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Shenandoah National Park in August

I’m entering Shenandoah National Park on a Saturday. I’m nervous about lines and traffic. I  head east in Front Royal, VA. I arrive at the North Entrance Station and there is a line of five cars. A minute later they open a second station and I move over to it. Yay! No wait. I take the obligatory selfie in front of the entrance sign:

I’m still feeling a bit sad about my race this morning and my ankle is pretty sore from the twist and fall. I opt to start driving home today instead of staying another day in West Virginia. I’m hoping the views and short walks around Shenandoah make me happy. 

As I start the drive heading up to Skyline Drive there are several cyclists coming down the hill on road and tribikes. They are hauling –  whizzing by my car. They are going downhill and still pedaling. 

The triathletes are in their aero bars and I’m scared for them. Mind you, that was me 15 years ago on my bike in Rocky Mountain National Park and I smile to myself. I have such great memories of rides in RMNP. 

It’s a good sign when I enter the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center parking lot and spot a New Hampshire license. I’m always looking for a sign and a car visiting here from my home state is a sign. Seeing a NH plate makes me smile despite limping from my car to look around. 

One of the aspects I love seeing while visiting National Parks is how people talk to each other and share stories to complete strangers. You just don’t see that in your regular life. I normally wouldn’t talk to some just because they have a New Hampshire plate but I thought I might ask them where in New Hampshire they live if I see them get in or out of their car. 

I see families talking to other families on the grass overlooking the view west from the visitor center. Everyone is happy to be here and taking in the view. And they are talking to each other!  I go into the visitor center and learn about the monarch butterfly.

After a 40 minute visit and walk about, I drive south and arrive at the halfway mark. Now I see normal cyclists who are looking around, taking in the view and not hellbent on speed. I’m going slower than every car and pull over frequently to let cars pass. I turn a corner and there is a young deer peacefully eating grass by the side of the road. I’m scared for it and try to shoo it away from the road but I’m ignored. As I continue on I flash my headlights to cars heading to me. 

I stop at Elkwallow Wayside at Mile 24.1 for food. There is a long line so I walk into the gift shop instead. 

I almost buy a sticker at the store that said Bike SNP thinking it would motivate me to come back and bike Skyline Drive one day. Instead I buy a mug and a boonie to remember this trip.

I decide to turn right and leave the park at the exit to Luray.  

As I drive down a few switchbacks to get back to the highway I feel like this road is similar to Blue Ridge Parkway when I visited it two years ago. Mark and I traveled around Stuarts Draft, VA after the UROC race. It has a similar feel to being above it all and taking a switchback back to the valley. 

It’s just beautiful on this drive and I reflect that I am so glad I did this trip. What’s so interesting about this park is it’s not busy. I don’t know if it is because kids are all back in school and it’s just not busy on a Saturday. 

I love Virginia and this park road between two valleys is fun to drive. The green valleys is the distance look so peaceful. 

What the National Parks do for me is they give me perspective and a beautiful landscape for reflection. I have such great memories of visiting national parks as a teen and in my 40s.

In 10 months I have visited 8 parks and 2 Historic Sites:

Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Petrified Forest, Saguaro, Glacier National Park, Harpers Ferry and now Shenandoah National Park. I visited two National Historic Sites in Arkansas: Little Rock Central High School and Fort Smith. I visited Banff National Park in Canada.

I like making plans and experiencing these beautiful, majestic parks. 

National Parks remind me that there is so much to see and experience. That our world is so beautiful. And acknowledge that I do not have unlimited time. National Parks remind me to keep going, keep seeking and keep making plans. 

My thoughts as I drive back to  Tennessee: 

I am going to follow through with every plan and make BIG Plans.
I’m going to book my trip to Philadelphia and run the marathon. 
I’m going to Monument Valley to run a race I’ve always wanted to do. 
I’m going to make my life fantastic. 

Visiting Shenandoah National Park did make me happier. Driving through the park and getting home late Saturday was the right decision.

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Miner’s Lady 50K Race Report

I signed up for the August, Miner’s Lady 50K in January as I was plotting my return effort to finish a 100 mile trail run. I was creating a progressive race schedule that would build to a 100 in November. It was difficult to find a 50K in August since it’s just so hot everywhere and there are few races, but I ended up finding this race in West Virginia; a place I’ve only driven through. I chose this race because 1) I needed a marathon or higher in WV 2) it fit into my progressive distance plan 3) it was a trail run in a place I’ve never been. 

It’s far away, probably the farthest distance I’ve driven for a one day race, but I wanted the experience so I signed up. 

The race even got a mentioned in Ultra Running What’s Up This Weekend 

I drove north on Friday for packet pick up and met my carpool buddies at Two Rivers Treads in Ranson, WV. The race organizers enforce carpooling since there is limited parking and for sustainability reasons. I thought it would be nice to drive to the race with two other women who knew the course and starting area’s set up. 

Here is the course map at packet pickup:

I was really excited for this race. This was the first time I felt prepared for a 50K in a really long time. They took photos of all the runners at packet pickup. Here’s me – ready to run!

I drove over to Harpers Ferry National Historic Park to check out a national park I had never visitied. Read my blog post about this amazing park. Then, to find food for dinner.

I didn’t want to sit in a restaurant or eat a big meal so for I stopped at the local grocery store and bought a sandwich and a container of hot mac and cheese, and ate it back in my hotel room. 

As I prepped for the next morning I ate dinner and watched TV. I wasn’t feeling excited or scared at this point; I just felt ready. 

Race Morning: 

I drove to Amanda’s house which was a short 5 miles to the race start. She was still in the process of getting ready when I arrived, and we were a bit delayed getting to the start. It was still dark and parking attendants sent us closer to the staging area so that was great to be parked close to the start. As we set up the tent, it was getting close to start time. 

Then suddenly, the whistle blew and had to run from our area to join the race. Not ideal but it was fine. I had my headlamp on and just started running. 

While I studied the map, I had never been on the course and just followed the group. The course began with a gentle downhill and rolling hills. The course is wooded and beautiful, and as the daylight appeared, I felt like something bit me behind my knee and started rubbing it. A few minutes later I learned that runners were being stung and attacked by hornets. 

I don’t notice the hornets except for what bit my leg, and wondered where they were? In a tree? Just buzzing around? A runner told me they were on the ground and she swatted them and they stung her hand multiple times. Geez! I lucked out on that one. A few people really got stung badly, I learned later.

I just kept running. 

Then came the downhill section. And though I studied the map, I didn’t realize that I was on the out and back section and was surprised to see runners coming toward me. I was feeling good and running downhill, then moved over to make room for the oncoming runner and BOOM – my left ankle twisted, I heard a creaking noise, I fell to my right and landed off trail. 

I was completely surprised, 1) because I haven’t twisted my ankle in two years and 2) I was only 2 miles into the race and 3) it hurt A LOT. 

A runner tried to help me up and I wasn’t quite ready to get up. I was sitting there stunned. After a few minutes, I got up and walked. My right knee was bleeding but I could walk. Then my ankle started to hurt more. Sometimes after a twist like this, I can recover and it’s fine. This wasn’t going to be fine. 

So I hobbled the remaining loop, and ended my day. 

The loop was such a good one. I wanted to run it. I wanted to run it 4 more times. I wanted to finish the 50K but it wasn’t meant to be.

The medic told me that it looked bad and I should go to urgent care. My ankle looked like a golf ball, all swollen. Since I carpooled, my car was 5 miles away. A very kind race volunteer couple drove me to my car and I headed back to my hotel to clean up. 

Every time I get injured my love for running grows. While in the past I can go months without running because I just don’t want to run or I lack motivation, when I get injured running, I miss running so much and can’t wait to get healthy. 

It’s been two weeks since the race and while I can run, my ankle is still sore and not 100% yet. 

I will be back to this race. It’s on my BIG plan of dream races and do-overs. Sometimes it takes me two times to finish a race. Case in point: Colossal Vail 50K. I DNF’d the first time in 2013 and finished in 2021. 

While this race entailed a lot of driving (Road Trip Total Miles from TN to WV: 930 miles) the area was beautiful and I loved the course (minus the hornets). See you next year.

Here is the progression of my ankle over three days:

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Do Hard Things 18-month BIG plan

I have BIG plans for the next 18 months. I’m not getting any younger and so I need to do all the races that I either didn’t finish the first time or races I’ve been obsessing about for years. 

This is me in 2019, at the Leadville 100 starting line:

I’ve been obsessing about Leadville since 2012. I raced the 10K when I lived in Colorado. Finished the Leadville Marathon in 2019. DNF’d Leadville 100 in 2019. And DNS Leadville 50 in 2023.

This week I went down the rabbit hole of researching top finishers in my age group of these races to see what I could learn to help me finish Leadville 50 and 100 and this is what I learned: they finished HARD races leading up the Leadville. One runner I researched lives in Tennessee and she finished races like Beast of the East, Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker, Georgia Death Race – all races that warn you to not attempt unless you are fit and mountain extreme ready. 

It was an eye opener 1) because I think I can do anything and 2) I thought I trained hard in 2019 but I didn’t finish hard races leading up to the big race. 

Now, I want to finish any 100 no matter the course or location. So it’s part of the plan but Leadville has to be part of this plan. 

It just does.

Therefore, here is my plan to share with you, subject to changes, additions, subtractions. My only rule to myself is that when I register, I have to show up. You are probably thinking that is the bare minimum, sheez. However, I do have a tendency to get scared and anxious, and not show up. But I’m older now, the least I can do is show up. I’m going to show up. I’m going to follow the plan and DO HARD THINGS. 

My BIG plan started this month with the 50K Miner’s Lady, which unfortunately I twisted my ankle on a downhill section and limped through my first, and only lap; it was a 5 lap course. I’m rehabbing my ankle as I write this story about my Do Hard Things 18-month BIG plan. 

Here is my plan for the rest of 2024.

September – Panther Creek 10 Miler
October – Mammoth Cave 50K
November – Philly Marathon
December – Lookout Mountain 50M

These are not big, scary races, however, I’m approaching them as base training and building distance and strength. Training will include lifting weights, core work, running LeConte A LOT, cross training and solid recovery. When all goes well, I’ll sign up for the 2025 races.

But here’s a sneak peak of what I’m thinking about, plotting and planning for 2025. It’s BIG. But I’ve always had big goals, big dreams and think I can do it all.  

Tasali Ultra, Black Canyon, Roaring Gap (this is a re-do), Monument Valley (I’ve always wanted to run here), Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker (Big, Scary), Umstead, Ultra Race of Champions (re-do), R2R Grand Canyon (big dream), Chattanooga 70.3, Leadville 100 (re-do), Continental Divide Trail (dream), Ironman Florida (re-do).

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Harpers Ferry National Park in August

I drove north to Ranson, West Virginia for a race. I had an hour or two before the festivities so I drove over to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. I did a little research prior to arriving, but it didn’t prepare me for what I saw.

I think I was expecting to see a few historical buildings related to John Brown and typical exhibits related to it. But it was so much more. This continues my pattern of researching a little, going to see something and learning so much – and realizing I need to go back to take full advantage of the area. 

I took the shuttle from the Visitor Center because I didn’t think I could drive in and it was a great option. Later I found out you can drive but parking is pricey. Plus, if I drove I wouldn’t have experienced everything I did walking. I walked through the village and read the interpretive signs.

I saw the building that John Brown raided which was an insurrection against slavery.

Brown’s arrest and execution sparked outrage and became the defining moment in the abolitionist movement. That’s what I remember about Harpers Ferry from history and reading, but then I walked towards the water and I realized that the Appalachian Trail ran through here.

It is also the convergence of two main rivers: Shenandoah and Potomac; and three trails:

I saw the white AT markers and followed it to a ramshackle bridge and active railroad tunnel.

I saw a through-hiker who looked very tired. I followed the trail for a bit through town to see where it took me. Up Up Up on cobble stones and to a better view of the tunnel and the rivers. 

I walked back through the town and looked at the exhibits and learned more about the civil war battles and Storer College, a historically Black college that operated from 1867 to 1955.

What a historical place. So much to learn and understand. I didn’t have a lot of time so I know I’ll be back, hopefully while hiking the AT. 

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Hiking the Highline Trail in July

I wake up at 4am to get into Glacier National Park before 6am because I don’t have a reservation. The park opened last minute reservations at 7pm yesterday but I’m in the airport looking for food and forget to log in to get a reservation.

I’m in a bit of a panic driving through Kalispell in the dark and getting to the West Glacier entrance before 6am. As I’m driving I’m trying to figure out how to charge my phone and realize my rental truck, a Toyota Tacoma doesn’t have a USB port. I panic and try to problem solve how to charge my phone and envision the entire day without a charged phone (PANIC). I stop at a gas station hoping they have a solution. I purchase a charger for the outlet and then continue on to get to the park entrance by 6am. 

I make it in time and breeze through the entrance, it’s not manned at 5:30am. The sun is starting to rise and I’m relieved that I’m here. Now it’s time to get to Logan Pass and find a parking spot. It’s still early but spots fill up fast, so I don’t stop at any of the turn outs with views – I just drive to the top. 

As I drive up Going to the Sun road to Logan pass there are cyclists biking too. I’m in awe of their legs and lung capacity to bike up this steep, windy road. It reminds me of my time living in Colorado when I was training for Ironman and biking up Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. I lived in Granby, and the west side of the park was the “quiet side” of the park. My friends and I would bike through Grand Lake and into the park and up to the Visitor Center.  That was over 15 years ago, but seeing these cyclists brings back this great memory.

I think “fit people  doing amazing things in the park” hmmmm, reminding me, also of my trip west when I was 17. I was always seeing people doing amazing things or meeting people in hostels who were biking across the country or backpacking through the mountains or visiting all the parks. This trip today is all about remembering that trip 36 years ago and this is a great memory.

I think interesting, adventurous, curious people are drawn to our National Parks and I just love meeting them, and seeing them.

I can’t remember if I hiked Highline Trail with my group in 1988 but I know I wanted to hike this trail as part of my trip. It’s an iconic trail with amazing views that parallel the Continental Divide. I’m a bit obsessed with seeing and writing about the Continental Divide. 

Not only does the Continental Divide split the water of our continent into different oceans but I’ve seen and lived near it for many years when I lived out west: in Granby and Steamboat. I’ve run on its ridge and love to see the sun rise over it. It’s a symbol, to me, of living western. 

My heart sinks when I see a sign that the parking lot is full. I land a parking spot despite the sign. There are several spots available at 6am. I realize later that this sign just stays up all the time. I head to the trailhead but first the iconic highest point sign:

There is a sign that warns hikers that this trail is hot and exposed. Do you have 3L of water? Do you have sunscreen? Yes and Yes. I continue on. 

The first wildlife I see is on the trail the first 10 minutes – a Mountain Goat. It looks over at me and continues chomping on grass. I keep walking and I’m in awe.

Garden Wall and the Continental Divide loom ahead. The view of the valley and mountains is like nothing I’ve seen. 

I’m still not sure how many miles I’ll hike. Ideally I’d like to make it to the chalet and then turn back. In retrospect I should’ve done the loop and taken the shuttle back, but I didn’t want to rely on a shuttle in case I’m stuck in heat or rain. So I opt for an out and back. 

This trail didn’t even open until July 11 and it’s July 29. Going to the Sun Road didn’t open until June 22. I see only snow on the high peaks in the distance. I really only picked these dates for the only open date at Glacier Park Lodge; everything was planned around the one night there, for tonight. But I digress. My hike:

I am following Garden Wall and am always looking up to my right. There are parts of that trail that seem long and flat, and there are some up and down. I hike past the ledge that hangs like a shelf but wasn’t really bothered by the trail. I held on to the hand cables a few times. I don’t have a fear of heights, a fear of many other things, yes, but not this. I could see the Going to the Sun Road below me and just didn’t look down much. 

I opt to turn around at 6.5 miles because there is full sun exposure and I’m getting worried about the trek back. I know I’m close to the trail to view Grinnell Glacier but I’m okay with turning back. I’ve gone farther than the original plan and am ready to go back. 

There are so many hikers and I listen to conversations. I hear one group talk about getting to the chalet for their overnight stay and I’m a bit jealous. I see families with children and two couples with a child in a carrier. I just hope they all have sunscreen and plenty of water. When I started out much of the trail was in the shade and now most of it’s in full sun. I lather on the sunscreen and hope I don’t fry. 

Going back the way I came is a different experience. I see everything I didn’t look back to see; one benefit of an out and back. This trail is spectacular and as I hike I know I want to come back and do the loop so I can see the chalet. I hike past the rock slide that has purple rocks. I saw it going out and the purple shade of the shale are stunning. This time, I take a rock as a reminder of this hike. This theft reminds me of my past thievery from Mount Washburn in Yellowstone National Park during my Western Park hiking adventure in 1988.  I took a rock from the summit and I had it as a souvenir for many years. I realized I didn’t have it anymore and it got lost in moves. I forgot about that rock until just this moment. This trip is all about remembering something special and that Mount Washburn rock memory was part of it. 

I get back to Logan Pass and I’m thrilled that I didn’t run into a grizzly and that I’m not burned to a crisp from the sun. I go to the Visitor Center and look around at the interpretive signs. I’m too tired to hike the trail to Hidden Lake which is just past the Visitor Center. It’s a 5 mile out and back. I think to myself, I’ll do it on the way back to Kalispell tomorrow after Grinnell Glacier. 

Now it’s time to look for food. As much as I’m a planner, I didn’t research places to eat east of Logan Pass. It turns out to be the hardest part of the day. 

I’m driving east on the Going to the Sun Road heading to St Mary’s Visitor Center area. I stop at the Jackson Glacier viewing and wish I was hiking toward it. Jackson Glacier is the 7th largest of the 25 glaciers in Glacier National Park. As I write this my plan next year is to hike in this area.

I continue on in search of lunch/dinner.

Unexpectedly, I see a traffic jam ahead. Initially I think it’s an accident. As I get closer I notice people looking to the north and their cameras are out. 

I look over and it’s a freaking Grizzly bear chomping on grass. I see the cinnamon color on his back and the sun reflecting on him and I’m thrilled. I’ve never seen one. I don’t stay long because I’m starving and need food. In retrospect I should’ve stopped but I always feel like gawking at wildflie is the wrong thing to do so I continue on.  Again, in retrospect, I should’ve gawked and taken photos.

I stop at the Visitor Center, where I miraculously find a parking spot. I go in, walk around and don’t buy anything. I am just hungry and need food. As I turn east, I see a restaurant sign hanging on a building in St. Mary’s Village just outside the park. I enter the building not knowing what I will find and by some, again, miracle, there is no waiting line and I sit at a table and order food.

I eat a real meal: a bison burger and bison chili, and a Montana brewed IPA. As I take in everything: the hike, the experience, the road, the people, the lakes, the rivers, the mountains – I did everything today that I planned to do. This is a big day.

I drive to East Glacier and home for the night at the historic Glacier Park Lodge where I visited in 1988. This is the place where I bought  a postcard from its gift shop while staying down the street in a hostel. I have a memory of the lodge and this trip is partially about going back and staying in this lodge. 

The lodge is as grand as I remember, or remember from the postcard. The room is not worth the nightly rate and I’m disappointed but the view from the back porch is worth everything. 

Tomorrow: Grinnell Glacier

Distance: 13 miles.
Time: 4 hrs, 48 mins
What I ate: GORP, Kind Protein Bar
What I drank: 2.5 L water
What I wore: an old backpack, Title Nine skort, t shirt, Columbia long sleeve hiking shirt, Pistol Ultra baseball hat. 
What I saw: Mountain Goat, awesome views