Notes
Instead of the whole shebang, I chose to do the out and back route to Whiting Peak. Stopping at the Notch lookout tower was an option, for 7 miles, but with Pisgah in the picture, going an extra mile is the rule. This gives me over ten miles for the night and plenty of climbing. The old Christopher Clark Road, up to the Notch, was completely destroyed by our torrential rainfall last month. Huge channels 1 - 2 feet deep snaked along the road where pavement was swept away. Whiting was great at night. This climb is like the 'Endless Stair' of LOTR, as Frodo and Sam are led into Mordor by Gollum. I took splits for the First Mile, Summit, and Last Mile: 8:17, 31:57 (40:15 at summit), 28:26, and 8:29. I thot the last mile would be quicker, but I guess not. There is a little hill or two. Odd thing, my shoes really bothered my feet on the downhill, on the pavement. These Inov8 grab the volume of my top-foot, rather than the ankle, and this part of my foot did not want to bear the weight. My foot strike is wacky, so I correctd it a bit with my lower abs and that helped. Either these shoes just plain suck, or it is my shoes at work screwing with my feet, but this is not normal.