[34 mi, +7000'/-7000']
On February 12, 2012 eight of us went for a run along Lakeshore Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). The weather turned a bit more extreme than what we had planned for, but we chose to forge ahead. This was a fortunate decision, because the experience was all the richer with a beautiful dusting of snow on the trail.
We were all smiles leaving Knoxville. Michael Atchley, Chris Ladd, and I rode along with Will Brown in his 1972 Volkswagen bus, which I will dub "Stinkbus" due to the fumes which may or may not be present when you go for a ride. Our main motivation for driving Stinkbus was her passenger capacity. Oh and she's pretty cool looking too!
After a few stops to take in the views and get some fresh air, we arrived at Fontana Dam. We waited around a bit before Dale arrived. Once Dale showed up in his car we all drove over to Bryson City to drop Stinkbus off near the tunnel to nowhere so we'd have a ride back post-run.
Before heading back to camp, we had a pre-run carb load at an Italian place in Bryson City,
Pasqualino's, and I believe everyone agreed it was good food. We also scored a thermos of coffee from
Cork and Bean for something like $1.70...NICE! When we arrived back at camp, Keil Neff, his wife, and son were asleep in the shelter. We promptly positioned ourselves to do the same.
We got up around 5am. Some of us enjoyed some hot coffee and oats, while others stumbled off into the dark and did whatever they did (how should I know? I was drinking coffee!). It was snowing/sleeting and felt cold, but not painfully so. Derrick Bowerman and Dave Worth arrived around 6:30am. After a quick stop by the heated restrooms, we began our journey around 7:00 am.
A mile or so into the run, we hadn't even reached the trail, many people stopped and shed layers, this process would be reversed and repeated many times throughout the day. We only had to use our headlamps for a very short time before it was daylight.
Here are some shots of Keil and Dave on the way to Hazel Creek, the first re-group checkpoint.
Hazel Creek is a pretty serious creek! There is a large white house here that rangers use in the summer. Dave and Will were waiting when the rest of us showed up. When Michael arrived he decided he loved the first 11 miles so much he wanted to do it over. Dale agreed to go back to the car with Michael and drive to Bryson City to meet us, we're working the buddy system here. I for one thought this was a super idea, since it meant I'd have dry pants waiting when I got done running. Additionally, I would not have to go into a Bryson City eating establishment wearing tights!
William and Dave left Hazel creek a few moments before the rest of us. They went right towards Fontana Lake, which one might call the "wrong way", allowing them to grab a couple of bonus miles. The rest of us went left, which we'll call the "right way". We were fairly certain they went the wrong way, but decided they'd figure it out when they got to the lake.
The next checkpoint at Campsite 76 was about 12 miles away. I ran most of this section with Derrick and Chris, as is apparent by all the photos I took of them.
After a few miles, Dave and Will made up their "wrong way" deficit and caught up to us. Thus, I was able to grab a couple of shots of them. Will is so light on his feet!
Much of the 12 miles from Hazel Creek to Campsite 76 was on old road bed which was indeed "lake shore". At this point the running high was in full bloom and I was really enjoying it. A quick meet up and chat at Campsite 76 and we were off again. It would be 11+ miles more to the tunnel to nowhere (the end).
This section was full of little mini-ridges that we ran down, over, up, and into--great trail! After Chris and Derrick got tired of me taking their picture, I managed to catch up to Will.
Will and I ran into Dave taking a nap with about 3 miles to go, we promptly woke him up and finished the day. It was bittersweet seeing the last trail sign, and running through the tunnel to nowhere, in this case it was the tunnel back to reality. Thanks to all the runners for a great day!
The Most Valuable Runner has to be a toss up between "Stinkbus" and her driver. Thanks again, Will!
