God looks after fools and little children...
5:45am - There is something about driving in the dark as you begin a journey. There were so many times growing up with my Dad where a trip started in the dark. It seemed like we always had to be somewhere in the pre-dawn hours for whatever reason. I still get excited when I witness the dark becoming the light. It always strikes me as a metaphor for things new.
This morning I am meeting Thomas for a run at Cottonwood Valley. As an accomplished ultra runner, Thomas has to hold back for me to keep up and I love him for it. The opportunity to train with someone who is better than you allows you to reach new levels. I not sure if its a good or bad thing, but I always seem to find an extra gear when I'm up against superior competition.
I meet Thomas in a gas station parking lot like some clandestine drug meeting. He jumps in my car and we head up the road to the trail head. My goal is to be on the trail at 6:00am, but we wait in the car for a little bit to allow enough light so we can see the trail.
This is my invite, so I am in the lead. Thomas has been dealing with an over use injury from treadmill work. I listen to his breathing...he sounds a little ragged. I always sound that way. I'll mentally check back at a mile and see how we sound.
Once the light breaks the darkness, it comes quickly in the desert. The air smells clean and dry. The air is crisp, even a little cold against my skin. This is really the best part of the day.
Checking back, Thomas' breathing is smooth, he is definitely good to go. We clear the first two miles and reach the map posted by the Forest Service. The trail splits in several directions here and I point them out, giving Thomas the option. (I notice he does not look at the map for a You Are Here sticker). He opts for the trail I took yesterday.
God looks after fools and little children...
We reach the two black bushes where I turned around yesterday, if we turnaround here I will have the seven miles in that I am supposed to run today. I pause briefly and point out this is where I turned around. We both are working under the assumption that this trail will loop around the back side of the hill and comeback into the valley on the other side. Thomas suggests we push on and I agree. The thought of trail that is new is exciting.
It's another mile in that it begins to dawn on me that this is not going to work out the way we anticipated. I can't see Thomas behind me but I can almost feel that he is thinking the same thing. This trail is not going to move around the hill and back into the valley from where we came. We are leaving the plan.
Highway 159 is on our left, I can't really see it but I know that it is there. The trail is not really moving up against the slope the way that it should. We should be cutting to the right, instead we are moving down the watershed. I realize what's happening right before I crest the last hill. We are going to end up in Blue Diamond.
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| We saw burros on the way in and on the second hill. |
As I see the physical truth of the buildings, I begin mentally working on an exit strategy. If we keep going, it's about 3 miles down 159 to the gas station where I picked up Thomas this morning. I ask Thomas if he has the keys to his car.
"No."
That means that if we run down to the gas station and then up to the trail head, the run is going to stretch to 14-16 miles total. Not impossible, but I am not eager to share that Garmin download with my Coach. I'm already going to go over my scheduled run. It's now about damage limitation.
Ok, plan "C". We can push over the hill behind Blue Diamond and get ourselves back into the valley. We run to the town market for directions.
I have to say that the Clerk at the store does not inspire confidence. He's a nice guy, but his initial suggestion is that we go back to the trail that we just came down. When we explain that fact, he advises us to follow the road from the market to the left and head to the trail next to the house that looks like Taco Bell. I didn't realize that Taco Bell architecture is American iconic.
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| This brings back some memories... |
We find it (Taco Bell is a stretch, but I get the idea) and head for the town water tower. We reach the tower and look over the crest...to another hill. I'm now on Plan "D". While being a quiet and patient man, Thomas is in no way weak. He takes the lead.
I urge him to go high. He does, but we end up at the base of the two hills anyway. I see a gash in the rocks at the top of the second hill and we agree to head for it. This is where size, conditioning and experience all matter. Thomas is not going fast, but he is dusting me up the hill. We crest the second hill, see the valley we are looking for and begin to head down. Thomas beats me down by an even larger margin than on the way up. I'm a little embarrased that he has to wait for me.
The trail at the bottom of the hill is well worn and we are back in business. I take the lead again and begin following the trail to the middle of the valley where the fire road would be. It seems to take forever. I am getting tired.
I begin to tease Thomas that whenever we run together, I end up running 10 miles. He said it would probably be more like 9.5 miles. I appreciate the humor.
We find the fire road, find our tracks and head for home. It turned out to be a wonderful adventure. I will be back.
2:06:01 / 9.60 miles
Keep it up Jeff. I love reading your blog. You write very well! I have an interview Friday with Breathe Magazine, Ill keep you posted....
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