My nemesis. My most hated trail. It hurts me. I curse it always the last few miles.

Ran this trail July 25 for the 2nd time. Hate the trail but loved my new poles and chocolate/cashew/fig/almond energy bites!

7/13/19: 15.8 miles, 4170′, 6:12 (21:16/mile avg). When I did this, I thought it would take ~4 hours and it took forever! I fell a few times, cried on the side of the trail and remember being so tired on the way home.

7/25/21: 13.5 miles, 3668′, 6:33 (25:29/mile avg) – did not do the extra 2 mile run at the tail end. I thought with my new trail shoes and experience, I’d be faster but was not. It is just a brutal slog of technical up and down climbs. Always damages my toes (am losing a toenail due to it) and ego.

The 6 hr Mt Washington/Monroe hike and Mt Garfield hikes were both so much easier than this one. Both of those were similar elevation and a little shorter.

Least favorite trail ever. But good pole practice! The other great learning was making homemade energy balls vs using cliff blocks/GU. Made Scott Jureks chocolate, cashew, fig, almond extract and coconut oil balls rolled in coconut and sale – FANTASTIC:

1/2 c raw cacao nibs

1/2 c raw cashews

8 figs (PITTED)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut oil

Rolled in coarse sale.

Blend all but coconut oil in blender. then mix in melted oil. Each one has about 100 calories – Makes 10. 131 calories, 5g fat, 20 g carb, 2.5g protein each.