Granville, Phelon Forest area (NEFF). 5.0-miles.
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Friday, September 27, 2024
Thursday, September 26, 2024
September 26th, 2020 - The New England Trail
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
(August 28, 1986 - September 25, 2000).
Once we made the move to Connecticut in 1989, we began hiking and backpacking. Dusty loved the trail, and camping out in a tent. As a spaniel, he also loved water, and even in December's winters, if the water was open, he was going in.
We began running in Shenipsit State Forest around 1992, after building up with the years of hiking. We ran on the Metacomet three or four days a week, right up to a week before his passing.
I have been extremely lucky with the dogs I've had. Not a day goes by that I don't think of them. As I still ramble through the woods, I encounter hints and reminders constantly. Those first explorations throughout Connecticut and Western Massachusetts were with Dusty,. Rest easy, boy.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Granville, Phelon Forest area (NEFF). 6.7-miles.
And from the Marathon Archives...
The Greylock Marathon's always mean a bit more to me than others; this one was especially memorable due to the company I had for the entire route, my dad and my great friend Paul H, as well as Tips on her 10th completed marathon. We finished at 7:29:23, just beating some heavy rain. An unbelievable day!
Monday, September 23, 2024
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Granville, Phelon Forest area (NEFF). 6.0-miles.
And from the Marathon Archives...
Friday, September 20, 2024
Granville, Phelon Forest area (NEFF). 4.5-miles.
And a pair from the Marathon Archives...
September 20th, 2009 - Pittsfield, MA
After feeling as though I was demolished at this event in 2008, I had a goal of finishing under 5-hours this time around. In 2008, the event took me 5:54:36. This would be a challenge, and something I do not usually stress myself with (having a "goal" time).
The day was tremendous, and I felt great. Somehow though, in the first 5 or 6 miles, I missed a turn. I ran a ways before I turned around. By the time I re-entered the correct course, I was at the very back of the race. After several minutes, I caught my (at the time) 70-year old father. This was not great, but I felt so fantastically good that I wasn't really bothered by it.
A few miles later I caught Wuzzam, and we ran along the top and Berry Pond together. I pushed decently down the Turner Trail, lost Wuzzam but got to half-way just after 2:30:00. All I needed to do was run the same time for the second loop - yes, I would be tired, but I wouldn't have to run the extra mile or more.
I can still recall getting back to the top and knowing I would really have to push down the entire Turner Trail. I did, and finished under my 5-hour goal with a 4:59:27. I felt really, really good on this day. I have no idea how far I went out of my way on that first loop - but judging where I came back out on the course and who I was behind at that point, it was meaningful minutes. Keeping a positive attitude through it really helped, and I felt blessed.
September 20th, 2019
North Pack Monadnock, NH to Mt Watatic, MA
Wapack Trail End-To-End with Wuzzam & Hillbillidge.
It seemed like a perfect match to me, combine my friends two "wishes" into the one event... an "outsider, do it yourself" attempt at the Wapack End to End. Making things even better, in a conversation with the Hillbillidge, he too was "in".
We looked over the distances, the road-crossings (two main roads), aid station positions, and the driving logistics. Settled on September 20th, as long as the humidity stayed low and rain was a non-factor.
Historically, according to Wikipedia... "...The trail was born in a conversation in the summer of 1922 at the Shattuck Inn in Jaffrey, New Hampshire between Allen Chamberlain, who later became president of the Appalachian Mountain Club, and Jaffrey farmer Albert Annett while overlooking the Wapack Range, then known as the Boundary Mountains. The two talked about the possibility of a skyline trail along the ridge of the Boundary Mountains from Mt. Watatic to North Pack Monadnock.
Later, Albert brought the idea to fellow farmers Frank Robbins and Marion Buck of Rindge, New Hampshire. The three started cutting the trail near the end of the summer using hand tools. The trail was opened in 1923. Buck named it by joining the Wa from Mt. Watatic and Pack from North Pack Monadnock, and soon the Boundary Mountains became known as the Wapack Range."
I too had completed the End to End, twice actually. Not at the officially held events that have happened regularly in the last decade, but in 1996 and 1997, with a time in '96 of 4:54:59, and no recorded time from the '97 run (it would have been pretty close to '96). I ran both those with CP, and they were minimally organized by the Young Gulliver.
So, here we were in 2019 on a really perfect day, with morning temperatures around 40-degrees when I left Connecticut at 4:45 a.m. As I drove north, it didn't warm up any.
The run, which is at times difficult to consider a "run" due to the technical portions of some down-hill, is a real gem. Along the way there are numerous ups and downs, but the main climbs are as follows:
- North Pack, 2276'
- Middle Pack, 1968'
- Pack Monadnock, 2290'
- Holt Peak, 2045'
- Temple Mountain, 2045'
- Burton Peak, 1985'
- Barrett Mountain, 1841'
- New Ipswich, 1860'
- Stony Top, 1744'
- Pratt Mountain, 1811'
- Nutting Hill, 1621'
- Mount Watatic, 1831'
There were an incredible amount of stonewalls throughout the segment, which kept me occupied and fascinated. Other than the long dirt/gravel climb at the start up Temple, it really wasn't all that difficult a section. We managed to run the 7 or so miles in 2:12, give or take. We had a good re-fresh at our last aid station drop at this point, sitting on an old stonewall and feasting on paydays, pretzels, pringles, and fluids. We had over 12-miles completed, with roughly 9-miles to go. By the time we began running again, we were already on our feet for 4:20.
We would be tackling 9-miles, and it would be a challenge. The initial section has changed since I have been on it, heading west in a pretty good detour from what it used to be. This new addition loses a lot of elevation too, which means we climb it back up.
I could remember much of this, which brought back some really good memories. It is a really wonderful section, especially everything to Binney Pond. We developed some trouble at the top of Pratt though... two trails leading downhill just prior to the actual descent. Hillbillidge couldn't recall which route to take (he had just completed the official Wapack Race a few weeks prior, but we were getting tired). He went on the left option, I went right, thinking we would come out roughly in the same spot at the bottom. I traveled 6/10-mile, began to turn back north, and turned around to re-climb up Pratt. At some point, my friend decided his route was "wrong", and bushwhacked over to join the trail I was on... but he never found a trail and bushwhacked all the way to Route 119, finishing about 20-minutes before Wuzzam and I made it.
The section from the south end of Binney Pond to near Nutting Hill is an abundance or dirt/gravel road and some open field. I did not remember this being as prevalent from my old times here.
By the time I covered the extra 1.2-miles, Wuzzam was well on his way. It took me until Nutting Hill to catch him, almost an hour. We took a nice break on a rock, getting some plain water into Wuzzam.
We managed our way to the finish, the trail from Watatic down is very different from what I remembered. I thought it was pretty clear from the old-days, but in 2019 it looks like there isn't one actual route up the steep stuff, just a basic adventure to do as you please.
It took 3:40 or so to complete this section. The final tally was 8:04 total time, 7:04 moving time. I recorded 24-miles on my gps, which included the "lost" portion.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Having been born in 1962, and liking and listening to music from the early sixties onward, I thought it might be fun to attempt a listing of my favorite albums each year since birth.
The initial post for this series of ideas began on December 26th, 2023. You can look it up....
This time, I present twenty-five honorable mentions that were released in 1968.
All are favorites of mine, but I play these much less that what remains for this year.
Albums 1968 / Honorable Mentions.
The Who Magic Bus: The Who on Tour
Eric Burdon & The Animals Love Is
John Martyn The Tumbler
Davey Graham Large as Life and Twice as Natural
Savoy Brown Getting to the Point
Ten Years After Undead
Electric Flag A Long Time Comin'
Melanie Safka Born to Be
Eric Burdon & The Animals Every One of Us
The Moody Blues In Search of the Lost Chord
The Move The Move
Rare Earth Dreams - Answers
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac Mr. Wonderful
The Byrds The Notorious Byrd Brothers
Graham Bond Love is the Law
Buddy Miles Express Expressway To Your Skull
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
Canned Heat Boogie with Canned Heat
Canned Heat Living the Blues
The Move Move
Wilson Pickett The Midnight Mover
Tyrannosaurus Rex Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels…
Tyrannosaurus Rex My People Were Fair and Had Sky in...
Fairport Convention Fairport Convention