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May 23, 2005 |
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David O'Neill and the Long Path
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We recently became acquainted with David O'Neill, a man that lives down in Orange County and has formed an organization called Charity Runners, with the purpose of raising money for local charities. Upon learning about the Long Path, a 347-mile trail from the George Washington Bridge to Thatcher State Park near Albany, David became obsessed with the idea of running it's entire length - 97 miles of which are within the Catskill Park.
We spent some time with David and the Catskill Center's Platte Clove Preserve one night. He learned about us and us about him. Needless to say we had a lot in common. He had asked us to considered dedicating some coverage to his run with the hopes of raising additional funds for his chosen charity. We hope you enjoy reading his description and account of a portion of his long journey.
"Day 12 began with the ascent of Slide Mountain, the tallest in the Catskill range, peaking at 4180'. I was not intimidated. Why should I be? Peekamoose and Table turned out to be relatively easy compared to my expectations. I was encouraged by the running surfaces of the day before. I was confident that this would be an easy day. Well, needless to say...
The first 3 miles of the Long Path (starting from Denning Road) follow a washed out trail, which made running difficult and painful. The trail is literally a small boulder field. Picture if you can a 3-mile ascent over a long pile of rocks ranging in size from a baseball to a basketball. Each step causes the rocky surface to slip and all you hear is the noise of an impending rockslide and occasionally, you cause one. I wonder how much of this trail erosion occurred as a result of the terrible rains in early April. Judging from the red clay color of Esopus, I'd say a lot.
Once I reached the Curtis-Ormsbee trail junction things got better. The Long Path became something like an amusement park. I felt like a kid running from ride to ride. In this park, the rides are rock ledges and the forest trails are the pathways that interconnect all the attractions. Let's face it, who doesn't want to climb up and down on rock ledges. We were all kids once! I even had the chance to run trail sections channeled with ice. This change in scenery made the ascent fun.
Reaching the top of Slide was just the beginning. After pausing for a few minutes to take pictures and observe the dedication to John Burroughs, I began my descent and continued journey along the Burroughs range. The balance of this Long Path section included the ascent and descent of both Cornell (3860') and Wittenberg Mountains (3800'). Thankfully the col between Cornell and Wittenberg is at an elevation over 3500 feet, making the descent off Cornell and ascent of Wittenberg relatively easy. The descent from Wittenberg was a completely different story. This descent was brutal and very damaging.
Eventually I got down off the mountain. I signed the trail register, crossed Woodland Creek, and reached Woodland Valley Road. I was beat up and tired, but happy to take my boots off and change into my running gear. After 13.35 miles of mountain work it was time for 5.75 on the road to Phoenicia."
By the time you read this, David will have completed the Long Path in 23 days. We hope you choose to contribute to his chosen charity, the NY-NJ Trail Conference, who maintains the trail. To do so, visit www.charityrunners.org, where you can also read all his daily updates. By sponsoring this event, you help Charity Runners spread the word about the Trail Conference, the Long Path, and running as a part of a healthy life-style.
- Aaron and Chris
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