Part of the trip on Sunday was an attempt to locate the Devils Den on the Mill River, but we didn't locate it.  We turned at this overhang and small swimming area, which is pretty nice in it's own right.

Music 2018...

Effort #20, Dead End originally by Pink Reason. Me and my guitar.

Phelps Road to the Metacomet after a morning of light rain.  Ankle felt much better than yesterday, but still sorer than I'd like.  3.7-miles out to the log-book and back.

Took a drive to Williamsburg, Massachusetts in the early morning with my friend K2, with the Breckenridge Sanctuary being our focus.  

I wanted to explore the snowmobile path leading south along the Mill River, to Pat's Store on Route 9.  It had been a very long time since I've been on that path, my old GPS coordinates are from 2009.

I also wanted to end our "run" with a hike upstream on the Mill River, north of Old Goshen Road, to see if we could locate Devils Den.

The run was enjoyable, but my left ankle was very tender from PT yesterday.  Finished the running section with 3.9-miles.  The trails are in excellent shape, and the conditions were perfect for being out in the woods (50's, no humidity, and basically sunny).  About half-way down the trail I saw the old covered bridge, which I had forgotten about.  There are trails on the other side of the river, I believe I had followed those back in '09.  I'll re-visit at some point.

We followed up the run with a 1-mile hike upstream, came to a neat rock overhand along the brook, but we turned at this point.  The Den will be for another day, when the water level isn't so high (or so cold).

Covered Bridge over Mill River

Remnants of old dam

K2 along the trail nearing a large white pine

Looking upstream along Blake Brook

Inscribed Stone at Trailhead

Dedicated to Margaret Breckenridge

K2 finishing up the run

I assisted my friend the Woods Walker during his presentation for the Suffield Library back on February 27th, 2018.  I noticed this article in the local newspaper...

3-miles on South Main Street to the railroad underpass, in a lite rain.

Music 2018...

Effort #19, Amazing Grace.  Road Warriors for Christ.

Beautiful sunny day, around 70-degrees or so.... 3-mile run along Main Street to loosen up.

Began physical therapy for the left ankle...  hoping for the best and quickly at that.

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

April's High Points:

• Stony Hill, McLean Refuge, Granby, CT
• "Nick's Hill", West Suffield Mountain / Metacomet Ridge
• Bartlett Tower Hill, Tariffville, CT
• Pinnacle, Penwood State Forest, Bloomfield, CT
• Skyline Overlook, Somers, CT
• Rattlesnake Hill, Somers, CT
• Minnechoag Mountain, Hampden, CT
• Copper - Peak Mountain, Metacomet Trail, Granby, CT
• Hart's Pond Hill, Agawam, MA

March's High Points:

• 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

Back out to McLean due to smoother running surface compared to most of the trails in the area.  My ankle is about the same as it has been, even after the run yesterday, so that is encouraging.  

Waited to just afternoon to avoid the on-and-off rain this morning, and managed a decent 6.7-miles at 5.5-mph.  

The left ankle is still not right, but with my physical therapy beginning on Monday, and nine-days off of running, it was time to do something.  I went to McLean on a sunny, seventy-degree day, and avoided large hills.

The Bad News is that the ankle is still very stiff and tender.  The Good News is that it didn't seem to make anything worse than if I didn't run at all.  I imagine that is a start.

4.3-miles at a comfortable 5.5-mph pace.

On this day in 2006, I completed a Metacomet Marathon with my dog Tippi;  it was just us.  By 2005, most of my running turned toward exploring and mapping routes through the forest of Western Massachusetts and North Central Connecticut, with an emphasis on picking out ways to connect big tracks of land, and turn them into runs of marathon length.

Tips taking a look toward the quarry in West Suffield, Connecticut.

This run began in Sunrise Park, Suffeld, Connecticut and flowed south through Penwood State Forest in Bloomfield and Simsbury, Connecticut.  We spent 6:27:00 completing a little over 28-miles or so.  This was my 31st marathon completed, and Tippi's 7th.
 

Hueblin Tower in the distance; we would be turning around just prior to it.

Notes:  A great day;  started out 50 degrees at the 9:45 A.M. start time.  I believe it reached 70 degrees during the day, with most of it in the mid to upper 60’s.  Sunny and blue sky entire time, with a bit of a nice breeze every once and a while.

Tippi taking a look back off a ledge.

Much of the route is a ridge trail, with weather beaten trees still standing.

Tippi at the finish, ready to eat and rest.

  

 The Route we managed in April of 2006.

MAGIC MOMENTS

(Originally written October 1st, 2000)

Magical moments during trail races happen less than often for me.  During simple training runs, the magic flows like water from a faucet.  Usually not at races though.  The one exception is the Dunbar Brook Trail Race, luckily allowing this ever slowing trail runner to live in the past, once a year, every year.

No matter how unhurried I have been running up to this point, Monroe State Forest helps lift the weight from my shoulders and allows me to run like I once did, years ago.  Well, it at least affords the appearance that I am attaining that speed.  Over nine years of participating at this event, I have never had a "bad day" here.

I imagine that there are reasons why I am "lucky" at Monroe that I haven't thought of.  It might just be coincidence, or me being more lenient on what constitutes a "good day" this far into the trail-racing season.  Something I can point to, though, are the following positives.

Peak Foliage.  The Columbus Day weekend is just incredibly beautiful in western Massachusetts, and that intensifies along the Mohawk Trail.  Peak Foliage abounds.  Glances upward from the path reveal unmatched splendor in the form of colors that appear surreal.  The splattering of red mixed within the more abundant yellow-orange is so incredible decorating the trees that it would appear more in place within a painting, not nature.  

Time of year.  The coolness of the air temperature is a relief from the typical heat and humidity double feature normally present for our events.  It is refreshing to gulp in a big chunk of air towards your lungs and actually have the lightness and crispness of cold air fill up both compartments fully.  More oxygen into your lungs means more oxygen into your bloodstream, which means more oxygen to your brain, so you feel better.  And when we feel better, we run better.

This combination of fall color and cooler air temperature make autumn ideal for a "fast" race.  One for the eyes, and the other for the heart/lung combo.  Both are suited for the mind.  Which leads me towards ~

Daydreaming. With the abundant colors hanging from nearly every tree in the forest, it's easy for me to lose track of running.  I believe it helps if you can keep your mind occupied on something other than running, while running.  I usually like to let my thoughts drift wherever they want to go.  If I can attain this drifting state, then fatigue usually leaves me alone during these stretches. The golden yellow orange hue that burns into the back of my mind from the surrounding leaves tint everything towards a feeling of being outside myself.  It is almost like watching a movie of someone else running.  It allows for the fall color scheme to end up taking my breath away, and not the effort of running.

Terrain.  The Monroe State Forest contours lead me into a rhythm that is beneficial to maintaining a steady pace, and this helps give the appearance of a "good" run.  The first five and a half miles or so is basically uphill, and if you maintain a slow steady beat up the climb to Spruce Peak you can find yourself topped out and feeling great before you know it.  The simple "step in front of the next" effort it takes us all to climb this extended piece of landscape really simplifies the act of running.  One foot falls and the next rises slowly off the back to re-take the lead of the last footfall and over and over again basically at the same time and distance intervals, almost hypnotizing me to the point of forgetting this is an effort.  An assembly line for my two feet.

Negative Splits.  Once you make the top of the climb, the remaining 5 miles or so is downhill, and runnable.  This means the second half of the event is hopefully going to be faster than the opening half.  Think of all the races you have been in; how many can also offer this option?  Finishing up the last half of a race with a negative split has to make you feel good, regardless of your ending time.  Playing tricks with your mind is good while trail running and racing.  Nothing tricks my mind more when trailrunning than a faster / easier second half of a course, especially if the whole section is runnable.  Monroe allows each of us a quicker return trip home from Spruce Peak, building our momentum like an avalanche flowing down a mountain.  

Closure.  For many years, Monroe / Dunbar Brook was the finale of the trail racing season in New England.  While the season extends a bit further now, as events have expanded and been added, for many of us Monroe / Dunbar Brook is still the "end".  We may even participate at another event afterward, but our racing season ends once we cross the finish between the pines along the Deerfield River.  Knowing that many people are "wrapping it up" after this one contributes to a little quicker pace.  People seem so joyful at this event, trying to capture some of that past glory called "speed", it just rubs off.  It appears we all want to "go out" with a "bang".

It could be argued that there is nothing any "more" special about this race than others.  But as I howl across the short open sections under the buzzing power lines, it feels different to me.  I imagine leaving a wake of dust, crumpled leaves and fellow participants behind.  I silently call loudly ahead to those I trail, never actually catching any.  My inner shouts of emphasis are heard throughout the valley below.  The joy rings true, it doesn’t ever matter where I finish.  I feel vindicated, a trail runner for another season.  I have explored another magic moment at Monroe.

{October 19, 2000}

Music 2018...

Effort #18, Another Day, a Galaxy 500 cover.  Just me and the guitar, trying my best.

I caught this video online featuring Mr. Kreisberg which is pretty interesting...