An eve of middle spring.

I'm back on the trail after some lousy weeks jousting with a rhino virus. Beth and Joey picked me up about 5:30 at Sundog's in Damascus and we drove up to one of our favored loop access points on FS 832 near Beartree Campground. May is having a relapse and the temperatures have remained cool with some frost the last 2 mornings. It's good running weather really with a cloudless pure blue sky to boot. The first mile is an up mile on 832 and the grassy road bed is beginning to get shaggy. Joey recalled his last run on this mountain when we came up in January with 12" inches on snow on the ground. Today our only concern is not to get lost in the idyllic haze of spring with sweet ferns unfurling en mass and birds tweeting about god-knows-what. At a low spot on the ridgeline we take a stretch break on the AT just north of Saunder's shelter. I fortify myself with a gel as my lunch was pretty light.

As we turn north bound on the AT, some rhodys have already popped into purple bloom -it seems earlier since it's about a month until the one's in the high country debut. We're on the ridge of Straight Mt. and the trail has a good mix of footing for the couple of miles into Beartree Gap -some scree, nice leaf bed on switch backs, and a few rocky spots. Beth rolled an ankle and had to take it easy for a mile or two.

We left the AT on the south end of the Beartree Gap trail, but after a short stretch of grassy road, turned right on US58 at the crossing. A quarter mile of pavement brings us to the Straight Mt trailhead and back onto the dirt and up we go. Joey is back to full speed after some knee issues in the winter and Beth's ankle seems to be back in gear. I'm bring up the rear, but I love running with these young speedsters as I keeps me pushing myself and I owe my most of my running and general fitness improvement from hanging out with a young fast crowd on the trail.

By the time I finish the climb, I'm ready for a second gel. We start down toward Beartree lake on some some of the best trail around -an open woods of straight tall poplars with rhododendron understory. The sun is dropping fast and our own shadows are getting tall along side the poplars. There is nothing like a run through the woods to reset the soul and spirit to its natural state.

All too soon, we come to another asphalt interruption on the road in Beartree campground. Our final climb of the run starts here. After several furlongs of pavement we start up the Shaw's Gap trail on the Iron Mountain. It's less than a mile, and the climb is not bad, but I've never mind-melded with this section. It does seem to get shorter with repetition.

At the top, and yet another gel for me, we have come to the other end of the Beartree Gap Trail where it also meets the Iron Mt Trail on the ridge line. Beth dubbed it the Sweet Trail years ago. It has some short climbs but it's mostly fast footing on a moderate downgrade for a few miles. A feathery green grass lines the trail for the first mile and the ease of running feels more like floating than effort. Wood thrush song weaves and warbles over the spring evening and the needle-some empty mind chatter of the day easily gives way to a flow of peace.

The sun has dropped below the western ridge taking a few degrees with it. We get back to our start with 10+ miles in about 2 hrs and 10 -a reasonable time considering the breaks we took and the climbs I guess. Wet with a good sweat, the evening chill puts us in the truck heading back down to Damascus. A good day. A good run.

I can't wait to do it again.

JJJ