Mixed Feelings

I ran at the Huntsville Land Trust today after work. I went into it excited because a storm was brewing and the idea of running in the rain seemed fun. I had looked up the trails on the internet and on a Monte Sano map - no trail ratings or distances - and figured some 3-4mi routes I could run. I got going in the overcast weather (a nice reprieve from the 100 degree heat). My route: Bluffline Trail southward and then cut west and come back north on Alms House Trail. The Monte Sano map showed a couple little trails connecting the two big ones - sounded like a good plan. Parts of these trails make up portions of Mountain Mist 50k.

The trails were not very good. Overgrown. Very rocky. Poorly marked. When I went to cut west on Annandale Trail and then Thomas Trail, I felt that I had made a wrong move. Well, it turns out that the Thomas Trail must have been decommissioned or it is so small and overgrown and poorly marked that I missed it. I ended up going farther south and cutting over on Waterline before going back north on Alms House. I went 4mi instead of 3. Not a big deal. I had a pretty good time out on the trail in cooler weather - I should be happy. Still, if I would choose Monte Sano trails over the Land Trust's any day.

Trails:
-Bluffline: not too bad. Rocky and slightly overgrown like all of them but no problems.
-Annandale: the trail to take to really escape from civilization; very rocky (often big slabs); very overgrown
-Waterline: pretty narrow but not bad. Fair amount of rocks.
- Alms House: like the others but with some steep incline going to/from the trailhead

These trails were pretty rough but my shoes held up well. The "ballistic rock shield" as Brooks calls it does the job protecting my feet against rocks and roots. One drawback was that a layer of manure-like mud stuck to the sole and made navigating the rocks slabs dangerous. I can definitely see how those slabs can be a problem in Mt Mist if covered in ice. It took a thorough smacking afterward to dislodge the mud.