"Sky Falls, You Feel Like..."

"It's a beautiful day."

-U2

I awoke to sunshine and I knew I was going for a run. The boys were headed down to Clemson for DH sessions but in the past week, my riding has been derailed by an assortment of frustrating circumstances. So I really wanted to make myself hurt on two feet.

Pisgah was gorgeous in the aftermath of so much winter weather. I decided to run Bennett Gap. The road up was still covered in eight inches of snow and based on the tracks, I was the probably the first person who had made it past the Twin Falls trailhead in a week. It was hard, slow going. As I climbed higher, the road became more and more littered with tree limbs and broken icicles started raining down, tinkling violently like hundreds of windchimes. I started to question the wisdom of a long solitary run on a deserted road but was having too much fun to turn around. I shielded my head and neck with my arms and continued to run, probably looking very silly. At the top I ate ice off the shrubs and enjoyed the glorious sun.

The rhododendron tunnel was like a bobsled track in Narnia, a steep slick chute framed in frozen mountain laurel berries. On the highest overlook that straddles the ridge I was overcome with awe...it was one of those infrequent times when I believe in God.

I would have given all the toenails on my left foot to have a camera during the run. Instead I had to steal a picture Todd Branham took back in December. But you get the idea.

The narrow half-track climbs were covered in smooth little ice baubles and as I clung to the barely-there trail and crawled through low-hanging rhodo, I sent them showering down the bank. The final descent past Coontree was fast and fun through soft snow drifts. I hate to disappoint anyone but I don't think we'll be riding Bennett for a long time. There are way too many trail obstructions.

Afterwards I sat in my car for a couple minutes, relishing the beauty and loathe to drive home. Then the Truslers, awesome local B&B owners, passed me and we chatted about their hike. That is why I love Brevard. You will always see someone you know on the trails.

It was far and away the best run I've ever done.