Running in Black Mountain

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.