December 22, 2007
ALTAR Art Loeb Trail Adventure Run

In 2006, I'd underestimated this beast of a run. It's only a 50k but the climb packs quite a whallop! Over 17 miles, the trail gains 7,000 feet.

This year, Matt Kirk reserved a cabin at Camp Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp. I expected a sparse cabin with few amenities and was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to find a full kitchen and seven showers.

I met a few ulrarunners I'd never met before, including David Horton. He discussed The Pacific Crest Trail traverse and the Barkley course, which is on my to-do list some time in the next few years.

The trail is flat for a little while to allow for a warmup but it soon starts climbing. I ran with India and Arena, as well as another group, who had planned on the very same traverse, coincidentally at the same time.

We took our time in order to save something for the dreadful climb at mile 13. We walked a bit more than we should have and took over four hours to reach Gloucester Gap. Sikes Ragan was there to provide some aid. It was the only aid stop we'd have.

The ridiculous climb up Pilot Mountain was tedious and laborious. The dreaded switchbacks mocked us on our journey. Reaching the summit brought some relief but another climb, this time a bit less steep would greet us soon enough.

It seemed as if the Parkway would never show its face. I was sure it was just another 100 yards on multiple occasions. We did make it eventually and refueled for the final steep climb to the junction of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

The wind became fierce at the higher elevations. Clouds engulfed us in a surreal fashion. It was tough to keep our feet dry with the myriad puddles.

The Black Balsam area is home to some of the finest views around but on this day, visibility was severely hampered by the thick clouds. We'd been in the clouds most of the day but now it was becoming colder and the wind gusted ferociously.

The trail is no longer marked after the entrance to Shining Rock Wilderness. I left my maps at the cabin but knew the trail well enough. Some ribbons were hung at tricky intersections but another runner thought he was last and had removed them as he went.

Darkness was becoming a concern. The trail would soon hit a craggy knife edge and I wanted to be certain to make it through it by nightfall. The rockiest parts were slick with rain and mud and provided a challenge to conquer them.

We made it to Deep Gap right at nightfall. It's normally just an easy hour down to the cabin but it would take significantly more time after dark in the mud. It never rained very hard but the trail had taken a beating. We had only two lights between the three of us. This complicated things further.

I tried to run without a light and we made better time but many trees were down and it was rockier than I'd recalled. The trail continually slid downhill and our legs often went with it. After almost 13 hours, we finally emerged from the forest and made it to the cabin. There had been some concern over us being out there so long. I heard of visions of me protecting the ladies. This wasn't quite the case as I struggled all day along with India. Arena was the strongest of us from the getgo on that day.

It was awesome to be able to crash right next to the trail. The showers were abundant and food was ready. The Kirks did a an outstanding job in the kitchen and had wonderful meals prepared for us. The cabin looks to become a tradition along with the ALTAR Solstice Adventure Run.

B-Rex

Even after taking it easy, the climb really whipped me.