Standing Indian Loop

Kimsey Creek and Appalachian Trails
Nantahala National Forest
26-ish Miles 5hr24min

If I did anymore road and greenway running I was bound to have an identity crisis and start thinking I was a fast road runner. So to clear up any confusion I headed up the nearest mountain and received a solid beat down via the best all-day loop I could come up with. And apparently I'm not the only one who has thought this route looked like a good idea.

This was actually what I used to navigate my run... kind of scary

Beginning/End Point-  Near Standing Indian Campground

I had every intention of sleeping late and trying to run during the warmer part of the day, but found myself on trail just before sunrise. Certainly worth it, numb hands and all. The first five miles or so were all up-hill belligerence until reaching the summit of Standing Indian; a mountain that carries the distinction of being the highest point on the AT south of the Smokies and is a popular backpacking destination. I can testify to this because of the number of backpackers who were woken up by their dogs barking at some guy (me) running around in tights early in the morning.

Summit View from Standing Indian Mountain

Leaving Standing Indian I finally got to run most of the time thanks to a little gravity assistance. Unfortunately most of the really technical stuff wasn't as much fun as usual due to some dumbness known as Tabata circuits, a really terrible type of work-out that I did for the first time on Thursday (this day was Sunday.) 

Even though my legs didn't feel top notch, my trail snacks were a vast improvement over what I normally carry. Lately I've been getting away from gels and powders and trying to eat more food like substances on the run. The two things that I've had success with are applesauce mixed with lime and honey (carried in a gel flask) and some sort of bangin' energy bar that Caitlin makes out of PB, Raisins and Oats. I have absolutely no idea how to make them or why they taste so good, but they are the bomb.

View from Albert Mountain

Singletrack Leaving Albert

A fun part of today was taking a trip down memory lane. The last time I saw this section of trail was during my 08 thru-hike, right in the middle of one of the most intense storms I had ever seen. And I mean right in the middle, the pucker factor was extremely high. For about half an hour the sky was nothing but gray/black, with several patches of bright pink when the lightning would strike around us.

Today was not that day though, and Albert Mountain let me ease on by without complaint. The last 7 miles of the day were probably the most runnable, an almost perfect section of single-track with just a little downhill pitch to it. This gift allowed me to finish the run in relative comfort and not be completely begging for mercy as I suspected I would be when making it back to the campground. 

This route is definitely a keeper, and with picture perfect fall days like these one that would also make a pretty sweet three day backpacking trip.