No Frills, Just Hills FA

     

Today marked the 3rd installment of the annual No Frills, Just Hills FA that I help organize each year.  And to keep with tradition, it was once again hot and sunny for the 3rd year in a row.  Still recovering from my MMT 100 finish a couple weeks ago, I decided not to push it too hard today but ended up doing 7 loops for a total of 14 miles.  A new course record was set today by Bob Pokorny with a total of 17 loops (34 miles).  Also, a new attendance record was set, as this free N.E. Ohio Trail Club event continues to gain popularity each year. 

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I Got My Buckle!

 

This past weekend I completed the 2010 Massanutten 100 Miler for the first time in a time of 32 hours, 53 minutes, and 13 seconds and placed 81st out of 170 starters.  This race is considered the toughest 100 miler in the East and features over 18,000 ft. of elevation gain.  Right now I’m still trying to catch up on my rest but I promise to have a race report posted here soon.

Bald Eagles in Brecksville!

This afternoon my sister came up to my place and we drove over to the Station Rd. bridge in Brecksville for a short 5 mile trail run and to check out the bald eagle nest that everyone has been talking about lately.  From the Station Rd. bridge parking lot you have to hop on the Towpath and then head north for approx. a 1/2 mile.  The viewing area is indicated by a couple signs and the large nest can be seen to the left in the distance. 

When we first arrived, one of the two adult eagles was sitting right on a branch above the nest.  After awhile a group of birdwatchers came along and we were lucky enough to view the eagles and take photos with my camera through this lady’s viewing scope.  Right now there are at least 2 adult eagles and 2 eaglets in this nest.  This was my first time seeing a bald eagle in the wild and it was a neat experience.  They are very powerful looking.

   

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Tree Farm Trail

I headed over to the Lock 29 trailhead this evening and met my brother and about 30 other people that showed up for tonight’s Crooked River Trail Runners group run.  We did a loop around the Tree Farm Trail and then headed back for 5 miles.  Afterwards I enjoyed a Sierra Nevada Bigfoot and Torpedo ale!

Overlook Storm Photos

     

This evening my brother and I drove over to the Overlook in the CVNP and were able to witness a wide variety of weather conditions.  The Overlook faces west but the approaching storm was moving northeast and we just happened to be right on the edge of the storm, enabling us to see both sunny and stormy skies without ever feeling a drop of rain.

Portage Lakes Run

This afternoon my brother and I headed over to Portage Lakes State Park for a short 4 mile run on the Shoreline Trail. This was my first visit to the park, which is pretty nice but has a limited amount of trails to run on. I'm always interested in visiting new places though...