Hiking The Walls of Jericho

I was able to rack up some really awesome Mommy Miles hiking yesterday with my favorite guys in the whole world!  We heard about a place to hike about an hour and a half north of our home a while back called "The Walls of Jericho".  After some research, we knew that we needed to be able to set aside a full day to do the hike because of the drive to it and the length of the hike.  Yesterday was the day.

We packed up plenty of snacks, lunches and Powerade for our hike and hit the road.  Each of the boys got a new "Camelback" backpack this Spring so they could carry their own hydration and lunch on our hikes.  This was their first time to try them out and they worked beautifully!

We searched and searched for good directions to The Walls of Jericho trailhead and never really found them online.  The only directions we found were to go 25 miles past Scottsboro on Alabama Highway 79.  Luckily, these directions worked out just fine for us.  We drove straight to it without any problem.  A better description, though, is that the trailhead is just a mile or two North of the town of Hytop, Alabama on Highway 79.  As a matter of fact, the town of Hytop boasts that it is "The Gateway to The Walls of Jericho".

We entered the trail in perfect hiking weather.  June 1st in Alabama is typically hot and balmy, but as luck would have it, it rained the night before our hike and cooled the air to a comfortbale 75 degrees.  The weather was perfect throughout the hike.  If it had been warmer, staying hydrated for our hike would have been a bigger issue. 

We hiked at a comfortable pace for the boys.  We generally like to stop often when we see something that fascinates the boys....and pretty much everything is fascinating to kids.  We stopped to walk on logs, to look at bugs, to look into sinkholes, and just to rest. 

We stopped and meandered off the trail several times, but our favorite stops along the trail were at the footbridges and the cemetery.

The cememtery was grown up and had only this one grave marker that had an inscription.  The other markers were just plain rock markers.  The little cemetery so far from current civilization, really made us curious about the Clark family that obviously once called this area their home.

During the hike down to The Walls of Jericho, we crossed over two of these log footbridges.  The bridges are simply made from a fallen log with a hand crafted railing.  The bridge is certainly sturdy enough, but with our entire family on it walking together, it gave enough of a shake that it added to the excitement.  The first footbridge crossed over Hurricane Creek, which was flowing with water on the day we crossed.  We stopped just across the creek, where a bench had been placed for a refueling snack.  The boys also spent some time looking for fish and critters off the bridge.

The second footbridge crossed over a dry creekbed.  I have read that during a thunderstorm or after a heavy rain, that this creek bed can become filled with a swift moving stream.  Until recently, the footbridges were not there, which made access to the Walls of Jericho dangerous during rainy season.

Besides being safer, I think the bridges add charm to the hike, without making it feel too "man made". 

  It took us just over 2 hours to get into the gorge area.  The hike down into the gorge was almost completely downhill and filled with switchbacks.  Throughout the downhill portions of the hike, we built up a sort of dread for the hike back out.  Although hiking downhill is always pleasurable, it causes some alarm when thinking about the inevitable hike back up. 

As we hiked the last bit of the trail into the gorge, we were able to hear the water falling and we knew we were close to the canyon.  The last bit of hiking was the most treacherous of the entire trip in, as it included rugged terrain and some fairly sheer drop offs.  We were driven to get to the end of the hike and were instantly rewarded with this sight.....

As we entered the Walls of Jericho area, this naturally formed pool was the first sight we saw.  We were immediately taken aback at how crystal clear the water was.  We were instantly saddened by the fact that we didn't bring our swim suits.  The water falling off the rocks and into the pool simply begged to be swam in.  We now have plans to hike back to The Walls of Jericho, if for no other reason than to swim in this water.

For a bit, we thought that this natural pool was the main attraction of The Walls of Jericho.  But after a few minutes of exploring, we hiked farther up the rocks and found this area.....

This natural amphitheatre area was a blast to explore and made the perfect setting for our picnic lunch.  We managed to keep the boys sitting still long enough to refuel with lunches and drinks before they were off again exploring the area.  We spent about 2 hours down in the Walls area.  The boys clambored over the rocks, caught tadpoles that were abundant in the shallow pools on the rocks, waded in the water, and explored the caves and alcoves.

At one point while we were down in the gorge, a young couple came clamoring over the rocks and walked up to us.  They asked....

"Excuse us, but is there any other way to get back out of here besides the way we came in?"

We explained that the only way to get back out was to hike the 3-4 miles back out......uphill.

They replied...."That's what we were afraid of.  We are dreading the hike out and was hoping there was a short cut to get out."

Our belief is that the most beautiful natural sights require some effort to see, so the strenuous hike back up didn't seem quite as horrific to us as it did to the young couple.

We kept a watch on our time inside the gorge, knowing that we needed to allot 3 hours to hike out.  We knew that it was time to begin our ascent back to the top. 

We gathered up all of our discarded gear.....

...and started our hike back up.

Although we feared that the hike back out would be too strenuous for our family, we quite enjoyed it!

The hike out was definitely uphill, but we took it slow and worked in several rest stops.

Even taking breaks, it took us only about 2 1/2 hours to hike back out of the gorge.  The hike out wasn't nearly as bad as we feared it would be.  Thankfully, the switchbacks are designed to give you some flat hiking interspersed with the uphills.  It made hiking out quite bearable.

If I were to give our day of hiking a ranking, I would give it a 9 out of 10.  The weather was perfect.  We had plenty of drinks and snacks, the scenery was lovely, the trail was well marked, and the conditions were perfect.  The only thing that would've pushed the hike up to a 10 would've been if we had carried our swimsuits. It also would have been nice if water had been running in the dry creek bed and out of the holes in the canyon walls.  But, those things are quite minor. They just make us want to go back to see it again after a rain.

I wore a Nike+ sensor throughout the hike to see how many miles it recorded.  Although the sign at the trailhead proclaims that the hike is 6 miles round trip, my sensor recorded it as 8.25 miles.  I have read other people reporting that the trail is actually farther than posted as well. So if you choose to hike....you are in for a treat....just keep in mind that the hike is fairly strenuous and is likely farther than 6 miles. Take plenty of fluids and allot plenty of time to stop and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you. 

I would highly recommend this hike to able bodied people who are at least fairly fit and who are looking for a great... free way to spend time together as a family.

We are already searching for our next hiking destination.

Magic City Mudder

Running in the mud and conquering obstacles with my friends may be my new favorite kind of running. 

This weekend, I joined a group of my running girlfriends at the Magic City Mudder in Springville, Alabama.  We had an absolute blast!  It was a different kind of running challange.  One that focuses on enjoying the experience and finishing together.  No one cared about the time it took to finish.  I actually have no idea how long it took us to get to the finish line.

This was a 5K Mud Run that included 20 obstacles in 3 miles.  Throughout the 5K, we trekked through several mud pits, jumped through tires, climbed over hay bales, scaled a wall, army crawled through sand, ran over hills, bear crawled through culverts, and crawled under muddy rope obstacles. 

The 5K was over before I knew it and we have talking about it nonstop since it ended.  Our group has already signed up for our next challenge coming up in a few weeks.  We are eager to chart more experiences together while being active at the same time.  I am so lucky to be surrounded by friends who value friendships, a healthy lifestyle, and a good dose of dirt.

And of course, I was still a Mommy during this race.  I carried my 3 little guys with me.  They were happily my race photographers. My two little ones were able to play in the Kids Mud Pit and Tucker is now itching for next year when he will be old enough to participate with me.  My goal is to model a healthy lifestyle for my boys and I get all giddy when they want to participate with me.

 

Snot Rockets and Loogie Spitters

  Before I was a runner, I had no idea what a Snot Rocket was.  And I had no idea that there was socially acceptable occassion in which loogie spitting was embraced.  I now consider myself well versed in the execution of the Snot Rocket and the expulsion of the loogie.

  Now, let me clarify....

 I, myself, am not a loogie spitter or a snot rocket blower.  I suppose that my body just doesn't produce an excess amount of these type fluids for me to feel the urge to expel them from my body during a run.  Although I am not a Snot Rocketeer or a Loogie Spitter, I realize than some people must take part in this exercise.....and I am not looking down on them for that.  Nay, nay.....we all have our issues to overcome while running. 

Throughout the last few years of running, I have learned that there are certain unwritten rules that runners follow when expelling the Snot Rocket or the Loogie.

1.  Check over your shoulder for a nearby runner before blasting

2.  Administer with force so that the remains aren't left on your face

3. Never lose stride

4.  Pretend you didn't do it. 

During my most recent half marathon...I was witness to all matter of Snot Rockets and loogie spittings.  It was going on ALL AROUND me.  At one point, I was even feeling like a bit of an underachiever since I had nothing to blast.  Oh, the joys of the distance run.

Yesterday, my email inbox pinged. The download link to the Nashville Half Marathon photos from the official race photographers had arrived.  I was giddy with excitement as I scrolled through the photos.

 I was happy to see this shot of me grinning like a possum and covered in sweat just across the finish line......

I loved this shot that shows my determination to power through those darned hills.

I loved this thumbs up one.  I was obviously thrilled here because I was finally running downhill.

And then in this one, I was looking a bit more weary, but still had the energy for a wave. 

But... wait a minute....what's that?

Upon closer inspection.....

I realized that the race photographer had successfully recorded a loogie spitter in the photo.....

Beautiful.

Now.....if only I had a photo of a Snot Rocket....

my life would be complete.

Rave Runs

  Back before I did all of my running and fitness reading on the web, I subscribed to Runner's World magazine.  It's a great magazine, but I no longer subscribe because I do so much reading on my Kindle these days.  My most favorite page in Runner's World was the page called Rave Run.  I miss that page.

  The Rave Run page wasn't an article, it was just a photograph.... with a caption.  The caption simply stated where the location was that the photograph was taken.  Each time my magazine came in the mail, I always flipped straight to that page.  The Rave Run was always some fabulously amazing destination in which a runner was running.  Real places and a real runner.   I dream of those places.

(I walked on this boardwalk, but didn't run there.)

  In the years that I have been running, when I see some breathtaking place, I imagine myself there as a Rave Runner.  Just getting out and going for a run in my usual neighborhood is always rejuvenating and is a great way to de-stress, but running somewhere new is always an even bigger treat.

This weekend, our family went camping.....not too far away from home, because we had to drive back and forth to baseball games.  During our camping trip, the boys were thrilled to get to spend time right outside our camper fishing with their Daddy.

And I was ecstatic to squeeze in a 6 mile run while they did so.

It was such a refreshing run to be able to run the entire 6 miles alongside the river.....with my little exercise buddy tagging along behind me on his bicycle.  Getting to complete a run in a new place with a change of scenery is the icing on the cake for a vacation.

Although the run wasn't in a magazine worthy location, it was my own version of a Rave Run.

Hopefully, I will be able to share more lovely running locations here on Mommy Miles as I encounter them.

Where are some of your favorite places to run?

I'd love to hear about them!

Nashville Country Music Half-Marathon Recap

  This half-marathon was only my second one ever...so I wouldn't say that I am a very good judge of what makes a marathon a "good marathon" or a "bad one".  That being said....I would say that this one was a positive experience.

From my perspective, here is the good, the bad and the ugly....

The negatives of the race would have to be the HILLS and the running crowd.  Although I did some training on hills, I wasn't quite prepared for the entire race to be up and down hill.  I don't think there was a quarter mile stretch at any point during the race that was flat.  It was rolling hills the entire way.

 And having a huge hill from mile 12 to 13 was almost my undoing.   I had to have a serious talk with myself to keep from walking part of mile 12. 

I thought the course was quite difficult.

The crowd of racers was also a bit of an interference.  People kept stopping to walk right in front of me causing me to have to slam on my brakes or dart around. 

The course was so packed with racers that running my own pace was difficult.  I felt like I kept just having to run the pace of whoever was in front of me because I kept getting jammed up.

The UGLY part of the race was that I am a Mommy of 3 boys who weighed in the 10 pound range at birth.  My bladder doesn't always cooperate and I had some peeing issues.  No one knew....I was sweaty all over anyway.  It was my little secret.  Except now I told you, so now it's our little secret.

Still....none of these things were terrible and none of them would cause me to avoid the race in the future.

Some of the perks of the race were the great organization, the technical shirt, the music, the spectators, and the friends that traveled with me. 

I was baffled by the thought of organizing 32,ooo runners and countless spectators into the racing area on race day.  I thought it was very well organized from Expo to finish line.  Shuttles were waiting at our hotel to transport runners, the course was well marked, and aid station were easily accessible.  The organization of the race was fabulous for such a large number of runners.

I liked the Brooks techical shirt.  I didn't fall in love with the design or color of it, but it's a very nice technical shirt.  Brooks makes great gear.

Having music along the course was a great distraction!  I loved hearing all the music blaring from the bands and the stereos.  I especially loved the block at Belmont Church!  The church here was belting out the praise and worship music and the spectators here were very encouraging!

The spectators on the course are always my favorite part of a race.  I am hesitant to ever even register for a smaller marathon because I get so much encouragment and distraction from reading the specators' signs.  Some of the best signs were:

"Worst Parade Ever"

"Hey, Where are all Ya'll Going?"

"You are NOT almost there"

"This is your distraction"

"The hard part is over...now enjoy the race."

"It's Not Sweat...It's Your Fat Cells Crying"

"Run Like An Angry Kenyan"

"Toenails Are For Sissies"

Sometimes, I think I signed up for the half marathon just so I could be cheered on, to people watch and to read the signs.

The biggest perk of the race was that I got to experience it with some of my buddies.  I really enjoyed getting to talk about our fears prerace and discuss our joys and difficulties post race.  It made the entire event very fulfilling. 

It would have been even more epic if my guys could've traveled with me.  They wanted to join me so bad, but were all tied down to baseball games.  I ran with my phone and I got lots of encouraging texts from them all from home.  The sent me these texts and more....

"Keep it up, Mom!  We know you can do it!"

and

"You're almost there.  You've got this!"

It was almost as good as them being there with me, but not quite.

Overall, I give this race an exhausted 2 thumbs up!