We got to explore a new trail on Saturday, August 13, 2016! We traveled to the OC and luckily, some of us carpooled.

We ran at Aliso & Wood Canyons. The goal was 25 miles.

The Dirt Divas and Dudes! Being part of this amazing team really helps keep me motivated.

I printed out the map and the directions our coach sent because the trail seemed confusing, especially since it was our first time there. There were nice maps posted everywhere though.

Cave Rock was cool!

There were awesome signs that described the wildlife in the area.

The OC has a West Ridge Trail, too! The one in the SaMo Mountains is called Westridge. 🙂

Rock It Trail was rocky and technical! Woo! The view was very pretty.

We climbed a lot, as usual.

When I was studying the map the night before, the most interesting trail name was Car Wreck. What could it be, I wondered?

Wow! There was an actual car wreck on the trail. It was really creepy and eery–and cool, too, in a weird way. How did it get there? I read about it afterward on gohikeit.com. It’s been there for decades and is now part of the trail with foliage growing around it. Nobody knows how it got there.

The trail out of Car Wreck was very narrow. We had to move out of the way quickly when a mountain biker came blazing down the trail. I don’t know how a car could’ve gotten through there but it did.

The path leaving Car Wreck.

When we left the narrow section, there was more climbing to do!

We got to a trail called Top of the World and then found our coach who had water and ice for us. Some of us went down another steep trail to add miles. We climbed out of that, went back to the restroom for more water and then made our way back the way we came.

It was a long way back as it was hot and there wasn’t much shade. The stretch on the way back was somewhat boring. It was flat and monotonous. I pushed through and got to the road where we started. It was tough running on road at that point. When I got back to the car, it was almost Mile 24. I had 25 on the mind so I went out to add mileage on the road and then made 5-6 circles in the parking lot until I got the 25! It was a tough run but we all managed and pushed. These are the kinds of runs that teach us a lot and make us stronger. 25 miles. 3,553 feet of climbing. 7:41:09.

When the day ended it was late afternoon. We got Jamba Juice to refuel and sat in delirium and what we had accomplished. By the time we finished dropping everyone off, I was home at 7 pm! Haha. Trail running is an all day thing!

Your path, your pace, Tam