Huge weekend.
Got three freshly minted 50-milers in the Hawks — Christy “Hawk Mama” Craig, Julie “Sunday Hawk” Toft and Debbie “Wheat Hawk” Webster. All got sub-13s at the revamped Mt. Hood PCT 50-mile trail run Saturday starting at Timothy Lake in Mount Hood National Forest, in the Cascades.
Other Hawks scoring 50 — Nick “Colo Hawk” Lang with a scorching 10:21, and Coleen “Lil Big Hawk” Voeks. Coleen used the race for training mileage for her upcoming Leadville Trail 100 attempt, and ran the whole way with Christy. Laurie “Pixie Hawk” Euler also went out, crewing for Nick.
Several Hawks went out for Willie and Karen Lambert’s 10- and 20-mile Rock Creek Trail Series night run last night. Jim “Family Hawk” Beiter and Mary Ann “Squeaky Hawk” McIntire both ran, though details aren’t in yet. Mary Ann, who did the 10er, had already done a 5-hour adventure race earlier in the day.
Jim did the 20-miler. Also out there, Dave “Speed Hawk” Wakefield, but not sure if he ran or helped put the thing on. If he ran, I feel safe in saying he no doubt had a minimum top-5 finish in whichever race he ran, probably the 20. And Renee “Super Duper” Hawk was out there, too, volunteering. She ran the first eight with me during my 22-mile trainer yesterday morning at Clinton North Shore. Renee’s getting ready for her first half-marathon at Rock Creek in October.
Renee and I met for the Saturday morning long run at the usual 7:15 a.m. at Clinton Lake North Shore Trails, Corps of Engineers Trail Head. Skies were low and threatening, with lightning in the Northwest sky. Thought we might get nailed, but we headed out anyway.
Woods were dark, air moist, but the trail was in fair shape. We stopped for a minute to view the impact crater where my knee slammed the trail at the end of Wednesday’s short-to-middy 10-miler. Light rain started soon after, and thunder was rumbling pretty good by the time we hit the four-mile marker.
That was our turn-around however. As we headed back, the thunder subsided, but rain picked up a little, just enough to clear some of the humidity. In the last mile we came on some Kansas Trails Council members overseeing Boy Scouts putting in some new feeder trails and a bridge for their eagle scout merit badges. Kept a somewhat relaxed but mostly steady pace, just under 12-minute miles up to the last quarter mile or so, when Renee kicked it into high gear and finished strong.
We high-fived, and I headed out on white for the rest of the run. I wasn’t out long before the clouds began breaking up. Sunlight poked through the canopy, dappling the woods in gold and green.
Just after the white-trail water crossing about 4 1/2 miles in, I ran up on a big, beautiful reddish brown doe, who was right in the trail. I slowed to a walk as soon as I saw her, only about 20 feet away. She took a quick bound off the trail on the downhill side, and stood regarding me, as I made my way past, feasting my eyes on the gorgeous creature.
I spoke gently to her as I walked by, calling her a pretty girl, and telling her to relax, I wasn’t going to bother her. Both her long ears were up, and she swiveled one at me as if to hear better. Then I was past, and continued on.
Risked a backward glance going down a little incline, to see her walking daintily away.
Hadn’t refilled the hydration pack before heading out after the first 8, so was low. I broke the woods just before the 5-mile marker to refill at the park restrooms. Felt a little strange being out. Heading alongside the road, in the grass, looking for the trailhead where I came out, I felt like an amphibious creature (I was wet enough with sweat), looking to return to his watery home.
It was so strange. Re-entering the woods, I felt almost a palpable sense of relief being back in that green environment. I cruised the trail, feeling like a fish in the water. I guess that’s inevitable after all the hours I’ve spent on those trails, alone and with friends, in all seasons and all weathers. Like being home. Like I was one of the creatures who lived there.
That feeling stayed with me right to the end of the run. It sure was good.
As I ran, I thought about a new race — the Trail Hawks’ first actual event. My idea is “The Shoreline Shuffle.” It would start at Shelter four, run through the meadow down to Lands End, and from there onto the shoreline red trail. Red trail to the end, then up to white, and further west till the next connector trail to blue. Then down to blue, and back to the concrete stairs closest to shelter 4. Then up the concrete stairs to the finish. I like having the concrete stair climb at the very end. A true “Oh F-word” at the end, especially for the race leaders. Should be about three miles or so.
It’ll be tough enough for the experienced, and short enough for beginners.
I decided to try out the course myself, since I was heading that way. When I got past Lands End to the stairs, I went up to Shelter four, for the course start. There, I saw a surprising sight. A cabin!
I recalled reading somewhere that cabins were planned for Clinton Lake. Here was the first one, right by Shelter four, its generous covered porch facing the lake. Larry Dunn, of Parks and Wildlife was on the porch. He told me 10 cabins were planned for the site. The first one was set to be ready for occupancy November or December. Sleeps 8. Rates to be somewhere between $65 and $80 a day, three day minimum.
Foundation already poured for the second cabin. Larry said some judicious tree-removal was planned to improve the view of the lake from the cabins. I got a little hot and said I thought the trees themselves constituted a pretty nice view, and how could Wildlife and Parks cut them down. Larry said some needed to come down because they were in poor health, and said it wouldn’t be wholesale slaughter. Also, the work wouldn’t affect the trails.
By then, I was thinking about our long thought-about Clinton Lake 100-miler. I realized that having a cabin would make putting on the race a lot easier. Maybe we could all get together — KUS, Nerds, Great Plains, Hawks and do it for 2010. If we did got it going for August, we could have a pretty good “Central States Slam” — Clinton, Superior Sawtooth, Heartland and Ozark Trail!
After saying goodbye to Larry, I headed out for an abbreviated version of the Shoreline Shuffle. Saw more deer leaping through the woods on my way down to the shoreline, but didn’t get a chance to converse. Enjoyed the SS course, and feel it will make a good race. Just need to find a non-conficting weekend to put it on. Would like to do it while it’s still warm.
Finished the SS and went up to get more water. Some kids asked me if I’d been swimming in the lake, since I was dripping. Got my water and dropped back down the stairs into the habitat, and headed back to the parking lot about 6 1/2 mile away on white.
Uneventful, felt good the whole way. Miles flew by, as my mind was on races short and long. The new Hardrocks felt good. Not as nimble at the Mizunos, but with better feel for the trail than the old versions. Forced me to be a little more careful, which was good.
Not totally sure of my final mileage, but broke woods into the parking lot about 5 1/2 hours after starting. Think I got about 22. Sat on the tailgate of my red truck and drank a cold cherry coke. Basked in the warm sun a little, then the amphibian went home to the other life.
26 days to Leadville!
More later.
gary
Shoes before the run.
Shoes after the run. Trails weren’t too bad.
