Top Ten Reasons I miss Ultra Running

I recently completed my longest "long run" in quite a while on the Virginia Creeper Trail. I purposely picked the Creeper as I was bumping my mileage up way beyond what is normally recommended & wanted to make it as easy as a ~17 mile run could be - i.e. not a technical trail & no hills. I have been hiking some big miles as day hikes & even with a backpack, but my running has not been as consistent as I would have liked. I had charged my MP3 player as I figured I would need it to get me thru the last few miles, but in my excitement to get on the trail I left it in the Element, of course. So I ended up with quite a bit of time to ponder all sorts of things....

One of my favorite trestles - confluence of Holston Rivers

Could not have asked for better weather though! Started out a little cool, but sunshine the whole way!

As I was "wogging" along (I say I run but to most people it would appear I am moving too slowly, so I call it a cross between walking & jogging) I started thinking about how much running has been a part of my life. I ran my first marathon in 1998 and soon after I ran my first ultra marathon in 2000. For my non-running friends, an ultra is any distance longer than a marathon, but "typical" distances are 50K, 50 milers, 100K & 100 milers. I was instantly addicted & eventually found myself running at least one a month. 

Until my 1st knee surgery in 2005. Followed by my 2nd in 2008. And my most recent in 2012. All dealing with meniscus issues. Don't get me wrong, I was able to get some good runs in between - even my PR of 81 miles in a 24 hour race. Although I have never been fast, I do have endurance & can "wog" a long, long time. Perhaps I am just an impatient hiker? But I digress yet again....

Along the Creeper I eventually came up on the contractor working on the replacement  bridge that was destroyed in the tornadoes of 2011. Being the geeky engineer I am, I had to stop & watch for a while.

And this is what got me to thinking about how when I would run I would sort through problems in my mind. Many times I would run at lunch & think about some design issue I needed to resolve. Many times I would have a solution by the time I was done. And thus the idea for my list was born...

So, without any further ado, here is my list of the top ten reasons I miss ultra running:

10. Creativity. The ability to clear my mind & come up with "out the box" solutions was never better.

9. Toenails. Do you realize how much time I saved painting my toenails when I had less than 10? Plus I never had to decide on a  color as I had to use dark purple or black.

8. Gels.Okay, I am lying on this one. I don't know who decided the best vehicle for nutrition while running should have a consistency somewhere between frosting & toothpaste, but I guess it works. Besides, it was always fun trying to figure out which flavor was the least repulsive after 5 hours.

7. Food. Being able to eat whatever I wanted & still remain relatively slim.

6. Beer. Being able to drink whatever I wanted & still remain relatively slim. 

 I like beer. Hell, I will run for beer

 ( --//--> ON-ON!) 

but I loved being able to drink good beer without thinking about calories.

5. Zen. Running was the only way to still my monkey mind - it was a type of meditation for me. Whenever the cadence of footsteps & my breathing would become my mantra & I could just zen out.......wow.

4. Freedom. Usually only when running downhill, but sometimes I could catch that feeling like when you ran as a kid. Not going anywhere specific, but just running because you could.....again, wow!

3. Getting Lost. Not just in the putting your head down & following someone the wrong way, but tied to #5 (Zen out) when you get so lost in your thoughts that you realize you don't even know where you are on the trail anymore. It's just indescribable.  

2. Places. I have been some really cool places in the name of a race - from sea level at Tybee Island to 13,000 ft Mosquito Pass in Leadville, CO to the infamous Foothills Trail for Laurel Valley. And still so many places to see.

And the number 1 reason?

1. People! So many great folks I have met over the years....From the Runners from Hell (Some runners are tough. Some runners are insane. Some are both.) to my fellow Team SLUGs (Start slowly, ease off) to the great folks at Mangum Track Club (MTC). These are the people who have seen me suffer & pulled me along & inspired me. And damn, but I sure do miss 'em!

So part of this post is to keep pushing me to get back to the runner I once was. To get back to that feeling I once had & took for granted. 

I am so grateful for what I have & what I can do, and I hope to continue this momentum.

Run on, my friends.....

Flyin' by the seat of our pants...

Have I mentioned that I am not good at details sometimes? It's a little funny - in my "normal" life I am the usual somewhat anal, always OCD Engineer type. But the weekends? Well, sometimes it's kinda fun to not plan anything & see what happens. Sometimes you just end up chasing your tail trying to find a trail to hike, but other times it all falls together, in some sort of fashion. This weekend was one of those times.

It was forecast to rain all weekend, so I was not overly enthused to be planning a backpack trip, but I brought my backpack as well as my day pack with me as I went to Cleveland, TN for a friend's retirement lunch. After all, you never know. And surprisingly enough, the forecast was revised Friday nite showing clear & sunny by 3 PM! So....where to go? In my quest to be a 900 miler (i.e. hike all 900 miles of trails in the Smokies) I am always looking for new trails. After a quick check of the GSMNP backcountry reservation site, we decided to get another piece of the trail up to Gregory Bald. More specifically, the Gregory Bald Trail to campsite #13.

Looking across Cades Cove towards our destination!

Knowing Parsons Branch Rd would be closed for winter, we figured we would have a few miles of a road walk to get to the trailhead, but, as usual, we did not count on the deer jams in the Cove. At the late hour of 2:30 PM we finally arrived at the Ranger Station at the far end of Cades Cove, only to find the road gate closed! I guess I should not have been surprised - the Little River was as high as I had ever seen it - but I didn't realize the road to Gregory Ridge Trail would be closed due to rain. 

Brian walks alongside a raging Parsons Branch

After a quick check at the Ranger Station, we find this will only add another 2.2 miles to our 3.5 mile road walk. It's 2:30 PM & sunset is at 5:30 PM (as our helpful Ranger reminds us!)...so....why does the scene from Blues Brothers pop into my mind? 

It's 5.7 miles to the trailhead, we got a full MSR Dromedary of water, half a pack of ShotBloks, it's almost dark... and we're wearing sunglasses.  Hit it.

This part of the road walk was not bad - we actually made good time. It was a bit of a boost when we made it to the 2nd gate in under 40 minutes with full packs. Now on to the road walk we were expecting...

This part of the road was a little bit harder for me. It was disheartening to hike up a huge hill only to lose all the elevation gain by hiking downhill again.  But I did have a little fun when we came across a grader parked alongside the road. 

I call it "Taming the wild grader". 

Eventually we came to a low water crossing that required changing to water shoes. Even though it was quite warm at this point, no way could I imagine crossing water over a foot deep. I love my Keen boots, but had no desire to hike another 4 miles uphill with them being wet.   Soon after we came to the trailhead & I started on new miles!

Again, I was surprised at the amount of water on the trails. Even small crossings were running pretty well. But the trail itself was very nice - long gradual grades & very well drained for the majority of the way. We had to watch the sunset while hiking, but did make it to #13 with enough light to gather firewood & set up the tent. 

It got a little colder than I expected overnite. Remember my lack of planning problem? I left my down jacket & mittens at home, but it wasn't too bad. Only trouble was the excessive rain made it very hard to get a fire going. We were able to get a small one, but it mostly smoldered & did not kick off too much heat. Funny thing was we had a group come in even after us - a father, mother, daughter team that showed up around 9 PM. They were all also engineers - 2 electrical & 1 chemical. Poor Brian - surrounded by Engineers!

Next morning it was even colder as it had snowed some during the night. But the hoarfrost was awesome. 

At this point it was only a half mile up to Gregory Bald.....And when I say up, it was all up. But the clear views at the top....well, I only wish my camera could capture them:

From this point it was all downhill again, which tends to hurt my knees more than going up. We were treated to some great views of Cades Cove going down & it gradually warmed up enough to shed many layers. The water was still rather high for the crossing at campsite #12. High enough that I did not want to chance crossing on the downed trees with my backpack. Not sure when this bridge washed out but it appears there are no immediate plans to replace it. The water at the next trail bridge was still within a few inches of the log stringer - I am guessing it was overtopped the day before.

At this point we arrived back at Gregory Ridge trailhead. Another couple of miles of road walk & we were back at my trusty Element. 

I love it when a last minute trip comes together!

Finding a Pile of Rocks - Part 2!

I had been planning a birthday hike with my buddy Harold for quite a while but since neither of us are very good at details, we were still figuring it out the night before. Since Brian & I had not previously found Courthouse Rock & Harold had not been there as well, I suggested we continue the search.

This time I was a little more prepared & had downloaded a few descriptions of the off trails.It seems we had been on the right trail after Joe Quilliam's home site, but the trail takes a hard right "at a pile of rocks". Turns out the "pile" really only consists of 2 long rocks, more like a step, but someone had thoughtfully chalked a "C" & an arrow on it. Don't know how we missed it the first time? The trail is not very well defined, but Courthouse Rock is unmistakable. Roughly 45 feet high, it stands on edge like a domino.

I was not fearless enough to climb to the top, but I did wander around to the front to find the carving I had heard of. Supposedly a fellow named Arthur who lived in this county during the 1790 census carved the date 1807. 

I think this was the carving, but it's hard to tell since it appears some asshole felt the need to carve his name over the historical date. It's hard to tell, but it looks alot newer than the date. People suck sometimes.



But on to better thoughts! Right next to Courthouse Rocks is another large rock named the Judge. This was a little easier to clamber up on so we took a short break & celebrated Harold's birthday in true GOB (Good Ole Boy) style with a candle in a Moon Pie. My gift to him was I did not sing "Happy Birthday" as I have no musical ability at all. In retrospect I should have also brought along an RC Cola....maybe next year!

Happy Birthday Harold!

After the celebration we set off for Quilliam Cave, which is really more of a rock shelter. Again, Brian & I had been on the right track but instead of following the creek up we had attempted to climb straight up the side of the mountain! The trail along the creek was still not very well defined, but climbing up (!) will eventually run into the rock bluffs.  The 1945 park book called it the Rock House, although it is not mentioned after that. I have to say it was even more impressive than Alum Bluf, especially with the ice:

Looking into the Rock House

Looking out towards the waterfall

After another short break we headed back down. Beyond Joe Quilliam's home site we again crossed the creek & looped around his sons' old home sites. With the clearer weather we were able to identify rock structures that may have been parts of walls or gates. I also spotted a few cool discarded items:

All in all, a great day in the woods. So glad I was able to experience this beautiful area!

Searching for a pile of rocks.... Part 1!

That was definitely the theme of the day for a couple of nice hikes earlier this month...

The quest was actually started on a cold, rainy Saturday when I accompanied Brian to scout out a hike he was planning in January for the Smoky Mtn Hiking Club.  We were searching for Courthouse Rock & Quilliam Cave in GSMNP. I was somewhat surprised that this off trail was not listed in Kenneth Wise's "Hiking Trails of the Great Smoky Mountains" as I have found that book an indispensable guide. (Note: If you have a copy don't even lend it out - it is nearly impossible to find anymore!) Regardless, Brian had been once before & we look forward to any excuse to wander in the woods so off we went....

We found the correct pull-off quite easily & a well trod path led up to the old roadbed in the woods. Which way - north or south? When in doubt, always head uphill (because it's never the easy path, right?). So we did. Now it got fun as there were so many trails heading off the old road to choose from. We started up one that quickly faded out & backtracked to try again. Next trail was more defined & we contoured around past an old homesite that was pretty cool. We had a couple of easy creek crossings & dropped onto a very well defined trail that (you guessed it!) led upwards.

 






Brian negotiating one of the crossings



 

 

 

We soon came to another old homesite that Brian remembered as belonging to the father, Joe Quilliam. Once again there were numerous trails heading in all directions! We visited a super-cool waterfall that was the water source for the family. Originally called Quilliams Creek, this large creek is now known as Road Turn Branch.


We then followed the trail behind the old chimney as that was the one that should take us to Courthouse Rock & the cave. We found a side trail going to an overlook that would likely have great views if it was not so misty & rainy. We continued onward & upward & soon crossed the creek only to lose the main trail. After climbing over trees & sliding around in the mud for a while, we decided to head back down to try again another day when visibility was a little better. Following the trail back we mentally marked where it split off the old roadbed. I was surprised at how well hidden it was - maybe an attempt to keep it not too easily accessible?

Despite the lack of views, I still saw a few cool things:

 

 

Stay tuned for Part 2 - when we actually make it!

Slicker than cat shit on linoleum!

Or maybe the better title is "Don't bring old hiking boots to a snowy hike"?

As I am typing this I have a big ol' fire roaring in the woodstove to dry out my boots so I can hopefully get enough Shoe Goo on them to survive some potential water crossings for a Wednesday birthday hike. I am a big fan of Hi Tech as I can usually take them right out the box & hit the trail with little to no break in but they just don't seem to last. This pair is only a little over a year old & the rubber on the toe is separating just enough to let water/snow in, as I found out this past Black Friday.

I was lucky enough to enjoy a great White Friday over in the Smokies.

After being snowed in for a couple of days & overeating in the American tradition, I was more than ready to get out & get some new miles. The original plan was to hit Clingmans Dome (since the road closes for winter each December this would be the last chance) & get in a good downhill hike & hopefully see some snow. The problem was the huge amount of snow & ice was causing road closures everywhere in the Park... Not to mention my steep driveway was a solid sheet of ice & I was not sure of the new Element's ability to skate down it yet! I met my hiking buddy Harold at Sugarlands mid morning to work out a plan of attack - both of us hoping the roads would be open by the time we got there. They were, but when we checked with Backcountry they said there was 8-12" of snow at Clingmans & Harold had forgotten his gaiters. Everything happens for a reason, so we decided to hike Jakes Creek-Meigs Mtn-Lumber Ridge. The way this hike really worked out was as I was leaving the Park Service was closing Hwy 441, which would have meant if we had done Clingmans down one of our vehicle would have been locked behind the gate!


We started out from Elkmont at Jakes Creek & I was surprised at the number of people out, although it was quite a pretty day. The snow was not very deep & we followed footprints for a while.  Once we made it past the intersection to Meigs Mtn Trail Harold noticed we were making the only human footprints on the trail, but there were plenty of other tracks. Some decidedly looked like bear, but I am not sure if it was a few bears or just one bear crossing the trail several times! We noticed some tracks followed the trail continuously - a small cat or coyote?-and a lot of sign of boar.

The trail was just beautiful! 

When we made it to the intersection of Curry Mtn trail I was surprised to see people! I quickly found out why as the Huskey cemetery was very close & is apparently a destination. The light & shadows were very nice on the snow:

 

 

As soon as we were past the cemetery we lost "human" tracks again until we came to the intersection with Meigs Creek trail. We stopped for a snack & noticed many footprints heading down a track across from the trail. There was no trail shown on either the $1 map or the National Geo, but we decided there were too many prints heading down in the new snow so there had to be something good down there. And now we finally get to the title of this post. The "trail" heading down was super steep & a good mix of mud & snow/slush. As I finally made it to the bottom after self-arresting a few times with my trusty MSR Denali poles, I heard that awful sound behind me. The thud when someone behind you slides & falls. The moment you just cringe & wait to see if they take you out as well. Well, Harold didn't take me out, but he stood up & proclaimed "This hill is slicker than cat shit on linoleum" so we promptly named it Cat Shit Hill. I am pretty sure the name is not taken...



Ok, we staged this shot cuz I didn't take one going down,
but it's still funny!
 

We followed the trail down a long ways - far further than I expected - yet the foot tracks continued on. This is when I realized how much cold water was making it into my boots! We soon realized we were walking on an old railroad grade: a fact confirmed when we found a few sections of old rail. This "off trail" was not well maintained & we soon came to a crossing that we were not willing to cross. 

 

Trail? What trail?

Without knowing where or how far the trail went & because my feet were getting wetter & colder, we decided to wait for a better day to explore. (Note: Since then I found out this is the Spruce Flats manway with 3-4 water crossings that eventually ends at the small waterfall at Tremont - definitely will do this loop one day!)

 

 

Once we were on Lumber Ridge Trail we started experiencing a more southern aspect & pine forests with less snow. Walking on pine needles is much like walking on a shag carpet as far as I am concerned & I love it! I highly recommend this section of trail for families or someone wanting to experience a good trail without extreme climbs or descents. The trail just rolls along & there were some good winter views along the way.

Harold taking it all in.....

 We started the descent back down to Tremont & finished the day with daylight to spare. After a bit of a slippery trip back to Elkmont (the roads were starting to ice again) I picked the E back up for the trip back home.

  

 

Thinking I may have a new post Thanksgiving tradition.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



How cold is too cold to hike?

Seems the answer for me is ...... NEVER! With a forecast high of a mere 20 degrees, why ever would I not jump at the chance to finally make it up to Gregory Bald in GSMNP? 

After a leisurely ride (i.e. it took more than ONE HOUR to get from the Townsend Y to Parsons Branch Road thru Cades Cove- have these people never seen a deer before?!) we finally  arrived at the trail head of Gregory Ridge at noon. The temperature gauge on the E showed a relatively balmy 24 degrees, so it was not a difficult decision to decide to wear many layers to start. I always struggle with finding a good balance to begin. Knowing the trail is lot of up-up-up (followed by yet more up!) I elected to begin with my favorite mid weight Smartwool stuff. Even that proved to be a little much & had to make a couple of stops to adjust. Gave me a good chance to catch a few good photo opps though. The hoarfrost was supercool....



After a few miles of climbing, we reached the intersection with Gregory Bald Trail & met a couple of backpackers on their way to the campsite on Gregory Bald. Although it is now 2 miles away, the Appalachian Trail used to cross Gregory Bald before eventually being rerouted & a shelter used to be located fairly near this intersection.Since Brian is so familiar with the area, he took us to the piped spring & the site of the former shelter, which is now primarily used as a campsite by NPS contract boar hunters. (Note: If you are staying at Campsite 13 this spring is much better than the one you will find there!)

We trekked a little further up to the bald & the  weather changed dramatically along the way. Despite the sunshine, the wind was wicked & the temperature dropped quickly.

Time for the down mittens & monkey fur hats!

Regardless, the cool, crisp air was great for views...

We did not linger too long up high due to the wind, but found a sheltered spot to grab a bit of lunch before heading back down. I was somewhat surprised that my Gatorade was more ice than liquid despite the high sodium content. Gatorade slushy anyone?

Knowing it would be a bit cooler heading back down, I donned my down mittens & settled into a good pace down. I felt it was still not quite cold enough for the down jacket as long as I had my windstopper fleece & that proved about right. There was still a surprising amount of snow on the ground.

We made it back down in good time & headed back out to battle the traffic on the Cove. A great hike & I cannot wait to go back & tackle the mountain from the other direction!



Backpacking with dogs

So I let the new E look clean & shiny for almost a whole week before I loaded it up with gear & my long haired mutt for a backpack in Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness in the Pisgah National Forest! My dog was a little unsure of the new vehicle (perhaps it smelled too clean?) but she was able to overcome her uncertainty after a few minutes.

My dog really enjoys hiking & backpacking but, much like myself, tends to overdo it a little so I have to limit her time on the trail to a moderate excess.

The plan was to get a late start Saturday with a short but very steep hike of a couple of miles from Big Fat Trailhead up to the Haoe. The next day was to be a few more miles along the ridge to Naked Ground and then dropping down to Slickrock Creek with a side trip to find a waterfall. Not an easy hike by any means - there is a reason Slickrock Creek Trail made the Backpacker.com list of 12 hardest trails! My boyfriend, Brian, was leading this adventure & another guy from the GSHAG group was attending with his dog, Walter. I really enjoy backpacking with dogs & was glad Eilidh (Ay-lee: Gaelic for "light") was going to have a buddy along. Walter was a good trail dog - lab & pit mix - and very energetic! He and Eilidh probably did twice as many miles as the bipeds.

The climb up is brutal but the views are pretty nice.

We made it up to the Haoe in pretty good time only to find a crowd of people! We were able to snag a good campsite, just not the one we really wanted. But the sunset was still pretty cool......

This was my first test of my Marmot 5 degree down sleeping bag. I have their 20 degree bag I have used for quite a while but I tend to sleep cold & have been wanting something a little warmer. I got it from Sierra Trading Post when they were running a 40% off coupon - couldn't pass it up! Unfortunately it was not very cold this time so I guess I will need to try again. Oh darn! I was almost a little too warm in it as I estimate it only got down to 40 degrees. But it sure is comfortable!

The next day we got a fairly early start by my standards. Maybe not too early as the dogs saw it...

 Can we please just hike now?

The trip out was good - a nice walk on the ridge & a steep descent. The trails in Joyce Kilmer/Slickrock are so very rugged! I am always amazed at how hard the terrain really is. Since it is bear season in NC we did meet a radio collared "bear dog" at Naked Ground. She followed us for a while but eventually went back. I guess she was taking Sunday off.





 Walter says "Nice to meet ya!"

Once we reached Slickrock Creek we rock hopped across to search out a waterfall that should have been a a short distance down the trail. It was a bit further than we expected, but the triple cascades were well worth the extra effort!

So with a short, but again brutally steep climb out, we arrived back to the cars for the trip back home. I am pleased to say Eilidh declared the new E a welcome addition to our "family" & slept soundly the entire way back home.