Loop 10

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Arrived at the primitive campground entrance at 6:18 am and it was just light enough to see the road but the sun was still hidden behind the mountain. Weather.com said it was 25 degrees which meant it was probably 22 degrees out at Oak Mountain. It is always three degrees colder out there for some reason. My internal temperature was better regulated this morning and I wasn't freezing when I got there so I was ready to go.

Richard drove up and we hit the trail while it was still hard to see the roots in the trail. It is bright enough to see at 6:30 am but that is about all. Very quickly we hit the portion of the yellow-white connector that begins the ascent up the mountain. Very soon after that I was really warm. The trail looked different in the low light and we back tracked a couple hundred yards because we thought we had missed the turn-off to take us up the final ascent of the mountain. However we just hadn't gone far enough, so we trudged on.

I had taken the lead during the back tracking and so I started on up the steep part. The calves started burning and the lungs started screaming for air. Half way up the body started over heating so the gloves, jacket and head warmer came off. I was almost to the top when a doe and a little one jumped up and went running off. They stopped at about 100 yards and checked me out before bounding on off over the hill. They didn't seem to have a problem with the steepness of the mountain.

I took a short break at the top and waited for Richard. His meds were still keeping his heart rate slow and this slowing his pace down. We met at the top and Richard said it was 36 degrees. It sure seemed warm. We began the descent down the white trail to the white-blue connector and pretty soon we could feel the temperature get cooler.

This seems to be a well used trail but it needs some maintenance. There were several trees across the path and down near the connector the bushes were real tight on the path. I am going to have to get my Den of Cub Scouts out there one Saturday and do a little trail cleaning.

At the bottom Richard checked and it was 25 degrees. Of course I had put my head warmer back on and Richard had put his gloves back on. We didn't need his digital watch thermometer to tell us that it was colder.

We hit the Blue trail and I took the lead and took off jogging. We were going to hit the Orange connector. Well after jogging and jogging and jogging I was afraid that I had missed it. I could just see Richard having already taken it and headed back toward the vehicles and wondering where I was. I started getting cramps in my side so I walked for a little while.

They cleared up so I took off jogging again. It wasn't soon after that I came upon the Orange connector. Boy was I glad. I was afraid I was going to come out at the North Trailhead and have to take all day getting back to my Jeep. I gladly took off down the Orange connector. Soon I came across a pile of rocks on the right side of the trail. I stopped to look and what appeared to be a primitive camp site area. There was an Oak Mountain signpost with a three on it. I didn't realize there were designated camping sites.

I hit the Civilian Conservation Corps road and took a break next to the Eagle Scout project. The benches were nice to do some stretching on. In no time at all Richard was there and we were ready to head on down the CCC road back to the yellow-white connector. I took on off down the road at a jog and was actually able to jog all the way to the connector.

I took off down the connector and had to be very careful. My eyes were watering from the cold wind and the leaves were covering the trail. The combination made it very hard to see the roots, rocks and dips in the trail. Fortunately I only slipped a little bit once and my trail running shoes came through by grabbing a rock and keeping me from busting my bootie.

I made it to the bottom and was able to jog all the way to the Jeep. I have definitely improved since Richard and I started on Loop 1. I wish I could have done Loops 6, 7 and 8 with Richard. This completed Loop 10 for the first time this year though and it wasn't as bad as I remembered it last year. However last year I only ran the second time and it was warmer. It may be tougher this year when it is warmer. We shall see.

Loop 9

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It was cold, cold, cold when I arrived at the primitive campground entrance at 6:25 am. I got cold while dressing and I hadn't warmed up even with the heater at full blast because I was eating some breakfast and drinking a really cold Monster drink. That kept me cold. So when I arrived there before Richard I just sat there with the Jeep running and the heater cranked to the max.

Richard got there in just a few minutes and it was time to brave the outside air. I put on my running jacket, my gloves and my head band to cover my ears. I then stepped out of the Jeep and started wishing I had stayed in the bed snuggled up under the thick quilts that keep me warm during the night. DANG! It was freezing cold at a right lowly 24 degrees.

Richard was of the same mindset and quickly got out of his vehicle and said let's get this show on the road. He started walking down the primitive campground road while I jogged, hopped, jumped up and down next to him. I was internally cold and trying anything to get warmed up.

We hung a hard left on the Yellow Trail and hit our first hill of the morning. Thank goodness, I was ready for some warmth. Well buddy, I got what I asked for. About half way up the calves started screaming and saying they were warm enough that we could stop now. Well my face begged to differ with them and since it was closer to my brain and had more influence, we kept on climbing.

We came out on top and were able to see one of the Double Oak Mountains to our right with just the first rays of the sun coming over. I wished I could have sat down next to a tree right there and waited to watch the sun rise over that mountain. One of these mornings when it is warmer I am going to take the family up there and do just that.

Richard was having a tough go of it due to some over medication prescribed by his doctor so our leg to the Pavilion / Picnic area was a little on the slower than usual side. We took a water break there and I was feeling froggy what with now being warmed up and the cold air giving me energy so I asked if I could take the lead and set the pace. Richard gave me the reins and told me not to wait on him.

I took off at a steady jog and in a few minutes had to come out of my gloves and then a little later had to come out of my jacket. The continuous jogging was definitely warming me up. However as I came up to a small incline right before getting back to the main rode I ran out of steam and had to slow to a fast walk. Once I hit the top of the hill I had caught my breath and was ready to rock and roll.

It was a very nice jog from there on in back to the Jeep. The main road by the primitive campground is a very nice road to jog. The road is big and wide and the woods are open on each side. The squirrels were busy running all over the ground but I didn't see any deer. Later I found out that I had beaten Richard by 11 minutes.

It was a good jog and I am looking forward to the big daddy of all loops, number 10 coming up this Friday.

Loop 5

It was 28 degrees this morning when we parked at the entrance to the CCC road and started jogging up the highway to Peavine Falls. The wind was blowing a lot harder than the Weather channel said it would be last night also. I had insulated jogging pants, an insulated top, an insulated windbreaker jacket, gloves and a wrap around my ears. My eyes were watering like crazy and my nose was cold. Sixty-two minutes later as we got back to the car, I had removed my gloves and my wrap and unzipped my jacket. It had only warmed up to 29 degrees but those trails had warmed me up a lot more.

We made it down to Peavine Falls and started up the Blue trail. It had experienced some serious windage as there were a good many trees across the trail. There were already small trails around them as others had been there before us. It was definitely a different trip than what we had taken in the spring while winding back down to Loop 1. When we got to the white connector, a tree had fallen and knocked the sign over. The White trail was down in the valley and didn't have any trees across it. I guess the wind stayed up on the hill and did it's damage there.

The sun was up and shining as we made our way up from Peavine Falls to the parking area. It sure looked nice coming over the mountain and burning off the mist. The jog from the parking area back to the entrance to the CCC road was a nice finish to a nice run.

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