Run. Hike. Poop.

Race Report: 2018 Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock 50 Miler*

October 17, 2018By y2kemo

running shoes, backpack, hat, and race bib

Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time hiking, running, and camping at both Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock state parks in North Carolina. So when I learned about the Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock (PM2HR) Ultra connecting to the two, I immediately added the race to my bucket list. Fast forward a couple of years to this past spring when my buddy, Coop, mentioned wanting to run his first ultra. I offered to run with him once he picked a race, and as luck would have it, he sent me a message a couple of months later that he had decided on running the PM2HR 50 miler.

After signing up, I prepared myself over the next four months by running a ton, working on my nutrition, and not sleeping in. By race week I was ready. I mean, I WAS READY! Better? Too much? OK, I was ready. Well, two days before the race, Hurricane Michael blew through the course with heavy rain and straight-line winds, swelling creeks and rivers, and knocking down hundreds of trees. The race directors, along with the folks at Pilot Mountain State Park, Hanging Rock State Park, and the Sauratown Trail Association, worked tirelessly to get the trails in shape for the race. Unfortunately, with one day to go, the race directors notified the 50 milers that the first 7 miles were simply too unsafe and they had to move the start line and re-route a bit of the course ultimately reducing the overall mileage by about 4 miles. A bummer? Totally. A deal breaker? No.

Backpacking Shenandoah National Park: Patches of Blue

July 30, 2018By y2kemo

trailhead sign for nicholson hollow trail

mountain view from an outcropping of rocks — Looking out from the Upper Falls off Whiteoak Canyon Trail
*Photo by Coop*

On our most recent trip to the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, my buddy, Coop, suggested we hit up Shenandoah National Park. Located 75 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., the park has 196,000 acres of backcountry and wilderness, over 500 miles of interconnected trails, a boatload of waterfalls, and is home to a great deal of wildlife including a pretty dense population of black bears.

Upon returning home, we researched the area and asked around to see if anyone wanted to join us. A month later, we increased the party by one and narrowed our trip to the northern section of the park between Mary’s Rock, Stony Man, and Old Rag.

Backpacking Uwharrie National Forest: 10 miles with a 7-year-old

April 11, 2018By y2kemo

young hiker standing next to a cairn in Uwharrie National Forest — Backpacking rocks!

My seven-year-old son has been camping since he was 18 months and hiking since he was two years old. He spends a lot of time outdoors from fishing to geocaching to running to just playing in the dirt. For years, he’s been asking me when he’d be able to join me on an overnight backpacking adventure. This past weekend, he got his wish.

Backpacking Iron Mountain Trail: Crocodiles and Misdirection

February 22, 2018By y2kemo

Crocodile A-T checks the map
*Photo by Coop*

Backpacking in the winter can be a challenge due to the uncertainty that accompanies the cold season. However, if you’re willing to accept the risk, the rewards are incredible. For that reason, my buddy Coop and I make it a point to plan a yearly winter trip. More often than not, we find ourselves in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (NRA), a nearly 200,000 acre National Forest in southwestern Virginia. This year, Coop suggested we continue the trend and return to the NRA to tackle the northern section of the Iron Mountain Trail (IMT).

The yellow-blazed Iron Mountain Trail spans 47 miles from Highway 91 near Tennessee in the south to VA16 at Iron Mountain Gap in the north. Up until 1972, the IMT was part of the Appalachian Trail when it was relocated to the south to accommodate communication towers and power lines in order to maintain the secluded experience hikers have come to expect from the AT. The IMT is well-maintained thanks to local volunteers, has an old AT shelter in the northern section that’s in great condition, and as it turns out, is also the perfect location for our latest adventure.

Backpacking Dutchman’s Creek Loop: Wherever you go, there Uwharrie

January 3, 201811 commentsBy y2kemo

Trail sign at the northern Dutchman-Uwharrie junction

The Uwharrie National Forest (UNF) is a 51,000 acre forest system spanning three counties in south central North Carolina. It is one of the smallest national forests in the United States, and having been established in 1961, it is also the youngest of the four national parks in North Carolina. It has mountains, but the peaks have been worn down from 20,000′ millions of years ago to no more than 1,000′ today.

The forest offers a number of trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and off-roading. There are lakes and rivers for fishing and water sports. Campgrounds for, uh, camping. What I’m trying to say is, there’s a lot of stuff to do there.

Well, for years my friends have talked about hiking in Uwharrie, but I’ve been wary to make the trip because 1) I tend to fancy the higher elevations, and 2) the forest is also a designated Game Land making it a popular destination for hunters and trappers. Well, I finally got over myself, and decided to give Uwharrie a chance.

Blue Ridge Relay 2017: Déjà vu all over again

September 14, 2017By y2kemo

The Blue Ridge Relay (BRR) is a really long Benny Hill episode where thousands of masochists abandon both sanity and dignity to run 208 miles from Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia to Asheville, North Carolina. This year’s race hosted 194 teams of 4 to 12 runners who ran a total of 36 legs ranging from 2.5 to 10.5 miles per leg over the course of a day and a half.

That sounds awesome! How do I sign up? All you need is a group of people that won’t kill each other, a couple of vans, a roll of toilet paper, a llama, and a bag of pretzels. Get that stuff, get registered, and you’re ready to run the Blue Ridge Relay.

Backpacking Crawfish and Channel Rock Loop: Turtles and Butt Sweat

July 6, 2017By y2kemo

Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (NRA) spans 191,000 acres in southwestern Virginia within the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The area has hundreds of miles of trails including 60 miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT) and boasts the highest peak in Virginia, Mt. Rogers at 5,729′.

I’ve been to the NRA three times: Beartree in Fall 2009, Grayson Highlands in Spring 2011, and Lewis Fork in Winter 2015. Having three of the four seasons covered it only made sense to find my way back for a summer trip.

With a general location set, I invited my brother-in-law, Ken, and my running buddy and first time backpacker, John, and started to prepare.

The North Face Warranty FTW!

May 10, 2017By y2kemo

I bought a North Face rain jacket many years ago and used it for backpacking, hiking, and whenever else I needed to stay dry. After a recent trip to the Dolly Sods Wilderness I noticed a pile of flakes at the bottom of the jacket between the shell and the mesh liner.

Backpacking the Cold Mountain Loop: Forecasts can’t be trusted

May 1, 2017By y2kemo

Cold Mountain survey marker — Cold Mountain Summit

There’s a saying that if you’re backpacking and you don’t like the forecast, wait five minutes and it’ll change. That was certainly the case on a recent backpacking trip I took to the Shining Rock Wilderness with my brother-in-law, Ken. In the 10 days leading up to the trip we watched the wilderness area forecast change daily from hot to cold, sun to rain, and breezy to gale force winds.

In addition to the weather the Shining Rock Wilderness has a couple of rules that impacted our trip. First, no campfires. It’s a rule, and unfortunately many take it as a “rule” including the ones responsible for the recent fire at Cold Mountain that burned 132 acres. Second, in the past few years the bear population has increased resulting in greater than normal bear sightings and bear encounters (one backpacker had a bear enter his tent and remove his backpack). As a result, the U.S. Forest Service requires bear canisters in the Shining Rock Wilderness.

Backpacking Roaring Plains: April Snow and Swollen Creeks

April 10, 2017By y2kemo

I first read about the Roaring Plains Wilderness (RPW) when my buddy, Coop, and I were considering routes for our most recent winter trip to Dolly Sods. About a month after that trip, Coop invited me to join him and his brother-in-law, Craig, in the RPW for Craig’s first backpacking trip.

Located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, the Roaring Plains Wilderness spans more than 12,000 acres of the Monongahela National Forest and is said to have the most vertical relief in WV. To get a better sense of the area Coop and I put together our Plan A using hillmap.com and the GPX from HikingUpward.com. The plan was simple: hike the 12.46 mile Roaring Plains Circuit, climb 2,560′, descend 2,566′, and drive to Amelia’s for breakfast when we finished.

Then came the wrenches.

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