Wednesday, October 15, 2008

P2P Part 1 - SHT West (recap)

Activity OverviewDistance: 8.98 miles
Max reported HR: 182
Average reported HR: 157
Calories Burned: 921


Narrative Review
What a run!  This is the first point to point run we have done this season and it was
 exceptional.  It was a great fall night...sunny, cool, great colors and fresh air. 
The starting point was immediately behind the zoo on the Kingsbury Creek spur trail.  
This short trail parallels a river for most of its length and intersects a snowmobile trail and another hiking trail, though I'm not sure which.  The rushing water was a picturesque way to start the run.

The main Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) was just under a 1/2 mile away from the parking area and was more familiar territory for me.  The first leg of the trail provides
 generous views of the Duluth-Superior Harbor.  This continues for a short while before dropping down, cro
ssing beneath I-35, and headin
g up the hill.

ELEVATION GAIN!  I knew this route was going to have some climbs having run it previously, but it would be fair to say that the bulk of the SHT beyond the I-35
 crossing is hills.  In fact, looking at the elevation map (follow detailed stats & map link above), it appears that o
ur minimum and maximum elevation difference was nearly 640 ft.  The overall elevation gain / loss numbers were 3,062 and 2,742 respectively, however.  That is a fair amount of hills by most accounts!

Night came quickly once we
 passed the Getchell trailhead / parking area and it was time again for headlamps.  Running with headlamps is a truly different experience...a familiar trail becomes more mysterious, climbs aren't as intimidating, and the opportunity to trip increases.  No injuries tonight, which is always a blessing.  I tried to get a nice night shot of the bay, but the exposure time and lack of a good steady-shot feature in the camera makes for a slightly blurry picture.  We will be using headlamps for the foreseeable future.  Again, if you don't have one, know that we always bring a few extra for participants.


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