Hidden Valley Fun

We headed up north late on Saturday afternoon and stayed at Keri and Tyler's. The girls had fun playing together all evening while we ate pizza, drank beer and caught up on things. Always a good time! Thanks, Keri and Tyler!!

Keri and I got up and made our way over to Hidden Valley early Sunday morning, catching the sun rising above the fields as we drove through the countryside in the pre-dawn light. We started out around 6:00 am, needing headlamps for the first few miles and shedding them soon after as the light shone through the trees, turning the hillside golden.

We had a good time chatting as we ran along, stopping here and there to fix a sign, move a branch or take in the view. As the sky lightened, we could see the leaves starting to turn, especially the maples along the waterways.

Keri ran with me for 5 miles then peeled off for the finish line while I kept going. The trails are rugged and don't get a ton of foot traffic, and my legs were feeling a bit tired, so the going was leisurely but the woods are beautiful and it was a nice morning to be out on the trails. I did an extra out and back on the Bluff Trail around mile 9 to fix a sign but it's a pretty stretch of singletrack through the blueberry bushes so it wasn't so bad to traverse it a few times ;)

In the final few miles, the trail skirts the edge of Little Dyer Pond. I stopped a few times to take in the views with the clouds reflecting in the quiet waters and the reds of the maple trees shimmering in the sunlight. Gorgeous.

Finished up to find lots of people milling around so did a quick change and then spent the rest of the day chatting with friends, watching the girls run the kid's obstacle course, helping at the finish line and the food table, and just in general enjoying the beautiful day and the fun atmosphere! Always a great time at HVNC! (13.4 miles)

The girls had a great time running the race and then meandering around on their own, playing, tending to the fire (respectfully and safely) and having a grand old time outdoors together on a late September day.

We were all exhausted by the time we left, but couldn't pass up the chance to hang out a little bit longer with everyone and so joined in on the after-race Oxbow fun, enjoying a few beers, more time to friends and fairy house building for the girls! A perfect way to wrap up a great day and the month of September!