Bel Monte

We went to our first trail race of the season, the Bel Monte Endurance Race. Yes, we knew the weather was going to be cold and snowy. A winter weather advisory was posted for the area and the Blue Ridge Parkway was shut down. On the way down, we noticed a screw driven pretty deeply into our tire and made a detour to a mechanic to have it removed and patched. Luckily we found a decent garage and met Tootie, who entertained and was entertained by our kids. The snow hit shortly after that, and we arrived at the camping area when it was nearly dark, which was definitely not the plan (we left at 9am and the drive should take about 5 hours). The facilities were pretty basic. I swear the guy told me there would be hot showers when I made the reservation, but there weren't even flush toilets or running water. We did see a row of portable toilets near the race start line, but it was a pretty long walk from our site. At least the site was leveled and had a picnic table, because it was literally on the side of a mountain. The snow had pretty much stopped while we pitched the tent. We kept the kids inside the car to stay warm. We didn't do much else that night, just climbed into our sleeping bags and M read Harry Potter to the kids. M's friend Jason showed up a little while later and ended up sleeping in his car near our tent. We fell asleep early and it was very, very quiet. No wind, no animals rustling, no people sounds, no trains, no road sounds. 

The next day, M got up early to go the race. It was my hope that everyone else would stay asleep for a long time, but the kids all got up and started goofing off. Freezing rain was in the forecast for the evening and I did not want to spend the next night in the tent (more like I didn't want to pack it up when it was all we). Laurel and I took the tent down and we headed off down the road to see if we could find an aid station to cheer on the runners. I had neglected to print any maps in advance and we had no cell reception, so we had to find a place where we could either hop on some wifi or get some cell service. The woods were beautiful with the fresh snow on the branches, but I could tell it was going to be a sloppy day on the trail. We stopped at the first store we came to, where a sweet older lady made us some really delicious egg and bacon sandwiches and a rather deaf older man stood behind a counter display with a wide variety of revolvers for sale. They also sold Virginia souvenirs, camping supplies, groceries, bait, pretty much anything you can imagine. The man was pretty friendly but could not believe anyone would run in the mountains, and had only a vague idea of where Pittsburgh was. 

We carried on down the road and found an aid station, but M had long since passed through. We followed a forest road and eventually found another aid station. We missed him again, but it was an out and back race so we decided to camp out and wait for him. I pulled out the propane stove and we made some coffee and soup and grilled cheese. The kids ran around in the woods for a while, chatted with the ham radio operators, entertained a baby and ate all the snacks I had packed.

When M came back through the aid station, he was more than halfway done, but was moving much slower than he had anticipated. We gave him a grilled cheese and a pep talk and told him we would meet him at the finish. Then we waited for Jason to come through and all the kids ran with him into the aid station, which made him very happy. 

Well, I'm not going to give you too many more details on this next subject, but let's just say if you are going to travel with a kid who is not potty trained yet, you should...well, probably just stay home. I had to make a trip into town to procure some more supplies and while there, I booked a room at our favorite hotel chain before heading back up the mountain to the finish line. The kids all fell asleep in the car on the way back up. As we went up the mountain it got foggier and foggier until visibility was about 10 yards. I parked the car and went to check out the finish line and heard someone calling my name. Two more friends! This greatly boosted my spirits. Tomas had actually finished the 25k hours earlier but was waiting around to watch M come in. While I was hanging out waiting I met a few other runners who had met M along the way or at other races. Finally he emerged from the fog and crossed the finish line. A hard-earned finish on a 50 mile day. (He was delighted to see the hotel key cards in my hand.) As soon as everybody had a much needed shower, we tucked into our beds, cozy and warm and listened to M read more Harry Potter.  

We learned a few things this weekend. First, we need to bring a portable toilet with us. Second, I need a warmer or newer sleeping bag for cold weather camping. Mine was rated to 20 degrees when I bought it (used) at an REI garage sale 15 years ago. I carried it on the AT. I'm thinking it has lost some of its loft, because I was not super warm. Max only has a quilt and that actually seemed ok for him but he was wearing his snow pants and coat all night. I'm not sure if I like that arrangement or if I should get him a real sleeping bag. Third, we are so awesome at winging it. It's one of the strengths of our family. This weekend presented more than a few challenges, but we stuck together, encouraged each other and enjoyed each other.