Body Atoms

Greenbelt Run AKA The Brown Shoe Run

The most popular greenbelt at 7.9 miles long consisting of 809 acres. With sheer cliff walls, lush vegetation, and popular swimming areas, the Barton Creek greenbelt is truly a treasure. When the water in the creek is running (not today, but maybe tomorrow with the rains) this is a fantastic run. The easiest access point is the Loop 360 access or Barton Creek from the north.

I was thirty minutes into the run before I saw another person. Then two, then three, a few cyclists mixed with walkers. Somehow I got off the trail and had to run down the dry creek until hooking up with the trail again. I stopped when I could hear the owl hoot. Cool. My simple plan was to try and make it to Barton Springs by the 45-minute mark and then run back. At 45 minutes I came across some climbers scaling the side of an enormous cliff. The woman on the rock had all four limbs extended out like a spider. I wanted to stay and watch but I decided to push on. I couldn't hear any music so I couldn't really tell where I was. With the sun descending, the heavy cloud cover brought darkness earlier than planned, I decided to head back.

Seeing that a cyclist took the other choice at the fork in the road I followed. Looking over the map earlier in the day, it seemed two trails paralleled one another back to my truck. Ha ha ha ha. Actually, the other trail took me straight to Barton Springs. Imagine my surprise when I saw the downtown skyline over the trees. I made it. Damn, I made my goal, although now an hour and twenty minutes out. I decided to go forward to Barton Springs and figure out what to do next. Listen to some music at the free concert. No credit cards, so I couldn't eat or drink anything. I had not brought any water or carb bars on the trip. Bad idea.

I figured I could run another 45 minutes down the Mopac feeder, around Loop 360 and be at the truck. Forty-five minutes along speeding cars in the dark didn't sound appealing, so I made the call. Yes, I didn't take water or food but I took the phone. I made the embarrassing call for a pickup. Kayla and her friends were laughing when they arrived. Partly, because of my predicament, partly because they hatched a plan to stop at IHOP for some pancakes and let me sit for some time.

I'm so spoiled with the Town Lake Trail with Runtex supplying water, with stores within reach and frequent maps of where to go. Next time I need to pack for a woody hike, even though I plan to run. This would include a compass, water, food, and a light jacket.

Trail running is great but a little different. There's no runner's high as I had to concentrate on the rocks and cliffs. I rolled the ankles a couple of times but nothing serious. The air seemed fresher and the lack of people on the trail was a nice experience. Next time I'll have to plan on a longer time period to cover the 8-mile length with extra time to watch the climbers and time to explore. At 30 minutes per mile that would translate into about four hours plus stopping time.

Permanent Link: 3/18/2006 11:03:00 AM