Escarpment Trail Training Run (Part 1)

Ashley Falls

Slippery When Wet

Very wet trail today

Lots of rocks to ascend

The views from North Point

Footing is very rugged

Lots of wet slabs of rock

The view from Newman's Ledge

The Escarpment Trail Run does not take place until July, but before the snow falls I wanted to do a little scouting of the trail.  Today I would do the last 2 and a half miles from North Point to the beach at North Lake.

It didn't take long to realize the difference between running on regular trails and Catskill trails is day and night.  It rained for much of the day so there would be a lot of walking mixed in with some very slow, cautious running.  From North Lake I took the Mary's Glen Trail to North Point.  This is truly a great trail.  It's very wet and muddy, but beautiful with the pretty Ashley Falls along the way.

After much effort, I finally made it to North Point and its exceptional views of North Lake.  I've seen some clips of runners over this last section.  It's not easy and much worse when wet.  There are numerous long slabs of rock to run on.  I almost slipped many times.  Near Artist's Rock one must make sure they slip into the woods, otherwise it will be a long descent into the Hudson Valley.  How different everything is when running.  All except the beauty that surrounds me.