Track (10/23/20, 8:20:21AM)
Half Marathon. Brutally cold wind but we pushed through. Great day with great friends.
Today was our Second Annual Half Marathon!!! Adam said if we completed this half marathon thru the Refuge on such a blustery, cold, windy day, we would be bragging like Texans....and it was SO! We had only ONE cancellation ... I had expected more, but these Happy Hikers are amazing & SO tough! Our total hikers were 24 plus Eddie who was such a blessing & help to us ... driving the food/water truck & transporting people when needed. Of the 24 hikers, 21 did the whole 13.1 miles. We had 6 guys & 18 gals. We started gathering at EEC about 8am when the winds were whipping at 25- 30 mph, with wind chill at about 28 degrees or so, but that did not deter us. We took a group pic (fully clothed...there was no way we were stripping down to just our "Green Shirts." ) Thank you Sharon for taking some group pics at beginning & end & a few more . From EEC, we hiked Leg 1 which was about 2.5 miles to our first break at Osage Lake. We gathered around the "Food Truck," where we had SO many choices of cookies, muffins, fruit, trail mix....& so much more. After getting our fill, we continued on Leg 2 which, in my estimation, was the toughest....lots of elevation changes, plus being out in the open with no tree protection, etc...but we did it b/c we are TOUGH & WE DO NOT WHINE!!!. The next food stop was Burford Lake; then on to Lost Lake via a nice steep hill & a nice rock formation we call "Shrunken Head" (or DogFace). I was so impressed with our pace as we reached Lost Lake at 11:40am , an hour earlier than I had estimated! Yay for you guys! At this point, sandwiches were furnished by 4 of our ladies & we had fruit, boiled eggs & ...yes....all the other snacky foods. Robert had even brought a large thermos of hot coffee which the hikers were anxious to consume. Around 12 we ended lunch & started our hike on the Kite trail getting us to a port-a-potty & Boulder Cabin around 1pm where we took some group pics. We were headed NE now...into the brutal N wind, but we were sheltered so much of the time with the forests, that we were never cold. We had our last food/snack stop at Osage Lake & then headed on out on the last leg (Leg 7). Back at EEC about 3;45pm, we took an extra lap of the paved trail to come up with exactly 13.1 miles according to Carol's technology...(which we thoroughly trust :) ). We headed for the Quanah Parker pier & took a pic & then another pic (stripped down to our green shirts) near the small museum. It was a wonderful day & I think all of us enjoyed the outing, the other hikers, the food & even the cool weather. Some were already talking about our next Half Marathon. Our hikers today were: 6 Guys: Danny Talley, Robert Lorah, Adam Deatherage, Chris Dunham, Jason Matthews, Willie Threet. 18 Gals: Peggy Avants, Cheryl Ator, Sharon Freeman, Carol Gardner, Pam Hurst, Kim Gregory, Kimberly McDevitt, Bonnie, McMahon, Brenda Mohler, Kristi Nesom, Patty Patterson, Debbie Small, Kelly Sullins, Janice Talbert, Stephanie Threet, Lynda Trapp, Peggy Wood, Teddy Worthington. Once again, thanks to Eddie Worthington for all his wonderful & patient help!!
Oct 22, 2020 - Last Minute Thoughts, etc.
This Friday, Oct 23, 2020.is our 1/2 Marathon......25 are signed up to come. .......However, Let's see if we have 25 hikers when we wake up to a blustery day...cold North winds & low temps. :) WE ARE STRONG....WE CAN DO THIS. The Good news is....A lot of the time we will be protected from the wind by trees, etc, but not always. Just be prepared. Start with 3-4 layers & gradually discard if needed. :)
Try to be at EEC 8:15-8:20 in order to get organized, get a pic, etc. Feel free to grab a snack before we start our hike. Please use hand sanitizer before we grab a snack at the breaks.
Don't forget to wear your lime green/neon green shirt if you have one. Hopefully we will be able to take off jackets long enough to get a quick pic.
If you plan to ride in the truck with Ed, bring a mask if you want. It's up to you
We will bring 2 ice chests...one with an ice jug for perishables & the other for snack foods that don't have to be kept cold. When you arrive, look for Ed's white Nissan truck & get your food , extra water, socks, etc in the back end or back seat. If you bring food perishables, use the ice chest with ice. The other non-perishables can be put in the other ice chest. Try to put all your belongings in a bag or pack in order to keep everything together.
Your extra water can probably be put in a bag/pack with your name & put in the back end of the truck. We will not have enough room for all extra water to be iced in an ice chest.
To be sure you have enough water thru-out the day, you may want to bring 4-8 extra bottles, depending on the size. You will also be drinking your water at lunch..
As you hike, I would suggest you always carry 1 or 2 bottles of water & at l