humble pie

click for interactive map of route

Yesterday afforded me opportunity to attempt a 36-mile route I'd been piecing together and ground truthing for some time. Thanks to the pioneering trail work of the local MTB community, the Round the Town Trail Run (as I call it) is nearly 90% off-pavement and provides diverse scenery on par with any I've seen in the state. It's satisfying to know such adventure is a short jog, bike, or bus ride away.

After getting out of a meeting at noon, I met Shawn at SW 13th. We promptly started the loop in the counterclockwise direction. The weather was overcast, breezy and cool. Despite perfect conditions, my lagging fitness had me hurting before halfway. By Hogtown Creek, I'd already started the sad walk. At 32 miles and 6 hours, I folded and called Lily for a pick-up, omitting the University trails.

Nothing like being served a slice of humble pie as I struggle to accept a shift in priorities. With time in limited supply, I'm grateful to Lily for letting me indulge in a belated b-day run. On a positive note, the slower I go, the less blurry the picture. Here are fourteen photos:

pano of wetlands preserve

Sweetwater singletrack

sinkhole near La Chua

no man's land 

Payne's Prairie Preserve

crossing Lake Forest Creek

Little Hatchet Lateral A 

saw palmetto and singletrack around Ironwood

into the pines

pond at headwaters of North Little Hatchet

Hogtown Creek Headwaters Park

Alfred A Ring Park

neighborhood trails along Hogtown

Loblolly Woods floodplain forest