overmountain marathon

This weekend, I planned on doing some recon along the SB6K route over the Craggies and Blacks. Of course that was before another storm dumped a crazy amount of snow on western NC. Marooned in Marion: when life gives you lemons…

On Saturday, I set out solo without Uwharrie for a marathon run starting/finishing from my house at 11AM. I told Lily that I should be back by 3:30PM. After all, the ~26 mile clockwise route I planned to run was over half on roads, how hard could that be?

As I ran toward the Catawba from downtown, I noticed there were only a few vehicles out and about on the icy roads. Normally, running the five-lane and 221 would be suicide, but the conditions kept the traffic moving slowly.

The real adventure began at the Mountains to Sea trailhead at noon. Even with just four inches of snow on the ground, the going was slow. I was headed 2500’ higher with flurries still coming down.

At the crest of the first hill, I caught a glimpse of where I was headed. Bald Knob’s summit hid in the clouds. Breaking trail, away from the noise of civilization, I definitely felt alone in the wilderness on this cold day.

I arrived at the North Fork bridge by 1PM and felt confident having managed to average 4mph on the snowy trail. The creeks were flowing well and I was hydrating, but still in a deficit that would plague me later on.

The two mile and 2000’ climb from the North Fork River was both beautiful and brutal. The snow got progressively deeper. I startled a flock of turkeys at a watering hole where I tanked up. Onwards and upwards, this is a magnificent mountain!

Despite my efforts to take in fluids and fuel, I was exhausted from the postholing and climbing. I’ve never successfully counted the number of switchbacks on this trail, but on this day, there must have been a hundred! At “boot rock” I peered up to the summit. It seemed so far away. The snow began to fall harder.

Finally on the summit, 4000’ in the clouds, I plopped down on a snowy log and surveyed my map. Ahead of me, I had a cross-country descent southeast toward Lake James. If I hit it right, the bushwhack would be no longer than a mile, then I could take the Overmountain Victory Trail a few miles out to Lake James Road at Black Bear Cove.

Without a compass and with limited visibility to see where I was headed, I followed the south ridge for a while before dropping steeply into what I hoped was Bailey Creek. The laurels and blowdowns made the going very difficult. Gravity was on my side. I slid and crawled through the snow for over an hour before emerging on an old road bed.

I was on the Overmountain Victory Trail and I was alive! However, it was already 4PM and I had 11 miles to go! My body was suffering from diarrhea and I was dehydrating quickly. By the time I hit “pavement” (mostly covered in ice/snow) I’d been traversing trail/cross-country for five hours!

Despite exhaustion, I ran most of the seven miles on the road around Lake James, across the Catawba and back up to town. The clouds seemed to be parting and I caught a peek of Bald Knob before dark set in. I made it back to the house by 6:30PM and collapsed on the futon. Lily and Uwharrie were happy to see me.

evening "track" workout

After half a mile warm-up from the house, the workout begins abruptly with a 500’ steep climb to the summit, all off trail (if anyone has the interest and $$$ to buy this track to help preserve the wildness of Mt. Ida, here’s the #).

I love how the incessant drone of civilization fades the higher we climb. This place is an oasis! A radio tower and blackberry brambles welcome Uwharrie and me to the summit. From here, there are several choices. Various routes extend to the south, east and west depending on what we want to do.

This time of year, there are abundant views. A recent clear cut has destroyed much of Ida’s forests. I guess the panoramas of the Linville Gorge sanctuary are a little consolation.

There are parts where the wildness remains. A dark laurel thicket forces me to crawl on my hands and knees for an eternity before emerging on the other side.

After a little more cross-country travel, we arrive at “S.O.B. Jr.” The best route is to descend into the ditch and down the gully to access a steep buttress on the other side. The kudzu vines can trip you up, but also serve as ropes.

At the top of the cut, an old roadbed appears along with great sunset views of the Blacks; definitely a good time to make sure you have your light.

Back up to the summit, this time from the west via “mini spectacle” complete with some briars! Another lap or two? It’s time to decide.

Making the final descent north back into town, it sometimes feels like we’re about to drop off the face of the Earth. The lights of Main Street appear as a landing strip below. It’s time for a beer, soup, shower and hit the books…

sultan 50k

The 2nd annual Sultan 50K b-day run across the South Mountains took place this past Saturday. Mad A graced our presence with his honorary 'do.

Lily and Oz were tremendous help. Despite the cold drizzle, they seemed to have fun at the turn-around serving up balloons, cake and party favors.

Mo sure knows how to throw an ultra b-day bash. His cake honored all the January (and Feb. 1st) b-day boys and girls running.

After breakfast at Coffee House, the crowned runners took flight from Roper Hollow. The 50K++ runners faced 6000' of climb ahead of them. All 33 starters safely made it out.

Adam, Uwharrie and I ran the whole way together through the cold fog. We made it down into the Jacob Fork Gorge in 2 hours and 28 minutes.

Along the way, we helped mark the route with "b-day flagging." Ice lingered in the shadows. We made it back in under 5:30. No one has yet to break five hours, it's a stout course.

Mo furnished numbers for everyone from his own collection. He outfitted me with his 2009 Hardrock bib. Thanks for a great gathering, Sultan.

And now, a little video action (courtesy of Adam's camera):

trip to tennessee

This MLK weekend, Lily, Uwharrie and I visited with some familiar faces and places out west. We camped out along the AT north of Hot Springs, NC on Friday night. We drove the rest of the way on Saturday morning to Norris Dam State Park in time for an 11AM start of the Norris Dam Challenge 12K.

Six years ago, Lily had run the Norris Dam Challenge while living and working in the park. This was a stroll down memory lane and a good chance for us to visit with her friends. It turns out that Uwharrie got to run too. I started in the middle of the pack with Lily and Uwharrie and slowly moved up to finish in 3rd place in 45 minutes. This was a very hilly course. All the recent bushwhacks up Mt. Ida must have helped!

Afterwards, Uncle George treated us to the best sushi and Japanese cuisine in east Tennessee. Then it was on to a fish fry with Sarah’s family where we sampled some delicious homebrew including an excellent high gravity 1554. It was time for Uwharrie and I to depart to meet up with some Barkley legends for dinner including race director Gary Cantrell. Raw Dog graciously welcomed us to crash out at his place for the night.

Sunday morning, Carl, Hiram, Uwharrie and I set out into the foggy hills of Frozen Head. These two vets showed us the first half of last year’s loop. We got to sample some of the classic obstacles that have afflicted runners in the past including S.O.B. ditch and Testicle Spectacle. Our slog through the cold rain and briars took all day, but was honestly a lot of fun and very useful. Although the course will likely be quite different this year, any opportunity familiarizing myself with the terrain is time well spent.

I hope to return at least one more time before Lazarus Saturday.

natural connections

"Most things in nature can only be understood and appreciated if we take a closer look..."


Words spoken/written from two thoughtful people echo in my conscious. Directors of two institutes I've come to admire over the years, The Mountain Institute (where Lily and I worked summer 2008) and The Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (where I visited this past weekend) have shared their observations lately:

From my perspective, the biggest change I see there is a general softening of the American populace. There is ever more interest in shorter, residential programs and less interest in the challenges and adventures of field based programming. I imagine this ebs and flows and is somewhat cyclical, but nonetheless, there it is. For the schools that recognize the importance of facing real challenges and being immersed in the natural world rather than viewing it from the car window or through the pages of a book we [The Mountain Institute] continue to offer the real thing....

I was with dozens of teachers from many states this weekend in the Smokies at Tremont. Although this was the most beautiful winter landscape I've seen, there were very few of us sneaking away to explore the trails between seminars. As I ran across fresh virgin snow, I reflected on the subject matter of the next title on my reading cue...

resolution

The kids come back tomorrow and the chaos shall be restored. This semester, I’m going to try and enjoy the ride in the classroom…

Beyond becoming a better teacher, brother, uncle, son, friend, fiancé, etc. I’m committed to continuing the inward and outward exploration of endurance running via Barkley (spring) and a SB6K speed record (summer).

I’ll do my best to log the rhythm of my progress on this blog.

#9

Charlie, Mohammed and I successfully finished the 9th annual Art Loeb Trail Run in 16 hours on New Years Eve, the last day of the decade. As we slogged through the night, a blue moon illuminated the snow covered peaks and trail around us. Never once did I have to turn on my headlamp.

The blizzard from a week and a half ago and a more recent ice storm had destroyed the trail in many places. Freezing rain and strong winds, postholing and bushwhacking: these were the toughest conditions I've encountered on the Art Loeb in the last decade...

For me, the Art Loeb Trail is the starting point of adventure: the site of my first solo overnight hike and my first ultramarathon. This wonderful trail continues to challenge and inspire. Happy new year, happy new decade! May the adventures continue...