RUNS WITH BABOONS
One
of the biggest challenges I face with constant business travel is finding a
decent place to work out. Typically I
try to find a creative place to run, but more often than not, I have to suffer
with whatever lousy equipment is available in the hotel fitness room. Two weeks ago, I visited Birmingham, Alabama
for the first time. Although I enjoyed
the city, working out was a challenge.
The
hotel didn’t have a fitness room, but had an agreement with a local gym. One night, I walked there only to find a
facility with an unusual arrangement.
Apparently the gym was established in a former office building. Oddly, the gym was spread out through 7 or 8
small rooms, and each had walls painted in a different color. I’d wander from one room the next, just to
see what each offered. “And in the
orange room, we have treadmills!” It
was like that famous story, “The Gym of Red Death”, but Edgar Allen Poe. Remember that one?
The
next night, I skipped the gym and went for a run instead. The hotel is on a major highway, but I found
my way to a more hospitable area behind the hotel. I started down a road, but the sidewalk ended, and there was no
shoulder. It was already dark, and I
didn’t want to spend all night dodging cars.
I was about to turn around, when I noticed a paved path heading towards
the Birmingham Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
I didn’t think long before I headed in that direction.
I
ran to a gate, which was closed and locked.
I turned away, following another path that ran parallel to a tall
fence. This one led to another gate
that was standing wide open. Should I
go in there? Clearly the zoo was
closed, but someone had left the gate open.
I could always turn around and play in traffic. I didn’t have to think about it long before
heading through the gate and into the zoo.
Was
this a good idea? Clearly, the
Birmingham zoo isn’t open to runners after dark. Would an escaped snow leopard maul me? Would I be arrested for trespassing? Would monkeys fling feces at me?
All of these were distinct possibilities as I ran deeper into the woods.
I
followed a paved path before turning onto a dirt trail through a Japanese
garden. I galloped along dirt paths,
stumbling over unseen rocks. I headed through a tunnel of trees, and turned a
corner. Then, up ahead, I spotted a
large animal scampering across the trail ahead of me. What was that!? An
escaped snow leopard? It disappeared
into some shrubs just before I arrived.
I
kept running, if anything faster than before.
Soon I found myself on a roller coaster path, climbing hill after
hill. Finally I crested the tallest
hill of them all, and descended rapidly, virtually out of control. Suddenly an iron gate loomed out of the
darkness. Brakes! Somehow I stopped myself without smashing
myself into the fence. I turned around,
returning the way I came. Then I turned
off the familiar path, looking for a way out of the zoo. A low fog had descended, and strange noises
came to me from the dark. Where was the
exit? Then, I found myself in a bizarre
forest of stunted trees, illuminated from below by strange lights. I was really getting a case of the creeps,
when I saw an orange glow ahead. What
could that be? I approached with
trepidation, wondering what else this night would throw at me. I turned a final corner, and there it
was. A coke machine. Welcome back to civilization.
From
there, it was easy enough to find my way back out the gate that was luckily
still open. After that, it was an easy
run back to the hotel. That brought an
end to an exhilarating run.
That
weekend, I managed a dayhike between business trips. Christy surprised me, saying that she wanted to come, as long as
the hike wasn’t difficult. Her
triathlon training schedule called for an easy day, so she couldn’t exert
herself too much. Unfortunately, she
wasn’t interested in hiking in the Uwharries, so I was presented with the
challenge of designing an easy hike in the mountains.
We
ended up going to Montreat, where we could hike on the graded trails of the old
Toll Road and the old Mount Mitchell Railroad.
We parked at the Lookout Mountain trailhead, where we found only 2 other
cars. It was still Sunday morning, so
we had beaten the crowds.
Instead
of hiking the Lookout Mountain Trail, we followed the easier route of the
Rainbow Trail on an old roadbed. This
trail curves around the mountain, gradually working it’s way up. At some point we joined the Old Toll Road
and reached a significant junction.
There we left the Toll Road and joined the old railroad grade, which
follows the western edge of the ridge of mountains that forms the eastern
boundary of Montreat.
In
the early 1900’s, a railroad was built from Black Mountain up the ridge east of
Montreat nearly to the summit of Mount Mitchell. The line was originally built to access timber, particularly the
spruce and fir growing at the highest elevations. Later the railroad was used to transport tourists to the highest
peak in the east. The railroad only
lasted a few years though. Once the
mountains were stripped of timber, the line was abandoned.
A
few years later, a toll road was proposed from Black Mountain to the summit of
Mount Mitchell, along the grade of the former railroad. However, the road’s proponents ran into
opposition from Montreat. The landowners
were opposed to the road’s construction, due to concerns that the road would
pollute their water supply. As a
result, the builders had to construct the road outside of Montreat property. The road was built along the east side of
the ridge. Now there is a passable
grade along both sides of the ridge.
After
a short distance we intersected the Lookout Mountain Trail, which climbs
steeply from the trailhead to the summit of Lookout Mountain. We followed this on a steep climb, working
our way up rocks and staircases to a rock outcrop. This part of the hike was probably more difficult than what
Christy had signed up for, but the view was worth it. From the top, we found a view over the valley to the Craggy
Mountains and the Black Mountains.
From
the cliffs, we climbed further to the wooded summit of Lookout Mountain. From there, we descended into the property
of the Ridgecrest Assembly. We followed
the Old Toll Road briefly, before turning off to follow a trail to the summit
of Rattlesnake Knob. This peak was
similar to Lookout Rock, and provided a nice, sunny place for lunch. The views were nice, particularly of the
Craggy Mountains and the Swannanoa River Valley. (Editor’s note: The
Swannanoa River Valley is a pleasant way of saying “the path of interstate
40”. See, didn’t that sound better?)
After
lunch, we returned to the Old Toll Road and followed it north. We eventually reached a gap, and crossed the
ridge to the west side to join the railroad grade. We used the railroad grade to loop back towards the car. The railroad provided a more interesting
hike, as the grade was narrow and cut through steep rock faces. At one point we passed a large but open
camping shelter, and we crossed several flowing streams. Eventually we returned to the Lookout
Mountain Trail. Here we found swarms of
people, all making the traditional hike to the summit. We battled the crowds on our way down, and
gladly gave up our coveted parking spot as we headed for home.
Pop
Quiz: Based on this trip report, which
of the following statements about the author would be most accurate?
A)
He flies with Eagles
B)
He swims with Dolphins
C)
He dances with Wolves
D)
He runs with Baboons
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