Distance: 8.6 miles (17.2 out-and-back)
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Kaymoor Trail, starting from Fayette Station Road at its Wolf Creek trailhead (near Fayetteville Trail), begins mostly as an old gravel road, uphill two miles to the historic Kaymoor Mine Site. A couple miles later, the trail abandons the gravel road look for a more woodsy type of trail (with a brief clearing where kudzu has taken over), with some steep but very short ups and downs until it reaches the river access road that leads down to Cunard, close to a beautiful waterfall in Coal Run. The waterfall is not viewable from the trail, but there is a clear view of it from the road. If you're a waterfall lover, this trail will make you happy, since there are a few good ones near or on Kaymoor Trail, especially if the season is right.
Boy, I sure aren't a deadline type of guy--at least to the 'deadlines' I set for myself. I need to work on that. Anyways, the trail review of Kaymoor Trail is in the works; I haven't forgotten. In the meantime, I'm trying to heal up after a little over-training injury in time to be fit and healthy for the 50k. Almost two weeks! I'm so excited.
I'm going to go work on the next post for a little bit, then go out for a short run.
Ever since it became the trail on which I ran my first ten mile run, Kates Plateau has been one of my favorite places in all of the New River Gorge to go trail running. In addition to the convenient length (beginning at the trailhead, to run the entire trail necessitates 7 miles of running; running the 3-mile loop an additional time makes it an even 10), I love the variety in hill steepness, seeing less traffic on the trail (actually, I've never seen a hiker during any of my Kates Plateau runs), and seeing more animals here than I generally do in other NRG trail areas. On recent runs at Kates Plateau Trail, I've discovered some changes that have excited me and some others that have disappointed me.
Howdy! Well, the honeymoon was great! I only got out running a couple times, but I did some other stuff that I counted as cross training. Emily and I both ran out at Canaan Valley on Back Hollow Trail on Tuesday (Aug 28) and Thursday (Aug 29), about 6 miles each time. Not too hard; on Thursday evening, I was running closer to dusk, and I saw 11 deer. Only in Canaan... Anyways, on Wednesday, we went mountain biking in Davis, and on Friday-Saturday we did an overnight backpacker out at Dolly Sods Wilderness: about 14 miles, I believe. Oh, by the way, that Saturday night, we went to The Purple Fiddle in Thomas and saw an AWESOME bluegrass/folk band called Jubal's Kin. Check them out. I LOVE the Davis/Thomas/Canaan/Blackwater area.
The next week (Sep 2-8) was a milestone, plateau-breaking week for me. On Monday was nothing too special; Emily and I ran the 6 mile out-and-back at Keeney's Creek Trail. Wednesday, though, was my first 20 mile run! I ran Glade Creek Trail to Kates Plateau Trail, did the loop on Kates Plateau Trail twice, and then ran back on Glade Creek Trail. There were still some big trees down on the last half of Glade Creek Trail (most just past Kates Falls), and Kates Plateau Trail is severely overgrown in some areas. These obstacles did affect my time, as did the fact that I left a little late and had to run some of it in the dark with my headlamp. So I was slowed down a bit, but I was going pretty slow, to begin with, I'd say. Since it was my first 20 (and first distance running anything over 13.2 miles), I wanted to be patient, take it easy, and just enjoy the run. The actual distance ended up being 21.2 miles, with a time of 4:35. The first 5 or 6 miles, it rained like crazy, but it settled down after that. It was a pretty epic run, however slow it was, since it was my first one that far. Can't say I'm thrilled about the time, but I guess it technically IS a PR :P My foot started hurting just a little near the end, and I should have taken it a little more easy next time, I think, than I did: on Saturday (Sep 8), I ran Kaymoor Trail in its entirety, out and back, for my first time, for a total of 17.2 miles, I believe. Time was 3:09--slower than I was expecting, but I had also left late and ended up running in the dark by the end of it. That foot also began to hurt even more by the last two miles so that, with the pain in my foot and the darkness (I stubbornly decided against my headlamp this time), I was slowed to walk some times and a very snail-paced jog others during the last couple miles. It was a beautiful trail, though, and I took pictures. I plan on putting up a review of Kaymoor Trail within a week from today, and within two weeks from today I plan on writing an article about the kudzu on the trail.
Kaymoor Trail, starting from Fayette Station Road at its Wolf Creek trailhead (near Fayetteville Trail), begins mostly as an old gravel road, uphill two miles to the historic Kaymoor Mine Site. A couple miles later, the trail abandons the gravel road look for a more woodsy type of trail (with a brief clearing where kudzu has taken over), with some steep but very short ups and downs until it reaches the river access road that leads down to Cunard, close to a beautiful waterfall in Coal Run. The waterfall is not viewable from the trail, but there is a clear view of it from the road. If you're a waterfall lover, this trail will make you happy, since there are a few good ones near or on Kaymoor Trail, especially if the season is right.
