5.7 Mile Run at Five Rivers
Friday, December 12, 2008
No school today, and for a good reason - ICE. A lot of places lost power, but I got lucky, even though there were a few branches down (and even one small tree) when I drove down the street this afternoon on my way to Five Rivers.
Debated a bit about where to run and finally decided on Five Rivers because it's relatively close, relatively flat, and running routes there are easy to modify if needed. I made sure to pack my screw shoes to deal with the ice on the trails... that turned out to be a good idea! The drive over was uneventful, other than minor detours around some limbs and in one spot sagging power lines. Lots of ice everywhere, except the road (fortunately!)
I started out heading down to the beaver pond and discovered the recurring challenge of the day - portions of the trail were underwater. No surprise, given that the pond was the highest I've ever seen it. Crossed the bridge and got damp feet getting to dry land on the far side. I had planned to go down the boardwalk and circle the pond, but the fastmoving stream covering the end of the boardwalk changed my plans very quickly. So instead I headed back across the road and out on the trails along the stream, which was also very high.
The further I ran, the more apparent it became that dry feet would be impossible, so eventually I gave up and just took to plowing through the cold water while getting pelted by falling bits of ice. Everything was very pretty to look at, with sunlight coming down through the branches and making all the ice glitter. I took the North Loop trail through the woods and had a long stretch where there was nothing but water to run in... brrr. Good thing I wore my thermal socks... once I got out of the water my feet warmed back up fairly quickly.
Looped through the woods and fields on the Wild Turkey trail and down to the Sunfish Pond, then headed back along the access road, where I spotted several deer and possible a fox or coyote (all I saw was his back end disappearing into the bushes.) Hopped back on the Vlomankill Trail for a last stretch along the stream and back down toward the Beaver Pond, then up the hill to the gardens outside the visitors' center where I spent a few minutes watching the birds and squirrels at the feeders before heading back to the car, dry shoes, and some well-deserved lunch/dinner.
JMH
