Southern Park Border Run

Miles : 16.66
Time : 3:28.18.
Pace : 12:30/mi.
Elevation Change : 8,500ft.

One of my summer goals is to cover all 100 or so miles of trail in the local state park. So far, I'm about 2/3 done. What this goal means though, is running a lot of the really backcountry trails that hardly anyone hikes or runs upon. We headed for the southern trails section to get some of the really remote ones out of the way.

Matt and I parked at the Kemp Rd./Panther Gap intersection. We considered which direction to go on our loop, up or down first. We chose to go down first and soon were zooming out of control on Kemp Trail Rd. Three miles of pretty steep downhill hurt my quads and I continuously slowed as the distance passed by.

By mile 3.5, Hubby and I hit a stream. It was swift, but not very deep. My previous experience with creek crossing left me with bruises and wet feet, I really didn't want to repeat that. I made it to the rocks in the middle of the stream and stopped. Considering taking my shoes off, Matt tried to convince me that I'd make it fine. Stretching his hand out for me to grab, I remembered the previous fall while holding his hand. How did I become such a wimp? So I took a breath and went for it. Luckily, the wet spot I landed in wasn't also covered in algae and I firmly planted both feet on the other side without incident. The forest opened to a grassy meadow. It was so overgrown that I caught my foot in a snare of grass with each stride. Nearly being tripped each step is really energy sapping. Matt was having problems with the spiny seeds coming off the grass poking into his feet inside the shoe.

Really pretty, but at parts hard to run through the grass.

Our first turn was onto South Prairie Trail, a stretch of single-track with down trees and debris everywhere. The trail was hard to follow, it was clear that we were probably two of maybe five people that had been out here all summer. The trail was terrible. It skirted hillsides, creating an angle that made my IT band hurt a lot. Two miles without a single step of relief, I was ready to turn around. The ground was spongy, covered in years of damp leaves.

A stop to pick the thorns from his shoes and socks.

One of many obstacles on our path.

Looking north from the ridge.

At mile eight, we turned onto the Perimeter Multi-Use Trail. The trail returned to gravel road and my IT band was thankful. It was much faster to run on the firm surface. I was thankful that the trail wasn't too steep for too long. Just as I thought my heart would explode, the hill gave way to a downhill.

Pretty meadow and pretty honey.

About mile 10, Matt and I came to another grassy meadow. As we rounded a corner, we heard a loud nasally snort. Instantly, I thought it was a moose. That's the noise they make before they charge. Couldn't be a moose, silly girl. Matt thought, wow, that sounds big. Just as my heart jumped to my throat, a horse appeared. Just a horse, with nobody else in sight. We continued cautiously on the trail, not quite sure if this was a wild horse or not (Do wild horses exist in Northern California?) As we passed, it approached us, looking for food. Clearly not wild after all. We stopped for a few minutes to pet her and then we were on our way.

New curious friend. How about a ride home, friend?

About 10 minutes later, we came across the rest of the horses.

More friends.

Matt really loves babies, so he took a bunch of photos.

One male, about 10 females, and three foals. They were all very curious about us, as if they'd never seen strangers on THEIR trail before. Without free food from us, they quickly lost interest and continued on in the opposite direction. Just out for an evening hike, they trotted away in a straight line.

The meadow trail turned into a gravel one, and we assumed we had come to our final segment, on a gravel car road. It wove between private and state land. Near mile 13, we came across a farmhouse. Windows were missing and it was definitely not being lived in. But three extension cords went in one of the side windows and there was light inside. Considering that and the water lines we found on the side of the road, we knew exactly what it was. I hid Matt's camera in his backpack, tried not to look around at all, and ran faster. Neither of us mentioned what we saw until we were safely back at the car. Just after we passed the dilapidated house, we saw several signs : "No trespassing. Only deed-holders beyond this point." If this is part of a state park trail, isn't it okay for us to stay on the trail's corridor? I don't know. Two motorists that passed us weren't the least bit receptive to our friendly waves. They slowed down as they passed, I almost thought they'd roll down the window and ask if we were lost. But they just slowed to get a good look at us (in case we were to do something??) and then kept going. Clearly not a trail that is used often. Perimeter Multi-Use trail really is multi-use with the ranching and cash cropping on it.

Three more miles of slight downhill sent us back to the car at a record pace. We stretched a little bit and then drove home. Good run.

Sunset over Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge.

Running on dirt roads definitely made the run quicker. I was thankful for that. This time Matt and I had packed about 700 cal. apiece, just in case the terrain was similar to our last run. I didn't like being stuck out in the forest hungry. We plan our runs on a topo map, but I intentionally don't look at the elevation lines when planning it. That's half the fun, I think. And if I realized how hilly it would be ahead of time, I'd pass the run filled with dread. No, it's definitely more fun this way.