Today would tell us whether the fieldwork I'd been putting in would be a success or not;  an actual start to finish attempt would be made on the old Skyline 8-Miler from the late '90's early 2000's of K.S.  (aka the Wednesday Night Run).

Wuzzam was game, and the short story is we successfully completed the loop without going off track.  The only difficult part was immediately from South Road to climb 880...  a short section was difficult to see after the brook crossing, and then just before the real climb starts deer and/or turkey had disturbed the ground cover so severely that we could not see any sign of the old trail.  We reconnected within twenty or thirty feet both instances.

Wuzzam has been concerned about his climbing, especially as he has Wapack End-To-End on the near horizon.  We counted 5-climbs in this loop:

1) Initial climb from the start to top of Skyline Lookout

2) Minnechoag Mountain

3) 880

4) Pine Mountain

5) Backside of Skyline from South Road

We've got some briers to cut out just prior to South Road, but other than that the course is in good shape.  It is much more open than what we remembered from 18 - 20 or so years ago, logging and development have taken a bit of a toll.  It will be interesting to see what it looks like once the leaves come out.

At a "new" clearing, with a mass of white birch in background

Wuzzam at the marker tree

Top of Hill 880'

Climbing to the top of Pine Mountain

The sun came out by noon, but temperatures remained only around 40-degrees.  I thought about a longer run, but settled on the Metacomet section between the north end of Penwood (Wintonbury Road), and Tariffville.

Totaled 4.6-miles, with some side paths on the return.

View south

Bartlett Tower

Old Chimney Remains (no longer on the blue blazed Metacomet)

FANFARE FOR THE WARRIORS

(Originally written April 1st, 1999...  so some of this no longer is accurate)

I have participated in each 7 Sisters Race since 1992. I’ve had some excellent finishing times and also some not so excellent times. That doesn’t really matter much. Honestly, it has been the struggles that I recall with the most clarity and detail. Those were the years when the finish line looked best. As "Big Man" Stan recently said about a completed excursion on this course, "…because it was beautiful doesn’t necessarily make it pretty".

I believe that once you experience a little success at 7 Sisters then the difficult times need not be looked upon as "bad ones" but merely steps to regain that magical moment from once or twice before. What I have been taught is that we don’t have to be at our best to enjoy this race year after year. Participating should be plenty, and for knowing this I am thankful.

Other pieces of information I have learned from this event are…

This is the only day of the entire year that Race Director Fred P smiles. That should be a clue to what you are getting into. 

Haven’t run 7 Sisters before? Best of all is knocking this one out for the first time. I believe many trail racing memories I retain tend to be from the first attempt I had at a course. That is the feeling I wish to re-experience each time I show up. Cross the finish complete with that wild-eyed look pouring out of me like Bogart first viewing Bacall in Key Largo. It’s all in the eyes. Each of us may feel it elsewhere, but the truest indication of success will not be told on the scorecard but in the eyes of each finisher. The windows of the soul allow everyone a glance to into your contentment that day. 

Worried about being slow or finishing at all? Take strength in that the more time spent trying to complete the Sisters will be that much more time you will be able to go way inside yourself and explore those emotions that normally scare the shit out of you. 

The possible range of finish times will be almost 4 hours for this 12-mile race. The winner will most likely be < 2:00 and the final participant finishing somewhere between 5 and 6 hours. This is for a twelve-mile race. 

Since 1992 only 23 men and 4 women have dipped under the 2:00/2:30 six pack challenge. If you start to dig into this stuff though, you’ll realize that only 13 different men make up those 23 occasions. Each of the ladies has been different however. These are not good odds. 

Listening to many first time entrants relate their experiences, I believe that those who venture in from a background of hiking tend to enjoy this course more and keep coming back. The "SlugRunner" is a prime example. Those of us who are used to walking and are not obsessed with time seem to be able to accept this style of "running" easier than those who only want to blast through  

If you finish this race, no other course in the Grand Tree circuit will be "intimidating". Some may be too much distance, but for shear difficulty this is as hard as New England gets. You will be loaded with confidence after completing this one. 

I used to try hard at this race and attempt to run as much of the first hill as possible. It would take me about 8 minutes to reach the top of Bare Mountain. A couple years ago I started to walk this section entirely. This took me 12 minutes. When the race starts and you find yourself behind a hundred people who seem to be going too slow, don’t worry so much. If you are trying to win the event you should have been at the very front to start. If winning isn’t the goal, everyone will spread out soon enough and the 4 or 5 extra minutes walking at the start isn’t going to hurt your overall time, chances are it will help it. 

Completely running out of gas and regulating oneself to the side of the trail to sit is more apt to happen for those of us who start too fast. I have never viewed anyone behind me stop to rest, only those who have been in front of me. Take out of this whatever you wish….. 

One of two things is almost certain after this race. Either you’ll be so hungry you’ll sample every bit of food the Notch Visitor Center has to offer (part of your entry fee), or you’ll not be able to eat at all. I haven’t really noticed any "in between" stage. 

Depending on individual goals and aspirations success is decided differently. Regardless of competitive level or lack of, the ticking time clock shouldn’t be the only indication of achievement. It is each of us out there in charge of our own thing. Get out of this what you want to.

{04/01/99}

Windy, cold day despite the afternoon sun.  Stopped at East Granby Farms and ran up the connector to the Metacomet, just below Copper/Peak Mountain (roughly a 600' elevation gain).  Continued on to make a 3.4-mile run out of it.

View south from Copper/Peak Mountain, with Talcott Mountain in background

Looking west off an unnamed lookout along the Metacomet

Rain on and off all day, but from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. the sun came out...  so I went to the Metacomet and ran from Phelps Road north, 3-miles.

View west from Metacomet Trail

Music 2018...

Effort #14, Bill is Dead.  A mellow song by The Fall.  I am really captivated by the "greatest times of my life refrain...".

Continuing to track my "peaks", or at least "high points" along the trails I cover.

March's High Points:

• Hart's Pond Hill, Agawam, MA
• Hatchet Hill, Granby, CT
• "Nick's Hill", West Suffield Mountain / Metacomet Ridge
• West Suffield Mountain, Metacomet Trail, Suffield, CT
• Perkins Mountain, Somers, CT
• Skyline Overlook, Somers, CT
• Rattlesnake Hill, Somers, CT
• Minnechoag Mountain, Hampden, CT
• Stony Hill, McLean Refuge, Granby, CT

February's High Points:

• Skyline Overlook, Somers, CT
• Goat Rock and Lookout Point, Hampden, MA
• Minnechoag Mountain, Hampden, CT
• "Nick's Hill", West Suffield Mountain / Metacomet Ridge, Suffield, CT
• Hill 880', Hampden, MA
• Pine Mountain, Hampden, MA
• Perkins Mountain, Somers, CT
• West Ridge, DAR State Forest, Goshen, MA
• Walnut Hill, Williamsburg, MA
• Copper - Peak Mountain, Metacomet Trail, Granby, CT
• West Suffield Mountain, Metacomet Trail, Suffield, CT
• Merritts Hill, Williamsburg, MA

January's High Points:

• "Nick's Hill", West Suffield Mountain / Metacomet Ridge
• Bald Mountain, Shenipsit State Forest
• The Pinnacle, Shenipsit State Forest
• "Balanced Rock Hill",  Shenipsit State Forest
• "Bent Birch Hill", Shenipsit State Forest

Mid-morning run along the Metacomet from Rising Corner, Suffield, to the Agawam Bowman's Club on Route 57.   4.2-mile round trip, with a little more get-up-and-go in my steps than yesterday.

Stone marker just prior to new bridge-work

North of bridge, flowing to Harts Pond

Southern view from Bridge

An awesome sunny day in the upper 50's.  Drove out to the Metacomet Crossing at Route 20 in Granby, and headed south to the Farmington River at Tariffville.

The section from Hatchet Hill Road to the Farmington River, which includes a slew of side-trails to Cowles Park (and elsewhere), was well populated with bikers.

Enjoyable day, I ended up with 8-miles of very slow going, especially the last 2-miles.

View south from above Tariffville Gorge

View north from above Tariffville Gorge

At the Farmington River

Old Burial Ground, being "updated"

DL and I Met up with my folks today at lunch (at Williamsburg Snack Bar).  Had some Mrs. Murphy's donuts for them, and a ham and kielbasa from Perkarski's.  The visit was outstanding.

Early evening I took a run in light rain along the Metacomet, from Phelps Road south, for 3.7-miles.

And, from old gps data, Tippi and I were out on Florida Mountain snowmobile trails today, ten-years ago (February 29th & March 6th, 2007).

An early evening 3-Miles on the Metacomet from Phelps Road north.

Turn-around point at stonewall

"The Lost Forest of New England", a wonderful video from the New England Forests channel.  I've been fortunate to have been out on a few hikes with the filmmaker.

Cleared to Return to Work from the Shingles Virus, which is a relief.  I am starting to feel decently.  Late afternoon called for a drive to Phelps and the Metacomet, to manage a nice easy 3.7-miles of varying pace.

Music 2018...

Effort #13, Girls Got Limits.  Originally by D.Y.S., evidently one of "Aldo's" favorite bands from the early '80's. (see February 5th, 2018 post of us performing "Open Up" by the same group). 

This was the Primitives, Summer of '84.  Aldo was hitting on all cylinders, and DL supplied background vocals

Managed a nice slow hike at Minnechoag Mountain Conservation Land.  It hurt a bit, and I was winded, but I kept it short and took breaks along the way studying trees.  

I'll say it again, Shingles Sucks, but I am hopeful I am at the tail end of it.  I just finished day 7 of 10 on the anti-viral medication, and while I feel much improved I am still a ways off from actually doing any running it seems like.

Signage along all the trails is fantastic

Close up of Bent Tree (full tree picture available on Feb 2, 2018)

View east off north end of Minnechoag, 880 and Pine

View west up Zellweger Hill (Gas Pipeline)

Parking area on South Road