw a nice dirt path around a turn
and it was the way up to Old Rag. I
noted my elevation was around 1900 feet, so I had dropped well over 1,000 feet.
I mostly just hiked up.
There were several groups coming down.
I’m sure today was much better than most days in terms of people. It was smooth for a bit and then started to
get rocky after a shelter.
My back was feeling a bit sore. I tried to enjoy the climb, but it was
tough. I had 400 calories of Tailwind,
but probably not enough.
This climb never got hard, so as I suspected, I was taking
the easier path up. I went by several
groups of college aged or 20 somethings.
They had a few cute girls.
Finally, after about 1200 feet of gain, I arrived at the
summit. All you could see was the part
of the mountain next to you. I had hoped
maybe the fog would clear by now or we’d be above the clouds, but that was not
the case.
The summit is massive boulders and people were sitting
everywhere. One guy asked me if I ran
up. I said, “mostly just the downhills.” I stayed a bit, but with nothing to see and
6.5 miles and 1 hour and 30 minutes down, I had to get moving.
The “rock scramble” was the other way. I really wanted to try it, but the loop
seemed longer. I couldn’t risk it, as I
was going far no matter what. If it
added 1 mile that would’ve been no big deal, but 4 miles would’ve sucked. Also, I wasn’t sure how much singletrack
there would be and it could be very slow.
I turned and headed the way I came. At least I knew what was up ahead. What that was was a horrible gradual
climb. I estimated it at about 1300
feet.
At least I got to run back down Old Rag. I ran down most of it. It was rocky, but not too rocky. It was fun!
I passed several groups and one group of girls cheered me on.
Then I came to the fire road. Ugh, I thought to myself. This part was so frustrating. It was just steep enough to make running take
a lot of effort. It was so slow and I
hiked a lot of the 4.5 miles back.
I mostly just looked at the rocks ahead and pressed on. I thought of one guy talking about AT
hikes. He said, “most days are just like
any other day, some days suck, but we do it for those days that are
amazing. Yesterday was king of
amazing. Today was a wash. Old Rag was cool, but getting there and back
was terrible.
I looked at my watch over and over. I was thrilled in the final mile when I
finally could run most of it. It had a
lot of downhill and flat. I cruised on
those parts. I was so beat though. I couldn’t run any little hill.
Finally, I was back to my car. It was over 13 miles and just about 3 hours
and 30 minutes. I was wet and a bit
chilly, but glad to be done. I battled
through and got a great workout. I gained over 3000 feet.
Tomorrow, I’ll run for a third straight day. If the weather is nice, I’ll hike here on a
short route in the morning. One the way
home, I’ll try to run at Harper’s Ferry.
That is a cool historical place with some views. Maybe the weather will cooperate this time.
Dark Hollow Falls - Shenandoah National Park (Friday)
I didn’t end up running yesterday. I’m going to Colorado in June and wanted to test out my camping in a National Park. I decided to head down to Shenandoah this weekend in Virginia. The weather isn’t supposed to be great, but I decided to go anyway. The drive to the campground was interesting. It was foggy about 80% of the time on Skyline Drive. I got some cool photos where it wasn’t foggy though.
It was warm when I started my run at 6 PM. The plan was to run to some falls near my
camping area. My camping site is
amazing, as it has a partial view of the mountain. Also, I’m about 10 feet from the Appalachian
Trail and can see hikers go right by. I
ended up wearing short sleeves and shorts.
I became a little chilly by the end, in the damp conditions.
I ran along some pavement first, to get out of the camping
area. That wasn’t much fun, but I wanted
to get to the falls as quickly as possible.
I ran past 5 deer on the campground entrance road.
I then got to the Dark Hollow Falls Trailhead. It was smooth downhill from the start. Lot of tourists were out there, mostly Asian
ones. It was smooth and easy to
start. Parts got a little rocky as I
descended the hollow. There was a
mixture of fog and sunshine peeking through.
This trail was cool and so was the waterfall at the
end. Since I was a little unsure how
long this loop was, I couldn’t stop too long to take things in. I didn’t want to be stuck there after dark. Now that I write in the dark, I’m glad I
wasn’t out there.
I almost took the Rose River Fire Road by mistake. I got on the right path though. This loop would take me to another
waterfall. This part was absolutely
amazing and almost one of the most perfect runs I ever did.
Everything just came together. The fog that seemed kind of crappy earlier
was perfect, mixed with the lush green plants and the running water along the
sides. There was a lot of uphill in this
section. You had hit the bottom already.
Perhaps the best part of this was that it was late in the
day. I was probably the last person on
this section of the trail. It was a
beautiful setting, but also total solitude.
I was completely at peace.
I stopped briefly at the falls to reflect. I realized I was probably its last visitor
for the day. The moment was just
perfect. I had to keep moving
though. I was around mile 4 and still
had daylight, but I had to be careful.
The trail was a fun singletrack for a bit, but then changed
to a fire road as it ascended. I figured
I had over 1,000 feet to climb now.
Since the surface was pretty smooth and had switchbacks, I ran here and
there. My body was tired though. I had not had dinner yet either.
It wasn’t too long and I successfully made it to Skyline
Drive. I was surprised at how quickly I
arrived there. I was around mile 5.
I then found the Appalachian Trail across the road. This was a perfect way to end the run. I headed on that, but still had some gradual
uphill. I climbed several hundred more
feet. I passed a couple walking their
dog. Then, I came up to my campsite,
tired and cold, but beyond thrilled.
This was such a simple run, but yet it was so amazing. I wish I had more daylight left, to take more
of it in. Of course if there was more
daylight, there might not be so much solitude.
This may be no Yosemite, but I did have somewhat of a John Muir moment at
least. I found such peace in the forest.
Tomorrow, I’m planning to run Old Rag. That is the most popular route in the
park. It will likely be crowded, a big
change from today. I’m hoping maybe some
fog and rain might keep people away. Of
course, I’m hoping that all clears for me at the summit, with the amazing
views. There is supposed to be a lot of
technical rock scrambling too. It should
be fun, even if it is crowded.
6.61 miles - 1:33:55 (14:13 pace) 1413 feet of elevation gain
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Marsh Creek State Park
I didn't end up running yesterday. Instead, I went out today. I was going to a concert in the Philly suburbs. Although it wasn't too close by, I opted to try Marsh Creek State Park. It would be a new adventure.
The weather was interesting. It was chilly, cloudy and drizzled at the end. I wore a light weight long sleeve shirt and shorts. The sleeves were rolled up, so it was basically a short sleeve shirt. I was a bit sweaty with all the damp air.
I had some trouble finding the boat launch/parking area. Finally, I saw a sign for one and it turned out to be the right place. There are trails at different parts of the reservoir, but not all around it. I studied a map and headed on the white blazed trail.
This was flat, smooth and easy. It began near the water. Going around a cove, I could hear people chatting on the other side. Eventually, I passed two women who were hiking. One had on a big pack. Shortly after that, I passed a woman and her dog. There are fancy houses around and she was dressed out of place for the trail.
This section was nice. It was a little wider than singletrack. It had some slight elevation. It was on a ridge above the water. Around mile 2, I came to the dam. I looked for the yellow trail, but couldn't find it. I continued to follow the white trail down below the dam. It was now a stone path.
I didn't like the path, so I was happy to see singletrack with the words "short loop." I took that. This was a fun section. It was made by mountain bikers, but it was too bad. It had a couple with a couple switchbacks. Eventually I ended up coming back to the other side of the dam.
This wasn't what I hoped, so I headed back the way I came. I took a different branch, thinking I would still end up at the stone road. Much to my surprise, this went down a small hallow and then climbed back up.
Every thing was so lush and green. The understory is well developed, even if the canopy isn't fully green yet. There was much more green than there is around here.
I tried to stay straight as much as possible. I soon realized there were too many unmarked turns. There is no way I'd remember every one I took. I just kept going out.
There was more fun up and down and some turns. I saw no people in this section. I enjoyed myself, as I made my way past mile 3. There was a shirt at one intersection that had many options. I came along some houses a few times too.
Finally, as I neared mile 4, I decided to turn and head back. I tried to head in the general direction that I thought was correct. However, I took different branches whenever possible. This ended up with me doing a loop to the shirt.
I knew I'd never get lost with houses on one side and the water on the other. Eventually, I'd see one of those. Finally, after some more short climbing, I did. I came to the water. I popped out on the other side of the dam.
It was good to know where I was. I headed to the dam and then mile 6. I was back on the white trail. I passed a mountain biker there. I heard the woman across the cove again. I passed them again.
I cruised on in. I basically ran the whole time on these rolling hills. I thought of going out to mile 8, but getting to my car was good enough. I finished with over 7 miles and a solid day.
This was a fun day and better than I expected. I want to run again tomorrow. I'd like more elevation, so I'm hoping I can get to the Delps Trail. I'd like to run 2-4 repeats.
7.25 miles - 1:16:20 (10:31 pace) 475 feet of elevation gain
The weather was interesting. It was chilly, cloudy and drizzled at the end. I wore a light weight long sleeve shirt and shorts. The sleeves were rolled up, so it was basically a short sleeve shirt. I was a bit sweaty with all the damp air.
I had some trouble finding the boat launch/parking area. Finally, I saw a sign for one and it turned out to be the right place. There are trails at different parts of the reservoir, but not all around it. I studied a map and headed on the white blazed trail.
This was flat, smooth and easy. It began near the water. Going around a cove, I could hear people chatting on the other side. Eventually, I passed two women who were hiking. One had on a big pack. Shortly after that, I passed a woman and her dog. There are fancy houses around and she was dressed out of place for the trail.
This section was nice. It was a little wider than singletrack. It had some slight elevation. It was on a ridge above the water. Around mile 2, I came to the dam. I looked for the yellow trail, but couldn't find it. I continued to follow the white trail down below the dam. It was now a stone path.
I didn't like the path, so I was happy to see singletrack with the words "short loop." I took that. This was a fun section. It was made by mountain bikers, but it was too bad. It had a couple with a couple switchbacks. Eventually I ended up coming back to the other side of the dam.
This wasn't what I hoped, so I headed back the way I came. I took a different branch, thinking I would still end up at the stone road. Much to my surprise, this went down a small hallow and then climbed back up.
Every thing was so lush and green. The understory is well developed, even if the canopy isn't fully green yet. There was much more green than there is around here.
I tried to stay straight as much as possible. I soon realized there were too many unmarked turns. There is no way I'd remember every one I took. I just kept going out.
There was more fun up and down and some turns. I saw no people in this section. I enjoyed myself, as I made my way past mile 3. There was a shirt at one intersection that had many options. I came along some houses a few times too.
Finally, as I neared mile 4, I decided to turn and head back. I tried to head in the general direction that I thought was correct. However, I took different branches whenever possible. This ended up with me doing a loop to the shirt.
I knew I'd never get lost with houses on one side and the water on the other. Eventually, I'd see one of those. Finally, after some more short climbing, I did. I came to the water. I popped out on the other side of the dam.
It was good to know where I was. I headed to the dam and then mile 6. I was back on the white trail. I passed a mountain biker there. I heard the woman across the cove again. I passed them again.
I cruised on in. I basically ran the whole time on these rolling hills. I thought of going out to mile 8, but getting to my car was good enough. I finished with over 7 miles and a solid day.
This was a fun day and better than I expected. I want to run again tomorrow. I'd like more elevation, so I'm hoping I can get to the Delps Trail. I'd like to run 2-4 repeats.
7.25 miles - 1:16:20 (10:31 pace) 475 feet of elevation gain
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Duncannon AT Run
It rained yesterday morning, so I didn't get out early. Then, I just continued to slack off, despite a nice day. I had to get out today and wanted to run somewhere new. Visiting different trails has become so addicting. I decided I would hit up the AT along the Susquehanna River in Duncannon.
The weather was almost perfect. It was sunny and even had a slight chill. I wore my AK vest, so I was a little hot, especially while climbing. However, my shorts and short sleeve shirt were good otherwise.
I wanted to drive to near Marysville because the trail crosses over 2 different ridges. I figured I could get some elevation here. The sections along the river, I figured would be very crowded. I couldn't find the trail in the initial location, so I opted for the more crowded section. It turned out that it wasn't that bad.
I ended up going past Duncannon. I eventually found the trail on the other side of the river and followed it into Duncannon. I parked in a city lot near an old train depot. I was a little worried as there was only one car in the lot at the time. However, things worked out okay.
This is a trail town. I saw the well known Doyle Hotel. Many thru hikers head there. Running on the pavement wasn't much fun, but it did give me a warmup. I hit the woods in about 3/4 of a mile or so.
I was climbing up to Hawk Rock. That is supposed to be a nice view point overlooking the river. I ran a bit early on. This trail was a little tough, but the climb certainly wasn't bad. If I wasn't so hot, I wouldn't have had much trouble. There were a lot of stone steps.
The trail wasn't steep though. It skirted the mountain and I found it somewhat gradual. It is still a long climb. I was anticipating more boulder scrambling, but it wasn't bad.
I was expecting more people too. I saw a few families coming down. There were a couple hikers with packs too. I passed some going up as well, but it wasn't even close to as crowded as I thought it would be.
I ran by a young couple on a woods road type section. Then, I passed a woman right before a steep switchback. I wasn't quite to the top, so I didn't think I'd be at Hawk Rock yet, but I arrived there shortly. Four people were already there, so I didn't get great photos before leaving.
There was a short climb to a backpacking site. Someone had a tent setup there. I continued along the AT. I knew I'd be on the ridge now and mostly running. This section was great. I was able to run a lot and my feet actually touched dirt. I'm so used to the AT being rock after rock after rock.
There were a few rocky sections that I did walk over. It was good to get past mile 2 and then mile 3. A couple asked me about road crossings, but I told them they had some distance to go.
I saw the Cove Mountain Shelter side trail. A couple guys were across from it. They had a seasonal view. The leaves are starting to come in now. I continued on the AT.
I decided I would run to mile 4. Then, I kept going. At around 4.2 miles, it was becoming too rocky. I turned and headed back.
I was a little tired, but I think using some Tailwind helped. When I got back near the shelter, I took the path down to it. That was a nice descent. I went even farther, down to the spring. I climbed back up to the AT then and got a couple hundred more feet of elevation gain.
I was almost at 6 miles now. It continued to mostly run along the ridge. I really enjoyed it. If the sections by me had this few rocks, I'd be on them much more often.
I passed the one woman again. I got back to the tent site and the tent was gone. That was good because there was supposed to be a side trail to a better view. I took this fun singletrack. It was about half a mile to a mile to the view. I saw some other hikers coming back, so I figured that I went the correct way.
I got the view and it was amazing. You could see up and down the river. It was right at a bend. Also, the mountain ridge was directly across. There are several other mountain ridges behind it too. This young couple was at the view, but let me have it to myself then. The guy had a Liberty shirt on and he was from Bethlehem. How funny was that?
I passed them as I headed down. I ran some, but this way was narrow and very rocky. It was slow. I think I might've even went off the trail and took a short cut. I then made it back on the AT. I ran on down out to the road.
I was nearing mile 9 now. Right under the highway bridge, there is a BBQ joint. Bikers were there now, but I'd imagine it is popular with thru hikers. I ran back through town and finished up at my car and over 9 miles. I wish I could've gone to the other side of the river, but that would've required a few miles more of road running, which I had no desire to do. The climb would've been cool though.
It was fun to go somewhere new. I got some climbing and mileage in, but I didn't tax myself. The view was pretty good too. I'm really getting a bigger and bigger AT itch these days. I just love that trail more and more. It's probably only a matter of time before I attempt a thru hike or fastpack run/hike.
Tomorrow, I might run or take the day off. I should start running back to back days soon. I want to climb on Tuesday if I take tomorrow off. Wednesday, I have a concert to attend, so running could be tough.
9.21 miles - 2:11:07 (14:14 pace) 1631 feet of elevation gain
The weather was almost perfect. It was sunny and even had a slight chill. I wore my AK vest, so I was a little hot, especially while climbing. However, my shorts and short sleeve shirt were good otherwise.
I wanted to drive to near Marysville because the trail crosses over 2 different ridges. I figured I could get some elevation here. The sections along the river, I figured would be very crowded. I couldn't find the trail in the initial location, so I opted for the more crowded section. It turned out that it wasn't that bad.
I ended up going past Duncannon. I eventually found the trail on the other side of the river and followed it into Duncannon. I parked in a city lot near an old train depot. I was a little worried as there was only one car in the lot at the time. However, things worked out okay.
This is a trail town. I saw the well known Doyle Hotel. Many thru hikers head there. Running on the pavement wasn't much fun, but it did give me a warmup. I hit the woods in about 3/4 of a mile or so.
I was climbing up to Hawk Rock. That is supposed to be a nice view point overlooking the river. I ran a bit early on. This trail was a little tough, but the climb certainly wasn't bad. If I wasn't so hot, I wouldn't have had much trouble. There were a lot of stone steps.
The trail wasn't steep though. It skirted the mountain and I found it somewhat gradual. It is still a long climb. I was anticipating more boulder scrambling, but it wasn't bad.
I was expecting more people too. I saw a few families coming down. There were a couple hikers with packs too. I passed some going up as well, but it wasn't even close to as crowded as I thought it would be.
I ran by a young couple on a woods road type section. Then, I passed a woman right before a steep switchback. I wasn't quite to the top, so I didn't think I'd be at Hawk Rock yet, but I arrived there shortly. Four people were already there, so I didn't get great photos before leaving.
There was a short climb to a backpacking site. Someone had a tent setup there. I continued along the AT. I knew I'd be on the ridge now and mostly running. This section was great. I was able to run a lot and my feet actually touched dirt. I'm so used to the AT being rock after rock after rock.
There were a few rocky sections that I did walk over. It was good to get past mile 2 and then mile 3. A couple asked me about road crossings, but I told them they had some distance to go.
I saw the Cove Mountain Shelter side trail. A couple guys were across from it. They had a seasonal view. The leaves are starting to come in now. I continued on the AT.
I decided I would run to mile 4. Then, I kept going. At around 4.2 miles, it was becoming too rocky. I turned and headed back.
I was a little tired, but I think using some Tailwind helped. When I got back near the shelter, I took the path down to it. That was a nice descent. I went even farther, down to the spring. I climbed back up to the AT then and got a couple hundred more feet of elevation gain.
I was almost at 6 miles now. It continued to mostly run along the ridge. I really enjoyed it. If the sections by me had this few rocks, I'd be on them much more often.
I passed the one woman again. I got back to the tent site and the tent was gone. That was good because there was supposed to be a side trail to a better view. I took this fun singletrack. It was about half a mile to a mile to the view. I saw some other hikers coming back, so I figured that I went the correct way.
I got the view and it was amazing. You could see up and down the river. It was right at a bend. Also, the mountain ridge was directly across. There are several other mountain ridges behind it too. This young couple was at the view, but let me have it to myself then. The guy had a Liberty shirt on and he was from Bethlehem. How funny was that?
I passed them as I headed down. I ran some, but this way was narrow and very rocky. It was slow. I think I might've even went off the trail and took a short cut. I then made it back on the AT. I ran on down out to the road.
I was nearing mile 9 now. Right under the highway bridge, there is a BBQ joint. Bikers were there now, but I'd imagine it is popular with thru hikers. I ran back through town and finished up at my car and over 9 miles. I wish I could've gone to the other side of the river, but that would've required a few miles more of road running, which I had no desire to do. The climb would've been cool though.
It was fun to go somewhere new. I got some climbing and mileage in, but I didn't tax myself. The view was pretty good too. I'm really getting a bigger and bigger AT itch these days. I just love that trail more and more. It's probably only a matter of time before I attempt a thru hike or fastpack run/hike.
Tomorrow, I might run or take the day off. I should start running back to back days soon. I want to climb on Tuesday if I take tomorrow off. Wednesday, I have a concert to attend, so running could be tough.
9.21 miles - 2:11:07 (14:14 pace) 1631 feet of elevation gain
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Delps Trail '16 Week 2
I couldn't get myself out there yesterday. I was tired, it was hot, and there were a million excuses. I might've been able to go out for something, but I wanted to do these tough repeats again. Instead, I headed to Delps Trail after an early dinner this evening.
It was quite hot at the start. I had on shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Steep ascents were making me sweat a lot too obviously. It got cloudy and looked like rain, but none ever came. I was starting to get some chafing, so I took my shirt off for the final repeat and a half.
I knew about this trail, but I'm so glad I started going here. Not only is it super tough, but I have it all to myself. This is the second time I was the only one in this remote lot. For the entire 2.5 miles, I never saw another person. I assume I'll only regularly see people on the AT or going from the AT down to the spring.
I took off running, feeling strong. I ran a little farther than most of the time last week. I went for a short distance past where it started to really get steep. I want to work on getting even farther in the future.
My breathing became super labored. After the first log type step, I began to powerhike. I moved up the steep stone steps quickly. I climbed and climbed and climbed, as I was sweating. I ran some of the flat near the top.
I got to the AT in just over 15 minutes. That crushed my time from last week. I want to eventually be able to get up this climb in less than 15 minutes, on a consistent basis. I was feeling good, so I ran where I could on the way down. I still can't run the stone steps of course.
I got to my car around 1.5 miles. I stopped briefly for a towel and drink. I had some water and some Tailwind. I took both. I needed to get some calories.
The good thing was that this took a little less than half an hour. Still, that is a slow 1.5 miles. I wanted to do 5 loops and I knew that if I kept close to this pace up, I'd have just enough daylight for that.
I began hiking a little sooner the second time out there. It is always tricky because I could push more up steep terrain, but then my breathing would get more labored. Even after I hike up for a bit, it is so steep that I can't recover. I'm breathing heavy, most if not all the way up the stone steps. I was hot and I believe I drank from the spring this time. I had no issues with doing so last week.
It was good to get up and head back down. I walked down a lot more rocky parts this time. I was slightly lightheaded and didn't want to chance it. I was happy to finish this repeat and be 40% done. I was also still under an hour into the run.
I headed back up for the third time, after another brief car rest. I might need to make these rests longer when it is hot out in the summer. I don't give myself much recovery though and that is good.
I felt the burn just slightly as I went up this time. Near the top, it began to get cloudy. I thought it might rain. The rocks would be slick in the rain. The good thing is if it did rain, I can get down in about 10 minutes or so.
At the top, I was now over 2100 feet of gain and hurting a bit. I had been good this week of not looking at my watch too much. I just moved forward. I ran on down again. There was still a lot of walking.
I was back to the car briefly and on to the 4th repeat. This is the one where I started to feel it. It was a lot of gain in such short distance. This felt like the point of an ultra where I would start to tire. I'm sure I drank from the spring again, as I was quite thirsty. The spring is just past halfway up and in a perfect location. The spring is a huge bonus to this run.
It was a slow go to the top, but eventually I trudged my way up there. I was just shy of 2900 feet of gain. I rested very briefly at the AT and headed down. It was good to make it to the bottom for a 4th time. I was getting a little sore, but not too bad.
My times were slipping a little. It was now just over 2 hours when I got back to the car. I had some slight nipple chafing going on, so I had taken my shirt off during the previous loop. I dropped it in the car now. My stomach bothered me a little too.
Although I was tired, I knew this was the final repeat. I made it a goal to blast up there. I ran past the log a bit. I don't know if that was a good thing. I was super labored by the stone steps and couldn't get my breath back for some time. I tried to even hike fast.
I stopped briefly at the spring, but then plowed ahead. The elevation was surely taking its toll now. It was good to get near the top. I moved as fast as I could. I ran when I could. It was starting to get a little dark too.
I was happy to be at the top. I had less than 13 minutes to descend. I wanted to be under 2:30 and average less than half an hour per repeat.
I figured I could make it in time if I really pushed. I didn't run fast, but I made sure to run as much as I could. I ran a lot of parts that were pretty rocky and that I had not run much in other loops. I put on an intense focus and that really helps over the rocks. I can do that for short periods while trail running.
I ran most of the way to the spring. Of course, I had to hike down the stone steps. I made sure to try to hike fast, without falling.
I looked at my watch and it was 2:25. I now had a more runnable descent. Still, I had to go over a quarter of a mile. There were some rocks to navigate too. I couldn't see my watch while I was running, so I just kept running and I kept pushing.
I was thrilled to be to the bottom and finally done. I had just beat my goal time for the repeats. Even if I didn't run a lot, it was a great day and a tough outing. I need more workouts like this.
I hope I can commit to doing this weekly. If I do, I should get faster over time. This is a great section for training on tough terrain. It is perfect for my mountain races and not too far away either. It is so time consuming that I'm not sure I'll ever do more than 5-7 repeats. Doing 3500+ feet of gain over 7 miles is a great workout though.
Tomorrow, I will take off. On Saturday, I'm sure I'll run again. I hope for a Sunday run as well. I should get to Tammany sometime. I don't like it on weekends, but maybe I'll go there. I'd love more elevation. I think next weekend I'm going to Shenandoah National Park.
7.16 miles - 2:28:16 (20:42 pace) 3554 feet of elevation gain
It was quite hot at the start. I had on shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Steep ascents were making me sweat a lot too obviously. It got cloudy and looked like rain, but none ever came. I was starting to get some chafing, so I took my shirt off for the final repeat and a half.
I knew about this trail, but I'm so glad I started going here. Not only is it super tough, but I have it all to myself. This is the second time I was the only one in this remote lot. For the entire 2.5 miles, I never saw another person. I assume I'll only regularly see people on the AT or going from the AT down to the spring.
I took off running, feeling strong. I ran a little farther than most of the time last week. I went for a short distance past where it started to really get steep. I want to work on getting even farther in the future.
My breathing became super labored. After the first log type step, I began to powerhike. I moved up the steep stone steps quickly. I climbed and climbed and climbed, as I was sweating. I ran some of the flat near the top.
I got to the AT in just over 15 minutes. That crushed my time from last week. I want to eventually be able to get up this climb in less than 15 minutes, on a consistent basis. I was feeling good, so I ran where I could on the way down. I still can't run the stone steps of course.
I got to my car around 1.5 miles. I stopped briefly for a towel and drink. I had some water and some Tailwind. I took both. I needed to get some calories.
The good thing was that this took a little less than half an hour. Still, that is a slow 1.5 miles. I wanted to do 5 loops and I knew that if I kept close to this pace up, I'd have just enough daylight for that.
I began hiking a little sooner the second time out there. It is always tricky because I could push more up steep terrain, but then my breathing would get more labored. Even after I hike up for a bit, it is so steep that I can't recover. I'm breathing heavy, most if not all the way up the stone steps. I was hot and I believe I drank from the spring this time. I had no issues with doing so last week.
It was good to get up and head back down. I walked down a lot more rocky parts this time. I was slightly lightheaded and didn't want to chance it. I was happy to finish this repeat and be 40% done. I was also still under an hour into the run.
I headed back up for the third time, after another brief car rest. I might need to make these rests longer when it is hot out in the summer. I don't give myself much recovery though and that is good.
I felt the burn just slightly as I went up this time. Near the top, it began to get cloudy. I thought it might rain. The rocks would be slick in the rain. The good thing is if it did rain, I can get down in about 10 minutes or so.
At the top, I was now over 2100 feet of gain and hurting a bit. I had been good this week of not looking at my watch too much. I just moved forward. I ran on down again. There was still a lot of walking.
I was back to the car briefly and on to the 4th repeat. This is the one where I started to feel it. It was a lot of gain in such short distance. This felt like the point of an ultra where I would start to tire. I'm sure I drank from the spring again, as I was quite thirsty. The spring is just past halfway up and in a perfect location. The spring is a huge bonus to this run.
It was a slow go to the top, but eventually I trudged my way up there. I was just shy of 2900 feet of gain. I rested very briefly at the AT and headed down. It was good to make it to the bottom for a 4th time. I was getting a little sore, but not too bad.
My times were slipping a little. It was now just over 2 hours when I got back to the car. I had some slight nipple chafing going on, so I had taken my shirt off during the previous loop. I dropped it in the car now. My stomach bothered me a little too.
Although I was tired, I knew this was the final repeat. I made it a goal to blast up there. I ran past the log a bit. I don't know if that was a good thing. I was super labored by the stone steps and couldn't get my breath back for some time. I tried to even hike fast.
I stopped briefly at the spring, but then plowed ahead. The elevation was surely taking its toll now. It was good to get near the top. I moved as fast as I could. I ran when I could. It was starting to get a little dark too.
I was happy to be at the top. I had less than 13 minutes to descend. I wanted to be under 2:30 and average less than half an hour per repeat.
I figured I could make it in time if I really pushed. I didn't run fast, but I made sure to run as much as I could. I ran a lot of parts that were pretty rocky and that I had not run much in other loops. I put on an intense focus and that really helps over the rocks. I can do that for short periods while trail running.
I ran most of the way to the spring. Of course, I had to hike down the stone steps. I made sure to try to hike fast, without falling.
I looked at my watch and it was 2:25. I now had a more runnable descent. Still, I had to go over a quarter of a mile. There were some rocks to navigate too. I couldn't see my watch while I was running, so I just kept running and I kept pushing.
I was thrilled to be to the bottom and finally done. I had just beat my goal time for the repeats. Even if I didn't run a lot, it was a great day and a tough outing. I need more workouts like this.
I hope I can commit to doing this weekly. If I do, I should get faster over time. This is a great section for training on tough terrain. It is perfect for my mountain races and not too far away either. It is so time consuming that I'm not sure I'll ever do more than 5-7 repeats. Doing 3500+ feet of gain over 7 miles is a great workout though.
Tomorrow, I will take off. On Saturday, I'm sure I'll run again. I hope for a Sunday run as well. I should get to Tammany sometime. I don't like it on weekends, but maybe I'll go there. I'd love more elevation. I think next weekend I'm going to Shenandoah National Park.
7.16 miles - 2:28:16 (20:42 pace) 3554 feet of elevation gain
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