March 10, 2007
Greenbrier Rail Trail

The ride up to West Virginia was filled with the sounds of little known artists like Sufjan Stevens and Muse. We arrived and decided to head up to the Cranberry Glade botanical area. It's like Canadian tundra left over from the last ice age and is the furthermost south of any such area in the US. Near the entrance, we stopped at the visitor's center. We ran through the snow barefoot. Then we encountered a possum who was playing possum. It didn't respond to a snowball landing two feet from it.

The drive toward the glade traversed deep snow and my car was sliding all over the place. I couldn't control the car and we were heading downhill. Adam caught the ordeal on video. We wisely said enough is enough because we could potentially get stuck if we went further. We made it back to the entrance and pavement and ran back down the road through the snow.

The glade had a boardwalk to protect the tundra. It had frozen snow on top so we could stay on top most of the time but the occasional step led to a posthole nearly up to the knee. We didn't stay long so we could get to the cabin before nightfall.

Matt's parents arrived shortly after we did. The cabin was all log with plenty of room and a stone fireplace. Mrs. Kirk whipped up a wonderful past dinner with a vegetable laden sauce in almost no time at all. We watched some of "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou", and turned in for the night.

Morning came quickly. The drive to the trailhead took longer than expected, due to the narrow, crooked nature of all of West Virginia's roads. Deer were present around every other turn. We arrived at Cass and prepared for our journey.

The weather was perfect but the trail conditions were not. Matt and Adam took off at a torrid pace. I wasn't about to keep pace. I was well fueled but was very sluggish. My body didn't want to move. At the first aid stop, I was 45 minutes back, at just nine miles. I wanted to keep a 5 mph pace but it was more like 4 1/4. The snow was deep and it took its toll on my ankles. I walked through most of the snow. Deer were everywhere. We encountered a group in the first 200 yards.

After the aid stop, I struggled further. I didn't get a decent pace going until mile 14, but it didn't last long due to further snow and ice. I'm not much of a flat runner anyway but the snow and ice stymied my pursuit.

The scenery was spectacular and unspoiled. Occasionally, I'd encounter a house, but very little land was developed and the areas that were, were well kept. Much of the land bordering the river is either parkland or state forest.

The trail led through a dark tunnel and then crossed a trestle on the other side. The ice became more prevalant on the other side of the river. I longed for my Yaktrax and cursed myself for not bringing them. I soon ran out of fluid and opted to grab occasional handfuls of snow for sustenance. A loud noise startled me. A small boulder had tumbled onto the trail about twenty yards back. It would have enacted great pain or worse on me had it hit me. I ran on the other side of the trail from then on to avoid getting hit by any debris.

I passed two mountain bikers from Florida, who also were quite surprised by the amount of snow. They had enough sense not to follow the trail all of the way into Cass. Little did I know that it would be just as difficult on the ice further south.

The only sizable town on the route is Marlinton. This was at 24 miles and another aid stop. The aid car, however, was not there. I kept going, thinking they were further up the trail but they had left. I was stuck with no food or liquid or cash. I went back to town and sat on a bench for a while, contemplating my next move. I could beg for food or bug out and head for the cabin. Just then, the couple I'd met rode by again and said they'd found my package. I went right by the aid drop. They offered to get me coffee but I opted to refuel and head on down the trail. I'd done the last nine miles without food or liquid, except for the snow I'd been consuming from time to time.
I didn't get any faster. The snow turned to ice again. I was out of painkillers and electrolytes. My Yaktrax were in the cabin. I didn't bring the trail map with me. I guess a pattern developed. I made myriad mistakes but felt that I needed to deal with adversity and continue despite my follies.

The weather started heating up so I stripped down a bit. It actually became uncomfortably warm for a while. My ankle started to really bother me so I ran less and less. I heard a strange sound, like that of an antique tractor engine. It wound up being a group of ducks. The sound was surreal and very pleasing. I resolved to just enjoying the scenery while accepting my fate of hiking only from that point on.

I drudged on in what was to become the Marlinton Death March. I couldn't run due to ankle issues and eventually my feet blistered substantially. I got to the next drop and quickly inhaled the food. I figured one more drop and that would be it.

I hiked onward, on what would be the last 15 mile section for the day. It slowly became dark and it was a different world. Another brush with death greeted me as a large icicle fell right next to me. It missed me but not by much. I looked around and saw green illuminations floating in the distance. LED headlamps make deer eyes green. It felt like a hallucination.

I did make a couple of friends on the trail. A hunting dog ran with me for a half mile and I followed a skunk for a quarter mile. It didn't want to leave the trail. I couldn't tell much about my surroundings other than they were pitch black.

I got to the fifty mile point and figured it was time to stop. With the backtracking, I'd gone 54 miles and had been in pain for hours. It was time to make a wise decision and stay put. I waited to be picked up. I waited for 2 1/2 hours and at 12:30, was offered a ride by good samaritan. Everyone thought I dropped out earlier and the stop I was at was difficult to get to in daylight. I made it back after 1am. Adam and Matt were planning a rescue but didn't know where to start and were very tired.

Adam made it the entire 78 miles despite taking off so quickly. He had dehydration issues and became chilled when it rained. Matt did 35 miles and his dad did 30. That's about what they'd planned on doing. The guy, Steve, who gave me a ride, had also offered a ride to Adam and David Kirk. Matt and Patty had waited for two hours at what would be the next stop, six miles down the trail. I was just happy to be sleeping in a bed after doing pushups to stay warm at midnight on a dark, deserted trail.

On Sunday, we struggled through the stair laden boardwalk at Beartown State Park. Not much running took place but we got to see some fantastic sandstone features. I'm officially retiring from flat runs over a 50k.

Raging Bull or B-Rex

February 24, 2007
Mount Mitchell Challenge
40 mile run

The weather was more than cooperating. The temperature was pretty comfortable in the mid 30's. We were off at 7 am, running the streets of Black Mountain, enroute to Montreat and eventually, Mount Mitchell. I started off running with Chris Shields. We proceeded to poke fun at other runners and ourselves while maneuvering into a strong finishing position, all within the first half mile. I couldn't hold his pace and dropped back a bit. Then I dropped back a bit more. Travis Cowan had caught up to me so we ran together for a good while. We'd run Crowders Mtn. together in April, so we paced each other here. It seemed as if we were going too slow but our time was right where we wanted it.

Entering Montreat, we noticed that we were in the last ten runners for both races combined. You'd think that would bother us but we're slow starters and we did have another 38 miles to go. The road got steeper and turned into gravel. Shortly thereafter, the trail section started. From this point, I made up plenty of ground on other runners.

Rainbow road is a wide trail but has plenty of rocks. It narrows into singletrack for a bit and then opens up and hits Trestle. Trestle is a rail trail that has grown in a bit and washed away in spots and is essentially singletrack. This was frustrating because there was a logjam and nowhere to pass. I passed anyway, one runner at a time and increased my speed dramatically. This brought on another problem as I started getting a side cramp, or stitch. I eased off in time to keep it at bay.

Travis caught up to me just before the aid station. We were on the proper pace and headed up the Toll road. The Toll road comprises about half of the course. It does get a bit monotonous at times.

I went ahead of Travis when I felt a burst of energy. I started passing all the runners who had passed me in the first couple of miles. I knew a steep downhill leading into Pot Cove Gap was coming up so I sped up a bit until the downhill and then I was off. I didn't see anyone I'd just passed again.

An old hermit couple resides on the Toll road. They must travel a very rocky, narrow road for several miles to get anywhere. They live in a very modest home but apparently, they're very happy up there.

Beyond their abode, the trail gets rockier and climbs at a greater clip. I was feeling strong so I did a ten second walk, thirty second jog mix to start passing runners. They looked rather exhausted but I felt fresh. I continued to improve my standing for the next few miles.

A couple of miles before the Parkway, I met up with a girl from Chicago. Amy Comstock is an adventurous soul who was informed about the Mitchell Challenge by relatives in Burnsville. I don't know how she handled the terrain so well. The last time I was in Chicago, I recalled flat pavement. We ran together all the way to the summit.

We made it to the Parkway and on up 128, to the Buncombe Horse trail. We picked up a 10 year Mitchell veteran along the way and paced each other on the trail. I surprisingly took the lead and set the pace. This worked for two miles, through patches of ice. Eventually, the vet took off ahead us.

We came to a mini glacier. I knew how to get around it by going offtrail. Another runner stopped to put on Yaktrax and we were past it by the time he got them on. The temperature rose as we entered a large clearing. The trail became steeper so we walked a bit.

We reached the start of the gnarly, rocky, icy singletrack. This was not a place to run. We still had twenty miles ahead of us so we hiked the entire section to the summit. It was a slow go but it made sense to conserve.

The view at the top was clear, though not as much so as the prior week. I took off in a fury down the mountain and onto the singletrack. The trail goes from rock to rock, requiring a keen sense of balance to be able to run it at all. I passed about ten runners over the mile long descent.

After the suicide sprint, there was another climb up the Commissary road. The temperature increased and I stripped down at the next aid station. From there, it was downhill on pavement for two miles and another half mile on the Parkway. I was glad to get back to trail after all of the pavement pounding. Amy had caught up and gone ahead. I ran most of the rest by myself.

The Toll road was a bit tougher than I expected coming back down. I could only force myself to run the steeper parts. The legs just weren't responding on the flats. I passed a few runners and was passed by a few.

I got another burst of energy at Appalachian Way, which is the steepest part of the run. I blew past several runners, having just enough braking strength to keep myself from tumbling down the mountain. I surprised myself, considering how sluggishly I had run on the Toll road. Pavement lay ahead but the first bit was all downhill.

Coming into the last aid station, I met up with a veteran runner who had had major IT band issues. He was just trying to finish, as was I. I went ahead on the Gate trail but he caught me on the road. We stayed pretty much together for the remainder. We both struggled on the road toward Lake Tomahawk. Finally, the gravel trail surrounding the lake was in view. It's kind of like a track finish. You get to take a victory lap into the finish area. I had to finish in a sprint so I went ahead and thundered across the finish line at 8:04.

Fortunately, many runners decided to hang out afterwards. This is one of the more social runs, with assorted accoutrements to tantalize the taste buds and replace the many lost calories. The dinner was fantastic except for the seating situation. Some of us had to sit on the floor but any sitting was a welcome endeavor after 40 miles on your feet.

Raging Bull

February 17, 2007
Mt. Mitchell Hike

I met up with Mohammed, Greg and Jim for a hike up to the summit of Mitchell from the Black Mountain campground. I'd never been up this way and wanted to check out the summit again. It had just snowed so picked up a pair of Yaktrax and we started up the mountain. The trail was moderately steep pretty much the entire way. I felt overdressed but the extra layers would come in handy later.

Greg and Mohammed went ahead and I didn't see them for three miles. As I climbed, more snow was evident and eventually it was everywhere. I saw a large forest jumping mouse hop across the snow. This was only the second time I'd seen one of these little beasts. Several more tracks were spotted later.

As I entered a spruce-fir forest, ice became apparent. It became plentiful as I neared Commissary ridge. On Commissary ridge, I traversed a frozen stream. The ice gave a bit but didn't break through. I caught up to Greg and Mo. We all headed up the trail toward the summit.

About a half mile up I slid, went completely airborne and wound up flat on my back. I had tempted fate too many times. It was definitely time to put on the Yaktrax. In the two minutes it took to put them on, my hands had turned to an icy concrete mix. It was much colder than it felt.

The trail climbed steeply and split. The trail to the summit was blockaded, but that didn't stop us. We made it to the summit and viewed snowy mountaintops all around us. I finally remembered to bring a camera, but with the cold, it didn't work. It said the battery was not charged despite the fact it had been fully charged the night before. Fortunately, Mohammed took plenty of shots.

The wind was fierce on the summit so we didn't stay long. The wind chill was in the -25 to -30 range so we headed for the more sheltered trail below. I had no issues traversing the ice with the Yaktrax but was still a bit leery of the downward sloping ice.

The snow disappeared at the lower elevations. I ran a good bit of the descent but hiked some as well. This was a bit more than I should have done the week before the Challenge. My legs really felt it. Most of my Mitchell training was run on gently sloping trails, with the exception of the Montreat run.

Raging Bull

February 10, 2007
Mt. Mitchell Summit 30 Miler

Another cold morning and we were in no hurry. Six of us headed up the very steep Appalachian Way. Adam Hill had a mishap in the first 100 yards. His Camelbak started flowing onto his gloves. He made a quick change and joined us up the hill. I didn't start drinking early enough and my first sip was a Gatorade slushy. I had two Camelbaks and both mouthpieces were soon frozen solid.

We were joined by Steve Parrish, Chris Sields, Sarah Almodovar and Drew Shelfer. The pace was relaxed since the Challenge was only two weeks away. The run was uneventful up the Toll road except for some icy patches. I fell behind a bit as usual and ran most of it by myself. Drew and Sarah turned back at the Parkway.

The Parkway had wonderful ice sculptures flowing out of the rock. Naturally, I forgot the camera again. We ran up route 128 until the Buncombe Horse trail veered off to the right. Much of it was snow covered. The icy patches were much more slick than the ones on the Toll road. Chris and Steve put on their Yaktrax and had no issues running on the ice. I, on the other hand was slipping and sliding and going off trail to avoid it. One spring had frozen completely into a cascade of ice leading well down the mountain. There was no way around it so I felt better traversing it on hands and knees. It was an amusing sight but I made it across.

The other ice floes were easy to get by until we came to a mini glacier. The stream was frozen and water had flowed down the trail into the stream as well. I was faced with an uphill climb over a sheet of smooth ice. Steve went right over it but I had to bushwhack my way around it for a good distance. We met up with Chris and Adam, who was wearing just a t-shirt despite the subfreezing temperatures.

More ice awaited us on the Commissary trail. One stream was mostly ice covered but the ice had plenty of give. We were fortunate to make it across without the ice giving way and dumping us into the frigid water.

The last mile to the summit is mainly very rugged singletrack. The forest transitions to a thick spruce-fir covering with mossy undergrowth. Ice was less prevalent in the forest except for two springs which turned intp massive frozen Niagras.

Beyond the singletrack and the signs which stated that none shall pass lies a wide gravel road leading to the summit of Mitchell. The old tower has been removed and a new tower is to built in its place. The summit is currently closed to visitors. The signs on the trail had been knocked down or perhaps had blown over. Anyway, we really didn't know what they said so onward we went to the summit.

I'd never been all that impressed with the views from Mitchell. It had always been hazy when I was up there. On this day, every mountain range for 100 miles was crystal clear. Adam and I pointed out mountain ranges and marveled at the distance of the Pitchell run. We saw Mt. Sterling, where we'd run on New Year's Day.

The weather changed abruptly and the wind really picked up so we headed back down. I took the lead for the onlt time during the run since we had a steep, rocky downhill, my favorite type of trail. Adam commented "Brian's downhill name is Beduhnasaurus Rex. Mine is Sally." That's certainly not true as Adam is one of the best downhillers I know.

We took the Old Mitchell Trail all the way to the Ranger Station. The northern exposures were snow covered but we were ascending them so there wasn't much of a problem. From the station, it was pavement back to the Toll road. A lenticular cloud was positioned right above Table Rock. It appeared a bit like Close Encounters.

Along the road, we all split up and ran at our own paces. I took 7:10 to make it through. It was a confidence builder since we didn't push it and we spent time admiring views. This was the last long run before the Mitchell Challenge.

On Sunday, a day after the run, there was a 5k Valentine run. Not so wisely, I had signed up for it. I started off a bit quicker than usual and didn't have any issues with tired legs. I couldn't push as hard as I'd wanted to but maintained a steady pace for two+ miles and then sped up a bit after that. I kicked it into high gear at the finish and ended with a full, powerful sprint. It was a new PR for me at 23:45. That may not sound all that impressive but it was acheived the day after a 30 mile run to the summit of Mt. Mitchell and back.

Raging Bull