I wanted to see if I could, and how long it would take me to get to the top of Baer Canyon (of Baer Gutsman fame) and back down. The first 2 or so miles where fairly runnable, though after that, it became mostly hiking, running when any brief opportunity arose. I was a little strapped for time, so I wasn't sure if I'd keep going, but seeing the top so close I just kept hiking. From looking at maps of the trail, I knew there was a series of switchbacks near the top of the trial, and when I was below them I could see their faint cuts into the side of the mountain - I was looking forward to possibly running up these. As the first switchback came, however, it was overgrown and hadn't been used in sometime, and the trail just went straight up. This certainly made the route more direct, but it was just a grinding hike to the top. This dumps you out on Francis Peak Road, just north of Francis peak and the "golf Balls". I made it to the top in about 1:30. I spent a few minutes taking some pics and eating a Cliff Bar before heading on down. I screamed down most of it, having to slow down and take care in the very steep parts. I passed a guy near the bottom who asked me how far I had gone. I said "To the top", to which he responded "And all the way back down? You're crazy!" It felt kind of good to be called crazy. :) My knees felt good all the way down, making corrections to my stride if they started acting up. I also felt good the rest of the day, but my quads were completely wrecked when I woke up the next morning. I've got the Vegas Ragnar this next week, so I'll be taking it easy anyway to get them rested. I also decided I needed some proper trail shoes, as I've been running trails in my road shoes (Saucony Men's KilKenny XC3 Flat Racing Shoe), which are minimal even for road shoes, and don't offer much protection from sharp rocks that jut up and getchya. NB MT101s should be here Tuesday!
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