About two Saturdays ago my brother came down for a visit. The night before I was informed that we’d be getting up early in order to hit some trails in the tiny town I grew up in nearby. By a lake. And as much as I wish I could be one of those women that loves to spend her time by a huge hole in the ground that smells like stinky fish I’m just not. Still, I was promised that it would be a challenge and that there would be some decent views. I was also told that my sister-in-law would be joining us. She didn’t-- that’s right Kim, I’m looking at you. So, with my kid jumping up and down at the idea of going on a trail run with her tio I agreed. The sacrifices we make, am I right? We ended up inviting my other sister-in-law, and made a plan to get up around 6:30 the next day. As we all got up with the sun we layered up on bug spray and sunscreen. My brother arrived shortly after, and we made the 15 minute drive over.
Mind you, I hadn’t had any coffee at this point. I was a little doubtful about these “views” I was promised, and a little skeptical about the trail in general. I had lived in this town my whole life, and I’d pretty much seen it all. I could not have possibly missed something this great, right? Well, as we turned down the highway by the lake I realized we were passing by the more “popular” locations. And when we finally parked it was over by a closed off section called High Point Park which has been closed off to vehicles for years. Now, a little history for you: Our tiny little town had a bunch of idiots that liked to cause trouble and be violent towards others. High Point was the location that they all gathered at in order to participate in such mischief as drug deals, fights, and/or stabbings. This is why we can’t have nice things. So, in order to put a stop to it, the gates came down permanently. Now, several years later, as we got out of the vehicle we could still see the paved loop but everything else was overgrown. And that’s about the time that I looked over at my brother and asked “We’re supposed to go running...in THAT?”
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the answer was yes. I’m pretty sure my eyes bugged out a bit. You see, I hate snakes. I mean, I really really hate snakes. And do you know what comes out mid-morning in tall overgrown grass? That’s right, SNAKES. I was vocal about my concerns, but my brother told me to quit being a baby. This sentiment was echoed by my eight year old, and so I finally agreed to suck it up. Since they were the fearless ones they took the lead, and my sister-in-law and I brought up the end. The paved section ended at about .25 of a mile and then it was all grass, and sand. Spider webs, and thorns. And yes, even a snake. Though it was a baby, but you better believe I jumped. I kept looking down, and anytime the grass got taller than me I would sprint; eyes closed. Because I just hate the feeling I get when I'm not being able to see what’s around me, or hiding in the grass right next to me. However, as we got to the one mile point I started to relax a bit. I looked up, and around. My sister-in-law and I walked for a few minutes, and every once in awhile the little and my brother would have us stop to look out at the view.
And you know what? He was right. We found ourselves in a section that’s hardly ever touched by anyone else other than the occasional runner, or hiker. It was quite, and peaceful. It didn’t smell like stinky fish, and there were some section that caused me to really push myself to make it through. And we didn’t even finish the whole thing! At mile two and a half we decided to turn around in order to make it back home in time for breakfast. But most importantly coffee. We talked as we ran/walked our way back. Cracking jokes, and talking about certain movements going on in the world today. We stopped along the way to look at bones, bugs and interesting looking rocks to take back to tia. We actually had a lot of fun, learned a few things, and it was like discovering this tiny hidden treasure right in our own backyard. Now, will I ever attempt this run on my own? Probably not. But if you're ever in the area...
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