5.1 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush (Blueberry Hills & Kaikout Kill Barrens)
Thursday, March 26, 2020
I'm not sure why I felt such a strong urge to go for a run today, after putting in 40 miles on the bike over the last two days... it's probably go something to do with school starting back up soon. I've also been feeling a pull toward the Blueberry Hills/Kaikout Barrens sections of the Pine Bush - which frankly isn't a great place to run on tired legs, since there are more than a few hills to go up and down. But so it goes...
This area has changed so much in the last 15 years that it's almost painful. There used to be a few sections of meadow with the rest mostly wooded with a mix of conifers and deciduous trees, and there were multiple trail loops that wound their way through the area. One of the things I liked about it was the mix of terrain - plenty of short steep hills to go up and down, but also some longer flat sections to cruise along. The ridge line of the Kaikout Kill Barrens was especially memorable, because the trees were smaller and had twisted trunks - honestly it looked like a haunted forest, especially on a misty evening.
Habitat restoration (mainly trying to convert the whole place back to meadows with a few pines throughout) has totally changed that, along with many of the trails being relocated to keep them as close to the edge of the property as possible. Tonight the reminder was even more obvious, because several sections have been cleared relatively recently (the slash is still on the ground.) As I've said before, I understand and even support the goal of preserving an ecologically unique environment - though sometimes it seems like one type of invasive species is cleared away (trees and shrubs) only to allow another to take its place (brambles, ugh.) And I can't help it - I miss the woods and the variety of trails.
As expected, tonight was slow going, and I'm anticipating a good deal of grumbling from my legs tomorrow. And also as expected, there were other people walking the trails, though not nearly as many as on the bike path earlier today. It's good that people are getting outdoors more - too bad it took a pandemic and pseudo-quarantine to make it happen.
JMH
