The Long Green Tunnel...and Ultrarunning

That's how some hikers refer to the Appalachian Trail, especially the thru-hikers who have covered all 2100+ miles of it--that's commonly one of their lasting recollections.

Well, the bride and I were up visiting her mother in Tower City, PA, near which the Appalachian Trail crosses.  I did a 10 mile trail run along the Stony Valley Rail Trail, which hits the AT at Raush Gap.

The long green tunnel of the rail trail:

Not a religious memorial, but rather a spare rail holder, which would have come in pairs, on which rested spare rails for repairs if the regular rails failed.  Such failures must have been fairly common, to require the placing of spares every couple of miles (see the rail holder on the left of the first shot above to get an idea as to scale):

And finally, an unknown (to me) pretty yellow flower that grew in the gravel along the side of the rail trail.  About the size and shape of a dandelion:

The link to Ultrarunning, of course, includes the side trip I made up the Appalachian Trail to the Raush Gap Shelter, where one finds the sweetest spring water in the world.  

What in Blazes??...A Real Thing That Actually Exists

Finally--after being scheduled and shut out several times over the course of the winter--my co-overseer and I made it up to "our" section of the Appalachian Trail for a work trip.  This part runs some 4 miles south from Pine Grove Furnace State Park in south-central PA.  In fact, the midpoint of the AT currently falls in our section.

The purpose was a trail inventory of man-made features and improvements, to help justify future budget requests.  Plus we did a little blowdown clearing, pulled the leaf blockages out of a couple of culverts, and last but not least, cleaned the Toms Run privy where apparently paperless users had wiped their sh*t on the walls.

Anyway, The Real Thing That Actually Exists:

Image credit Gary

Next trip will be a blaze painting excursion.  There are a number of sections along "our" trail where the blazes are a bit sparse.  Plus I tend to be blaze-happy, leaning toward too many rather than too few...because I've been on the route-finding end where a dearth of blazes was most frustrating.

Foiled by Weather

Two days ago I was slated to do an Appalachian Trail run with a good running buddy, JS.  However, trail conditions of snow topped by ice, with a few refrozen footprints, made that not a practicable plan.

Then yesterday was to have been an AT work day along a slightly different stretch of the trail.  Squashed for the same reasons.  Oh well, people, we do live in the Northeast where it does snow in the winter.

I'll have to content myself with my trail-supporting license plate and trailhead photos:

A Good Run...and Ultrarunning

Along the lines of the bride reminding me  about the ostensible origins of this blog, let me tell you about an 8.5 mile Appalachian Trail run that I undertook last Sunday with my good trail friend, JS.  This play-by-play is geared towards a newer Ultrarunner who might have landed here on this blog.

We hatched the scheme on a Wednesday, for Sunday. The weather forecast looked a but unsettled, but we proceeded.  However, as the time grew closer the weather looked worse. In fact, I called JS on Saturday evening saying I was still good to go but offering him an out if he didn't feel like running in the rain. JS declined, saying in effect, "I kinda like dealing with whatever Mother Nature throws at us."

So we met at daybreak a Pine Grove Furnace State Park in south central PA, dropped a car, and proceeded in the other car to the start of the run at  Big Flat. We needed to wait about 10 minutes until it was light enough to see the trail, and started off. It was raining, light to moderate, a condition that persisted for the duration of the run.

The air temperature was about 45F, and both JS and I opted for tights, thinking of leg warmth later in the run when we would have slowed down.  On my torso I wore a long-sleeve polypro top and fleece vest; JS was dressed in a nylon jacket, but I'm not sure whether the shirt underneath was long- or short-sleeved.  Regardless, neither of us got chilly during the run, even with the becoming soaked later.  The key is not to wear cotton.

We each carried a single water bottle in a waist pack.  I also carried a small bag of my go-to trail snack, peanut M&Ms, but did not eat any during the run.

The trail was soggy, at places more than soggy, as we splashed through ankle deep water in the low spots.  After about half a mile, there was no longer any thought of keeping your feet dry; that dream was toast.

However, prior experience has taught us that running in wet feet is really no problem.  It's just a shock the first time your foot gets submerged.

This run was point to point rather than a loop, and was a net downhill, so it ran a bit faster than normal. I had a baseball cap low over my eyes to try to keep the rain from my glasses, but that failed as they were soon covered in droplets and fog.  Every half mile or so I needed to dip my glasses into a puddle or stream to "clean" them off...which helped me see for about half a mile.

The first half of the run was a fairly smooth trail, with some ups and downs, more or less along the ridge top.  At length we reached the point where the trail broke down from the ridge, a real nice slightly downhill trail, until a stream crossing of Tom's Run, a year-round stream that is usually about 3 feet wide.  Today it was double that, and a pretty good torrent. After the wet-footed crossing, our next mile or so was a rocky downhill plunge over which JS scampered much like I'd imagine a mountain goat might.  It was a joy to observe his sure-footedness.

By and by we passed the Tom's Run Shelter and continued on a soggy jeep trail until another rocky stretch.  In another mile we recrossed Tom's Run, now quite a cataract, via a bridge that we were grateful to use.

The final mile of easy trail went, well, easily, and soon we hove into view of the car. We wrung out our clothes as best we could, laid towels on the seats, and drove back to pick up the start vehicle.  Here JS and I shook hands, said "Good run!" sincerely and gratefully, and each headed home.

A good run.  That's what it was.

New Hat Decor

Well, I've got my official certificate and patch, so I'm now an accredited sawyer.  I'm approved to work on downed trees along the Appalachian Trail, Tuscarora Trail, and other trails maintained by my Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC):

It was also necessary to pass a CPR, First Aid, and AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) class....all of which are useful skills in personal (non-trail) life.

Looking forward to (carefully) working on my first official blowdown....

Chainsaw Class: Applied Skills

Last weekend I took a chain saw safety class to get certified as a sawyer with my trail maintenance group, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC).  Now I can safely and legally use a chainsaw on the Appalachian Trail (and all other PATC-maintained trails) to remove blowdown trees, etc. to keep the trail clear.


Anyway, one of the benefits of the class is a set of safety gear.  So my fancy new sawyer Personal Protection Equipment just arrived (strangely, it was in a Star Wars theme, but that’s OK I guess), so I took this photo to demonstrate the skills I learned in class.

[Image credit Bored Panda] 

Ghost Gourds and Trail Work

Image credit Gary

Ysetertday was a good day.  A very good day.

I painted these small homegrown birdhouse gourds for a loved one to use as Halloween decorations for a "Haunted Hospital" function at her vet's office.  Coffee cup included for scale, besides the fact that coffee is everything.

The bulk of the day was spent doing some trail work along the Tuscarora Trail north of here.  This was with a crew of 3 long distance hikers who were at Shippensburg University for a hikers' annual gathering with the group ALDHA (Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association). 

The gathering being over, these guys remained to donate a day of trail work. We weedwhacked and cleared blowdown trees from 2.5 miles of the trail, which has been kinda neglected for a couple of years as there is no volunteer overseer for that stretch.

Sunny blue skies, common purpose, stunning autumn foliage along a Pennsylvania ridgetop....doesn't get much better than that!

Which brings me to the topic of nicknames.  The ALDHA hikers I worked with--whose work was greatly appreciated--were trail named Canada Goose, Cool Breeze, and Spirit Hawk.

As we sat around at a picnic table at a convenience store on the way home, enjoying a cold soda, the hikers addressed each other using trail names.  Like "Hey, Canada Goose, how long will it take you to drive back to Quebec?"

Though we had just shared blood, sweat and tears along the trail (literally!), I just could not bring myself to use trail names in conversation; it just seemed too strange.  Of course, as I have previously blogged, I have a strong aversion to nicknames.  You may want to go read that post, here.

Appalachian Trail Maintenance...and Ultrarunning

Well, I've reached a life goal that I've had for many years: I am now officially a maintainer of a piece of the Appalachian Trail!!

I've been a volunteer with my local trail maintenance organization--the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC)--for a few years now, but to this point my responsibilities have been for the Reese Hollow Trail and Shelter, which feeds to the area's other long-distance trail, the Tuscarora Trail.

So now I've added another task, that of being co-overseer for the 4+ mile section of the AT that heads south from Pine Grove Furnace State Park in southern PA.  The existing co-overseer, Dan, and I did a walk-thru yesterday with a bit of weed lopping and shelter clean up (overseeing the Tom's Run Shelter is also part of the job).

I've run this section of the trail many times, but seeing it at a walk is a bit different, especially when one's eye is focused upon the work that may need doing, rather than foot placement to keep from face-planting.

[Image credits Gary]

Perhaps 1/4 mile away from the AT through this stretch is the site of a former POW camp used in WWII.  Nothing remains but foundations, but this is just another example of the kinds of cool history one can find along the AT:

Coolest Epitaph Ever: "Good Night Gath"

I recently posted here about George Albert Townsend (and the JFK 50 Miler) when a local minor team, the Hagerstown Suns, offered bobbleheads of him as a promotion.  I thought it was waaaay cool that they elected to use a figure from local American Civil War history.

George Alfred Townsend (who added an "H" to his initials and frequently went by "Gath") was a member of the press, and considered to have been the youngest war correspondent of that conflict. 

Anyway, further reading made me decide to do a post about his death, which itself is quite interesting.  Here's a shot of George Albert Townsend's (Gath's) tomb along the Appalachian Trail piece of the JFK course:

Image credit seeker of revelation, here, who sums up Gath's afterlife situation thusly:

 Here were have the tomb constructed for George Alfred "Gath" Townsend, the man after whom Gathland State Park was named. Gath had it created many years before his death, and by the time he died he lacked the money to have his body transported to what was supposed to be his final resting place. It now sits empty in the park, while Gath's mortal remains dwell up in Pennsylvania

Which at length brings me to the real money quote, the inscription over the door of the empty tomb:

Image credit Marios Kritiosis, here.  

Evidently Gath had a real sense of humor.  You know, sometimes people get asked--pageant contestants or political candidates come to mind--about what historical figure that they would like to meet, and why.

The empty tomb symbology notwithstanding, I think I'd vote for meeting George Alfred Townsend, who evidently had a good sense of humor, even about dying.

Good night, Gath.

You Really Should Read "Wild"

If you're like me, your progression to Ultrarunning probably involved road racing until you became a regular marathoner, combined with hiking and backpacking, eventually leading to trying some trail running.

And getting hooked on the latter.

So even though my backpacking days are long gone, I still avidly like reading about long distance hiking, such as AWOL on the Appalachian Trail (David Miller); A Walk in the Woods (Bill Bryson); and most recently, Wild (Cheryl Strayed).

(Note: A decent movie based upon the book Wild--Cheryl's experiences on the Pacific Coast Trail--was recently out starring Reese Witherspoon.  The bride and I liked the movie but as usual, a book is just more in-depth and richer than a 2 hour film can be).

You should definitely read the book.  The author is broken in a number of important ways, and is very slowly coming to terms with her mother's early death from cancer at age 45.  Cheryl's writing is SO engrossing and gorgeous that the book is a literal page-turner, even though you know the ending: she completes her hike and finds herself along the way.

Anyway, in describing her beloved mother--who must have been a real trip--this passage leaped out at me to share here:

"I've given you everything," she [mother] insisted again and again in her last days.

"Yes," I agreed.  She had, it was true.  She did.  She did.  She did.  She came at us with maximum maternal velocity.  She hadn't held back a thing, not a single lick of her love.

Which, I suppose, is a pretty good eulogy.  The phrase "maximum maternal velocity" is absolutely priceless.

Read the book...and the other 2 listed.  You will not regret it.

Well-Intentioned Advice...and Ultrarunning

People just can't help themselves--they want to be helpful and concerned, sincerely believing that they have some good advice for you.

"You," of course, being an Ultrarunner.

I was reminded of that this morning when I went out for a snowy run here on the final official day of winter, not a trail run, but just a flat 5-mile road loop from the house on my beloved Harshman Road.  My mother-in-law is staying with us for a few days, being newly mobile--sadly--due to the death of her husband and the loss of her last cat.

All the MIL stereotypes do not apply in her case; she's a kind, sensible and likable woman whom I am privileged to know.  But today as I was heading out the door came the words from behind: "Don't slip!"

I said "Thanks" and went on my way.  And I didn't even slip, not once.

But that reminded me of what surely was one of the most egregious examples of such unnecessary advice, which came when I was running on the Appalachian Trail nearby.  Keep in mind that over the years I have run hundreds if not thousands of AT miles, and this day I had run some 10 miles south from Caledonia State Park in southern PA to the vicinity of Old Forge.  I was running swiftly along the 2 mile downhill on the stretch below Chimney Rocks when I encountered a group of hikers struggling uphill.  Their leader was in the front, a young man, with perhaps a dozen or so teenagers strung out behind.  They may have come from Abraxis or Vision Quest, which are local residential facilities for troubled youth located just off the AT in the village of South Mountain.

(As an aside, in my day, the kids would have been called juvenile delinquents and the place where they were sent was called reform school.  But I am dating myself, and please know that I am quite pleased anytime I see kids on the trail.)

At any rate, as I sailed by heading downhill, the leader said to me, "Be careful, lots of loose rocks on the trail."

I said the requisite "Thanks" and after they passed, just shook my head and smiled.  He did mean well.

Snowdrift...and Ultrarunning

It's been a chilly winter so far here in south-central PA, but the snow has largely been on the lighter side.  But once the snow has landed it has remained with us due to the persistent cold weather.

Anyway, the prevailing wind is typically from the west, and I noted the other day how loose soil from the winter wheat field across from us has been picked up by the strong winds.  It has tainted the white snowdrifts along our driveway:

Image credit Gary

Over the weekend I took Mister Tristan (the 7-year-old human being, not the blog) up on the Appalachian Trail for a short hike to Bailey Spring just north of the Mason-Dixon Line.  I was really surprised at just how much snow was on the ground: it made for some slightly slippery going over some rocky sections.  I should have realized that if snow remains in my yard in the valley, surely there would be more snow up at 1800' elevation.

Trail running would have been unpleasant with iffy footing like that.  But we got to drink some mighty fine spring water, which is always a treat!

A Bizarre Warning Along the Appalachian Trail

While visiting the in-laws recently in Tower City, PA, I took a short run over in Stony Valley.  There is a rails-to-trails path off Gold Mine Road which intersects the Appalachian Trail some 3.5 miles in.

Anyway, an interesting warning sign appears at the trailhead, warning of possible unexploded ordnance from an Army base nearby:

Hope you can enlarge sufficiently to read the warning poster.  I don't know about you, but the last thing that I want to think about while I'm running trails is military activity and the possibility--even if extremely remote--of getting blown up.

Running With a Friend on the Appalachian Trail

Earlier this summer my good running buddy, Jody, and I ran the 15 mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail in southern PA from Caledonia Park south to the Rt 16 road crossing at Blue Ridge Summit.

Jody is an excellent photographer and took a number of shots using a high-end pocket camera (sorry, I don't have the make & model handy).  These two photos (of me!) struck me so I'll share them here:

A ghostly chestnut oak tree on the ridge top

On top of Chimney Rocks

The first scene: this site always kinda gives me the willies whenever I run under that particular tree.  This area was logged probably 100 years ago, I'm guessing, but this tree was spared and is now way larger than any other tree along that ridge.  The way the lateral limb hangs across the trail (did you note the white Appalachian Trail blaze, which being out on a horizontal limb has to be an AT rarity?).

For some reason this tree seems eerie, almost, but not quite sinister, and putting it behind me always is a relief, especially if I am running there alone.

Then the lovely vista from Chimney Rocks practically knocks your socks off.  It's well worth the trip.  Heading south you then have a screaming downhill of about a mile and a half that passes the twin Tumbling Run shelters, a mountain brook, and a wonderful spring.

Last Weekend on the Appalachian Trail...

Last weekend my friend Jody and I did 15 miles from Caledonia State Park in Franklin Co., PA, south to PA Rt. 16.

It'd been a number of months since I did that stretch, and frankly, I was bit intimidated by what I recalled of the route.  Turns out my fears were unfounded, as my recollection was that this section of the AT was rougher than it actually was.  I found the trail less steep and more runnable that I recalled, so chalk that up to a plus for failing memory.

Here are a couple of shots taken by Jody of me along this absolutely superb section of the Appalachian Trail:

Under a massive chestnut oak, perhaps the only horizontally blazed tree on the AT

The view from Chimney Rocks

The run was great, the company was great, and I hope to hit this section again real soon.  At about 25 minutes from my home, it's the closest place I can reach the AT.

More Trail Maintence Stuff--Esp For Whitetop66

Whitetop66 left me a comment to a trail maintenance post I did back on 18 Dec.  I just posted a reply there but he/she may not see it.  So in the public interest here's a dedicated post that gets into the nitty-gritty of creating a trail sign (just in case you thought trail signs magically materialized in place on posts that dug themselves). 

This post is in the weeds, but we Ultrarunners love us some weeds, right?

[image credit  Gary]

Whitetop66,

 

I am sorry I did not see your email till now—I have blog comments dumped into a folder that I do not see as regularly as I should. 

1. DREMEL TIP: My Dremel tool is the Model 4000 Series, about the size of a large cucumber.  The Dremel tip I used is # 117 (on left in photo).   

2. DREMEL CUTTING GUIDE: I put on the Dremel Cutting Guide (item on right in photo) that comes with the tool, which allows the Dremel to rest vertically on the wood and you just guide it along the traced letter outline.  I think it’s much like using a router.  I set the depth of the cutting blade to be between ¼” and 1/8”. 

3. FONT: The font I used is Arial Rounded MT Bold.   

4a. CREATING THE STENCIL, EXACTO KNIFE METHOD:  In Microsoft Word, I used Insert and Word Art to create a text box with the right signage and font above.  In Word Art you can stretch the text box horizontally and vertically.  I used  1.5” high; on length I just used a gut feeling to gauge the appropriate length.  In Word Art there is an option to vary the space between letters, so I maxed that spacing out.  Then I printed the words of the sign (which will likely be individual words that you must align for the mock-up of your sign).   I then used an Exacto knife to cut the letters out into a stencil, then traced the letters onto the wood in pencil.  

4b. CREATING THE STENCIL, TRACING METHOD:  Create the printed words as above, then skip the cutting out/stencil part and use some type of carbon paper to transfer the letters to the wood.  I just bought this craft tracing paper but have not used it yet:  “Saral Transfer (Tracing) Paper blue non-photographic 12 1/2 in. x 12 ft. roll”   I got it from Amazon for about $12.00.  It should work pretty well and save the cutting-out step. 

5. PAINT: I painted the whole board, with cut letters, in basic Rustoleum Brown, then painted the cut letters in white. 

 

[image credit Gary]

 

Hey, way to go on your AT hike!  That’s not realistic for me but I’m with you thru-hikers in spirit!

 

 

Appalachian Trail Stomach Virus

Seems that some hikers along the Appalachian Trail just south of its midpoint are contracting a severe intestinal bug.  From my local paper, the Chambersburg Public Opinion, on 30 May 2013, "Viral outbreak on Appalachian Trail hikes toward Pennsylvania":

While the worst viral outbreak to strike hikers in Appalachian Trail history is traveling north from Georgia into Pennsylvania, health officials say there is really no reason for area residents to be concerned.

Bob Proudman, director of conservation operations for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, said an outbreak of norovirus among trail hikers began somewhere around the Tennessee-North Carolina border about four weeks ago and is moving north with the hikers.

Norovirus has a 12- to 48-hour incubation period, lasts 24 to 60 hours and may cause severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. 

Signs are being posted along the Appalachian Trail south of Maryland. Signs read "A.T. shelters and privies may have been used by sick hikers" and information includes ways to "help prevent spread of highly contagious 'stomach bug'":

        - Wash hands with soap and water.

        - Treat all water. Use best "leave-no-trace" practices.

        - (Alcohol-based) hand sanitizers may not be effective against the stomach bug.

        - Stomach bug has a 12- to 48-hour incubation period, lasts 24 to 60 hours and may cause severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration.

        - People with stomach bug may be contagious for three days to two weeks after recovery.

I've previously posted about drinking Potomac River water--treated of course--here. The treating agent was bleach, but of course since I am not a public health expert you must take my story for what is is--a personal anecdote, and not definitive advice.

I've never succumbed to any such illnesses but I've had some severe influenza, which kinda gives me the idea.  We all tend to get complacent about basic precautions with our food and drink, so the bottom line is that it's time to assume it could happen to me, and take appropriate precautions.

 

Appalachian Trail Run...and Being a Good Animal

[photo by Gary]

You kinda had to be there for this rollicking run over hill and dale for some 19+ miles, from Pine Grove Furnace State Park south to Caledonia State Park, in southern PA. 

The weather was wintry, in the upper teens at the start, dropping some as we gained altitude on the ridgetops, and with up to 3" of snow in spots.  The snow was fairly trampled, as the AT had obviously been recently well traveled despite it being mid-winter.

Besides my companionable companions, the highlights of the day for me were just covering some beautiful trail miles, drinking from a couple spring-fed streams, the brilliantly deep blue sky.  But mostly, I guess, the satisfaction that comes from the words of Dr. George Sheehan (the running philosopher from the initial boom of the 1970s), who challenged us: "First being a good animal."

On the trail on Monday, I was a good animal.  My mind was sharp, my feet sure, and I felt full of the possible.  It doesn't get any better than that.

With this run under my belt, the Seneca Trail 50K in 2 weeks is well within my comfort range at my present level of training.

Rocky Knob Trail

A couple days ago--when temps here in Franklin County, south-central PA, reached 70 F in December--I played hooky from household chores and went to explore the Rocky Knob Trail.  I have passed its intersection with the Appalachian Trail many times and always wondered about it:

[photos by Gary, junction with Appalachian Trail.  Segment here is along an old woods road, but 2/3 of the trail is single-track and mostly runnable]

The trail is located in the Michaux State Forest, just a couple miles north of Caledonia State Park.  PA Department of Conservation Natural Resources (DCNR) trail link with map is here.

The trail is like a flattened oval, with a spur trail located at each end to reach, respectively, the Appalachian Trail to the north, and Birch Run Road to the south, as it runs beside Long Pine Run Reservoir.  DCNR lists its length at "approximately 4 miles" but I am not certain whether that includes both spur segments.

The trail has a short segment along a stream, some cool rhododendron "tunnels," plus some good views once you gain the 1900'+ ridgetop.  Enjoy!

Center right = Rocky Knob, which the trail skirts, and is a tempting bushwhack to the summit; Long Pine Run Reservoir also visible

Large white pine (4' diameter trunk)

A Picnic Table Along the Appalachian Trail

[photo credit Gary]

The old, decrepit picnic table is immediately beside the Conococheague Creek where the Appalachian Trail crosses it in Caledonia State Park.  This is in southern PA, about 18 trail miles north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

I like to suppose it is reserved for old, decrepit hikers (or Ultrarunners); as such, I would have a standing reservation there.