I haven’t made any new posts, and gone on very few runs in a while due to a combination  of mediocre weather (bring back September!) too many exams to administer and grade (although my students would prefer I went running, no doubt), and a nagging head cold which has slowed me even further.  Enough excuses.  I had the realization this morning that despite all the mountain biking, hiking and trailrunning I have done over the last 20+ years, I had never taken the time to explore the National Forest trail closest to town – the one leading up to Abbey Pond.  I am not entirely sure why I had not checked this one out – perhaps it was because I first heard of the trail in a conversation with some elderly members of the community, and I got the impression that it was too easy, or perhaps it was due to the fact that driving by the trailhead on Rt. 116, I rarely saw any cars parked by the trailhead sign, so I apparently assumed that it wasn’t anything special.  As you will see, I was wrong on both accounts, thinking I was in for a short easy run to get my legs working again.

To get to the trailhead from Middlebury, head east on Quarry Road until you get to Rt. 116 where you take a left, heading north for less than a mile, and look for a group of dirt roads on your right labeled by a forest service sign.  When I got to the sign indicating the trailhead, and requesting that cars not block the roads, there was a small cluster of dirt roads fanning in different directions, and two other cars pulled off to the side.  So I naturally assumed this was the primary parking lot for the trail, and began my run along the obvious dirt road through a maple forest interlaced with permanent plastic tubing facilitating the spring’s syrup harvest.

Trailhead Tree Tunnel

After running along this dirt road for about a third of a mile, I came to a much larger parking lot, with quite a few more cars, which was apparently the preferred parking area, explaining why I rarely saw many cars while I hurried by on Rt 116.  After this, the proper trailrunning began, with a very rocky path gradually but relentlessly snaking its way up the side of the hill.  After a few hundred yards, a bridge passed over the stream draining Abbey Pond, still far above, with a view of a small waterfall.

The climb continued, and I realized that either I wasn’t entirely over my cold, or this was a more serious climb than I had anticipated.  Probably a bit of both!  After about 3/4 of a mile of climbing, the trail leveled off for the remainder of the run to the pond.  This last section was not without its challenges however – a  stream crossing, lots of roots and rocks to step carefully around, and several rather substantial mud pits which rendered dry feet an exercise in futility.  Finally, after about a mile of this challenging footwork, Abbey Pond appeared.  It is a lovely, quiet and marshy spot in the mountains, and with the cold nights of the last week, covered in a thin veneer of ice!

Abbey Pond

The descent was just as slow as the ascent due to the frequent awkward footing.  Thus, this route is tough to recommend as a pure trail run for all but those with the strongest ankles – it is tough to really stretch out your legs at any time in the run, and I doubt it will be a regular part of my running routines in the future.  It is, however, a fun and convenient local hike leading to a attractive natural feature.  I am curious as to how Abbey Pond got its name, and welcome any historical insights.  Old USGS maps also show a trail connecting the far end of Abbey Pond with the trails described in my “The toughest 9 miles in Addison County” post.  I did not have the time to explore this connection today, but hope to seek out this possible route at some point in the future.

Finally, when I got home, and downloaded the run from my GPS, I understood why I found the run so tiring early on.  Long ago, I established my rule of thumb that hikes in which the uphill gradient exceeded 1000 vertical feet per mile were hikes which felt steep, and none of the runs in this blog thus far have exceeded that gradient for any substantial distance.  I felt much better about my sense of poor performance today when I realized that this trail gained most of its 1200+ vertical feet in about 3/4 of a mile!

Abbey Pond in Google Earth looking east

altitude profile

Another gorgeous September Saturday goaded me into a long leisurely run.  Since Sunday will be the day of the TAM team trek, a fundraiser for the Trail Around Middlebury, and family commitments will keep me away from this event, it seemed like a good day to take on a long stretch of this convenient and pretty trail.  I chose to run on my favorite section, heading from town up the east bank of the Otter Creek to the Belden Dam in New Haven, returning through the forest and fields to the west.  After changing into my running gear at the College Fitness Center, I headed out Weybridge Street and took a right onto Pulp Mill Bridge Road, and then another right, over the Middlebury landmark, the Pulp Mill Bridge.

Pulp Mill Covered Bridge

After enjoying the first of several attractive views of the Otter Creek on the day’s run, I immediately turned left as I came off the bridge.  This dead end road passes by the old Middlebury “stump dump” on the left, where for most of my life in Middlebury, you could bury your natural yard waste.  I have been told that in the more distant past, this also served as the general town dump, although this predates my experience.  Nature is slowly reclaiming this site, but it still has a long way to go.  At about the 2 mile point from the Fitness Center, the paved road ended, and I headed through a gate into Wright Park, the beginning of the trailed section of the TAM at this end of town.  For the next mile or so, the trail wound through the meadows, with a few limited views of the creek to the left.

Wright Park Meadows

About 10-15 years ago, these meadows were more open, but the inevitable reforestation seems to be slowly taking place with the growth of numerous small scrubby trees, and I suspect these river views will be consumed by the young forest in the next decade.  After about a mile on the trail, the trail forked – the left fork headed closer to the river, but had poorer footing, while the right trail stayed higher up.  I chose the right fork this time, but they do reconnect in the next mile.  After a mile of fairly level easy woods running, the trail emerged into a clearing by the Belden Falls hydroelectric station at the 4 mile mark.  A sharp left takes you to the two short suspension bridges which span the creek over the dam, providing great views upstream to the broad dammed up Otter Creek, and downstream to the much wilder Otter Creek which shoots through a flume into the Middlebury Gorge.

Gorge on Otter Creek

Continuing across the bridge, the trail continues through coniferous forest with soft needles underfoot, prior to passing into a farmer’s fields.  On a few past runs in previous years, I have had the pleasure of meeting up with a rather large sheepdog, who, just doing his job, let me know that my intrusion was not fully appreciated.  Reminding myself that he only ate coyotes, not people, I had no problem passing through this field despite his heckling.  As it turns out, he wasn’t out guarding his flock today, but as I approached the stile heading into the fields, there was a small herd of cows hanging out, who were just as startled to see me as I was them.  A few jumped to their feet as I approached, but I had to remind the ladies that it was not milking time as I bypassed them.

At the far end of the field, another stile led to Morgan Horse Farm Road (well north of the actual farm).  At this point, the run can be shortened by taking an immediate left, following the road back to Pulp Mill Bridge Road, and back into town.  This is not a bad choice either, actually, as it does pass by the Morgan Horse Farm, which is quite pastoral when the horses are in the fields.  I was feeling strong enough for a slightly longer run, however, and passed across the road, continuing on the trail.  The next segment is heavily forested before breaking into open fields and passing by a small pond surrounded by rushes.

Rush Encircled Pond

The trail briefly turned right on Hamilton Road before a short steep downhill to the left, heading back into open farm meadows.  As the trail reentered forest shortly thereafter, the running got pretty slow due to the fact that it zigzagged up and down a long north-south esker (any geologists out there to agree on disagree on this?) ridge on the left, with some poor footing in several sections.  Finally, the trail segment of this run ended for me when I rejoined Weybridge St, just outside of town.  After a few short climbs and descents, the road entered town, and led me back to the fitness center, making for a 9 mile, mostly flat run (by Vermont standards at least) run on another perfect day.

Postscript:  As I author this post on a lazy rainy Sunday morning at home with my kids, I am thinking of all the people traveling this stretch of the TAM as part of Middlebury Area Land Trust’s big fundraiser for the Fall.  Although I was fortunate to enjoy my run on a much nicer day, I hope the weather didn’t dissuade too many people from participating in this event.

After all these years of living in the area, I realized that I had never run up to the top of the Middlebury College Snow Bowl, so it seemed like a fun thing to do on a perfect Sunday afternoon.  Starting in the Snow Bowl parking lot, I headed up the dirt road just to the left of the ski patrol cabin.  I figured, correctly, that this would ascend on the Voter trail, which was after all the easiest way to ski down from the summit, and should make for an easy climb.  Note to self:  those bunny trails which are so easy in the winter, can be very steep from the runner’s perspective!  Readers who ski this trail in the winter can probably form a mental picture of the steeper pitches.  While the pitch of the trail never got so severe that it forced me to walk, there were many sustained steep sections which provided plenty of challenges.  Nonetheless, I persevered, and made it to the top of the Bailey Falls chairlift.

Bailey Falls Liftline Perspective

The GPS showed me that I had only covered a little over a mile, so I chose to continue along the Long Trail, the state’s beloved long distance hiking path.  At this point, I figured that the true summit of Worth Mt., further south along the ridgeline would make a fun goal for the day’s run.  The trail was pretty flat at the start, with excellent footing, and a short climb brought me to the first of many false summits in a few minutes.  Looking further south, I noticed a significantly higher point, so I aimed for that.  The trail started to get – well – more “traily”, and in a few sections I had to slow to a fast walk due to issues with the footing.  After a few more minutes, and at about the 2 mile mark, I reached a quiet wooded high point, and figured that this HAD to be the true summit.  So I took a short breather and retraced my steps back towards the Snow Bowl trails.  Alas, when you look at the Google Earth shot of my run, you will understand the title of this blog.  I probably still had another mile or so, and god knows how many more false summits to ascend before I would have actually stood on the summit!  Oh well, an excuse for another run, another day.

When I returned to the Bailey Falls lift, instead of retracing my ascent on Voter, I turned left towards the Worth Mountain Chair to descend by a different route.  This also provided for a once in a lifetime opportunity – the chance to look down the Worth Mt Chairlift line – with no chairs or even lift towers.  Hopefully they will have the new chair up in time for the ski season, but since the leaves haven’t even gotten serious yet about turning, I am not going to sweat it.

Chairless Lift Line and Shadow Self Portrait

After peering over the edge of the lift line towards Lake Pleiad, I backtracked and completed my descent by heading down Procter, the ski trail furthest over on runners’ left.  While there was no beaten summer path on this trail, there was a lot of soft grass which had clearly been mowed at some point during the summer, making for a pleasant, leisurely descent.  This run clocked in at almost exactly 4 miles, but the nearly 1200 ft of vertical climb made it another good workout with some great views to provide motivation.

Altitude Profile

There!  Did that title grab your attention?  I love running in September – the days are cooler, the skies are sunnier, and I am starting to reap the benefits of running through the hot, sticky days of midsummer.  It is a great time to take on some longer runs, and with that in mind, I will be describing a 9+ mile run which very few people other than me know about.  If you look to the east of Middlebury at the first ridge of the Green Mts. – thats where this one goes!  This run, while easy to follow, passes deep into the national forest in sections which don’t see much foot traffic, except in hunting season.

This run starts in East Middlebury.  To get to my starting point, head south of Middlebury on Rt. 7, take a left turn onto Rt. 125, and look for the left hand turn on Schoolhouse Hill Road shortly before the well-known Waybury Inn.  Immediately after turning north on Schoolhouse Hill Road, turn into the playground parking lot on your right, loosen up, and start the run.  The first mile and a half of warm up on this run are on pavement.  Start your run up the short steep hill on  Schoolhouse Hill Rd., and follow this quiet country road which runs behind Middlebury International Airport for a mile and a half.  Run through the 4-way stop sign, and turn onto the obvious dirt track on your right shortly thereafter.  You will be following this double track, which is maintained for winter use by VAST (Vermont Area Snow Travellers – aka snowmowbilers)  for the next few miles.  As you might guess, I don’t have a lot of interest in motorized sports, but I do enjoy skiing and running on the well-maintained trails which make up the VAST network, and have found snowmobilers courteous and friendly.  This trail parallels a residential street for a short distance before angling to the north.  At this point, the climbing gets pretty brutal – the trail climbs 1200 ft in the next 1.7 miles.  Fortunately, the run is never so steep that you can’t at least jog up it, but one one particularly steep section I did note that the GPS showed me running at a 25 min/mile rate for a short section!  Following the trail is pretty easy, except for one spot near the top, where the trail forks, and I took the right turn, rather than going straight.  If you miss the turn, its not a big deal, as the trail will boomerang back to the right in a few hundred yards, meeting up with the track I am describing.  I have frequently seen bear scat along this trail, and once saw “the scatter” himself, but fortunately, he was more scared of the sweaty plodding runner than the runner was of him.

Soon after the fork, the trail breaks out to a far more open semi-abandoned logging road.  This logging road was still actively used when I first explored here in the mid-90’s, but there has been no sign of logging activity or traffic for many years.  Take a right here and follow this undulating and partially overgrown forest service road for the next mile and a quarter, passing under a perpetually closed green gate shortly before joining into Dragon Road (dirt), which is open to, but little used by vehicular traffic.  A left turn at this point will bring you to the Robert Frost Mt Trailhead, but that brings the day’s mileage up a little high for me, so I took the right turn.  The next mile or so is gorgeous, passing first through deciduous forest punctuated by boggy clearings as is often seen in the Green Mts. at this altitude.

This trail also passes by a glorious lone hilltop home with amazing views to the main ridge of the Green Mts. further to the east.  I am not including a picture to protect the privacy of its inhabitants.  The descending dirt road passes through dense forest, with occasional larger homes, smaller homes and hunting camps.  Years ago there was one curious site along Dragon Road – a yard full of rusted cars, not an uncommon site in rural Vermont.  What made this small dump noteworthy was that all of the vehicles appeared to be the remnants of Subaru “Brats”.  This landmark, I am afraid, has been removed, but I kind of miss it.  Dragon Road eventually joins the North Branch Road, another dirt road which sees a little more traffic, but still has a very woodsy feel to it.  The curious system of guard rails used on one very steep dropoff at the edge of the road seems to indicate that this road is not likely to see significant “improvement” at any time in the near future.

 Hay Bale Guardrail

The very steep descent leads eventually to a short paved series of switchbacks indicating that you are coming into East Middlebury.   When you get to the last switchback to the right, instead of sprinting to the finish (hah!) at your car , take a short detour on the trail heading into the woods to your left.  This short spur trail will take you into the Middlebury Gorge where it is visited by the occasional fisherman or white water kayaker (in high water season)

After taking second to enjoy the scenery, retrace your steps on this path back to the road, and continue on, rejoining Rt. 125 in a few yards at the bridge over the gorge, the site of a popular midsummer swimming hole.  In another half mile or so you will return to your vehicle to complete this challenging loop.  My quads are always complaining  for a few days after this run, which covers 9.5 miles, and includes about 1500 ft of  climbing, with the ups and downs.

The perspective in this shot is that of an airplane to the west.  Thus the left edge of the the Google Earth projection is north.

I have been in a bit of a rut lately, doing relatively short, intense “up the hill and back down again” routes, and I am afraid this one is no exception.  I am presenting another old favorite, however, Snake Mountain.  For those very few locals who are not familiar with it, it is the long low ridge seen to the west from many high points near town, and  is probably the most popular hiking spot in Addison County due to its proximity, relative ease, and incredible views of western Addison County, southern Lake Champlain, and the Adirondacks.  Why would I bother running up such a well-traveled local hill?  I love this run for its convenience – it takes less than two hours for me to leave my office, change, run, shower, and get back to work – AND I get the pleasure of standing on a rather dramatic summit.  Not bad for a long lunch break (and I hope Ron doesn’t read this – If I take too many two hour lunch breaks the boss might get the wrong idea…)

To get to the trailhead, take Rt. 125 west of town, and shortly before entering the the village of Bridport (in other words, if you get to Bridport, you have gone too far), take a right turn on East St.  After 4 miles on East St., there will be a parking lot on your left which is provided for those enjoying Snake Mt.  I am told that if you are approaching this parking lot from the north, the same road is called Mountain Road.  Some kind of turf war between Addison and Bridport perhaps?

Start the run, heading back south on East St./Mountain Road for a few hundred yards, passing by a small abandoned building on the left, and then take a left turn on the obvious trail by the gate.  Pay no heed to the No Trespassing signs, as these are for the adjacent fields, not the trail!  The first third of the run climbs gradually to the east.  This section was pretty dry this August, but the numerous side trails attest to the quagmire status of the main trail earlier in the season.  The second third of the run begins with a sharp left turn, and a rather relentless climb angling up the side of the mountain to the north.  Make a mental note of this turn, as less alert runners and hikers sometimes miss it on the descent and end up much further from their parked car than they had hoped.  A short dip as the trail reaches the summit ridge provides a moment’s relief, before heading up the last third of the run, consisting of  a series of short steep climbs, longer flat sections, and a few switchbacks.  As you run across the summit, the trail veers to the left to the outcropping leading to the summit’s famed views!

There is a large concrete slab on the summit, which was the result of an aborted attempt to build a private home on this great viewpoint in the 60’s or 70’s.  If you look around in the woods behind the summit, you can find the small foundation which is all that remains from a turn-of-the-century (as in 19th and 20th) hotel.  Most of the old summit hotels of New England eventually fell prey to fires, and this one was no exception, but in an atypical way.  A friend who grew up in one of the older homes at the base of the mountain, and has visited the summit regularly his entire life, told me that the abandoned hotel was actually intact well into the 60’s, but was eventually chopped up piecemeal for firewood by snowmobilers fueling their midwinter summit parties.  He also mentioned the existence of a summit swimming pond built for the patrons of the hotel, so I will have to search for this on my next visit.

Old Hotel foundation

After enjoying the view, reverse your path and let your legs move fast – you will get back down much more quickly than you ascended, but watch your footing in a few places.  This run measures in at only 4.25 miles roundtrip (including a little messing around on the summit looking for old foundations), but involves a solid 1000 ft vertical climb and descent.

Playing around with the perspective on this one – the view is what it would be from a low flying airplane west of the summit

This is another mostly up and down run on a mix of forest service road and trail, which tops out at a rarely visited lake, the Sugar Hill Reservoir.  This lake is in the hills between Goshen and Worth mountain, and is frequented by snowmobilers and skiers in the winter, but is not really on very many hikers’ radar screens, and even fewer runners head this way.

The run starts after a short drive out of Middlebury towards the Snow Bowl.  Between Breadloaf and the Bowl, shortly before the serious climb to the top of Middlebury Gap begins, there is a dirt road on your right named Brooks Road.  Take this about a quarter mile to the large parking lot where the run begins.  This lot is used by many snowmobilers to load and unload their machines, and skiers frequent the nearby Widows Clearing Trail, but the lot is usually pretty empty in the summer.  After parking, continue on the Brooks Road, which starts pretty flat, but soon begins to climb.  While this road is open to the vehicular travel in the summer, and is passably maintained, I have never seen anyone driving on it.  This, combined with its narrow and well-shaded character, give it the feel of a quiet forest path, rather than a road.  Run up the the dirt road for 2.4 miles, until you get to a sign pointing to the right indicating the way to the reservoir.  If you were to continue straight on the dirt road, it would go about another mile and a half until it intersects with the Blueberry Hill cross country ski trails, and eventually with the Long Trail, but we are not going that way…this time.  Instead, take the right turn onto a true trail, which does a series of short steep ups and downs until it comes to the shore of the Sugar Hill Reservoir at 3.0 miles.  There is a lovely little meadow here, with a campfire ring left by previous visitors.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on this run, so a forest service picture of the lake, taken during the fall, will have to suffice.

For the descent and return to your car, simply retrace your steps for a great 6 mile “out-and-back”.

I travel fairly frequently between Middlebury and the Mad River Valley, which brings me by the side road leading to Texas Falls on the descent from the top of Middlebury Gap on the Hancock side.  On the way to Hancock, you can’t miss this left turn, which is a well-labeled Green Mt. National Forest roadside attraction.  Most people in the area have stopped by this pretty little grotto and waterfall at some point in their travels, but few have explored beyond this well known attraction on the forest service roads and trails which continue above it far into the mountains.

Photo courtesy of northeastwaterfalls.com

After taking a look at this pretty little site, you can loosen up for the uphill run which awaits you.  Head up the road a short distance past the picnic area until you get to the forest service gate, where the surface goes from a mix of paved and well maintained dirt, to a far more primitive dirt road.  This road was passable to 2WD vehicles for many years, and people took advantage of it to access some primitive campsites up the road.  The flash floods of 2008, however, have badly washed the roads out, making them unsuitable for even 4WD vehicles – in places the road narrows to a width of a footpath.  Bad for the cars, good for the runners!  The trail/road runs parallel to the stream for a while as it stairsteps uphill through the national forest.  In previous runs I have seen coyote and wild turkeys up here, but there was no wildlife of note on this run.  The run has a few short steep sections, but nothing too overwhelmingly difficult.  After around 2 miles of climbing, there is a plastic mesh fence across road requesting that you proceed no further, but looking at it more closely, I could see that it was aimed at the snowmobilers who must find this area an appealing place in the winter.  I have no idea why they are being discouraged, but it is simple for those on foot to step around the sign to continue on up.  Immediately after this fence, the forest opens up to some spectacular meadows.

Texas Clearing

The low hills behind the meadow are actually high points on the ridge of the Green Mountains, further evidence that you have done just a little climbing.  The road makes one last turn to the right for a final climb to what was once the auto turnaround, for a total climb of about 750 vertical feet and a round trip distance of 4.8 miles.  I turned around and headed back to my car, but if you look at Forest Service maps, a few of the only slightly overgrown trails along the way look like they have some potential for interesting looking extensions to this run, or maybe even loops.

Altitude Profile

While my primary goal with this blog is to introduce fellow runners to new running options, I also recognize that from time to time, those of us who run the trails like to pin on a race number and push it a little harder.  One of the best places to do this is at the Goshen Gallop,  now in its 31st year.  This is primarily a trail race, with all but about a mile and half on trails, the rest on a quiet country dirt road.  It is also VERY hilly, with two major climbs adding up to about 700 ft of climb and descent, earning it the reputation as the “toughest 10.2 K in New England”.   And yes, even in dry years there is always plenty of mud, but more on that later. You might guess, with a reputation like this, that it would be populated by the most hardcore racers, but nothing could be further from the truth.  This is a friendly race which tends to generate addicts who come back year after year, and while many are first rate runners, people run this race for the scenery and the adventure.  Given that the course record was about 38 minutes last I checked, and that was set by a former olympic biathlete, most of the elite runners bypass this for more reasonable courses.  Most avid recreational runners add 10-12 minutes to their typical 10K time when running this one!

The race is held at the Blueberry Hill Inn (http://www.blueberryhillinn.com/), a plush country inn which is literally in the middle of nowhere.  While it is far too pricey for me to consider staying at, I have always loved the location and its events.  The Goshen Gallop is run on trails which serve as part of the vast network of the cross country ski trails, which are part of the ski touring area in the winter.  The area used to host one of the cross country ski races in the Great American Ski Chase, the national marathon series, but now the legendary Pig Race (a race lacking in rules, ending with a pig roast and a keg) is the only “major” ski race hosted here.

To get to the start of the race, head east on Rt. 125 towards Middlebury Gap.  On the outskirts of Ripton, take the right turn on the Goshen-Ripton Road, a fairly well maintained dirt road.  The road heads into national forest, and it feels like it!  After a few miles of driving through the near-wilderness, a few meadows open up, and a few homes become apparent signifying the entry into the town of Goshen, home to a few hundred hardy souls up in the mountains.  About a mile later, the Inn, sitting at the foot of Hogback mountain will be apparent.  Take a look up at this small peak, as in a short while you will be climbing much of it.

This year’s race was made even more interesting by the extreme rainfall which has plagued us this summer – days without rain have been rare, and most days end with thunderstorms and downpours.  The day before the race had an inch and a half of rain, and just as I pulled into the parking lot, the skies opened up with a massive downpour.  I just sat in the car laughing until the rain let up, and noticed that other racers sitting in their cars shared the humor of the moment.  Fortunately, the rains subsided before the race, and the sun came out, making for a rather pleasant late afternoon.

Race start photo courtesy of Blueberry Hill website

Most years, this race seems to have about 150 runners, but with the conditions, the race only had about half that number this year.  Their loss!  The race starts with about a km on the dirt road, before making a sharp left turn onto the trails, weaving its way up the side of Hogback Mountain, before coming out into the open meadows of the Blueberry Management area.  This open area on the flanks of the mountain is almost entirely wild blueberry bushes, and by mid-July most years, is full of pickers filling their freezers full of wild berries for the upcoming year.  Not this year, however, as the rain has apparently postponed the harvest.  A short descent ensues leading to the first water station, followed by more climbing back in the woods.  At around the 4 km mark a short steep descent leads back to the Inn.  On most years, this is a good place to make up time, but with the very slippery footing this year, that seemed foolhardy.  The course half way point point serves as the finish point for the mostly younger racers competing in the 5K race, and after another water station, the course bears right, back up the hill again for another long, steep climb.

The course section between the 6 km and 7 km marker is quite muddy, even in dry summers.  As you might guess, the recent rains on top of an already saturated ground surface, combined with the footprints of runners created the anticipated quagmire.  Oh well, mud may be slow, but it can be fun.  After a few ups and downs, the race switchbacks its way down to a forest service road where the final water station awaits, descends, turns left onto the Goshen-Ripton Road for the final mile to the finish line.  The last mile is surprisingly tough with a series of short climbs and descents before the final climb up to the finish line.  A detailed description of all the turns in the race course would be futile, given the complexity of the trail network.  A rough map of the course is available online, however.  (http://www.blueberryhillinn.com/course.pdf)

There is always a good post-race party, complete with a picnic dinner, awards (not relevant to me!) and on some years, even live music- a great way to finish a run with a great vibe.

The Race Profile

Now while I usually don’t show the results of the heart rate monitor, I can’t resist this time, as if you look carefully, it shows that I did give better than 100%!  And they said it couldn’t be done……

Heart rate as a % of max

Here’s one familiar to most active runners in town, but I thought I would write this one up for visitors, or neophytes to trailrunning.  I am talking, of course, about the short section of the TAM that circles the golf course.  A run around this loop over lunchtime or late afternoon is pretty much guaranteed to involve passing (or being passed by) other runners on the trail.  Despite its convenience, this trail is not without its interesting features.

I am going to describe the counterclockwise version of the run, for no other reason that that was what I felt like.  Starting at the Middlebury College Fieldhouse, head uphill on Rt. 30 for about a third of a mile and take a left along the golf course entry road at the top of the hill.  Follow this paved road past the clubhouse, and stay along the edge of the golf course with the woods on your right as the paved driveway veers right.  As you follow the path along the woods, be aware that golfers are behind you, and hope that the old man teeing up doesn’t have a bad slice (or is that a hook?  I never had that straight, pun intended).  At the end of the 10th hole, the trail re-enters the woods, where shortly you are faced with the option of going straight, and lengthening your run by about 50 yards, or going left.  I went left this time.  If you look carefully on your left as you run down the short steep hill, you will see a lone gravestone.  This is worth taking a second to look at, as the poor fellow who lies buried there died in a rather macabre fashion, and no, he was not hit by lightning.  The rest of the trail has its share of ups and downs, with none of these very significant.  At a little over two miles, you reemerge from the woods into the open area behind the fieldhouse.  Realizing that this is way too short to call a legitimate workout, you can do the loop again!

This time, head uphill to the left of the Panther Memorial Stadium, taking a moment to be impressed by the massive panther statue on a rock behind the stadium.  Apparently some of our most generous alums went panther statue crazy 10-15 years ago, and now the campus is adorned with the outcomes of their generosity.  The stadium panther is rather innocuous, but the sculpture of a panther eviscerating a deer is well hidden in the gardens of the President’s house.  I might argue that their generosity might have been better used to establish, say, a new endowed chair in the Chemistry department, but who am I to argue?

Panther poised to pounce on unsuspecting runners

Completion of a second loop brings you to the backdoor of the fitness center at about 4.5 miles, a more respectable distance.  Here you have the option of pounding on the back door and putting your face up against the glass longingly until someone disrupts their workout to let you in, or you can do the courteous thing by taking the 3 minutes to walk back around to the front door, and you needed the warmdown anyways.

I had about an hour to kill while one of my daughters had a music lesson in Bristol, so I thought I would document a fun, albeit steep trail run in Bristol, VT.  Just north of town is an obvious ridge sometimes refered to as “Deer Leap”.  Due to time limitations, I could only get as high as an overlook with western views of the town and Adirondacks, which appears to be about 3/4 up the mountain.  Even though the run described does not reach a summit, it does include a 900 ft climb over the course of a 3.5 mile round trip route.  On another day, I hope to have the time to continue on the the actual Deer Leap cliff overlook from the actual summit, with views to the gorge to the south.  As a rule of thumb for this blog, if a trail run requires a significant amount of hiking, rather than running, I have a hard time calling it a trail run.  My confession here is that I did have a few short stretches where I was reduced to fast hiking for 20 or 30 yards on steep sections, but I have also done this run without resorting to this in the past, so I have no qualms calling this a trail run.  I hope that my conditioning allows me to do this as a pure trail run in a few weeks.

Start this one on the Bristol village green, and head north on the aptly named North St.  Go right on Garfield St.  This short street takes you to Mountain St.  You will notice that my track shows me taking a detour to the left and returning.  This is unnecessary, of course, as it is merely a record of my temporary confusion.  In any case, go right on Mountain St., followed shortly by a left turn onto Mountain Terrace.  Are we starting to see a pattern in the street names?  At the end of Mountain Terrace is a green gate, warning you not to park there.  I chose not to test their resolve on this issue.

Pass through the gate to begin the ascent in earnest, up a logging road which makes a diagonal ascent along the south side of the mountain.  After a short distance, another 4WD track diverges on the left. Make note of it, as it will be part of the descent route.  Shortly after this point I enjoyed catching up with a small flock of wild turkies crossing in front of me.  Unfortunately, I was not fast enough with my camera to catch them for this entry.  Stay straight, until the logging road makes a turn to the left, heading through a large logged clearing.  Follow the trail back through the forest for another quarter mile, at which point you will see a well beaten trail veering steeply uphill to the right.  From here it is a little less than a half mile to the overlook on the toughest stretch of the run.  While this is a heavily used trail, there are some loose stones, roots, and in wet weather, slippery rocks.  To your left, some open slabs with outstanding views will open up!

Bristol View

After a breather enjoying the view, take a more direct descent, following the trail, crossing over the original logging road until joining another dirt road which takes you eventually past the gate and back towards town.  On this run, when reaching Mountain St., I went left, rejoining Main St., bypassing the temptation offered by the microbrews at the Bobcat Grille, returning to my parked car by the village green.