My legs like to scream

First solo trail run.

I checked NOAA. Darn! 60% chance of rain. Then I remembered the cheesy saying in my head when we go hiking. "no rain, no fame." I know, you should hear the others I have. I suited up in my hiking/trail running gear. I packed my ultra light North Face trail jacket ( I'm not really a NF fan, but I got it on sale at an outdoor festival. I just thought you should know this because North Face is the 'in' thing nowadays. But I got it b/c it was cheap...I can't believe I justified that.) Ok... where was I? oh. I packed my bulky leatherman, some snacks and filled up my camelbak with 100 oz of water. It was only a 4 1/2 mile trail loop. But you never know. Once there, I studied the map they had posted at the trail head. It looked longer then 4 miles and was labeled a "moderate" hike. I got there at 3:30. It was hot, humid, and I could tell that I was going to need just a little extra bug spray on me this time.

So, The map didn't help, except that I knew I needed to stay on the Red trail blazes. So that was my plan. I was attempting to finish by 5pm. I obviously thought this was no sweat because I was in such a smaller park and I've hiked all over Tennessee in the last 6 years. I passed beautiful fields, mossy ridges, and even a small spring. The trail got more intense. It started to gradually slope upward as I started gaining some elevation. You could hear traffic from the woods on the this trail but it soon started to sound more and more distant as I hiked-slash-jogged. My pack, though it is a small, dare I say, super-small pack was beginning to bother me. I was out of breath at around mile 2. A woman and her 2 heavy breathing dogs passed me, and when I thought I was all by myself on the trail another couple came up to me and give me a small startle. Then came the silence as I trucked along. It was quite peaceful for my fist time soloing a trail. I was trying remember how the trail map looked when I heard a distant thunder. I thought. "Aw! Don't rain...not yet, at least." I started to quicken my pace as it was already almost 5. Where could I be on the trail? Was I 3 miles in already?

The sky began to get dark and thunder started to boom closer. I remember the woods being a bit quieter around this time. Earlier, the squirrels and rabbits were out keeping me company and were long gone in their warm homes by the time the thunder reached me. I began to go over my head what to do if I began to see some lightning. I thought, "Ok, I'm not in an open field, yet, but if it gets worse and I see some lightning then I'll just run down the ravine and take cover." It's always worse in my head, even if I don't let on. I was out of breath and the clouds began to break. It was a light rain at first so I was ok with it. I decided not to put on the jacket. I put my camera up in my bag and cinched it up tighter. I took a gulp of water and began to sprint, then jog, then walk. I was getting tired. The trail began to make a descending switch back so I had to take precaution now because there was rain. This slowed me down as I was already fatigued.

Then came the "real" rain.

I started to run faster. My shirt quickly became soaked and I could feel my shoes letting the water in. As I ran I could feel my legs wanting to give. I kept repeating, "almost there, almost there." The trail got slippery as I was in full sprint now. My leatherman , clipped on my pack strap, was beating on my chest rapidly, as was my heart as they competed as to who could beat the hardest. I stopped. gasped for breath. The rain picked up as to punish me for stopping. I had no idea how much was left of the trail. I leaned on a tree and rested. The rain cooled me. I took a sip of water, unwrapped a snack and shoved it in my mouth and then took another sip to wash it down. It was probably a 30 second rest but it was all I needed to get another boost of energy.

The down hill descents were the most treacherous, They came on me as sudden as the deer I saw earlier on the trail looking for food, except I was the one scared this time. I would come up on a hill and on the way down my momentum was so great I would literally skip, jump, and scramble down to the bottom. My head was soaked. Darn! Another hill. "Wait! Here we go! Slow down! Too late!" Now, I'm practically hitting these descents at full speed with no care for my legs which scream pain at me as I near the bottom. There was two more of those. I'm running fast now, the rain hitting me through the trees and suddenly, I stop. A trail sign. One says, "Mossy Ridge trail head 2 mi." and the other says "Cane Connector trail" What? no mileage? Where am I? I stand there, with all the worlds rain hitting me at that one location. "Theres no way I'm 2 miles out. How could this be? " I look at the other fork, then at the sign, "Cane Connector." Where is that? I remember that on the map but it could take me in the completely opposite direction. I look at each fork, my head going back and forth, there's thunder in the back ground and my legs are screaming.

I stood there, for what seemed to be about 20 minutes in my head (which is long enough). "I'm out of shape Greg!" my heart pounds at me. I shake my head. I'm gonna take take a gamble. "I'm going with Cane Connector." I say out loud. I go to run, but my legs had already forgotten to how to. I stumble through in an awkward jog and realize the I'm coming out into a field. I recognize this! This is the first field I crossed when I came in! "Good one Greg!" I tell myself. I look at the field as I jog through it. It looks more beautiful when its being rained on. I smile as I accept this as a gift from the heavens and I feel God smile at me as the rain begins to slow. "4 1/2 miles? " I ask myself. "I'm out of shape." I continue to jog to the trail head. "Almost there. No rain, no fame."

[+] greg