Muddy Trails

"I wish I was running in the snow", I remarked to Matt as we slogged through the muddy uphill on the Headwaters Trail. Each step into the slippery earth resulted in sliding halfway back to where my foot had just been. It was messy and only my second run in the new trail running shoes. What other way does one break in trail shoes than by getting them completely dirty? I'd like to say that this 11 mile run was actually a run, but with the deep mud, it was more like a scrambling, slip and slide up the trail. There were few spots of firm trail until we reached the top at mile 5.5.

Clean shoes!

Running through the Giants.

Trillium. These guys were everywhere.

We decided to do the entire trail since we never had done it before. Before the trail returns down to the start, it makes a mile loop through old growth Redwoods. The trees were breathtakingly beautiful. Giant Redwoods, feet in diameter, were covered in bright green moss. Their majestic grandeur forced me to think of how insignificant I am in this world. I can do significant things, sure, but my life is a small piece of the Human Race puzzle. So often, we feel like we are master over nature and can control all things. Recent events (tsunamis, earthquakes, etc) are reminders that we are not dominant. I like that about the outdoors, always there to help put life into perspective.

Giant Stump.

Washed out section of the dry part of the trail.

The trail back home was a muddy slippery mess. I had to go slowly in some spots to avoid sliding down on my butt through the mud. It was fun. The thing I like about the Headwaters trail is that once I'm at the top and about exhausted, the return trip is nice and easy that I return to the trail head with a renewed energy, almost like I could go and run it again.

We forgot to take a photo at the muddiest part of the trail. This was
after three miles of stomping a lot of it off.