Middlebury Maple Run Half Marathon - Race Report 2014

It's been a busy week, but I wanted to get this post out there before I get into planning other fun adventures and forget all about it!

This time around, since the race was a hefty 7-hour drive from home, I decided to create a video race report!  More of a stream-of-consciousness than anything, though...

Training leading up to the race:
  Monday: rest
  Tuesday: rest
  Wednesday: 4ish recovery miles (trail)
  Thursday: 4ish recovery miles (road)
  Friday: rest
  Saturday: 5 leisurely miles

Race Gear List:
  Cheap-o Target special long sleeve C9 shirt
  GoLite Mesa Shorts
  Feetures Socks
  Saucony Kinvara 3
  Ultimate Direction SJ Vest 1.0
  Garmin Fenix
  RoadID
  Adidas Cap
  Garmin Virb Elite Action Camera
  DIY Monopod

Race Nutrition:
  Clif-type bar and Coffee for Breakfast
  ~8oz of water at every aid station

Ironmaster's Challenge 50K Race Report - 2014

If you took a peek at my training schedule this spring, it would have been obvious that the Ironmaster's Challenge 50K was my first "A Race" of the 2014 season.  As is very often the case however, things don't go as planned.  Despite not having the best training going into the race, KNOWING this fact on race day was critical in ensuring a fun, albeit painful outing in the PA Woods.

The start and end point of the Ironmaster's is Pine Grove Furnace State Park, right where the Appalachian Trail passes thru.  It's located in a valley so you can bet on some good climbs during the course of 30+ miles in this region.

If you think of it like a half pipe, the 50K course starts at the bottom of the "U", goes up one side, down, then up the other, down, then up the first side and finishes back down at the bottom of the "U".  For a detailed visual on what I'm referring to, please see my amazing handy work using the hugely under-rated Snipping Tool from our friends in Redmond.

Bad-ass drawling skills

There's pretty technical (class 2-3) climbing and questionable "trails" for the first 2 miles, ending at a gorgeous viewpoint known as Sunset Rocks where some backpackers had positioned themselves for a rude awakening on a Sunday morning.

Living within 15 minutes of the race definitely gave me an advantage knowing what was in store for the first few miles.  Thankfully, I was smart about it and took it conservatively out of the gate through mile 4 or 5.  If I hadn't, it would have been a much less enjoyable day.

I'm not going to be dramatic about the whole thing though...other than getting lost several times and just being unprepared (training wise), things went really well.  No stomach issues, no injuries, I made some new friends, caught up with some old ones, and managed to capture a good chunk of the adventure on video!

And finally, there are certain aspects of every race (that charges an entry fee) that are pretty much expected: some sort of swag item, a bib, course markings, etc.  This final section is meant to highlight areas where the race went above and beyond expectations, as well as where it fell short.  This is a new section for my race reports, but I think I'd like to give it a name.  Something like "Buzz Lightyear and The Sloth"....we'll see if that sticks.

Buzz Lightyear
- Post race celebrations and atmosphere.  Full on meal + free beer = WIN!  Plus having it right at the "L-shaped" mansion with a bunch of picnic tables so everyone can hang out and cheer on the finishers was very nicely done.
- Results were up on Pretzel City Sports within 24 hours!  Without chip timing!
- Nice, classy tech shirts with a unique color, but not overly loud

The Sloth
- The course was marked really well in some places, and quite poorly in others. Almost everyone I talked to post-race had described at least one incident in which they were lost (personally, I veered off course twice).   Runners don't need markings every few feet, but we DO need them clearly at EVERY possible intersection! Even faint side trails! Just put one little flag on the course just after the intersection to let the runner know they're still on the right track and there is one less thing to worry about.
- Aid stations weren't as well stocked as some other ultras I've run with around the same turnout. This wasn't a big deal though, and I'll let it slide a bit cause the post race grub was nice :)
- Mile Markers 22 - 25 were wrong. 22 should have been 23 and 26 didn't exist. Now that I'm writing this, it really seems trivial, but in the mind of a runner who's been out there for 5+ hours, it's a HUGE difference between being at mile 24 or 25.

Training leading up to the race:
  Monday: rest
  Tuesday: brief 1.5 mile recovery run
  Wednesday: 11 easy trail miles
  Thursday: Commute on bike (8 miles total)
  Friday: rest
  Saturday: 2 mile flat hike

Race Gear List:
  Buff
  Race Shirt from the Philadelphia Half
  GoLite Mesa Shorts
  Darn Tough Vermont Socks
  Hoka One One Stinson Trail
  Ultimate Direction SJ Vest 1.0
  Garmin Fenix
  RoadID
  Garmin Virb Elite Action Camera
  DIY Monopod

Race Nutrition:
  Greek Yogurt, Cornbread, and Coffee for Breakfast
  Water refills at almost every stop
  Clif-type bars or Stinger gels roughly every 30-45 minutes
  About 1 SaltStick pill per hour as I felt cramping coming on
  Questionable orange-drink at one aid station

Buck Ridge Burn Trail 1/2 Marathon Race Report 2014

Being literally 15 minutes drive from my front door and in the scenic Michaux State Forest, I had no excuses not to run this race.

The Buck Ridge Burn half marathon and 5K was held on a gorgeous spring morning on 4/6/14.  Beginning and ending right at the Appalachian Trail Museum and the adjacent Pine Grove Furnace, you couldn't ask for a prettier setting in the South Mountain Region.

Courtesy: www.cnyhiking.com

Now in its 4th year, RD's Bill Bechtel and Jennifer Henry put on the perfect, low-key trail running event with help from an army of well-trained volunteers.

Appalachian Running Company served as the headquarters for all pre-race packet pickups and such on the Saturday prior.  I'd like to note that walking in the door at 9:04AM, I had the honor of being the first to pick up their packet! (Pretty sure that deserves a selfie high-five)

I had a few friends run this race last year and enjoyed it, but I had no idea I was in for such a treat.

Training during my "layover" week between half marathons was few and far between, and had no intentions of putting in much mileage because of how hard I pushed the second half of The LOVE Run, sustaining speeds I'm just not used to doing recently.  This lack of mileage was also due in part to the constant rain we received here in Central PA that week.  Said rain set us up for a wet and muddy run for the Buck Ridge Burn...just enough to make it fun!

Plenty of mud out there today!

With countless stream crossings, varied scenery and terrain, this race is great for the seasoned trail runner or people looking for a good running adventure.  I would not recommend this run for road runners uncomfortable with sketchy footing for hours on end.  To see a good example of what I'm talking about, see around the 2:00 minute mark of my video posted below.

You got a little something on your cheek...

I wish I had more photos to share, but the video took up all my attention!

And finally, there are certain aspects of every race (that charges an entry fee) that are pretty much expected: some sort of swag item, a bib, course markings, etc.  This final section is meant to highlight areas where the race went above and beyond expectations, as well as where it fell short.  This is a new section for my race reports, but I think I'd like to give it a name.  Something like "Buzz Lightyear and The Sloth"....we'll see if that sticks.

Buzz Lightyear

- Plentiful aid stations for only a half marathon distance with tons of fruit and other sweet treats, gels, and various liquids
- Speaking of food, the post-race spread was great! (see video)
- Price: it was only 40 bucks.
- Extremely well marked course
- Lastly, and most impressive...Results were up on Ultrasignup the same day!  Without chip timing!

The Sloth

- I would prefer a higher resolution course map on the website (such as MapMyRun or Garmin Connect) so individuals who live closeby can get out on the course prior to race day.  Or if seeing the actual course isn't an option, have a better idea of elevation and terrain so they can do some race-specific training wherever they live.

Training leading up to the race:
  Monday: 4 mile hike
  Tuesday: Rest
  Wednesday: 7 miles moderate on BRB course
  Thursday: Rest
  Friday: Rest
  Saturday: Rest

Race Gear List:
  Buff
  Race Shirt from the Frederick Half
  GoLite Mesa Shorts
  Feetures Men's Light Cushion Quarter Socks
  Brooks PureGrit
  HTC One
  Spibelt
  Garmin Fenix
  RoadID
  Garmin Virb Elite Action Camera
  DIY Monopod

Race Nutrition:
  Banana, Nature Valley Bar, and Coffee for Breakfast
  Water @ every stop
  About 4 Power Bar chews around mile 7

Philly LOVE Run Half Marathon Video!

So I made a video!  It's my first one that actually includes some editing, so bear with me while I learn!  It's been fun shooting and editing and I look forward to doing more to share.  Enjoy!

The LOVE Run Philly Half Marathon Race Report

In its inaugural year, the Philly LOVE Run Half Marathon(held by CGI Racing) was a spectacular success despite the challenges involving weather.  My experience went a little something like this...

It's always sunny in Philadelphia...

Saturday:

The day before the race I went out on a solo trail run which in hindsight was pretty stupid given the chance of injury as well as risking fatiguing myself right before the race.  It all worked out in the end though, I had fun, got in some good vert, and enjoyed some nice views:

Hawk Rock

Continuing with the "being dumb" theme, nutrition for the remainder of the day was well, less than ideal.  The only thing I did right in this department was constantly sip water all day, probably getting in 100+oz.  I mean, that'll offset my stellar pre-race dinner of Loaded Fries, Fried Cheddar Broccoli Bites, BBQ Wings and diet soda...right?

The weather was crappy all weekend, hovering in the low to mid 40's and constant rain at varying degrees of intensity.  But the 2 hour drive out to Philly was uneventful and I arrived at the expo around 2pm.  Getting to the expo was a little difficult, even after arriving at the convention center; LOVE Runners had to navigate through the labyrinth of Gospel Singing Conventions and Karate Competitions.

Being its first year, the expo pretty much blew me away.  It felt like I was at a race expo for a big city marathon (albeit a little smaller in square footage).  There were hundreds of volunteers and everything went as smooth as it possibly could.

Signing the LOVE floor

The remainder of the evening consisted of a healthy dose of Curb Your Enthusiasm on demand, and the aforementioned junk food "dinner".

Sunday:

I slept very comfortably on my sister's couch till the 6am alarm sounded, and I hit the snooze, twice (pretty sure the lousy weather had something to do with this).  By 7:30am she was dropping me off along the Ben Franklin Parkway, and into the cold, spitting rain that would linger throughout the day.

Being 30 pounds over my ideal racing weight, there was no way in hell I was going to PR this race, so it was more about having fun with the other runners, as well as testing out my new monopod and Garmin Virb during a race.  I was still going to give it a solid effort, but I knew there was no point in trying to average a 7:30ish pace for 13.1 miles; that would have led to lots of pain, and possibly vomit...ummm - no thanks.

Having done the Philly Half in 2011, I knew the basic gist of the course layout and while I'm not a fan of out-and-backs in races (or training runs for that matter), it was a well designed run, giving the runners a chance to pass by LOVE park twice in the earlier parts of the race.

Most of my camera work was done in the first half with the idea that fatigue would be setting in by mile 8 and all I'd want to do by that point was finish the run.  That plan was solid, especially considering the downpour that started around mile 9.

Happy with the way my legs and lungs felt at that point, it wasn't out of the question to step up the pace a bit and I ended up with a considerable negative split.  It's also an amazing mental boost to be passed by just a handful of people in the final 30 minutes of a race.  The rain seemed to pick up in intensity as we neared the finish, and I crossed the line at 1:48 according to the gun.  My chip time ended up being 1:46 something: about 10 minutes off my PR, which was pretty much what I expected.

Next up was medal time, then grab some post-race grub and try to get warm!  I definitely would have stuck around the finish area for longer if it wasn't for the weather.

After a quick drive back to my sister's place in South Philly and a shower, we headed to The Industry for brunch and ran into a group of ladies who had just finished the race as well.  One of them had just finished her first half in around 2:15!  Other runners continue to impress and amaze me with what the body and mind is capable of.  Which is one of the biggest reasons why I run...to find my limits.  But we'll save that for a different blog post.

Hopefully I'll be capable of back-to-back half marathons again, cause I got one this coming Sunday!

Thanks to CGI Racing and all of the volunteers who made this race possible, and certainly very memorable.

Keep on the lookout for my race video on YouTube later this week!

!!!!UPDATE!!!!

Video has been published!

As always, here are all the details from the run:

Training leading up to the race:

  Monday: 8 miles moderate, trails
  Tuesday: 4 x 800m @ HM pace (8:00/mi) with 400m recovery jogs
  Wednesday: 4 mile sunset run/hike, leisurely
  Thursday: 1 mile flat walk
  Friday: Gentle Yoga
  Saturday: 5 miles moderate, trails

Race Gear List:

• Adidas Men's Adizero Cap

• Buff

• New Balance Men's Long Sleeve Top

• GoLite Mesa Shorts

• Feetures Men's Light Cushion Quarter Socks

• Saucony Men's Kinvara 3

• HTC One in sandwich baggie

• Spibelt

• Garmin Fenix

• RoadID

• Garmin Virb Elite Action Camera

• DIY Monopod

Race Nutrition:

• Clif Bar and Coffee for Breakfast

• Water @ every other stop

• About 2 Power Bar chews around mile 4
  

DIY Trekking Pole + StickPic Monopod

So I've been playing around with the Garmin Virb quite a bit over the past couple of weeks.  Various mounting options and techniques have been explored, shot down and tweaked.  The latest iteration is a Franken-mount of sorts, in an effort to save on weight, cost, and most importantly, meet my specific needs as a runner and hiker.

Requirements:

- Reuse as many materials on hand as possible

- As lightweight as possible (within reason) without sacrificing function

- Usable in all-weather conditions

- Versatile, and usable in various action shooting scenarios

Materials:

- One Trekking Pole ($40 for pair, already own 2 pairs of this model)

- One #2 The Stick Pic ($14 + S/H)

- Garmin Virb Cradle (comes with Garmin Virb Elite)

- Garmin Virb Tripod Mount ($10)

- Tennis Racket Grip Wrap ($4 @ Target)

- About a foot of duct tape

Step 1: Remove any baskets and dirt

Step 2: Twist (or flip, depending on model) to unlock lowest section of pole and remove

Step 3: (For twist-lock poles only) Screw down expanding mechanism to lock in place and apply duct tape to secure all moving parts.

Step 4: Wrap "handle" section (opposite of pole tip) with tennis racket wrap.  Secure according to wrap instructions.

Now if you have the StickPic with any other camera, you're pretty much done and can essentially wiggle the StickPic onto the tip of your new creation, mount your camera and go to town!  For the final steps regarding my engineering escapades...read on!

Step 5:  Secure the Virb Cradle --> Tripod Mount  --> StickPic

Step 6: Twist StickPic onto tip end of pole!

Step 7:  Go record some videos of you and your friends doing some cool shit!

Of course, this whole process wouldn't be any fun if I didn't record a video using this new toy...so here you go:

Some final notes:

- I didn't "kill" the trekking pole; it was simply taken apart and some tape applied.  If I need to reassemble to create a complete pair of poles, it'll only take about 5 minutes.

- The monopod is not telescoping.  I can use the other trekking pole for this, plus I wanted to shave weight for use while running (8.5 oz less)

- One could argue that the cost makes absolutely no sense because you can find a similar product online for a reasonable price, but I'm certain my product is of higher quality, plus recycles/repurposes items that I already own.

- With the Virb weighing in at 6.4oz, the entire rig is only 10.9oz...not too shabby!

Happy Customer

Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail - Trip Report

Ok - so I haven't posted in a while.  I'm still doing all the running, hiking and geocaching that I love, but haven't spent the time to sit down and write about it.  To sum it up in a sentence:  There's been some casual hiking with the wife and dog, geocached a bit (but not nearly as much as I have in the past) and I've run a couple half marathons and maybe a 5K in there; for all the details (minus the hiking) see My Geocaching Profile, and my Strava activities.  Onto the story at hand...

The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail.

This trail is 70 continuous miles from Ohiopyle and Seward, PA, marked every single mile with a small milestone:

I've had my eye on thru-hiking this trail for a little while now, mostly because the planning is easy being close enough to home and that I could complete the entire thing while only taking a few days off of work.  Not electing to take a summer vacation this year afforded me a few extra vacation days so I set out on the trail at 6:25pm on Tuesday night, 6/25 after a 1.5 hour shuttle from Wilderness Voyageurs.

The term "highlands" is relative to Pennsylvania, being mostly between 2000' and 3000' in elevation, this trail is some of the highest terrain in the state.  At both the northern and southern terminus, the trail is roughly 1200' above sea level, but quickly rises to 2000' + feet and rolls along for the majority of the miles, only gaining and losing a few hundred feet on subtle climbs and drops.

At the southern terminus

Day 1: Southern Terminus to Ohiopyle Shelters, 6.3 miles

After grabbing a few batteries from the extremely well stocked Wilderness Voyageurs, I set out for my roughly 2 hours on the trail for the first day.

There were two short, but challenging climbs within the first few miles, offering some views of PA Canyons, as well as some wildlife:

Looking back at these photos, it's amazing to see how the scenes changed over the next few days, even the next few hours...

Around mile 4.5, I began to hear thunder in the distance but didn't think it was coming my direction.   I'm sure you can imagine what happened next...yep, roaring thunder approaching and over a mile to go to shelter.  Having considerable energy from sitting on my ass in the office all day, I booked it, trying to beat the storm and settle in for a good first night's sleep.  About 3/4 mile from the shelter I passed what appeared to be a father and son backpacking team, just walking along...but I had different ideas.

Upon reaching the shelter area, apparently I just barely beat the rain, by just around 5 minutes and scampered around for the "Shelter #1" that I'd reserved for the a $4 charge a few weeks prior.  Luckily I found the correct one and as the rain came pouring down, I sat in solitude, munching on my footlong subway I'd grabbed on the way out to Seward.  The ranch dressing was a messy touch, but I had no issues downing the entire sub, plus the 3 bonus cookies right afterward.  Overnight was sticky, literally, being the first night spent on my Thermarest z-lite shirt-less using my sleeping bag as a blanket.  Every move over night was like slowly pulling off a band-aid.

There were a few other strange occurrences overnight, including something within 100' that sounded like flapping of a metallic sheet, almost like getting air into a trash bag, but stopping after a second or two and not starting back up after a few minutes.  The other fun encounter overnight was what I think was a curious mouse in my shelter.  Other than that, I got a good 6-7 hours sleep while the rain poured on.

Day 2: Ohiopyle Shelters to Turnpike Shelters, 31.9 miles

After packing up in the morning, I headed out in the ever-so-slight sprinkle to refill water from the well at the shelter area.  Although it was marked NON POTABLE, I figured that just meant it needed to be treated or filtered.  But as I was beginning to set up my filter, a young guy passes by on the way to the bathroom and lets me know I should get water from the nearby stream since there's "chemicals in this water".  OK then.  Over to the stream, then up the hill...

Starting off the day with a substantial climb is fairly normal, but it was pretty gradual so I didn't mind plus I found a geocache at the top...so it was all good.

Typical LHHT

One of the many rock outcroppings along the trail

Rock hallways!

Beautifully still lake around mile 11

I was making good progress and by around the 15th milestone I decided I'd update my shelter reservations from the Route 31 shelters at mile 32 to the Turnpike shelters at mile 38.  I'd plan to stay just north of the Turnpike bridge on Wednesday night, then hike out 32 miles to the northern terminus on Thursday.  Although I'd never backpacked a 30 mile day before, having 15+ hours of daylight makes it really easy to simply "walk all day" at an easy pace, take a few short breaks and make the distance well prior to sunset.

At mile 19ish, the trail crosses Route 653 and the park headquarters are located just a few hundred feet (trail) east along the road.

There are only 2 locations "along the trail" where potable water is available:  the first is at the park headquarters, and the other is just before Seven Springs Resort.  Knowing this, I elected to take the road walk, only to find a closed office with a number to call to change reservations.  At the maintenance shed, I located a water spigot and refilled under the heat of the midday sun.

Being mostly along the ridge line the entire hike, I actually had a faint cell phone signal most times I checked, and I was glad that just as I got back on the trail at Rte. 653 was not an exception.  A quick call to the office and I got my reservations switched, and even saved 4 bucks on my cancelled shelter for the following night!

Rock hallways with Rhododendron hair!

Blazes galore.

These sections never get old!

Recharging the Fenix with my Voltaic battery pack

After finding a couple more geocaches along the trail, I arrived at Seven Springs, a ski resort with a few outdoor offerings in the summer time.  Not a whole lot was open on the top of the mountain where a restaurant sits, but I managed to find a soda machine with cold Pepsi inside for the steep price of $3.  The trail then heads down the slopes, and to the only spot where I questioned my direction along the entire 70 miles.  There's just too much open space on ski slopes to mark trails.  After walking about 100' in a few different directions, I spotted the familiar yellow blaze and continued my way away from civilization.

Seven Springs

Seven Springs Lake and lifts

The trail goes right along the lake

Then down the slopes!

Apparently there's a 5K held up here

Interesting trail scene

Chug it and enjoy the view.

I managed to swiftly move along the next 10 or so miles, passing by the halfway point, as well as finding a fairly old geocache with its original logbook.  Shortly after that point, I crossed the PA Turnpike with a strange sense of connectedness back to other people, but still feeling the detachment that you have when hiking solo.  The trail during my time spent on it had very few southbound hikers, so I only ran into 1 or 2 people per day, until the shelters.

Laurel Summit, along Route 31

Original logbook.  Rock on.

Halfway!

PA Turnpike Bridge

That's quite a wide footbridge!  (It's also open for snowmobiles)

Turnpike view (east)

Ian with the state cop

After the turnpike crossing, I only had about a mile and a half of trail before my home for the night and as usual, the critters are out around sunrise/sunset.  During this 30 minute or so period, I came across one of the many Red Efts I would encounter along the way, as well as a young buck.

There was some mountain laurel still in bloom

Another ferny forest shot

Little dude

Yay!  Made it!

There were some rowdy teenagers in one shelter who luckily settled down once the sun went down and I once again got some decent sleep before my final big 32 mile day to finish up the LHHT.





Day 3: Turnpike Shelters to Northern Terminus, 31.8 miles


The day started off great, bright and early and on the trail by 6:30am.  The goal for the day was to get done while hiking in the least amount of rain possible.  Given that I can only control half of those, you can pretty much gather how the story went.

Separate bathrooms in the middle of nowhere!

Distance to Turnpike Shelters from trail.

More Rhodo's growing out of rock

The rain began around 8:15am and only got harder, and harder as the day went on.  By around mile 8, I would consider the rain to have been a steady "yellow" on the radar.

At this point the hiking simply turned into a game...could I make it to "this" mile by "this" time?  With the steady rain, there's no views, and being afraid to take my phone out for pictures, this is pretty much what you do for entertainment.

The first goal was to accomplish a classic thru-hiker morning goal: 10x10 (10 miles walked by 10am).  Even though I was finally stirring up some "business", there was a task at hand that I don't think I've ever accomplished.  Just as I passed mile 48 at 9:59am, I celebrated with a little "woot!" then began to scan the forest for a good spot to get off trail and dig a cathole.  Without getting into all the details... pouring rain + TP = a wet mess.

Back on the trail, there wasn't much to do but continue to play time/distance games and by this point, it was to try and get 16 miles in by noon.  The only problem, I had 2 miles to go and it was 11:37am.  So...here we go:  two miles in 33 minutes, in ankle deep water and pouring rain (radar RED by this point).  Bring it on!

And what do I run into at 11:56?  Two guys doing weed whacking trail maintenance with ear protection on, going the same direction as me so it's incredibly hard to get their attention from behind.  With some trekking pole waving and banging, I was able to alert them of my presence and they politely let me pass, allowing me to reach my second goal of 16 by noon.

Feeling like a Sith Lord

Finally, the rain let up a bit to a drizzle for the afternoon and I no longer had to slug through water up to my ankles.  There were some amazing little sections in this final 20 mile bit, including a hemlock forest with a beautifully soft trail path of fallen needles.  The other really cool spot was around mile 56, one of the best "rock hallways" on the entire trail.

Another little guy

The last couple of miles offered some really neat scenery, very reminiscent of the descent in Northern PA on the AT coming down from Mt. Minsi into Delaware Water Gap.

Gorgeous rhododendron tunnel during the final couple of mile descent.

Done!

Feeling very satisfied with completing the entire trail within 24 hours of "on trail" time, I changed into the only dry clothes I had available: my work khakis and polo shirt from Tuesday.  
Some final thoughts about the journey:

• The trail overall was extremely flat, with just a few rolling hills.
• This was sort of expected based on research on the elevation profiles before hand, but also a real change since most of the Appalachian Trail that I'm used to hiking has much larger elevation gains and drops.
• There really weren't many good vistas.
• Apart from a couple during the first third, there really weren't any.  On the guide it notes some coming down the final descent, but even without fog/rain, I think you'd have to wait till winter for views here.
• The abundance of wildlife (almost) makes up for the lack of vistas.
• Due to the trail being much less traveled than the AT for instance, the opportunity to see wildlife is much more frequent.  The birds I heard and saw were numerous, as well as the red efts, deer, turtles, and so on.
• My gadgets, while fun to play with, were more of a hassle than necessary.  Trying to track every step of every day while in the rain and trying to keep charged was such a PITA.  As you might be able to tell, I REALLY enjoy being able to analyze all of the data afterward, but I need to figure out a better system for recording it, as well as photos.
• The milestones are a burden and a blessing.
• It's nice to know where you are along the trail, but at some point it just becomes a game of "are we there yet?"
• The State Park Staff was extremely helpful and knowledgeable when making reservations.
• Apart from the last overgrown 10 miles or so, the trail is very well maintained.  Almost every water crossing is bridged and the shelter areas are like no other (that I've experienced, at least)