The wrong side of the river

Some eight years ago I discovered a riverside park while it was under construction. Although the sports fields took nearly a year to complete, trails exited along the river and through the woods. ATV and horse riders had carved out and maintained the trails. In previous writings I lamented this wonderful location has terrible water runoff. Even a slight rain will make it a slippery and muddy mess.

This past weekend the mid-January temperatures were in the upper 60’s and low 70s. I really wanted to have a nice run to enjoy the weather. However, it had rained a couple of days in the week, so the river was out, at first. Then I decided that mud was no longer an issue thanks to the Vibram barefoot shoes. Furthermore, there are trails on the other side of the river I have never explored in all these years. I could cross through the water in the Vibrams.

Off I went relishing in running through puddles within the first 60 seconds of entering the park. I picked a place to cross the river only to find the water stronger than I expected and worse, deeper. I was wet waist high. The warm air was nice the icy water was a terror. My MP3 player was destroyed. At this point, there was nothing to do but to get in at least thirty minutes, twenty-seven more, and call it a day.

The trail opposite the river was a delight. I ran up hills, over dirt and rocks. It had twists and turns and splits. Unknown to me, the river split as well. I came to a bridge I couldn’t place. I crossed the river and headed back and ended up at another sports complex, one I had never seen in my life. I decided to back track, only to get lost again in the maze of trails.

After pushing through brush, sliding down a steep part of river bank crossing the water (again) up steep bank on the other side, and crashing trough briars and other uncomfortable stuff I finally found my way back, an hour later.

Whew! The shoes held up well. If not for the stress, this would have been a stellar run.

Tom