In The Moment Running: Crosswinds

This past weekend, I went camping for the first time in about 15 years. This is also the first time Cynthia and I have been camping together. Casey joined us as well for his first camping experience. We joined my sister Sandy and husband Paul on a 2-day adventure at the Crosswinds camping site at Jordan Lake. We've driven through the Jordan Lake area only once in our two years in North Carolina and it is only 17 miles away. The lake is massive with many public and camping areas. Its popular with boaters as well. Sandy and Paul have an RV so we decided to get a tent to pitch on the same site as the RV. Thinking that we will likely camp again, I got some of the essentials from REI; Kingdom 4 tent with garage, Thermarest air mattresses, sleeping bag (which didn't arrive in time), Jetboil cooking system, lantern and a few small items. We certainly won't be doing hiking trips where we need to carry our gear so we bought with the idea that we will have access to the Jeep. Its very pretty and serene at Crosswinds. We had lake access by walking down a short path through the woods to a sandy area. It was a bit secluded where we could let Casey run and enjoy the sand and water. Casey had a grand time in the water, which was his first exposure to the wet stuff, but once he realized the waves created by the boats wouldn't hurt him and the water cooled him, he really started frolicking around in it especially when a couple of lady wind-boarders paddled by. He was good the entire weekend, just a pleasant docile dog.

As for running, I have never run while camping. This area is so large that I figured that I could get some decent mileage in. I decided to run the entire area, loops A, B, and C as well as out to the entrance and boat ramp. I wasn't sure what the mileage was going to be and I didn't realize (although I should have) how hilly the terrain was around the lake. Each area is a camping loop. I started in area C (our site was C020), looped around area C on the big loop and out of the area toward area B. It was still early and it seemed like people in the larger travel trailers were either still sleeping or staying in their trailers. Camping exposes people which is fun when taking a running tour of a campground. Since we were on the lake side, there was a climb out of area C to the main Crosswinds road. The main road was really nice, shaded, rolling and nothing but trees. You can't see any of the camping from the main road. I headed into area B which was more of a mix of tents, pop-ups, and trailers/RVs. The loop extended down to the Crosswinds beach, a nice area of sand and lake for swimming. Again, once down at the lake, you have to go back up hill to get out of the area. Once I get back onto the main road I figured I needed some extra mileage (trying to do 10 miles). I headed out to the main entrance, which is gated until 8 AM. This is also a bit of a climb but balanced by the out and back downhill to the main road. I headed toward area A which has multiple cul de sacs. This area is mostly for tent campers and here, everyone seemed to be up and out of their tents enjoying the morning. The one thing about running through a campground is the aroma of bacon waffling in the air. I just wanted to stop and enjoy breakfast with some campers. I continued my journey meandering around area A since it's not a straight-forward loop. Finding my way out, I journeyed to the boat ramp. It's another stretch of deserted, rolling road. The boat ramp has a dock protruding out into the lake. I stopped to take in the view, the morning sun and the smattering of early anglers looking for their catch of the day. There are 33 species of fish in the lake as a sign described near the boat ramp. I looked at my watch and I was about 4.6 miles. I would need to head back the very same way to get close to 10 miles but likely 15K. I journeyed back the same way except in area A where I missed a couple of loops. The humidity was pretty high but the course was still shaded. I did notice that there is a Crosswinds trail that extends from area A to area C. This would have made for a nice trail run. next time I will give it a try, maybe out on the trail and back on the road.

The following day, I ran the main road out and back to the boat ramp. It was a nice rolling run with lots of shade. The great thing about running is that it allows you to do it anywhere. In essence, the basic necessities are shoes and shorts. I also need socks, shirt and hat. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.