the Way of the Turtle

BLAST FROM THE PAST
5.5 Mile Run Along the Appalachian Trail
Saturday, March 21, 2009

Back in 1997 when I started trail running the first stretch of trail I tried was a section of the Appalachian Trail in Massachusetts crossing the Housatonic River valley between South Egremont and Sheffield. It had a lot to recommend it, being well-marked and relatively flat, and the first time I ran there I fell in love with trail running. I ran there many times until I moved to Albany late in 1999, but haven't found a chance to go there since then. Today's short snowshoe race late in the day provided a great opportunity to go there and get in a short easy run down memory lane before heading to Catamount Ski Area a few miles away for the race.

I got off to a late start, so I wasn't able to run quite as much of the trail as I wanted... just from the Sheffield Road trailhead out to Jug End Road and back. It was a gorgeous day and that section of trail has a little bit of everything - wetlands with boardwalks, bridges, and puncheons, pine and hemlock forests, hardwood forests, and open fields. I was surprised at how well I remembered the trail, especially since it's been nearly 10 years since I last ran there... each step brought back memories of many runs and had me wishing I could run there regularly again.

All too quickly I was back at the trailhead... I really would have liked to run a bit more, but I was running late for getting to Catamount, so I changed shirts and shoes and hopped in the car to head across the border into NY for the last snowshoe race of the season. But I definitely hope to be back later this year.

JMH