My initial assessment of Black Mountain running was ignorant, as you might expect from someone who has been in the town for less than 24 hours.
The first morning in the house where I am staying I woke to complete blackness outside my window. It was 6:30, about a half hour or so before sunrise. Since I had barely unpacked I had no idea where my headlamp was and thoughts of wild animals roaming the darkened streets terrified me. I was used to an urban setting with street lights every couple hundred feet.
The house is in a neighborhood with plenty of other houses but it's also wooded and I wasn't sure what to expect from such a small town. To my surprise I opened the front door and a street light shined at the end of the driveway. In the past week I've run through most of the surrounding streets and neighborhoods and every single one was lit. Many even had sidewalks.
After so many years tolerating tourists in Florida it's nice to finally be one. Every run is a complete adventure with a new hill to climb, literally. When the sun starts to come up over the mountains, an orange haze looms above lighting the foggy greens of the golf club or the small lake at the end of the street.
It's going to be a cold rainy week but I'm still looking forward to running around this beautiful little town.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Trail Hopping
I woke up this morning with both ankles so sore limping was difficult. I twisted them both many times during my hike yesterday and overnight they tightened. But I knew from twisting my ankle on loose gravel earlier in the week that the pain would go away once I started walking around on it (or running in this case).
It was another cold, drizzly morning and I wanted to do an easy trail run today so I decided to drive down to the Bent Creek Area, a collection of trails and other recreation areas in the the Pisgah National Forest south of Asheville. But after getting lost several times I got sick of driving and headed back toward Black Mountain.
The woman I am staying with said there are trails at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa (the next town West of Black Mountain) so I decided to check them out. Unfortunately they were very, very short trails (quarter of a mile or so). I ran around the small campus a bit and it was pretty, but it got tiresome quickly.
At this point I was really frustrated and was going to quit after only three miles of running. I just wanted to find a flat road and go, unencumbered by steep, unrunnable inclines and curvy, shoulderless roads. My legs were tired, my ankles sore, my anxiety level high. I wanted a nice run along the beach. But this trip is about finding a different perspective and challenging rigid ways of thinking.
During the past 17 years, nearly every run has kept pace along a continuous path without barriers or interruptions -- a training run designed to mimic race conditions. Naturally, someone who refuses to deviate from these conditions would find the hills, streams and other obstructions typical of trail running quite aggravating. One of my predetermined goals is to become comfortable, and eventually enthusiastic about trail running since I do truly enjoy running in nature. It's merely a matter of redefining the term "running" in my own head.
But there is another concept of running that didn't occur to me before today: one longer run concatenated from two or more shorter runs in different locations. A run like this would break the contiguous pattern I've been following all of my running life.
I remembered passing a sign for the Black Mountain Recreation Area on the outskirts of town so instead of going home I decided to trail hop and seek out another running venue. The recreation area is just a small town park with a baseball field, like one you would find in every town in America, but this one also has two small trails.
The first trail is paved and a half mile long but if you keep going when it ends, there is a gravel road that leads to a wooded area that serves as some sort of retreat for Montreat College. It has a lookout tower and a couple picnic tables, but also nice wood chip running trails weaving around it. This area isn't open to the public but it was a rainy Sunday morning and no one was around ...
Before finishing a total of six miles between the two places I twisted my ankle yet again, this time badly enough to warrant vocal obscenities and some limping. It turned into a nice Sunday morning run though and I look forward to more trail hopping (and perhaps some trail shoe shopping).
It was another cold, drizzly morning and I wanted to do an easy trail run today so I decided to drive down to the Bent Creek Area, a collection of trails and other recreation areas in the the Pisgah National Forest south of Asheville. But after getting lost several times I got sick of driving and headed back toward Black Mountain.
The woman I am staying with said there are trails at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa (the next town West of Black Mountain) so I decided to check them out. Unfortunately they were very, very short trails (quarter of a mile or so). I ran around the small campus a bit and it was pretty, but it got tiresome quickly.
At this point I was really frustrated and was going to quit after only three miles of running. I just wanted to find a flat road and go, unencumbered by steep, unrunnable inclines and curvy, shoulderless roads. My legs were tired, my ankles sore, my anxiety level high. I wanted a nice run along the beach. But this trip is about finding a different perspective and challenging rigid ways of thinking.
During the past 17 years, nearly every run has kept pace along a continuous path without barriers or interruptions -- a training run designed to mimic race conditions. Naturally, someone who refuses to deviate from these conditions would find the hills, streams and other obstructions typical of trail running quite aggravating. One of my predetermined goals is to become comfortable, and eventually enthusiastic about trail running since I do truly enjoy running in nature. It's merely a matter of redefining the term "running" in my own head.
But there is another concept of running that didn't occur to me before today: one longer run concatenated from two or more shorter runs in different locations. A run like this would break the contiguous pattern I've been following all of my running life.
I remembered passing a sign for the Black Mountain Recreation Area on the outskirts of town so instead of going home I decided to trail hop and seek out another running venue. The recreation area is just a small town park with a baseball field, like one you would find in every town in America, but this one also has two small trails.
The first trail is paved and a half mile long but if you keep going when it ends, there is a gravel road that leads to a wooded area that serves as some sort of retreat for Montreat College. It has a lookout tower and a couple picnic tables, but also nice wood chip running trails weaving around it. This area isn't open to the public but it was a rainy Sunday morning and no one was around ...
Before finishing a total of six miles between the two places I twisted my ankle yet again, this time badly enough to warrant vocal obscenities and some limping. It turned into a nice Sunday morning run though and I look forward to more trail hopping (and perhaps some trail shoe shopping).
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Craven Gap Hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway winds North-South through the mountains in North Carolina and Virginia for 469 continuous miles. It's known for stunning views of mountains, valleys and cities. Along and near the Parkway runs part of the Mountains-to-Sea trail, a 1000 mile trail with 500 miles of footpath. You can hike sections of this trail by parking at designated spots along the Parkway (or random spots if you know where you're going).
The weather forecast predicted rain all day so I wanted a hike that was close and not to 'strenuous'. I'm not sure if 'strenuous' refers to steep pitch or technically difficult terrain (or both) so I didn't want to risk slipping on some muddy leaves and sliding down a mountain.
I started up the Parkway and headed toward Craggy Gardens for a 4-6 mile loop. This is a 20 mile drive from Asheville, so along these winding roads it would be a long drive. Within a few miles a sign is posted that says the Parkway is closed eight miles ahead. I kept driving, beyond eight miles, but there were no other cars and I was starting to get nervous. I also noticed I was running low on gas ...
I arrived at Craggy Gardens, which is also a picnic area, but it's closed. I don't really know what that means or why it would be closed, but I decided to go back to Craven Gap which I had passed several miles earlier.
There's a road at Craven Gap but I don't see a trail head so I walked down the road and see houses -- people live here?
Finally I see a foot path leading from the road marked with white paint -- a trail. Craven Gap is a great beginners trail. It runs parallel with the Parkway so you never feel like you're alone in the woods where a great black bear will descend in your path. Parts of the trail were indeed slippery with mud and wet leaves, but most was easily manageable.
I'm not sure how far I hiked, but it took around 3-3.5 hours. Strangely, there wasn't much climbing . The trail wraps around the mountain so the incline is minimal.
The weather forecast predicted rain all day so I wanted a hike that was close and not to 'strenuous'. I'm not sure if 'strenuous' refers to steep pitch or technically difficult terrain (or both) so I didn't want to risk slipping on some muddy leaves and sliding down a mountain.
I started up the Parkway and headed toward Craggy Gardens for a 4-6 mile loop. This is a 20 mile drive from Asheville, so along these winding roads it would be a long drive. Within a few miles a sign is posted that says the Parkway is closed eight miles ahead. I kept driving, beyond eight miles, but there were no other cars and I was starting to get nervous. I also noticed I was running low on gas ...
I arrived at Craggy Gardens, which is also a picnic area, but it's closed. I don't really know what that means or why it would be closed, but I decided to go back to Craven Gap which I had passed several miles earlier.
 |
| View from one of the outlooks on the Parkway |
There's a road at Craven Gap but I don't see a trail head so I walked down the road and see houses -- people live here?
 |
| Crazy mountain folk! |
Finally I see a foot path leading from the road marked with white paint -- a trail. Craven Gap is a great beginners trail. It runs parallel with the Parkway so you never feel like you're alone in the woods where a great black bear will descend in your path. Parts of the trail were indeed slippery with mud and wet leaves, but most was easily manageable.
 |
I'm not sure how far I hiked, but it took around 3-3.5 hours. Strangely, there wasn't much climbing . The trail wraps around the mountain so the incline is minimal.
 |
| The Italians would use steps here -- and there would be an espresso waiting at the top! |
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Black Mountain, NC
First stop is Black Mountain, NC, a small town about 20 minutes from Asheville. I chose Black Mountain because I couldn't find anything reasonably priced in Asheville, but I'm glad to be here. It's a cool little town, emphasize little.
My first run Sunday morning covered the town and then some in five miles, so the next however-many runs here over the next month will have to get creative. The roads around the entire area generally wind up and down the mountains or foothills with no shoulders or sidewalks; running options are limited.
In those five miles though I covered more hills than I've ever seen in Florida, and these hills had no water under them or drawbridges to stall your progress.
Such a small town it is that on Sunday one single storefront was open in the downtown area -- luckily it was a coffee shop. Also the best coffee I've had in a while.
My first run Sunday morning covered the town and then some in five miles, so the next however-many runs here over the next month will have to get creative. The roads around the entire area generally wind up and down the mountains or foothills with no shoulders or sidewalks; running options are limited.
In those five miles though I covered more hills than I've ever seen in Florida, and these hills had no water under them or drawbridges to stall your progress.
 |
| Black Mountain Town Center |
Such a small town it is that on Sunday one single storefront was open in the downtown area -- luckily it was a coffee shop. Also the best coffee I've had in a while.
 |
| Dripolator Coffee Shop - Yummy Americano! |
 |
| View from the Comfort Inn |
 |
| Black Mountain Train Station |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)