August 25, 2007
Dupont Waterfall Bonanza

The second running of the Dupont 22 miler saw some new faces. Adam Hill had to miss out on the running again this year but his course was utilized by six intrepid souls, out to enjoy the rugged terrain of the Dupont State forest. I had to work at 6am that morning so the start time was pushed back a bit. We started at 10:30, and I quickly fell behind the bunch. Sarah, Beth, Charlie and Matthew went ahead. India waited for me, thinking she missed a turn. The entire group waited at the turn. We set out on a downhill, and I felt simultaneous stings on both calves. I let out a scream and kept running. The group went ahead again and India and I stayed together.

The first stream crossing had been over knee deep last year but didn’t come above the shins this year. India still managed to take a spill on her third or fourth step. The cool water soothed my yellow jacket stings.

I felt a burst of energy so I took off up the hill. I hadn’t done a hill sprint in some time so it was nice to push myself. It did take its toll on me and I needed a good bit of time to recover from it.

We came to the first waterfall which was Bridal Veil Falls. Sarah headed out to go to work. A short hike up a large slab of exposed granite led us to an overhang with a solid stream of water. I went behind it for a surreal view of the world. Others followed and then we all doused ourselves with the forceful spray. It was refreshing to say the least. Thoroughly soaked, our bodies were ready to push on.

India stayed a bit in front and I wasn’t able to catch up to her completely. I’d get within 30 yards and then she’d pull away. There was a good bit of gradual climbing but I struggled on it just like last year. The trails don’t appear to be that difficult at Dupont, but I always seem to have a hard time with them.

We all met up again before the long, rocky descent to the next waterfall. This was my kind of trail but I had some tendon issues and didn’t want to go full speed. At the bottom, we encountered a few horses. From there, it was a short hike to Wintergreen Falls. An older man and a young girl were there. They had a large, green parrot with them. The girl was dressed inappropriately to be with her father so they may have been an inappropriate couple. We didn’t ask and just took them for their entertainment value.

This water was much cooler so only Matthew and I got under the falls and I didn’t stay long. The pool below felt fantastic so we all got in for a swim. Thunder clapped in the distance so it was time to move on.

After about a mile, it began to rain and the skies just opened up. The thunder was right on top of us, banging loudly and causing shudders in our bodies. We were already soaked from the swim so it wasn’t a big deal but we did decide to skip a short side trail to the smallest waterfall. India and Beth went ahead while Matthew and I took it easy. Charlie stayed back with us as well. When we got to High Falls, there was no sign of the women. We figured they went on ahead.

After the heavy rains, we didn’t feel the need to spend much time at the waterfalls. Triple Falls was next and then we got back to the parking lot, still with no sign of the ladies. Hooker Falls was a quick out and back to finish off the tour. We saw Beth and India at the parking lot. They had made a wrong turn just after they went ahead but found their way back, covering about the same distance