The Hidden Road to [unknown]: Preview of Rock 'N the Knob

Blue Knob Ski Resort

Prior to me embarking on the quest of my Rut 50K madness, I was signed up for a "lowly" 20 mile race called Rock N' the Knob. It's hailed as the highest trail race in Pennsylvania, with a lot of climbing. Unfortunately, that race will take place the same weekend as the Rut, so I will be unable to do both. Fret not, my legs still need a good beating before the Rut, and I figured the Rock N' the Knob course would be perfect training for the 20 miles training called for, so I headed out there this past weekend.

My legs needed some love

I had to drive a few hours outside of Pittsburgh, and noticed a lot of fog along the way. I figured by the time the sun came up, the fog would burn away and I'd have a beautiful run, I even brought my sunglasses. Since I was out in an unknown part of Pennsylvania doing a run that I had no prior knowledge of, I decided I should take my time and make sure I don't get lost and stay on course. I studied and downloaded the course description to my phone and carried that with me (on airplane mode to conserve energy) along with a map of the race course (life saver).

Course Map

The run started off great with a nice steep uphill portion (elevation map for reference) while on the roads. It started going downhill once I reached the top, both literally and figuratively. The directions say to turn onto Jack Rabbit Rd and then a left onto a singletrack that leads down Tower rd. I ran up and down Jack Rabbit and couldn't find the entrance to the single track. So I just added some miles and continued down the main road knowing I could pick up the trail later.

I finally got back on course and onto the trails and was able to stay on course for a majority of the time. For the most part, the trails looked like below, with lots of lush green on both sides, some fog overhead, and a semi-rocky singletrack with some overgrowth every now and then. One creature that caused a bit of annoyance through the runs were the spiders. They had their webs everywhere! For whatever reason, they would string a few lines (every now and then, and entire web) across the trail that were thick and sticky. I'm not sure what kind of spiders they were, but by the end, I could definitely grab a handful of webs off my face.

Typical view of the trail

Once I was on the trail, I only got lost every 30 minutes or so before I got back on track. It took me a while in some spots to find the trail because I was unclear about directions. I think part of the issue was me not knowing my heading so I couldn't tell which direction to hold the map. Note to self: bring a compass next time. At one point, I actually ran about 1 mile off course and ended up in a town, at which point I knew I was off course. As I was checking my map to see where I missed my turn, a local resident came up to me and started telling me about the strawberries growing out of his well, and how the snow plow blocked him in last winter but he had to intimidate the plower to keep his driveway clear (a few other stories too).... rural town PA I suppose? He just needed a friend.

The trail continued to be beautiful with the greenness, while adding some nice hilly and technical challenges at times. I think it would've been nice to see farther than 100 yards in front of me, but the fog added a bit of mystery to the run as well. It definitely seemed to get worse as the day went on, and I definitely didn't need my glasses. One downside to the fog was the water in the air... it completely drenched me. It's like being lightly misted for 6 hours except there is no sun that you need to cool off from, and instead, it dowses everything and mixes in the sweat... including my map and phone (both survived though).

As I was getting farther along the run, at about mile 16 or 17, I was cruising along the Homestead trail (referencing the course map above, it's the white arrows) before I ran into a bit of a hurdle. The description says

The trail goes from dark pins and a damp moss running surface, to a grassy lane, to a steeper (and tougher) single track at each end of the loop.

Grassy lane

Of the entire run, the "grassy lane" was the part I enjoyed the LEAST. I didn't realize that would entail running through so much overgrowth I couldn't see the trail. I contemplated going back and finding a way around, largely because I didn't know how long the "lane" was nor did I want to contend with my friends in the field (those would be the spiders, although I did wonder if raptors might be present). The above picture was what I was dealing with, and I pretty much guessed at where the trail was... I eventually found it on the other side and was glad to make it out alive, but unfortunately not unharmed. The scratches from the thorns weren't too bad... although, after about a day, it seemed the damage done was a bit more extensive (and itchy too).

Casualty of the run

24 hours later (sorry about all the upper thigh)

From there it was onto the steepest and most technical section of the trail. The hardest part was either going uphill on the rocks (which I decided to walk a lot of), or going downhill quickly on the edge of a ridge and needing to turn without falling off the side. I can see how a rock could cause a misplaced step and send a runner off the side.

At this point, I realized I was about 3 miles ahead of what the course should've been due to all my fun side adventures I decided to have. My watch had me at about 21 miles, and I still had about 3 to go. There was a chance to catch a route back to my car, or I could keep going and get to the peak of the mountain view trail which is a vista point.... well I wasn't going to come all this way and miss out on a pretty vista, right?

I love seeing the tops of trees

Totally forgot that the fog would severely limit my sight range. Oh well, now it gives me a reason to come back out and see what it looks like.

It was a fairly short trip back to the car and completed my 23.8 miles! I was glad to be done, and very hungry (I also kind of wanted a beer). I was worried I would mentally crash on a 2 hour drive home leading to a physical crash, so I opted to check into Blue Knob State Park and get a camping site for the evening (don't worry, I came prepared and brought my camping supplies). I promptly ate all that I had brought, and then passed right out! A good little adventure.

Here's a little cutout of the actual route that I ran and the heart rate, elevation, and pace graph. I really took my time, especially with the uphills, which I think will be key when I'm running up steeper hills/mountains at a higher elevation. Thanks for reading (or skimming)!