Vacation = Rail Trails

 I'm heading into the final weekend of my vacation, a rare two weeks off from work. I love exploring and running on rail trails. I hit a bunch different trails during this vacation:

Freeman rail trail - Chelmsford MA

Middleton rail trail - Middleton MA

Swatara trail - Pine Grove PA

Huckleberry trail - Christiansburg VA

Hanging rock battlefield trail - Salem VA

Tweetsie trail - Johnson City TN

Stone Mountain trail - Stone Mountain GA

Ocumulgee heritage trail - Macon GA

Tom White Linear trail - Moultrie GA

Van Fleet rail trail - Mabel FL

Timucuan trail - Jacksonville FL

Hunting Island trails - St Helena Island SC

Erwin-Dunn rail trail - Erwin NC

Tobacco Trail - Purdy VA

C&O canal path - Potomac MD

Shuykill river trail - Pottsville PA

Orange heritage trail - Middletown NY

Farmington canal heritage path - Southington CT

Topsfield rail trail - Topsfield MA

Bradford rail trail - Haverhill MA

Methuen & Salem rail trail - Methuen MA/Salem NH

Nashua River rail trail - Pepperell MA

Ghost train rail trail - Amesbury MA

Groveland rail trail - Groveland MA

In addition, visited some fire towers:

Woodstock - Woodstock VA

Flat Gap tower - Newmarket TN

Sharps ridge tower - Knoxville TN

Forsythe tower - Forsythe GA

Drive back from FL

 After some relaxing days in Florida I hit the road on Monday with plans for 8 runs along the way (and a rest stop in Virginia for the night).

I was on the road at 3:30 am and reached the Timucuan trail in Jacksonville at sunrise (200 miles). It was 65 degrees and the wind was howling. Nice views of the ocean on this paved path which I had to myself this early in the morn.

Another 200 miles of driving got me to St Helena Island in South Carolina. It cost $8 to get into the Hunting Island state park. The park had a mix of paved road, dirt trails, and firmly packed beach. It was again 65 degrees but the 30-50 mph steady wind made it seem a lot cooler. I wisely went into the wind at the start and had a great finish with the wind pushing me back to the car.

I then had a LONG 300 mile drive to Erwin North Carolina for a visit to the Erwin-Dunn rail trail. I'd run this a few years ago from the Dunn end and this 5m run got me the remainder of the very nice dirt trail.

Next up was a race against the sunset(735pm) and a 2+ hour drive to Purdy VA for a run on the Tobacco Trail. I'd also run on this previously from the Jarratt VA end. I reached the trail 25 minutes after sunset and got out my headlamp for a nice run in the 58 degree cool and calm conditions. Purdy must qualify as a "dark sky" town as the stars were blazing! Beauty, despite the somewhat rougher footing (mix of grass and dirt).

I cleaned up with a gallon jug shower and then hit the road aiming for the next rest area in VA. I called it a night at 10pm and slept (somewhat) until 4am when I hit the road for day two.

A 175 mile drive got me to Potomac MD for a run on the C&O canal path. I've run portions of this but had yet to start a run from here. I got in a nice 4 mile run a little before sunrise. Very nice dirt trail with great footing and views of the canal and the Potomac river.

Three hours later I arrived in Pottsville PA for the Shuykill river trail. I parked at the water department lot and hoped I would be okay to park for a little while. The trail is a dirt road (smooth) that was built over a newly installed pipeline. The 120 mile trail is not officially open in this location but seemed great to me. Climbed for 2 miles with a nice tailwind then had the downhill into the wind on this 55 degree and sunny day.

Next up was the Orange Heritage Trail in Middletown NY. It was 69 degrees and sunny when I hit the trail at 2:30 pm. I was surprised by how many people were using the trail (good) and how many e-bikes (bad). Really nice trail!

My final stop was the Farmington Canal Heritage Path in Southington CT. I've run or biked on a lot of this trail but not at this part where the off-road section ends. This was a pleasant paved path that was reasonably quiet with just some late afternoon bikers, walkers, and even a few runners.

Another 2 hours had me back in Bradford. I'd covered about 1,500 miles with 35+ miles of running and about 6 hours of sleep over the 39+ hours it took. Great fun exploring!

 

Drive to FL

 I made the trek down to Florida again this year. Visiting my parents in Zephyrhills for a few days. Planned out some adventures (mild) along the way with stops to run on various rail trails, paths, along with a few fire towers. Great way to break up the driving.

I left on Sunday afternoon and drove through the rain to PA and slept for a few hours before continuing on.

Ran 5 miles on the nice dirt trails (Bear Hole Trail) of the Swarata rail trail in Pine Grove PA.

Was planning to run at the Woodstock tower in Woodstock VA but the trail was a bit too rocky for me, so I settled for a short hike.

I had trouble finding the correct trail for the Hanging rock battle trail (Salem VA) but once on it really enjoyed the smooth dirt trail for a nice 5m run.

Finished the day with a hilly run on the paved Huckleberry trail in Christianburg VA.

Day two started with a 4m run at sunrise on the Tweetsie trail in Johnson City TN. This would be my last run wearing gloves (temps in the low 50s).

I did a stealthy visit to the Flat Gap fire tower (ducking in through the gate) but the stairs had been removed so no chance to climb.

I mixed it up a bit with some trail and some roads on the very hill Sharp's Ridge memorial park in Knoxville TN. I had hoped to get to the fire tower but was blocked by a fence and an occupied ranger station.

In Chattanooga TN I ran on the TN river walk trail, this was a location I'd been before (with Eric) but I was injured at the time so I'd never run here. It was sunny and 60s (getting warmer).

Stone mountain was a spot I'd hoped to run for a few years now and was glad to finally make it. I parked in downtown and took the connector trail to the park and ran the "walk up trail" to the summit. 20 minutes for the 1.8 miles and another 20 for the 2.2 miles (with an add on) for a pleasant 4m run on a sunny day. The mountain had a lot of people for a random Tuesday in March. I can only imagine how busy it is on a nice weekend.

I finished the day with a quick visit to the Forsythe fire tower (Forsythe GA) before calling it a day.

My final day of travel started with a very dark run on the Ocmulgee heritage trail in Macon GA. The trail was decent enough if not a bit sandy from recent river flooding. The northern part had a huge homeless city with trash everywhere, but otherwise the trail was nice.

I went a bit out of the way to get to Moultrie GA for a run on the Tom White linear trail. This was a paved and fairly quite trail. I enjoyed the mid-50 temps and cloudy skies for a pleasant 5 mile run.

My final run was planned for Wildwood FL which had a bunch of paths, but on arrival I found it was a very active golf cart community and it appeared that pedestrians might not be allowed on the path. I did a quick check of the map and decided to head to the Van Fleet rail trail. I'd done the southern end before but hadn't run from the northern terminus (Mabel stations). The 80 degree temps and sunny skies heralded my first run in FL this year.