26.2 Miles Through History...and 3 states!

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

Not sure who to attribute this quote to. After extensive research (i.e. I Googled it), I discovered it may be anything from a Buddhist proverb to a quote by Haruki Murakami in one of my favorite books, "What I talk about when I talk about Running." Regardless, it crossed my mind a few times this past weekend while I was 'running' marathon #27 - the inaugural Cumberland Gap Ridge Trail Marathon. 

I went back & forth about signing up for this race. I get a little nervous thinking about any first-time run after the challenges of my first 50 miler when the incompetent race director left us few participants out on the course without any aid. But the race was fairly close & the venue - Cumberland Gap National Historic Park - was a site I had not been to yet. Plus, based on the course description, how hard could it be?

Course Description 
               This challenging first time event will start at the Civic Park in Ewing, VA with participants running up Ewing/White Rocks Trail to the Ridge gaining 1500ft of elevation in the first 3 miles. Runners then connect and continue on the entire Ridge Trail running the length of the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. While on the Ridge Trail runners will pass by Historic Hensley Settlement and have several spectacular views looking off the ridge. The trail along the ridge does have constant "rolling hills" with an overall elevation drop of 1100 Ft over the 16.5 mile length of the Ridge Trail. Once at the Pinnacle Parking lot runners will head down the trail losing 800 Ft in just 2 miles. Towards the bottom of these downhill miles runners will pass over the Historic Cumberland Gap and continue on off the Iron Furnace trail into the town of Cumberland Gap. Once in town runners will get a brief view of the finish line as they run to connect to the Lincoln Memorial University campus trails located on the edge of Cumberland Gap. This trail will have a steady 1 mile climb up to the main connection of trails behind LMU campus. Once on the main trail runners will have a nice descent coming off the trail and connecting to the final 2 miles of running to the finish along the Harrogate City Greenway back to the Town of Cumberland Gap.

Maybe my first warning this was going to be a tough day was when I was riding in the shuttle to the start. We all were watching the ridge to our north. Hmmm....that doesn't look very "rolling" to me! Maybe I should have studied that profile a little better? Nah! I am a runner! And I am a strong hiker! Little did I know how much that would come into play later in the day....



Here's how I broke the course up in my mind: First 3 miles - uphill all the way = high suck factor. Next 16.5 miles on the Ridge Trail - rolling hills = coast. Next 1 mile downhill - painful, but gravity is my friend! Last 6.5 miles - asphalt & a hill = moderate suck factor. My plan was to suck it up for the first 3 miles & then pretty much enjoy the rest of the run.

I quietly took my place at the back of the pack - it was rather funny as several of us were jockeying for the DFL position. Lots of nervous chatter & gossip. "I hiked this last week with my wife & she dropped from the race because there was no way she wanted to run 23 miles after this first 3." "I'm starting here in the back because no way am I gonna run any of this uphill because it's so steep."

Uh oh

Did I mention I did not really study the elevation profile?

The race directors did not exaggerate. The first 3 miles were tough! All of us back of the packers started out at a fast trot but after a couple of minutes we were all forced to stop as we funneled onto the trail. Not that I heard anyone complain! Now's when all my hikes chasing after Brian (I truly believe he has no idea how fast he hikes) really paid off. I wasn't pushing myself but I was passing people! Younger, skinnier, fitter looking people!

Hmmm....maybe this won't be that bad. I will say I was suprised at how many people were so negative about the hill. It was deceptive in that it did not look that steep but it was unrelenting. I trudged to the top in a blazing time of 50 minutes, but wasn't too worried as now my reward was the 16.5 miles of "rolling" hills.

And it was amazingly awesome! Long gentle downhill....not too rocky for a horse trail & nice views off the ridge. I can almost hear Chariots of Fire playing in the background as I float along....a cool breeze blowing through my hair..... Then....what's this? Another  #$%@! steep ass hill?!? As I begin my trudge up the hill I catch up with a runner who lives nearby & trains here. He cheerfully tells me he is taking it easy because there are alot more of these steep climbs before we hit the end.

Guess it's time to revise my definition of "rolling".

By the time I hit the 2nd aid station at mile 7.5 I am just a little under 2 hours. WTF? 4.5 miles in a hour?

Guess it's time to revise my goal of under 6 hours 

to "Hope I don't need the whole 8 hours."

There were other things I underestimated besides just the difficulty of the course. The bugs were awful! Not just gnats but giant mosquitoes that sounded like hummingbirds when they buzzed you! They did provide great motivation to keep moving. And the heat was a big factor, especially at the end. Despite this, I found I really enjoyed what the ridge trail threw at me. Just when I thought I could not stand another hill I would get a great half mile descent on pine needle surfaced paths. Or running the few rolling hills that did exist only to hit such a steep rocky plunge that you had to walk it or go careening off the ridge. It was never boring! 




Eventually I reached the last aid station on the Ridge Trail at Pinnacle parking area. Here I was finally able to get a good photo from the overlook:

Okay, now it's all downhill from here! And it was - steep downhill in full sun! Luckily it was not too far as my ankles were really feeling the rocks from the trail. And I felt like I really couldn't complain when the volunteers, including some local National Guard folks, were having to sit out in the sun all day just so we runners would know what way to go. Hit the bottom at just a little over 5 hours.Only 5 miles left.... I got this! Hmmm...maybe I can get close to 6 hours? Obviously the heat was making me delirious!

A little asphalt & then we dive into the woods on a nice little singletrack. Unfortunately the trail is so outsloped it is difficult to run on.And then I hit the last hill. Remember from the course description the gradual 1 mile climb? And did I say hill? NO, it was surely a mountain. And here's where my wheels fell off. There had been some severe storms the week before & numerous trees had fallen, many across the trail. Now, not only am I climbing uphill but I am also climbing over & around blowdowns. I also got to see my only snake on the trail. I was so tired I didn't even care!

Finally I "summitted" the "mountain" & started my slow descent back to town. Really couldn't complain too much. I caught up with a young guy from Blacksburg who was not having a good day. His friend had convinced him to do this run as his first marathon. Some friend, right?

I hit the last aid station & was so disappointed to hear I still had 2 miles to go. In full sun. On asphalt & concrete sidewalks. Woohoo.  There was one highlight along the way - along the greenway we went through a pretty cool tunnel. Literally a 60 degree tunnel! It was hard to leave but now I could see the light at the end of the tunnel:

Once out the tunnel it was a short uphill through town to the finish. I was so glad to see that banner! I think I even managed to still look like I was running? My finish time was a slow 6:35:57. Not my worst marathon but well slower than I anticipated. I was surprised to find I finished #54 out of 81 finishers (102 originally signed up). And I was really surprised to place 3rd in my age group! 


Overall I feel pretty good about the run - the course was extremely challenging but the race directors & volunteers did an outstanding job. From coordinating the shuttle to providing exceptional aid stations to cool North Face wicking shirts to the local handmade pottery awards, I can not praise this event enough.


So where do I sign up for next year?

Trail Karma!.......Or how many thru hikers, backpacks & dogs can fit in the 'E.....

It's no secret that I really love the section of the AT I maintain for TEHCC. As a matter of fact, I take every opportunity I can to get out there. Besides the enjoyment I get just from being outside, I really feel like any good deed I can do for the trail or other hikers is bound to help me out when it's my turn to thru hike. 

Plus, it's just the right thing to do. 

I do believe everything happens for a reason & a recent trip to the barn just reinforced that for me. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon - I had been sick with a sinus issue, but I decided no better time to make a quick trip out. I needed to replace the toilet seat on the privy (yes, I know the glamour of being a maintainer has no end!) & I figured with the nice weather recently that there would be a fair amount of trash to pick up at the barn. So I loaded up the mutt & we headed out.It was an absolutely gorgeous day & when we arrived mid afternoon, the barn was already full of a large group of thru hikers. I had brought along a little traditional trail magic - cokes, PBRs & moon pies - and needless to say, they were quite happy to see me! I was correct in my assumption that there was a large amount of trash so I gathered it all up & changed the toilet seat out. 

When I came back to the shelter & started talking to the hikers I discovered one, Danny, a thru hiker from Germany, had an abscessed tooth & was worried he would need to find a dentist to have it pulled. He was in considerable pain & really wanted a root canal to try to save the tooth, but was afraid the delay would cause his visa to expire & he would not make it to Maine. He was also hiking with the largest dog I have ever seen in my life - Baloo, the Irish Wolfhound mix. After talking about it with him & the group he was hiking with, I decided to cut my maintenance trip short & shuttle this eclectic group to Roan Mtn so Danny could get this taken care of. One thing I have noticed in recent years is that many groups that form on the trail tend to want to stick together. In this case it was a necessity as someone had to watch that enormous dog!

Now here's where it got interesting..... 

My new (to me) 'E is a little bit smaller than my first one & also does not have a roof rack. Figuring it would take at last two trips, we decided to take Danny (who was also not a very small guy) & Baloo in the first round. We got Baloo in first & then started packing hikers & backpacks around him. We managed to fit another 3 hikers & their gear in & my dog rode in the front on Sketch's lap! Here's the photographic evidence that they all fit:

I felt a little sorry for those guys all folded up as it is a bumpy ride out, but they seemed in good spirits anyway. 

Next I went back & got the last three - "White Sidewalls", "Bones", & "Yank" - who had a little easier ride as they only had to deal with a couple of bags of trash instead of 2 dogs. 

I later found out that Danny ended up having to have 2 teeth pulled. But he is back on the trail & still heading north. I plan to continue to follow his progress -  I really hope he makes it all the way. 

It's really hard for me to imagine all the twists & turns the Trail will throw at me when it's finally my turn, but I tell you one thing: I sure can't wait!

Trail magic

Trail Magic is defined as a random act of kindness, often from a stranger, meant to encourage and relieve thru hikers during their journey.

In the spring of 2006 I was living in Franklin, NC. Right smack in the middle of some of the greatest trails around - Bartram & Appalachian Trail being my personal favorites. I had made the transition to being more of a trail runner than road runner & I spent many fine hours training on them, as well as the less occasional hikes. Although I thought I understood a little about the thru hiker mentality, I really was not much of a backpacker & did not know anyone who had thru-hiked or even section hiked. In the hottest days of the summer I had offered encouragement, S-tabs & Gatorade to hikers who seemed to be struggling, but did not "get" the concept of trail magic.

Then on Easter we figured it out.

My daughter Lynz & I had made way too many cupcakes for our annual Easter luncheon after church so we were taking about a dozen back home with us. Since it was a gorgeous day, I decided we would go over by Standing Indian & start down the AT, handing out cupcakes as we went. Little did I know the impact it would have not only on me, but also on my 11 yr old daughter! She was no stranger to the area trails as I started bringing her with me on inspections of AT shelters when she was 5 &  had introduced her to trail maintenance workhikes the year before.

But this was different! 

We did not meet too many hikers, but everyone we met stopped & had a cupcake (or two!).But what was even better was they took the time to talk to us & shared their experiences. It was an eye opening experience for both of us & possible planted the seed for a future thru hike of our own? And try as I might, I cannot describe how much enjoyment these simple little cupcakes seemed to bring to the hikers. Maybe the sugar? Maybe just the randomness of it? Who knows, but it was good!

Thus our Easter tradition began! Sure, we missed a year here or there, once when Lynz was sick & a couple of years when we lived in Colorado, but we still manage to get on the AT most years. We try to pick different locations each year, mainly to maximize where the most hikers may be as well as their proximity to a town. I feel the impact is greater when they have been out for at least a day or two. Depending on whether Easter is early or late also affects the potential wildflowers!

Trail north from Dennis Cove - 2011

                                   

Trail south from Devil Fork Gap - 2012

Overmountain shelter - 2013

Trail south from Iron Mtn Gap - 2014

We have stayed with the cupcake theme for Easter - they are easy to make, fairly portable & require no special utensils to eat. The design is constantly evolving as well.

Once I signed up as a section maintainer for the AT it was a logical progression to start adding trail magic to my maintenance work hikes. I started taking an extra cooler loaded with cold sodas & a couple of beers to leave in the barn for thru hikers while I was on the trail working. Eventually I added local delicacies such as moon pies to the mix. In the heat of summer I like to take some popsicles on dry ice. It's pretty cool to see thru hikers passing by with bright orange, red or blue mouths !

There has been alot of discussion in recent years about the popularity of trail magic. Some hikers feel there is too much & that is has become an "expected" experience along the trail. I know I do see alot more these days, from folks who leave bags of candy at the barn (plus a trash bag for all the wrappers I will have to clean up later) to the box of apples & Easter candy that we passed on the trail today while giving out our cupcakes. I try to follow the recommendations of the ATC ( Suggestions for Trail Magic ) & Leave No trace principles as best I can & encourage others to as well. It may be for somewhat selfish reasons, but I also like to be there in person to hand out the goodies! Plus, by collecting the trash immediately, it saves cleanup time later for me or some poor trail maintainer who may have that section. 

All in all, I think most of the thru hikers I meet are appreciative & I hope to keep the special randomness alive. When it's my turn to thru hike I will be keeping an eye out for that good karma!

I will close with images of a couple of my favorite thank you notes, although truly - the smiles on peoples faces are all the thanks we will ever need!

r

GSMNP - Porters Creek WILDFLOWERS!

Disclaimer: I took well over 100 pictures on this overnite backpack so expect to see numerous wildflower photos!

Last year was my first time experiencing the diversity of wildflowers in the Smokies but I spent the majority of my time at White Oak Sinks & Chestnut Top. Many hikers & friends had extolled the virtues of Porters Creek, but the only time I hiked that trail was in the summer, well past wildflower time. This year was different. Sooooo different! It's always a gamble on when will be the best time for wildflowers. The 2nd week of April is usually a good bet, but you just never know. And since campsites in the Park are now on a reservation system, you have to get  them early & just hope for the best. Brian was able to get all 8 spots in campsite 31 for the weekend of April 12th so I was hopeful that all the snow this winter would produce exceptional flowers. I had been long attempting to backpack with  my friend & co-worker Alice & it just so happened that she & her fella John were available & ready to hit the trail. In the meantime, we were able to put together a full group after a post on the GSHAG site!

On the day of we had perfect weather-sunny & warm - which meant that everyone & their house cat was out for the day!  Lots of traffic..Sigh... After a (normal for me) late arrival at the trailhead, we assembled our group & headed up the trail, which is actually a road at this point. We did not have to go far before we starting seeing signs of the old Porters Creek community  - mainly rock walls outlining the old farmsteads. A well defined path led to the Owenby cemetery, which has at least a couple dozen gravestones. I always wonder how hard life was back then in these hollows. It's a little sad to see the infant mortality rate as evidenced by the markers. 

Another path led to the remnants of some sort of automobile:

It's pretty cool how the remains are laid out in some sort of semblance of the original vehicle.  Good thing or I would not have recognized it!

About a mile in we came to the big turnaround & walked over to the barn & cabin. I love the cantilevered barn! 

The sign in front calls it the John Messer barn although it was actually built around 1875 by John Whaley (apparently Messer owned the barn when the federal government bought the property to create the Park in the 1930s). 



Not far from the barn is a log cabin that was built by the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club in 1936. It was constructed around the old chimney from the original John Whaley cabin & club members were allowed to use it as an overnight facility until the early 1980s.



Once past the turnaround the trail turned into more of a singletrack & we really started to get into the flowers! My personal favorites - spring beauty, trillium, & star chickweed !


  

A little further we came to a single log footbridge that has to be one of the longest in the Smokies. It doesn't help that at the highest point over the creek the handrail is at the lowest position! Makes it very interesting with a full pack.

Right after this footbridge was when the rest of the group lost Alice & myself - there were so many flowers that I could literally not walk 5 feet without feeling compelled to snap another picture! We came around a corner to a field of white "snow" of fringed phacelia. The smell was wonderful & the bees were....well.....busy!

A little more than halfway in is Fern Branch Falls - a 40 ft waterslide surrounded by ferns & moss. These falls are also prime habitat for a species of "walking fern", so named because the new plantlets sprout anywhere the fronds of the parent touch the ground, creating the effect of the fern walking across the ground.

After a break to cool down in the mist from the falls & explore the rockfield below, we set off for the campsite. I was completely surprised at how warm it was, but the attraction of the wildflowers kept my pace slow enough to not break too much of a sweat!

After we made it to Site #31 I put the few brews I had brought along in the creek to cool while setting up camp. I think the site is rather large for a maximum of 8 people, as there are 3 distinct sites with fire rings, but it did allow us room to spread out a little. As well as having plenty of nice trees for our hammock backpacker! Once camp was set up it was time to cool our feet in the creek & enjoy the ice cold IPA's I had carried in!

Nothing lifts the spirits like cold toes & brews!

Mother Natures fridge!

After "happy hour" we had a little more exploring to do. There is an off-trail (non maintained) that leads from Campsite #31 to Charlies Bunion on the AT. The beginning is rumored to not be very hard, but the last piece up to the AT is a bit of a scramble. I have not attempted this hike yet, although I hope to later this year.

Located near where it "starts" , or splits off from Porters Creek Trail, are the remains of what may have been an old still. There are old pipes, various metal components & a coiled waterline in a barrel. At any rate it is close to a water supply & well hidden from revenuers!

The rest of the evening was spent doing normal backpacking chores - cooking, eating, cleaning up. I think I am often drawn to backpacking because of the way it breaks it down to the bare essentials: food & shelter! Of course, I say that when I am snugged up in my Marmot down sleeping bag after cooking on a canister stove, but you know what I mean..... It was a fun nite sitting around the fire, lots of laughs!

The next day out we again took our time, seeing the flowers & sights we had missed the previous day. Some wildflowers, most notably the dwarf crested iris, had been quite busy overnight. While there was no sign of buds going in the day before, a few were quite showy by the time we made it out. So now, if you have had enough of wildflowers, you can stop here. Otherwise, enjoy my gallery:

Dwarf Ginseng

Yellow Root

Trout Lily

Hepatica

Longspur Violet

Yellow Trillium

Fringed Phacelia

Dwarf Crested Iris

I never have any fun!

Brian on trail

Can't wait to do it again!

Does a bear shit in the woods?

Not if it happens to be at the Mt Collins shelter on the AT in the GSMNP... Because I spent this past weekend with some other pretty awesome volunteers from the Smoky Mtn Hiking Club building a brand new privy!

Me in the finished privy!

But again back to the beginning: This project has been in the works for a while & Brian & I even got a chance to help with the pre-assembly back in March at the AT House. We pre-cut & drilled all the lumber, built & disassembled the lower bin & then left it all to be bundled up & flown to the site by helicopter.

The plan was to meet early Saturday morning at the parking area along 
Clingmans Dome Road & backpack in with tools & assorted hardware, with the intent of staying overnite at the shelter to finish up on Sunday. This was not too hard as it is only 3/4 of a mile in to the shelter, but the recent thunderstorms had made the trail a muddy mess! It was also quite a bit colder at the start - a mere 28 degrees according to the temp gauge on the 'E. We hiked in rather quickly due to the brisk temps. The shelter was nice, but no fire ring outside - I guess due to asshole hikers cutting the green trees for firewood. I mean, really? Nothing better than a smoky smoldering fire, right? We also made a rookie mistake by leaving our packs sitting at the shelter while we scouted around: this shelter has a healthy population of squirrels, mice & possibly chipmunks as they quickly helped themselves to the butter & almonds I had packed in. Luckily they did not have enough time or patience to get to the rest of our food so we were not completely out of luck. 

We checked out the privy site & it was nice were glad to find that the "pit" for the composting bins below the privy had been already excavated by the Ridgerunners & other volunteers. But remember the  previously mentioned thunderstorms & mud? Oh yea. It was a mud wallow any hog would have envied. Regardless of all our slippin' & sliding, the work went rather quickly & the structure came together nicely. By the end of the day we had the bins built, wire enclosed & the floors in place.

Coming together very well!

The next day we started building the walls & roof, only to find that we were missing the 2x4 & 2x6 components for one side wall! Luckily, when the Mt Collins shelter was being renovated they had included a few extra 2x4's on the front for a situation just like this. We were easily able to demo enough for our purposes!

The walls went up with no issues & the metal roof & trim looked sharp! After the door was hung,  Ed (the most amazing volunteer I have ever met!) put the finishing touch by attaching the half moon:

The finished project -  not too shabby!

All in all I had a great time - feel like I am really banking some good karma for when it it is my turn to hit the trail!

Where (or what) in the world is Henwallow?

To be truthful, about the only compelling thing about this trail is the story of how the area came to be called Hen Wallow. But we must start at the beginning:

I was planning a hike with my buddy Harold, but I did not want to do big miles as I had a marathon planned for the weekend. We had tossed around various options, but Mother Nature threw a curveball at us by sending (hopefully) one last snowfall on the day of. So we punted & decided to take on Gabes Mtn trail. (BTW, don't you love how I mix my sports metaphors? Just seeing if anyone is paying attention). Since Hen Wallow Falls is noteworthy enough to be named on the GSMNP $1 map, I assumed it must be rather impressive.

Since our hike was now a Wednesday event, Brian was able to go along as well. So we set out from Cosby campground (after tagging the various entrances to the trail) with great expectations. At least I did, as it turns out Harold & Brian had already seen it before. Harold maintained he was not much impressed, but I figured it had been so long since he had been there that maybe he didn't remember it right.

He did.

 To be fair, it was not a bad waterfall, just more of a trickle over a rock. The ice was rather cool.

So here's the story of Henwallow, which I got from the Kenneth Wise "blue book": It seems that one spring a family in an unnamed community in this area decided to purchase 100 chicks from a hatchery with the intent of raising them to lay eggs to sell. Once the chicks grew old enough to determine their gender, it turns out they had 95 roosters and only 5 hens! Folks in another unnamed community found this rather funny & took to calling the first community "Roosterville". The people of Roosterville did not care for their new name &  took to calling the other community "Henwallow" out of spite.

The rest of the hike was again relatively uneventful, although it was a great day to be out! This trail is one of the easiest trails in the Cosby area & there were not too many climbs. There was still a considerable amount of snow despite the low elevation:

                                                                                                    





We finished up with the gravel road walk that is Maddron Bald trail back down to the truck. I feel like we spent more time driving & shuttling vehicles than hiking, but any day in the woods is a good one!