Last week I took two short day hikes on separate trails named Skyline.
The
first hike was on the Skyline Trail in Blue Hills Reservation. The loop from
the park headquarters to Great Blue Hill and back is less than three miles but
includes many steep ups and downs with nearly 800 feet of gain over very rocky
terrain. That may not sound like a lot of climbing but it’s on the same level
as some mountain 100 mile races on a feet per mile basis. The pace was slow due
to the above mentioned elevation gain, my poor fitness and lack of confidence
on highly technical terrain but this is a trail I would like to come back to
again. The only downside to hiking in Blue Hills is the crowds. Don’t go there
looking for solitude.
Stairway to heaven or hell?
Be careful what you wish for.
One of many steep, rocky climbs. The photo makes it look much easier than it is.
The big city in the distance.
More rocky "stuff."
Nice work done by trail crew.
Super steep and rocky!
The
second hike was on the Skyline Trail in Middlesex Fells Reservation. At least
it was supposed to be. I missed a turn about four miles into the hike and
finished the final three miles on the Reservoir Trail. I have a lot on history
with the Fells. It’s where I attempted my first 50K with KZ and caught the ultrarunning
fever; met a colorful race director named Bogie and a slow but determined dead
last ultrarunner named Steve. It’s also where my love of long-distance trail
running was forever embedded in my soul.
I was alone
in Middlesex Fells. The gray sky and threat of rain kept people away. There’s
something magical about being alone in the woods on a damp, dank day. The air
has a certain smell, and sounds are deadened by brush hanging low under the
burden of rain soaked leaves. Even the birds are quiet. It took a day like this
for me to gain an appreciation of solo hiking. Immersed in my thoughts, the
miles passed unnoticed.
New (to me) trail marker.
Silent woods
Nothing but gray and green.
Walking gently.
The trail is calling.
I may have been the only one in the woods but I was not alone. The trail is a temptress and I heard her whisper for me to drop my hiking poles and run. I envisioned myself moving swiftly, smoothly, for many miles. My feet skimming over rocks and roots. Climbing steep hills effortlessly. But I resisted the temptation, not wanting to make my current situation worse than it already is. It could have saddened me, knowing what I have lost, but it did not.
For that brief moment I was moving with purpose. I was alive.
More than ever now amidst injury, I harken back to our day(s) at the Fells and elsewhere.. and remember them fondly.
ReplyDeleteMore than that, it reminds me that at one point, I didn't know what I was missing - and couldn't yet know that eventually...I too would come to find distance trail running forever embedded in my soul.
In Lak'ech ala Kin brother!
kZ