Trail Running the Ice House Trail

 

Not sure why I hadn't started trail running years ago, but I had taken an interest in it lately. It seemed the quickest way to get out on the trail, see something new, and also get stronger as a runner. I saw the Ice House Trail on the map and it sounded interesting enough. I decided to give it a shot. Having just discovered the Cottonwood Rd. it opened up so many new opportunities in Red Cliffs. Unfortunately, it was still January and I was a little worried about the road. 

I drove out to the Mesa Rim Trailhead. I figured if I parked here, I would be able to do a loop. It was so nice having a watch with a GPS on it to tell me where I was because I was definitely less intimidated about getting lost. The road was a bit muddy to this point, but it made me happy once I started running that I decided to park here. The only other vehicle I saw out there was a police truck and they seemed to have just been able to navigate. The road was very quiet and it made for a good run. 

Speed wasn't my main goal today, but to just keep moving. The road was mostly uphill so that made for a good go of it. Eventually, though, I started to have to look for the road for the turnoff to the Ice House Trail. I thought I had found it but I had to keep checking the watch to make sure that I was on the right route. This seemed to be the way to take this road as taking a vehicle on it seemed like it would be more of an experience than a way to get somewhere. 

I came out on some fantastic views of the surrounding Pine Valley Mountains, then I started to descend when I hit the trail. The trail went downhill and while it was called the Ice House Trail, I was not sure why, because really it was just running through sagebrush and cheat grass fields like usual. The goal was to not miss the junction, so I continued watching my watch like a hawk. Luckily when I found the junction there was a sign there. Wanting to continue exploring the rest of the way, but knowing that this was already pushing the limits of what I could do, I made the turn toward the Mesa Rim.

 Here the going was much slower and careful footing was necessary. I had to climb back uphill again, which was tough to do at this point. The feeling that you get when you are out on a run like this is so phenomenal though that it makes pushing through the pain worth it. Also, for some strange reason, I was taking pictures on a trail run. I guess being in this area was so new to me that I wanted to make sure to document it. The last section of trail was truly my favorite. Picking my way slowly through the loose rock and vegetation with a view and somewhat of a drop off below me made the trail running worth it. When I was just about finished, I came out on top of the mesa and had to descend rapidly to get back down to the car. In 2 hours and 15 minutes, I was able to cover 11.5 miles and see a brand new part of the Red Cliffs area around where I lived. I was going to have to do more of this trail running, especially given the fact that I was running a half marathon in a few weeks.