December 16, 2006
ALTAR (Art Loeb Trail Adventure Run)

This is more than just a run. It's a party. It's comraderie. It's ALTAR. The Art Loeb Trail Adventure Run takes place near the winter solstice. The challenge is to make the traverse in the daylight hours. This is a speed hike more than it is a run.

Matt Kirk rented a "cabin" for us. This cabin was far more luxurious than any of our homes. Good times were had over dinner and afterward. Adam Hill led a singalong and we all swapped war stories of life on the trail. Wonderful brew from French Broad Brewery was had in abundance.

We were greeted with a balmy 29 degrees at the trailhead. The obligatory photos were taken and 24 of us commenced on the epic journey. The first half mile is flat-- pancake flat. We wouldn't see much more of this flat nonsense.

The trail crossed a bridge and it was up, up, up. I started out near the front and stayed there far longer than I'd anticipated. I was leading the main running pack for about a mile. I heard Adam talking behind me and I knew I shouldn't be leading this pack. I stepped aside and let everyone pass and then resumed at a more relaxed pace.

I ran pretty much alone for several miles. I ran with Mike Day off and on and with David Kirk and Sammy Pangle. They went ahead and I ran around Cedar Rock by myself. Cedar Rock is a large rock face. The trail skirts just below the exposed granite. The temptation to explore the face was definitely there but time was of the essence as I still had many more miles to go. I passed a hunter shortly after Cedar Rock.

The trail reached a shelter and I headed past it down a faint trail. This didn't seem worn enough so I turned back toward the shelter to look at the map but then Mike, Rob Rikoon and India Coleman came running and took a right up the hill so I followed.

The first aid stop was at 12+ miles. It wound up taking 3 1/2 hours to cover that distance. The problem was that we hadn't even hit the steep climbs yet. This was just a warmup and it took almost as long as the Shut-in race. We found out that some runners had already dropped out.

After leaving the aid station, the trail climbed steadily at a reasonable rate for a half mile. Then it got ridiculous. The grade increased dramatically to about 30% for a good stretch. I was exhausted just going at a slow hiking pace. I couldn't keep up with Rob and India but I could still hear their voices.

Eventually we all made it to Pilot Rock. The view was 360 degrees and we could see nearly to the starting point and nearly to the finish. It was still a good ways to the Parkway, which would mark the point just before the end of the primary climb.

Since Pilot was a pinnacle, we had a steep descent down the other side. That just meant more climbing to make up for the lost altitude. On the climb, we experienced leaves. We'd heard about foot deep sections of leaves but that sounded a bit far fetched. The leaves got deeper as we climbed. Some steps would result in knee deep leaves. Getting off the trail didn't help much either. Leaves were everywhere.

Finally, after nearly 6 hours, we crossed the Parkway. But we still weren't done climbing. A 26% grade greeted us on the other side. We were now in a spruce/fir forest so it was quite scenic. I just had to keep moving and eventually things would get easier. There was relief when we connected to the Mountains to Sea trail. I was lagging behind but I didn't care because the 7,000 foot climb was now over.

The second aid station had some extra people, as a few runners who dropped out helped. One group never showed up at the first station and they eventually took forest roads back to the start. That meant that we were likely the last runners still on the trail. I took off ahead of Rob and India to get a head start on the next climb. I saw someone ahead of me on the mountain. It was Sammy, and he waited for me to catch up to him. This section is the highlight of the run. Black Balsam is a bald mountain with views everywhere. You can see all the way to Mt. Mitchell, 80+ miles away by trail. Nearly the entire Pitchell route is visible. It doesn't seem possible to believe it can be traversed in one day when you look at it.

I had finally recovered from the climb but then another problem popped up. I made a rookie mistake by eating something I'd never tried before on a run. I consumed too much dried fruit and it was doing a number on my intestinal tract. This plagued me for the rest of the run.

We ran a few more balds and then entered the Shining Rock wilderness. There would no longer be any markings along the trail. Despite the wilderness tag, this was the easiest section. Unfortunately, I couldn't run for more than 50 yards at a time. Sammy stayed back with me so I wouldn't have to do the last nine miles by myself. We came upon a confusing intersection and chose the proper route. We hollered to Rob and India and they retraced their steps to the proper trail. They could have easily headed north instead of west and wound up way off course.

We never saw Shining Rock. The confusing trail led to it in a roundabout way. I'd hiked to it several years ago. The abundance of white quartz is striking. There is so much of it protruding from the mountaintop. Our trail skirted the summit and led to a section called the narrows. Sheer drops of a thousand feet slant down either side. We heard voices ahead and were surprised to find the main pack of runners hanging out on a rock outcropping. We weren't as far back as we thought. Granted, they had taken in their share of scenery along the way but it was certainly a boost to see them all.

We didn't stay together for long on the descent. The group broke up but we only had four miles left to the finish. I had planned on ascending Cold Mountain. After all of that climbing and the intestinal pains, I made the decision that there was no freakin' way I was going to do that. It's another 1,000 feet of climb and it would put me finishing in the dark as well.

I slowly descended toward the finish, staying just behind a few runners. Uwharrie, Matt's dog and an ultrarunner in her own right, disappeared for a while. She made her presence known behind us and we called for her but she didn't come running. I turned back to make sure she wasn't hurt. I called for her and finally spotted her just off the trail across a ravine. She started to run down the ravine. I motioned for her to follow the trail and she responded. She was okay but perhaps hallucinating a bit. She stayed with me only briefly and then ran ahead on the trail. I was again alone but still moving slowly but steadily.

The camp was coming within earshot. Hoots and hollers were heard as several runners splashed in the river. I strolled in after 10 hours, relieved to be finished. A campfire roared and soup was ready for us. Homemade Chili would be on the menu when we got back to the cabin.

Sunday brunch stretched out over two hours. Afterward, I moseyed over to Looking Glass Rock and did a little recovery hike/run. From the top, much of the Art Loeb route was visible. Pilot Rock looked every bit as steep as it felt the day before. Black Balsam looked like the top of the world. Another run was in the books. The images grow more pleasant after the fact as the memories of pain and fatigue quickly fade away. Next year, I will do Cold Mountain as well.

Raging Bull