Sunday, April 27, 2008

NOT QUITE THE LEATHERMAN'S LOOP...
6.5 Mile "Run" at the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation
Sunday, April 27, 2008

So after tossing my initial plans to the winds and running fairly hard for the last 3-4 miles of the race, what did I do next? I drove to a different section of the park and ran on some of the other trails there, of course!

Of course, anyone who saw me might say I wasn't actually running... because when I was trying to run I was moving darn slow, and I did a lot of hiking up hills - my legs just didn't have any juice left for running hills.

My plan was to run the red loop, a little under 6 miles of wide woods road which would hopefully avoid some of the hills I hiked back in December when I went looking for the Leatherman's cave. While it was another grey day, one difference was immediately apparent - there was a lot of green amidst all the brown and grey of the woods and rocky hills. I suspect those trails are really quite beautiful in full summer, though the undergrowth probably makes it much more difficult to see all the stone walls and boulders.

Had my third canine encounter of the day shortly after starting my run - a very enthusiastic big black dog who was eager to play, dashing back and forth to the embarassment of his owner (and well he should have been embarassed - the dog should have been leashed.) He finally took his dog down another trail, and I didn't see any more people for over an hour.

Passed the sign for the "Leatherman's Loop", a trail that goes off to an overlook and the cave - too many hills for my tired legs! About a third of the way around the red loop, I came to the side trail that goes up to Bear Rock (a big stone with a possible petroglyph of a bear) and past Dancing Rock, and decided I wanted to see them when they weren't covered with snow. Lots of climbing (ie. walking) and rough footing (more walking) but I did see the rocks before hauling my tired self back down to the red trail. At that point I was seriously considering heading straight back to the parking lot at the first chance, rather than completing the loop... my legs were really grumbling.

But, when I came to the intersection where that was possible, I decided to continue on the red trail for a while, to see the Raven Rocks... it only looked to add a mile to the trek, and I knew I'd end up wondering what they were if I didn't go see them. (I did successfully resist the side trail out to Castle Rock and back - that looked like it would be a half mile in and of itself!) After some climbing and passing the only other two people I saw on the trails (two gals out running with their dogs) I found out that the Raven Rocks are a nice overlook, not as expansive as the one above the Leatherman's cave, but still a pretty view. After that I was lucky - much of the trail was downhill!

I left the red trail and followed the yellow trail back to my car... almost all the way blessedly downhill, which definitely hurt but was still easier than having to hike uphill! All along the way I was struck again by the sheer number of stone walls throughout the woods... a visual reminder that the whole area had once been cleared farmland, and it was mainly through the reforestation work done by the Civilian Conservation Corps that we have these wonderful woods to enjoy today. Skipped a side trip to see the few remains of the old CCC camp in favor of finally getting back to the car, where I changed into dry clothes and started the long drive back to Albany.

Perhaps a return visit is in order some time this summer...

JMH
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