Peaks 50 - Bloodroot Done

We head out from here at a pretty good clip.  There were some stretches of gentle up (probably would have described it differently pre-Peaks) and even some down all without mud.  It felt good to be able to have a longer stretch at a good pace.  We were wondering when we'd turn off onto the expected single track and the jungle(?) of Jurassic Park.  I think we passed some more people along here.  We'd done a little leap-frogging with the annoying guys we'd met at the first aid station (jug of water) that we'd deemed, um, annoying.  They made some attempts of humor with pickup lines.  My favorite was before the 31 mile aid station they were sort of complaining about it not being where it was supposed to.  Ha!  just 25 miles ago they were telling us how all the distances were just estimates and it wasn't really important.  Hmmmm!
 
Finally, we found what was supposed to be the replica of J.P.  I am good at playing doodles, seeing things in clouds, picking out various animals in the patterns in our paneling, so I used my imagination a bit.  Well, those rocks are big (not barn-sized) and, if it were mid-June (when the race was previously held), the ferns would have been really big and green...but...There were definitely no big flying creatures.  Still, it was a beautiful stretch of a different ecosystem then on the other stretches.  Then we came to the next climb.  Well, this wasn't different.  It just kept going up.  Being in the front and much taller than the Squirrel, I'd see the what we thought was the end turn into the next up first.  She'd know from my groan or language not to expect the peak.  Then I turned to say something.  Wow!  There was a spectacular view of a lake.

 Then I turned to take the picture of our climb.  Mindy and I kinda laughed wondering if it would capture the steepness.  Nope.  But, no matter, the next turn revealed steeper that I didn't even think to take the camera out on.  Oh, I guess there was the time I said to Mindy I was getting lightheaded.  She said lets stop a minute.  We weren't stopped even that long.  I really didn't feel comfortable standing on the steepness.  The end of the climb was almost immediately a down. I think it was here that we were passed by a guy.  He could run downs better.  At the bottom, I complained of my stomach.  Mindy thought it might have been the jostling down the hill.  No matter, it was time to run.  We found some speed again, thinking the we must be nearing Abba.  At 37 miles in we wondered how far till we actually arrived.  We wanted shoe changes, Nuun, and to have the guys greet us and to just be done with Bloodroot.  I felt my stomach getting unhappier, but was able to keep it in the background.  Oh!  Is that the sound of the road???  No.  Probably the river.  Then Mindy pointed out what sounded like traffic.  I was sure.  We thought we were almost there.  Wait.  The road the aid station was on would consider 3 cars an hour a lot of traffic.  Another river.  Finally we saw signs!!!  On the hill back up we saw Rick. Yay!!!!!

I plopped right into the chair.  Rick asked what I needed.  I think we tackled the shoe change first.  It took a bit of scraping to get the mud buildup off the soles of my feet.  Dry socks, mmmmm.  My old Inov8s went on a little snugly, by they felt dry and comforting.  Mindy hit the port-a-potty then did the shoe change thing too.  Next, food.  I tried to eat a PBJ.   Ugh.  My stomach was not having it.  Oh did I mention that we'd bought the peanut butter, jelly, and bread in the general store in town.  I don't know if I didn't look closely or if it was the only choice, but I'd gotten raspberry jam that had seeds.  Normally I get the seedless.  Every time I'd take a bite, I was sure someone let my sandwich touch the ground.  It had dirt in it.  Then there'd be the realization that it was seeds, but yuck.  OK, what does my stomach think it can keep in?  Coke tasted good.  I did drank about a 1/2 can.  My beer that Emma left me!  I drank about 1/2 of that.  Mindy replaced the cola-flavored Nuun with what see brought.  We both put various trail munchies into our packs.

It was time to get moving.  Oh, I also ditched my garmin for Rick's to make sure we'd have one that didn't die.  We were at right around 40.xx miles.  Now was the dirt road back to town and then a little teeny strip of paved back to the farm where we started.  Oh, those two wild and crazy guys ran by us.  I think that was all we'd see of them at least.  Then I needed to find a place in the bushes.  Figured, all the time in the real woods, just left a place with a port-a-potty and I have to go roadside.  I felt slightly better.

This is a good break spot.  Just some random things from Bloodroot that I didn't include and really have no idea where to add it in so...Scout and Squirrel have logged lots of miles together.  Yet there are some things that have never happened.  Somewhere in Bloodroot, I announced to Mindy that I was going to fart.  And I did.  In fact, later I told her about an article I'd seen in some magazine about trail running.  They gave some terminology.  One was walkie-talkie.  It was defined as when one farts with each step.  Well....there was some walkie-talking going on.  Yikes!   Another thing was Mindy's inspirational quote list.  We'd drag a few out here and there, but we added a great one that helped us several times.  I don't think we'll be putting it on paper and laminating it because it's slightly mean.  Oh, and the Squirrel did exactly as I knew she would.  She got through her rough spot and was just gaining in strength as we went on.  I told her I see a 100 in her future.