Went out today to test my stamina since I haven't been running due to my medical issues below. The 3 mile stamper turned out pretty good 28:18 at 9:26 per mile. I took the first mile slow and easy and seemed to gain momentum as I went. Felt pretty strong considering the lack of running. May try to ease back into it.
toadshade
Friday, April 23, 2010
Hiatus
I'm sorry I haven't posted recently but I've had a bad case of laryngitis that is still not diagnosed. I've been on anti-biotics and Steroids but I still have it. It seems a little better at present and it doesn't really hurt. The doctors say my lungs are fine so I've been doing some shorter runs and taking it easy. I see an ENT Doctor on Monday who hopefully can shed some light on this. Don't be doing a lot of running if it's an allergy problem. But I'm going to try to catch the blog up with some hikes I've taken over the last few weeks that have been real fruitful.
toadshade
toadshade
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Wheezing Meltdown 5 Miler
I ran this run in a lot hotter weather and started out way to fast and under hydrated. The result was a meltdown in the last two miles. My swollen larynx makes it sounds like I was gasping for air which I wasn't. The time wasn't too bad at 49:43 at 9:57 per mile. I'm doing some catchup here so I can't remember much. Had to cancel my half-marathon due to this crap.
toadshade
toadshade
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Canada Violet at Pearson's Falls
I went up with Ann-Marie to Pearson's Falls and Table Rock today to, hopefully, catch the best of the Spring Ephemerals. We timed it right. The place included, among others, Toadshade Trillium, Large-flowered Trillium, Erect Trillium, Canada Violet (pictured), two types of Toothwort, Dutchman's Breeches, Saxifrage, Yellow Violet, Foamflower and Oconee Bells (past blooming transplants). I took a few movies that are on my Flickr page that caught the cool Spring wind and the sounds of the mountain stream and Louisiana Waterthrushes. Got one of Ann-Marie with a Jack-in-the-Pulpit.
Later we went to Table Rock and walked a couple of miles of the lower trail. Heard a lot of Black-throated Green Warblers at both places. Heard a Scarlet Tanager at Table Rock and saw a lot of Sweetshrub. A lot of the fun was just riding through the Spring green of the mountains. We went from Pearson Falls down 176 to 25 and took it south to the turnoff for Jones Gap. We then drove down into the valley to see the South Carolina farm valley leading to the Saluda River in Jones Gap. We didn't go into Jones Gap but decided to go on to Table Rock for a hike. We came back by Marietta to see the Oreo Heifers but only saw one in the distance. Not enough for photo op.
I almost forgot, we ate at the headquarters for the trip, the Green River Barbeque in Saluda. A great feed which Ann-Marie loved!! It was perfect timing for wonderful trip.
toadshade
Later we went to Table Rock and walked a couple of miles of the lower trail. Heard a lot of Black-throated Green Warblers at both places. Heard a Scarlet Tanager at Table Rock and saw a lot of Sweetshrub. A lot of the fun was just riding through the Spring green of the mountains. We went from Pearson Falls down 176 to 25 and took it south to the turnoff for Jones Gap. We then drove down into the valley to see the South Carolina farm valley leading to the Saluda River in Jones Gap. We didn't go into Jones Gap but decided to go on to Table Rock for a hike. We came back by Marietta to see the Oreo Heifers but only saw one in the distance. Not enough for photo op.
I almost forgot, we ate at the headquarters for the trip, the Green River Barbeque in Saluda. A great feed which Ann-Marie loved!! It was perfect timing for wonderful trip.
toadshade
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Miccosukee Gooseberry at Steven's Creek
After seeing Patrick McMillan's show on the Steven's Creek Heritage in McCormick County I just had to go see this place. It was only a short 90 miles from Columbia in the Carolina Piedmont near the Savanna River. This particular Gooseberry grows only in a county in Florida and here in SC. The place had a lot of what I consider mountain wildflowers, Dutchman's Breeches, False Rue Anemone, Spring Beauties, Lanceleaf Trillium (and two other Trilliums), Lanceleaf Anemone, Green and Gold, Buttercups and Ragwort. Shooting Star grows there but hadn't bloomed yet. The hike may be about 3 miles or more and goes down the ridge to Steven's Creek then loops back around the top of the ridge and rejoins the path above near the start for a perfect loop trail with points of interest on all parts. The ridge sports a Witchbroom Tree that was of interest as was the star of the hike - the Gooseberry pictured. It hasn't quite bloomed and hopefully I can get back down there when it does. It seemed to grow on the slopes with the Dicentra and False Rue and also, which was a little surprising, on the ridge. It's a thorny plant which I first mistook for a Hawthorne until I saw the buds. Heard a Black-and-White Warbler, Northern Parula and Blue-headed Vireo.
It's an easy trip. I left at 8 am, took my time on the road and trail, and was back in Columbia by 2:30 pm.
toadshade
It's an easy trip. I left at 8 am, took my time on the road and trail, and was back in Columbia by 2:30 pm.
toadshade
Saturday, March 27, 2010
The Annual Oconee Bell Wildflower Pilgrimage
We started early - 6 am, and headed up the interstate to see the Oconee Bells and any other wildflower that dared to poke it's head up. I drove and Bill navigated. The first setback was that 385 to Greenville was closed off which made the trip to see the Oreo Heifers an impossibility unless we wanted to double back on SC 11. We were pressed for time anyway and decided to hit the Bells at Devil's Fork State Park so we would have more time for Station Falls, Pearson Falls, and Bradley Falls. Our logic was - since we're coming later this year, there should be more of the Spring ephemerals growing. We were sadly mistaken.
The Bells showed up on time and gave quite a display of interesting photo ops. Heard a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a Blue-headed Vireo also. After we finished there, we went on to Station Falls. The Toadshade Trillium were growing profusely and we ran into them way up the cove and anticipated a lot more later on. Then we ran into Windflower (rue anemone) and one measly Robin's Plantain. We were expecting some Green and Gold, Pennywort, Spring Beauties, Bellwort and Large Flowered Trillium. Instead we got more Toadshade, more Rue and Sharp-lobed Hepatica which is an early bloomer like the Toadshade. Some Mayapple were coming up which gave the floor a nice green Spring flavor. Had some interesting birdlife there - Common Raven, 2 Pileated Woodpeckers, an Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a few Titmice and Chickadees.
After that we went to Green River Barbeque to wallow in hog fat and analyze our data. Bill checked photographic records from last year and discovered that a few more of the species we'd expected had bloomed last year at this time, name Large-flowered Trillium, Spring Beauties, Bellwort and Canada Violets. We surmised that the extremely cold Winter put a little delay on the growing season.
We then headed to Bradley Falls to checkout the place for later adventures. It wasn't far from Saluda, about 5 miles, and seemed to be a popular day hike area. Once we got down there, we realized that you have to be prepared for scrambling over rocks and getting your feet went and it's not conducive for carrying a lot of photo gear. So we decided to check it later and come prepared. We went down as far as Cove Creek where there was a memorial to someone who had died while climbing the rocks down there. It's pictured in my Flickr photos of the trip. It was a beautiful area with Toadshade trillium growing beside the path along with beautiful Smooth Yellow Violets. Also, at the head of the path, there was evidence of an old homestead. There were no buildings, boards or ruins, to testify to this. What survived were the things that embellished the land and lives of the people who lived there - the flowers. There were Daffodils and Periwinkles everywhere and what used to pass for an Orchard right beyond. But the most pensive was a Periwinkle growing in the fork of a huge Sycamore. You just wonder how it got there. Did the inhabitants plant it, did the birds drop it, or did the Sycamore pick it up when it was much younger? At any rate, it's a wonderful blend of the two cultures.
We decided to swing back by Pearson's Falls on the way back and see if it was a little more advanced than the rest of the places. It turned out to be pretty much in line with everything else. Plenty of Toadshade but not much else. We did finally find a couple of Spring Beauties growing along with Toothwort and Bloodroot pictured here. This helps to contrast with last year since bloodroot is usually on the wane instead of just budding. It was a great day and may inspire some more trips this Spring when the others are ready to show.
toadshade
The Bells showed up on time and gave quite a display of interesting photo ops. Heard a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a Blue-headed Vireo also. After we finished there, we went on to Station Falls. The Toadshade Trillium were growing profusely and we ran into them way up the cove and anticipated a lot more later on. Then we ran into Windflower (rue anemone) and one measly Robin's Plantain. We were expecting some Green and Gold, Pennywort, Spring Beauties, Bellwort and Large Flowered Trillium. Instead we got more Toadshade, more Rue and Sharp-lobed Hepatica which is an early bloomer like the Toadshade. Some Mayapple were coming up which gave the floor a nice green Spring flavor. Had some interesting birdlife there - Common Raven, 2 Pileated Woodpeckers, an Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a few Titmice and Chickadees.
After that we went to Green River Barbeque to wallow in hog fat and analyze our data. Bill checked photographic records from last year and discovered that a few more of the species we'd expected had bloomed last year at this time, name Large-flowered Trillium, Spring Beauties, Bellwort and Canada Violets. We surmised that the extremely cold Winter put a little delay on the growing season.
We then headed to Bradley Falls to checkout the place for later adventures. It wasn't far from Saluda, about 5 miles, and seemed to be a popular day hike area. Once we got down there, we realized that you have to be prepared for scrambling over rocks and getting your feet went and it's not conducive for carrying a lot of photo gear. So we decided to check it later and come prepared. We went down as far as Cove Creek where there was a memorial to someone who had died while climbing the rocks down there. It's pictured in my Flickr photos of the trip. It was a beautiful area with Toadshade trillium growing beside the path along with beautiful Smooth Yellow Violets. Also, at the head of the path, there was evidence of an old homestead. There were no buildings, boards or ruins, to testify to this. What survived were the things that embellished the land and lives of the people who lived there - the flowers. There were Daffodils and Periwinkles everywhere and what used to pass for an Orchard right beyond. But the most pensive was a Periwinkle growing in the fork of a huge Sycamore. You just wonder how it got there. Did the inhabitants plant it, did the birds drop it, or did the Sycamore pick it up when it was much younger? At any rate, it's a wonderful blend of the two cultures.
We decided to swing back by Pearson's Falls on the way back and see if it was a little more advanced than the rest of the places. It turned out to be pretty much in line with everything else. Plenty of Toadshade but not much else. We did finally find a couple of Spring Beauties growing along with Toothwort and Bloodroot pictured here. This helps to contrast with last year since bloodroot is usually on the wane instead of just budding. It was a great day and may inspire some more trips this Spring when the others are ready to show.
toadshade
Friday, March 26, 2010
Spring!!
I ran 3 miles today around the neighborhood in 28:06 at 9:22 per mile. I took this picture the other day of Pear Trees and blossoms down at Southeast Park. Am having some sickness due to a sinus infection and laryngitis which put me out for a few days. It's not in my lungs so I can still run and the quick 3 miles was like a Godsend. Feel cleaned out. The laryngitis is a bigger problem since I have to counsel and lecture at work. I need a few talk free days so maybe the weekend will help.
toadshade
toadshade
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