Lost Horizon

I always try to think of a catchy title for a post and I wanted to write about the trails that I had run on this past weekend.  I first thought of unchained melody and rationalized it while running. I thought of the Righteous Brothers song although I later learned that the original song was from some obscure prison movie.   The trails felt like a melody to me with perfect pitch and rhythm but unchained, meaning unrestrained.When I started writing I thought  that Lost Horizon might be a good title.  It was great being in the forest away for the world.  It was nice focusing on each step and seeing a lost horizon.  What I mean by this is that in a forest, there is no horizon, no point of reference except for the trail in front of you.  Yes, you can see the undulating hills, some steep, forming mini-canyons.  But, you are generally a lost soul among the trees.  The trail demands your attention but the peace and beauty captures your heart.  Ironically, when I looked up Lost Horizon (which I felt like I had heard of), it is a novel published by James Hilton in 1933.  Lost Horizon, the movie from 1937, was best known for the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional Utopian monastery high in the mountains of Tibet.  In the book, a veteran member of the British diplomatic service, finds inner peace, love, and a sense of purpose in Shangri-La, whose inhabitants enjoy unheard-of longevity.  When I read this line, I thought that this is the essence of trail running.  OK, maybe  it is a leap to get from trail running to a Utopian Tibetan society but finding peace, love and sense of purpose can be found on the trail. I will pass on unheard-of physical longevity but certainly entertain unheard-of spiritual enlightenment.  I wrote a post a few years ago relating to this while running 50 miles on trail in Texas.  Read it here.

The first trail run was in Mt. Airy Forest in Cincinnati.  It is the home of the Stone Steps 50K, A difficult ultra with a few ascents up the Stone Steps pictured here.  Notice the guy at the top.



It is a beautiful forest with technical and hilly trails and opportunities for getting lost on the myriad of trails.  That's half the fun!  I suspect the 50K is marked better than the general park markings.

The other trail that I ran over the weekend is near where I live in Umstead Park in Raleigh.  I have run the challenging bridle trails many times and even attempted a 100 miler there (completed 50) but never ventured onto the single path trails.  I ran the Loblolly Trail on Monday.  It is not terribly technical (mostly roots and some rocks) and sometimes cushioned with pine needles from the forest but it does have its climbs and a couple of small stream crossings.  However, it doesn't take away from the serenity of the experience especially as it weaves its way to one of the lakes in Umstead.  I stopped, prayed, and continued my journey.

On March 16 I will venture running a trail marathon in Pocahontas State Forest in VA.  It's the 4-5 hours that I will spend running in the forest that I will cherish.  If I ran too fast (which is unlikely these days) I would miss the extended calmness and joy of the experience.  I hope to find the lost horizon.