I ran at "The Plantation" yesterday -- through the woods, under a canopy of shady vines and trees, on a trail that, at times, was barely visible (as you can see in the above photo). It sure beat running on hot asphalt, in the sun, dodging traffic, and watching for motorists looking at anything but the road -- which I did on Brocks Gap Road Saturday. Before actually running, I went through with a pruner and cut back a few vines to widen the path a bit (I knew the owners were okay with that; they mowed the original path and try to maintain it when they're home). Nonetheless I didn't get it quite wide enough. A couple times the vines reached up, grabbed my ankles and tried to trip me; and a couple blackberry prickers scratched me. There's a branch that even I have to duck under. The soft ground is easy on the feet, but the uneven surface requires a bit of hopscotch-type dancing to prevent a fall. The first leg of the out-and-back with a loop at the top is uphill, and at the top you can see the mountain if you turn and look back. Once you reach the top, the path widens and it's all downhill.
So this is a great hill workout on trails, and an opportunity to toughen up the ankle muscles.
Stop at the top and turn around, there's a great view of North Mountain in the distance.
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