Run-cation – Day 1 – Kings Mt Gateway Trail

Rain was expected to fall pretty much all day so I opted to start my run-cation on an easy course. This would be the Kings Mt. Gateway Trail. Interested in checking out the Gateway Trail, more info can be found here - https://www.carolinathreadtrailmap.org/trails/trail/kings-mountain-gateway-trail.

I had run a couple of races on this trail in the past few years so I knew the location of the trail head and the course. This made my starting day logistics a lot easier. The course is less trail and more crushed gravel. Still, this is easier on my legs than asphalt or concrete.

From the trail head, I followed the main path down for about ½ mile to the beginning of the Foote path. But before handing out on the Foote path, I figured that I would hit their little Everest. This is about ½ mile climb to the top of the hill. This climb isn’t super steep but doing before I am really warmed up does leave my quads groaning about my choices. From the top, I can look off in to the distance and see the bottom half of Crowders Mt. The upper half is obscured by the clouds. I wondered if those clouds would be there the next day when I visited Crowders Mt. I pushed the thought aside since there was no point in pondering something that I would find out soon enough.

The Foote path starts with some rollers for about 2 and ½ miles. Then, the course flattens out to the turnaround at 4.5 miles. Those first few miles were pretty good. Drizzle had settled over the area, and I only had to deal with the wind on the outer half of the course.

Finishing up my first loop of the Foote path, I thought about dropping my car. However, the rain was starting fall. If I went by my car, I might just opted out, and my adventure would be over before it started. Instead, I headed up little Everest for a second time. The view from the top was even more obscured. Crowders Mt was completely hidden by the clouds.

The rain really started to fall now. The cold water was running off the back of my cap and down the back of my neck. Water coated my hands. While the temperature was only about 51 degrees, the combination of the rain and wind chilled my hands. This had been unexpected given that we are now in May. I worked my hands open and closed in hopes that this would restore some of the circulation.

If anything, the rain got harder on the way back. I wished that I had worn an extra shirt.

I finished up right and the end of the Foote a path. As if noticing that I was no longer running, the rain eased off as well.

Day 1 was in the books. With 20 miles done, I headed home to get ready for tomorrow's 20 miler.

The Cool Down Runner