I registered for the 7 Sisters Trail Race months ago, with the knowledge that I'd done Mt. Greylock, Pisgah, and a bunch of other trail races that served up some good challenges. Then Greg Hammett had to go and mention that Pisgah was like a manicured golf course compared to 7 Sisters. Shit, did I just step out of my comfort zone? Why yes, yes I did! And I can't wait to get up there for it, I'm so excited...driving up the day before, staying over and meeting up with friends, and getting to drive a scant 10 minutes to the race start. There may even be a pub involved on Saturday evening, purely for carb-loading? I'm in Wave #2 on Sunday, which means I either vastly overestimated my abilities, or I'm right where I need to be for a challenging race. I plan on bombing the downhills, as I'm comfortable with them, and power hiking the climbs when it's steep. Should be fun!
Monday-Tuesday - 0 Miles.
Wednesday, 4-29 - 4 Miles. Oswegatchie Hills Preserve, Niantic CT. I'm working at a house right on the water in Niantic, and driving in on Tuesday, I (of course) noticed some trailheads that were clearly blazed...we work all day, and in chatting with the homeowners, I found out that they're heavily involved with the preserve and are longtime members/conservationists. I liked them immediately. Today I had an hour of downtime and quickly changed up, and hit the trails across the street. A hilly mix of technical and smooth singletrack, with really cool rock ridgelines up top, and some rooty, twisty sections in the gullies. Loved these trails, and not what I'd expect from the flat Niantic I know. Warm day, but a cool breeze helped a lot!
Great trails!
Thursday, 4-30 - 4 Miles. Mattabesett trail run up Higby Mountain. I had to stop by CFPA headquarters for blaze paint for trail marking, and to drop off the trail kit I'd checked out (I made my own). Chatted with fellow trail manager Marty, who recommended the nearby Tynan trail connector to the Mattabesett, with a good climb to Higby Mountain. Great technical climb, great view, and awesome descent! Lots of mud, no blood, but I'm sure I'll have some of that at 7 Sisters :)
Quarry through the trees
Nice single track on the ridge
Castle Craig in the distance, next on my hit list
Friday, 5-1 - 0 Miles.
Saturday, 5-2 - 0 Miles. Drive to Hadley/Amherst, MA to pick up race packet, check into hotel, and meet Faith, Joe and Beth for dinner and drinks at Amherst Brewing Company. Took less than two hours to get to Amherst. Scoped out the race start with Beth, then we all went to dinner and bid each other goodnight. 7 Sisters in the morning...
Sunday, 5-3 - 7 Sisters Trail Race. 12 Miles. Separate post coming shortly.
Great races Crutch! Good luck at 7 Sisters!
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