Little did I know what was going to happen on today’s trek, especially on the McKenzie Creek segment.
So, today was a bit harder. This wasn’t surprising, since it was Day 2 and I was sore from Day 1. But mostly it was difficult because the trails I tackled today were quite overgrown, save for the first one, Straight Lake, which was quite enjoyable. Because of the thick vegetation, it was often difficult to walk, let alone run. Sometimes you couldn’t even see the trail, it was so overgrown.
For those heading this way, McKenzie Creek is especially overgrown and full of downed trees, in addition to being hilly. There’s also a difficult section with wild raspberries near the creek. They sliced me up all over, and their winding vines that lay on the trail floor tripped me several times. Near the end of the day, I tripped on one such vine and fell hard onto a rock. That is, my knee smashed into the rock.
I was able to get up and keep moving, so that’s good. But still, it’s a little unnerving to have taken such a hard fall on Day 2.
Through McKenzie Creek
But I made it through vine McKenzie Creek. And all in all, it was a good day. It was cloudy and cool, if a bit humid. I saw many beautiful sights, plus turkeys, swans and other wildlife. Thanks again to the Westigards; Gregg shuttled our car a few segments up so Ed could spend the morning running and hiking with me.
Oh, can’t forget to mention our lovely B&B one more. As I noted yesterday, Canyon Road Inn is in Turtle Lake, which is relatively convenient to the trail. The rooms are lovely, namely the comfy beds and whirlpool, the latter of which I’m using for post-run ice baths. And hosts Patti and Turner are very accommodating to hikers. They’ve already left us “to-go” cups for our coffee tomorrow morning, since we’ll be up and out so early.
My top recommended gear for hiking through scruffy vegetation: trekking poles and calf compression sleeves. The poles help you bash your way through dense vegetation and help prevent you from getting too scratched. And if you’re wearing shorts, like I am, the calf sleeves protect your legs. They also supposedly help keep your muscles warm and less prone to being sore, but I can’t say I’ve noticed that. For calf sleeves, it pays to get a good brand like CEP. I’ve tried cheaper ones, and they’re pretty bad.
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