Maryland Challenge Report

As we passed the crumpled police cruiser and large trucks fishtailed around us, the Appalachian Trail seemed the safest place to be, if we would ever get there! An early morning rain had turned to ice on the roads and traffic quickly ground to a halt.
Our caravan of Mical (the organizer) Cathy, Amanda, Mark, Lorrin, Jim and crew of Joe, Paul, and Bill were on our way up to Penn Mar Park on the Pennsylvania line. Our goal was to once again run the "Maryland Challenge" -- the 40+ miles of the Appalachian Trail that stretches across maryland from Pennsylvania to Harper's Ferry, WV.

Finally at our destination, we got our gear together and took off. We would not see our crew again until Wolfsville Road, almost 10 miles away. The temperature was not too freezing and there was snow, rather than ice, on the ground. But there was ice coating all the tree branches and leaves, so as the sun rose, it made everything around us sparkle and gleam. As we climbed some of the steep slopes south of Penn Mar, we marvelled at the the beauty of the ice. We had a couple of ice-cold stream crossings where we could not help but put our feet in, but steep uphills soon warmed us back up. At one road crossing we deliriously thought we spotted our aid station, but it turned out to be a gentleman out clearing some of the many blowdowns - we thanked him and continued on.

Wolfsville Rd.
About a mile or so out from Wolfsville, we spotted Paul and Joe, who ran up to meet us. we were glad to see them! Our crew van was well-stocked thanks to Bill and Amanda, who provided Pringles, Wheat-Thins, pretzels, M&Ms, grapes, PB&J sandwiches, water and sodas. There was more food than at some of the races! No time to dally, we had to make it to the I-70 parking lot in time to meet up with Megan and Michelle. The day was warming up, without a cloud in the sky, but as the ice in the trees began to melt, we wondered if we should have brought rain gear. And some of the falling chunks of ice hurt! Soon we encountered Megan, who had run up to meet us and we trotted downhill to our next aid stop.

I-70
Joe and Paul finished an epic bike ride just as we pulled into the I-70 parking lot. Again, we chatted with our crew and fueld up. Megan and Michelle had the welcome addition of homemade chocolate chip cookies and potatoes! Cathy was beginning to wear out so took the option to drop here while we picked up Michelle and Megan for the next 5-mile stretch to Turner's Gap.

Each section was relatively uneventful as we climbed the uphills and trotted the downhills. We felt like we were making good time as we rehashed races we'd completed in 2007 and ones we were looking forward to in 2008, discussed our holidays and vacations, and commiserated with family and health concerns. We were missing Katie, who'd been able to complete the Challenge last year, but glad to have the additions of Jim and Mark.

Turner's Gap
Once we got to Turner's gap we were pleased to find our crew at the South Mountain Inn parking lot, and this year not being threatened by an angry chef with a whisk. (They were afraid we'd take up spaces they needed for their New Years event.) Again, we hit the smorgasboard, refilled our bottles, and this time picked up our lights. We estimated it would be after sunset by the time we got to Gathland. Mark decided to take a break and give his ankles a rest, leaving Jim alone with the women!

Much of the trail on this section is familiar to those running JFK and we were lucky to get to the top of Lamb's knoll, right at the overlook, just as the sun was setting. With very few clouds, the sky was awash in purples and red around the blazing orange sun. As we descended, however, it was time to turn on the lights, and watch out for the rocks! Shortly thereafter, we came across Paul and Sharlene, who had run up to meet us from Gathland. Here we separated out a little, as different runners had varying degrees of comfort with the rocks, but we made sure to keep each other's lights in sight. Coming down the hill into the Gathland parking lot, we were very pleased to see our hard-working crew heating up soup! It was definitely getting colder and the soup was a welcome change to our PB&J standard.

Gathland
As we reluctantly switched on headlamps and flashlights and jogged out of the parking lot, we knew the hardest part was ahead: Close to 7 miles of rocky terrain, mostly uphill, in the dark, followed by the tricky steep descent down Weaverton Cliffs. If we didn't get lost! Luckily, white blazes are pretty easy to pick up at night, and the trail is well marked. Although challenging, it can be fun to run in the dark. The stars are much brighter further from the city and we could hear the lonely sounds of a far-off train through the crisp winter air. Aside from a few mysterious animal noises, with the large group we had it wasn't scary ... except when Paul decides it's time to talk about his favorite scary monsters! After he paused for a nature break, I was afraid to turn around and look at him just in case he'd turned into a werewolf!

Weaverton Cliffs to the Finish!
Most of the group seemed to float down Weaverton cliffs -- it was neat to see the chain of lights below me as I took up the rear. Until they disappeared and Jim & I got a little sidetracked. Joe ended up coming up from the aidstation to see where we were and helped us stay on the path. No soup for us here at the bottom of the Cliffs! The crew hustled us out of there so we could finish up!

We grabbed a little food and crossed the tracks down onto the C&O canel, where we smelled a trash fire. A natural fear of hobos grabbing our last remaining gel shots made us pick up our speed a little and we ran/walked the final 3-ish miles. After 40+ miles, the lit-up chapel on the top of the hill at Harper's Ferry was a welcome sight! A few crossed the bridge over to Harper's Ferry and back while the rest of us took more of a "cool-down" walk.

We all drove back to Mical & Paul's house for some delicious chili, cornbread, and beer! Katie met us there and got the first-hand account of the day's events. Once again, we could barely make it to count down the New Year - but once again, we all agreed it was a great way to wrap up the year!

View Mical's pictures and Michelle's pictures.