Part 2
May 31 5:19 am
The phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’ll see you in a minute.”
Yes, was a vast overstatement. Beth had called the night before to remind or rather enlighten me to the fact that Saturday, not Sunday, was May Mountain Marathon day. Sunday wasn’t even in May. Obviously I’m calendar-challenged. I’d been biking, mostly along the Blue Ridge Parkway, since last Sunday and gotten somewhat used to the simplicity of gauging time only as either daytime or nighttime. Why get all numeric about it?
Yes, I was ready. My hydration pack and running bag had gotten bulge-y on a breakfast of clothes and running paraphernalia since I had awaken at 3:45. And there was nothing more I could fathom I would need for a stroll on Mt Pisgah. But it was a slow motion ready at best. Nick was to meet us in town at 5:30 for a carpool to Johnson City, TN, where we would caravan with several more Iron Mt Dead Guys to Mt. Pisgah, south of Asheville, NC near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our group was invited to do a marathon length fun run on Mt Pisgah by another clan of trail runners in the Asheville area. I’m the new kid on the trail and enjoy getting to know our regional Trail-heads.
At some point, we arrived at the Trace Ridge Trail Head.
Adam, of the NC clan, was directing the event and gave each of us a well marked topo map and page of written instruction. Tammy Gray drove the van to the Parkway at the foot of Mt Pisgah summit and served as aid station. The van progressed to Yellow Gap Road and setup again driven by Brian I believe. Since I had been bicycling up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway for a week, I had no intentions of doing the entire 27 miles. But as trail running naturally involves a fair amount of walking, I’ll aim for 16. Just “start out slow and taper off” as they say, while I’m getting reacquainted with medium distance. While we were in the early miles I saw a dead copperhead on the trail, a big, pretty, fat one. Later a fisherman warned some of the others a rattlesnake had been spotted and to be careful. Soon we were on single track along Big Creek. My stomach has been touchy for the morning so I skipped breakfast, but I force down a ClifBar for better or worse.
The morning was very warm, mid 70’s and humid. For a couple of miles this trial seemed dead flat and pleasantly non-technical except for some stream crossings without a bridges.
I’m stiff, rusty and exhausted and haven’t even started to climb. There is about 3 miles of nice flat creek bottom before we turn up Little Pisgah Ridge.
Its still non-technical, but we’re getting ready to go from about 2600’ to 4600’ in 3 miles and most of that in the first half. So I’m walking, but as we get a little higher the air cools and thins and I start to feel better. Near the top, I’m following Mike and Marianne through some incredible mountain laurel thickets. The effect of twisted limbs forming a spiraling tunnel of dappled light is a bit hallucinogenic, but I’m not complaining.
Soon we have popped out on the Parkway and run pavement for a half-mile or so including two short tunnels that funneled a refreshing breeze across our brow.
We met Tammy at an overlook with the coolers. I loaded a hand-held and mixed in a packet of Clip2. At this point, most have taken an out and back trail 1.5 mile to the summit with at least 1100’ of climb. Though I’ve consider it, my plan is to just run another 8-9 miles to Yellow Gap Road where the van is set up again, and ride back to the trailhead.
The descent down Laurel Mt is a nice even gentle grade with only a few technical places, mostly near the top.
Probably one of the best all-around long stretches of trail I’ve ever ran. Given the ease of grade I start to feel normal to running. Even though I’m tired, I start to feel good and more natural to where I am and what I’m doing. Since most are doing 3 more very steep miles than I, a mile or two down the mountain the front runners start to pass me. Most of them I don’t know, but we all chat some as we enjoy the day. As I’m getting close to the road a group of mt bikers are headed up. This whole area, especially near the bottom, is swarming with campers, fishermen, people playing in the creek and hiking and having fun. Great energy and natural beauty are in everywhere.
At Yellow Gap road, I call it a day at about 16 miles in about 4:45. Within 15 minutes or so, Tammy arrives, having ran down the mountain with her husband Rick and Beth. Rick and Beth continue on, but Tammy, Brian, Josh, and I load the van and head back to the trailhead. We have some spare time so we play in the creek along the way for a while too.
At the trailhead some have arrived and others are filtering in. Rick and Beth rounded up the running portion of the event with a couple of bonus miles bringing their total to 29. Some goodies have been stashed in several coolers and we eat and re-hydrate with wolf-like enthusiasm. The goodie rave of the day was by far and away Beth’s Cool as a Cucumber dip. She claims it was just cucumber, cream cheese, salt and pepper, but I’m pretty certain magic was involved. It was light and fluffy, easy on the cream cheese. When the chips were gone we started eating it on cookies. Adam also gets high honors for a couple of growlers from the local French Broad Brewing Company. The stout was exceptional, Bro. Nick’s story of 20 minutes, a Frozen Burrito, and a Microwave was told in matter-of-fact, classic Whited candor. I laughed until I couldn’t see and could barely stagger. If you travel with Nick for a day, you’ll be in stitches for a good portion of it.
Since Marianne and Mike had left early, I rode back with Rick, Tammy, Josh, Beth, and Nick. We hit a Mediterranean restaurant pretty hard as soon as we got back to Asheville. Just before dark we made a pit stop and feed "Nick’s horses" in a nearby pasture some runner treats. Horses are like runners in that some like gels and some do not, but both are comical trying to lick them off their noses. We changed flights again back in Johnson City and three of us made it to Abingdon at about 10 pm I think. It was a long day, but fun all the way. May Mountain Marathon 2008 was a top event, idyllic in every way.
Thanks Adam, and to all who made it happen.
Next event, the Garden Mt Fat Ass June 28, directed by Nick.
See you there.
jjj
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