Apparently never content with running trails I have already explored, I set off on this Saturday morning to explore another new route.  I had previously failed in following Triumph Trail up the north side of Davis Creek Canyon, but had since believed to have spotted where I took a wrong turn.  So, with a new set of running tights to protect against some chilly morning air, I set off.

The first part of the trail I already knew, and had even taken my kids up it to the lower waterfall.  Previously I had veered north on one of the BST firebreak roads too early, and attempted an ascent up the open face north of the canyon, when it turns out that the turnoff to the Triump Trail is just right before another trail breaks right, down to the waterfall.  I followed Triumph up to the left (north) and quickly found the trail was well established and easy to follow…for a while.

The trail was steep, and the higher I went, the harder it became to follow the trail.  Soon, it was lost amidst rock faces and hillsides of impenetrable scrub oak.  Thankfully, someone had recently tied pink ribbons along the trail, so with some surveying ahead – even though it took a while sometimes – I kept finding a ribbon ahead and moving towards it.

By the time I reached the “top” where a the trail hit a prominent outcropping of a ridge, I had climbed about 2,200 ft. in about 1.8 miles of trail.  Pretty steep.  My legs were sore, but worse, the trail was completely lost.  I kept on see an occasional pink ribbon and older pop can bottom nailed to trees – but the terrain between them was overgrown with no trail.  I fought my way higher up the ridge for a bit, hoping to find a better stretch of trail, but to no avail.  The time I had available to run was also about up – my wife needed me back at the house.

That’s when I panicked a bit.

I did NOT want to pick my way back down the steep, rocky, overgrown and poorly marked trail I had just crawled up.  So, I decided to just cut straight down the drainage to my right, which I knew eventually funneled to the Old North Trail and Hell Hole – from which point I knew the trails and could quickly get back to my car.  The descent through the pines was a bit scratchy and my legs got covered in burrs (see below) but as I reached the bottom of the drainage – where I assume a creek sometimes runs – a trail popped up on my left.  What a blessed sight.  I jumped on it. started running at full stride.  I came over a small ridge and immediately recognized I was at the point on Old North where I had previously once ascended to.  Hallelujah.  I bombed down to the car and made it home just in time.

Only 3.7 miles @ 19:32 per mile, but a full 2,229 ft of elevation!

It did take me a good hour to pick all of these off though:

Part way up Triumph, looking down Davis Creek Canyon