Ken is out west (Ohio) for a few weeks, scouting places to come back from, and I miss his daily reports on trail conditions. Wind rain stay on the job. Though he’s taking time off, the rain has been on the job soaking the soil, the winds have blown, and the mercury has been jumping up and down in the thermometer, so things have kept happening in the woods. Today I went out to take a look at the vicinity of the Beaver Creek Campground. Starting from the Allegheny Trail crossing on the Beaver Creek Road and heading south on the trail toward the airstrip there was just the usual light smattering of branches on the trail, with one exception. Temps were still in the twenties, so wet spots were more likely to be icy, and thus easier to cross.
5K Race Route
Once I got to the airstrip, I picked up the 5K race route. What a beautiful 2 mile hike it is! (It needs the connection from the start/finish at the campground and the partial loop of the airstrip to make a full 5K.) There were branches on the trail in the usual places and some larger blowdowns, each indicated by a red X on this map – nothing that a band of senior citizens armed with chain saws can’t deal with. Runners in the last 3 Mountain Trail Challenge 5Ks (they keep coming back) may be happy to learn that Nimble Alley retains its charm. I have thought of replacing “What-did-I-get-myself-into Hill” with a gentler short ascent to the ridge, probably named “Why-didn’t-we-go-this-way-last-year Hill”, but it’s not likely to happen soon. Maybe for the 5th annual Mountain Trail Challenge in 2020.
I was afraid the stones underfoot would be uncomfortable, but, honest, I didn’t feel a thing, … and for a while afterward, too.
While we walked back down the airstrip a great blue heron came out of the woods near the creek and flew down the road ahead of us for a bit. A minute later it swooped up out of a tree and coasted across the airstrip.
Ken has a tough job patrolling these trails. With him away, we’ve just got to step up and fill in as best we can. Wind rain stay on the job.