Since I’m sleeping so well lately, I’m actually recovering well, too. Seriously, the past few months I’ve felt wrecked, and oh my god, I feel great now.
Could I really head out for 1400′ of elevation over 6.5 miles on dirt roads? Well, only one way to find out.
Took me about 30 minutes to get to the top of the first climb, which is a bit slow for me, but whatever. I walked most of it – it’s mostly all 10% grade, and upwards of 15% in places. Figured I’d save my energy since I never attempted this route before.
Made it to the top! That’s the Appalachian Trail, heading north. I think the next trail head there is Palmerton, PA.
Now it’s time to head down the northern side of the mountain, which I’ve never done before.
I mean, it was gorgeous. Windy – I wish I wore my jacket at this point, but I survived. Had my first GU Energy gel while descending, and wow – that got all over my fingers and felt sticky like maple syrup. And it was very sweet. Like, I felt like I needed to brush my teeth afterwards. I usually use Spring Energy for food on longer runs (for me that’s 1.5+ hours), and wow… I miss them already.
This road goes out to Route 309, just another half mile down the road (to the right in this picture, not in the direction I’m facing here). Didn’t feel like testing if I had the extra mile in the tank, so back up the mountain we go!
This side was much easier to climb. Still walked a bunch, but the grade was a little more forgiving.
In all, a good run. Took 1:25 to go 6.5 miles, with a total of 1,416ft of elevation.