Visiting an old friend with some new friends

     I am not sure why I refer to the trails I have spent so much time on as "old friends".  Maybe it's the heart and literal soul (sole! ha! -Steve) I have put in on mile after mile of them.  It could be the uncounted conversations with friends, hiking, running, and snowshoeing among the trees and hills and wildlife encounters.  Maybe it's the intimate knowledge of each bend and hill and certain features that stand the test of time.  This  perfect climbing tree, that used to be covered with Tanglewood vines shaped like a heart.  Year after year my kids would clamber over when we reached it and we would stop to take family photos.  This steep hill that seems to go on forever. I remember on a walk after my grandmother died it was the perfect epitome of how I felt, the insurmountable grief that you just had to get through step by heavy step.  The group campground clearing where we had a big campout with many friends and their children every summer for years.  I can see the ghosts of our children, running, laughing, and sword fighting with sticks. When I am on this trail I remember walks hand in hand with my dear friend Patricia, discussing families and children and hopes and dreams. This is Brighton Rec for me, these trails and trees have watched my family grow, have been there with their peace and comfort as I navigate life's trials.  So yes, I see them as a friend that I return to again and again.   

    I have been to many trail races on other trails but there has only been a few on Brighton Rec.  And for the first time there was a fall race, Deadfall trail race.  I have been sticking to shorter distances during my cancer journey, not wanting to push myself too hard.  The shortest distance for Deadfall was 10k (6.2 mi) and I knew I could do it with only a little train up, if I stuck to a hiking pace.  I feel comfortable pushing myself in a 5k, but I didn't think it wise to try to run the 10k especially at Brighton Rec which has some major hills, and trip hazards.  What I really looked forward to was the fall colors. And as an added bonus some new friends from CUUB would be there also hiking, so I wouldn't have that "back of the pack" depression that so often hits when I am not able to push myself to go faster.  It would also be a nice challenge and the longest distance I've done in years.

Signing up for a fall race you kind of cross your fingers and pray it won't be rainy and cold.  After a couple beautiful fall weather weeks this week the temps took a nosedive and this morning was a chilly 35 degrees.  Hilariously we all arrived bundled for winter hiking.  But the sun was shining and still providing a bit of warmth, I had my layers going knowing it would start to warm and we would probably not need the puffer jackets after the first hour or so.  

What a beautiful day to hike and talk with friends. Sharing stories and vacation plans and just enjoying a wonderful sunlit trail.  The Blackwood Racing Company did an excellent job setting this race up.  Lots of snacks both salty and sweet, fruit and soda at each each aid station.  Really it was Ultramarathon  level aid that I don't normally see at a shorter race.  The trail was very well marked and though I am intimately familiar with Brighton Rec trails both hiking and bike, there were some unusual twists and turns hopping on the road and Torn Shirt bike trail for a bit before getting on the hiking trail to create the correct distance.  Thank you Russel for all of your hard work marking the trail. We found it very well marked and had no problems staying on course. 

It is races such as this that lift me up and fill my soul.  There is a peace in the woods that is hard to find anywhere else.  "Into the woods I go, to lose my mind and find my soul."

  I did try to keep a steady pace.  It was a little bit of a push for me.  I didn't have a particular pace goal and there was no timing for this race, just what your own watch said.  No age awards just whichever female and male finished first at each distance, so no pressure to go fast.  But I get competitive and it is a race, and part of a race is to challenge yourself.  So still hiking but I wanted to keep it going pretty steady.  I did manage to do a slightly over 20 min mile pace for six miles. Even with a couple aid station stops, stops for pictures and layer removal, and one fall on a root that I swear jumped up to suddenly trip me. Thank you Claudia Tori, founder of Team Crash, I am reminded that yes I am a member! I think it was a respectable hiking pace and for me it felt like a bit of a push.  I did jog a couple times on smooth trail and tried to run the end, but I think I spent a lot of my energy getting through the 6 miles and found it almost impossible to pick up pace to run in the last .2.  So overall an excellent race, and a beautiful time with friends, sharing memories.  I couldn't ask for anything more from a lovely fall day in the woods!

The Kindness of Strangers on The GAP Trail

    When last we tackled the GAP (Great Allegheny Passage) trail it turned into an almost 20 mile bike out and back from Confluence to the Pinkerton Tunnel and bridges and back.  It was an amazing ride, with breathtaking views, but we haven't biked all summer and wanted to avoid another extra long ride for untrained legs.  

After listening to someone suggest some features we should see, like the famous half mile Big Savage Tunnel and the Mason and Dixon line etc. We made a plan to actually drive an hour to Frostburg Maryland and start there going west back towards Pennsylvania in order to see some of these sites with a shorter 12-13 mile out and back.

    This trip could have been a disaster from the get go. We arrived at the Parking for the Frostburg entrance to the trail, only to find Steve's bike had a flat tire.  Trying to inflate the tire was no help at all it just wouldn't hold air.  I had seen a bike rental place in an old train depot station at the top of a hill, and we pushed our bikes up a switchback to the depot in the hopes that they would have a new tube we could buy.

I am pretty proud of us for keeping calm and carrying on and not letting the bad luck dampen our mood.  We enjoyed some bike themed sculptures on the trudge up the hill and luckily someone was able to go find a new tube that fit Steve's tires.

    Of course changing a tube on the trail takes time and can be frustrating.  We chatted with a group that was on their way to Ohiopyle who had stopped for lunch. And were mildly entertained through the frustrating tire changing task with trying to convince some of them that Whitewater rafting wasn't that dangerous, and only 4 out of 16 of our rafters fell out and were retrieved without major injury.  I don't think we sold them on it though.

    After the tire struggles Steve filled the new tube and the tire seemed to be holding air fine, so we finally started our journey out from Frostburg.  By now it was 2pm and we were getting a very late start but still doable with the shorter ride we planned.  I was not prepared for the steady uphill burn of my quads.  Honestly, had I known how steep the grade was uphill from Frostburg I might have argued for a different plan.  But you know me, my friends, when going gets hard I just get more hard headed and put my nose to the grindstone and push through.  

    We quickly came to the first and shorter tunnel the Borden Tunnel, which did have automatic motion sensor lights that would switch on as you passed through.  Some of them were out but it was still enough light to see our path without breaking out the flashlights.

The tunnels were a nice cool relief from the heat of biking uphill and it was super cool and a little eerie to bike through them.  They are probably not for the claustrophobic or those who don't like caves.  

    Unfortunately 4 miles into our bike, luckily on a long tree shaded stretch, Steve's tire went flat again.  After trying with a small hand pump to pump it back and hearing what sounded like a steady leak of air, we determined something was wrong with the new tube we had bought.  We were starting to debate walking our bikes the 4 miles back when another cyclist passed us then turned around and came back and tried to help with his electric pump.  The electric pump was much faster and very helpful as it had a digital pressure gauge, but still the tire wasn't holding air.  Then the group of cyclists who had stopped for lunch in Frostburg caught up to us and they just happened to have a spare bike tube on them of the right size for Steve's bike.  He said he had a feeling we might be in trouble and kept pushing the girls to go faster to catch up in case we needed help.  Providence and his kindness in giving us the spare tube saved the day!

I became the bike rack and held Steve's bike while he and the first rider who stopped worked to remove the outer tire, check the rim and outer tire for anything sharp and then get the tube carefully placed so it didn't kink or twist.  It really helped to have two people work on it together!  It was a such a godsend for him to come along and turn around then spend the time to help us get Steve's tire properly situated. Unfortunately I can't remember his name. I know he was a retired pharmacist from North Carolina, but can't remember his name!  He stuck with us for the next couple of miles, until we were sure the tire was staying inflated, and he encouraged us to go beyond the tunnel a couple short miles to make it to the "top of the hill" The Continental Divide.  Then quickly outpaced us with his motor assisted bike.  Yeah, I was bit envious of that bike.

The view just before the Big Savage Tunnel was spectacular. Though we were pretty out of breath from that hill!  We did pass the Mason Dixon Line but decided to make it a stop on the way back as we had just gotten Steve's bike fixed and wanted to get to the Big Savage.

The Tunnel had lights interspersed, however the GAP Trail Guide had recommended bringing your own lights so Steve and I stopped to break out the flashlights.  Note to self: add bike headlights to shopping list. For being such a big and well known tunnel it was practically hidden amongst the hillside foliage.

Riding through tunnels is a little disorienting.  It's very cool and quiet, the crunch of your tires and your breathing echo back to you. You lose all the background forest noise, no wind, or breeze stirs. Then the combined lights from the tunnel and Steve and I's flashlights created some crazy shadows, and even though we were still going up hill it looked and felt a little downhill.  Very surreal and fun times!  Continuing after the tunnel the hill got steeper and steeper, until the final hill before the Continental Divide I did not downshift in time and had to dismount and walk up the last few feet.  There were beautiful murals surrounding the tunnel and a relief map showing the steepness of the hill which finally explained my cramping feet and burning quads.

You can see from the picture how much steeper the side is that we went up and suddenly I didn't feel so bad about my struggles with the hill.  My Garmin sports watch even gave me a badge for over a 1000ft of elevation gain during a bike ride.  Reaching this point on the trail is apparently a major achievement.  As we sat enjoying our lunch a cyclist arriving from the Pittsburgh side asked for help taking his picture.  As he hoisted his bike over his head for the shot we asked how far he had come and he said he was biking 90 miles.  Oh well is that all! lol, we all have our levels that for us is achievement.

The way back to Frostburg was a lovely breezy zoomy ride, where I could pedal a few and then coast my way down the hill.  We did make a stop for some photos of the Mason and Dixon Line. The rod and chain was an actual form of measurement that surveyors used to use. Steve assures me that you can still find some property descriptions with rod and chain measurement notations. For more info see the Wiki page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunter%27s_chain

     By the time we made it back to the Frostburg parking lot we were pretty tired and ready to get back to the campsite. So after taking care of bikes, a quick change out of bike shorts, and a quick snack we headed back.  As we left I heard a strange slidey, scrapey noise from what I thought was the roof of the car but Steve thought it was just all the crap we had stowed in back sliding around.  Unfortunately it wasn't until we had already driven the hour back to the campground that Steve realized he was missing the key ring that had all of the trailer keys and bike lock keys.  After a quick search of the car and not being able to find them, we realized he may have left them on the roof of the car when he locked the bikes up.  That was the scraping noise I heard when we left the parking lot!

 

    Yeah, so this kind of "well crap" moment could have led to arguments and accusations when we were younger and first married.  I think it has really helped us to have much more important and life threatening things to worry about over the last 6 years.  We have perspective and practice with "going with the flow" in these unexpected "Oh shit" life moments.  So fatigued, and with the self bribery of dinner out somewhere along the way, we turned around and drove back to Frostburg. We hoped to find the keys and not have to invest in a saws all for the trailer hitch lock.  It's a good thing Steve and I are used to long drives and we just tried to sit back, enjoy the audiobook and watch the sunset over the hillsides.  We got back at dusk and used our flashlights to search the sides of the road all the way up the hill from the parking lot.  Steve was unsure of where they flew off and continued up towards the train depot, and I felt certain I heard the noise at the entrance to the parking area and continued to search the road and ditches at the entrance.  

    After awhile of searching the ground I happened to shine my flashlight up the parking lot entrance stanchions and there was a loop at the top of one with the keys hung on it!   Someone must have found the keys and hung them from the loop.  I was so relieved and for the third time that day saved by the kindness of strangers! It was a long day of lessons that helped to restore our faith in humanity. Who knows how many times the keys could have been run over and made useless, but someone picked them up and put them where I was able to find them.  YAY!!!!  I then found a Mexican restaurant in Frostburg that was still open where we could rest and celebrate. 

    I am forever grateful for the kindness of strangers, and we now have several things to add to our list for the next bike trip.  Starting with an extra set of tubes for each bike, and an extra set of keys that stays with the car!