I loved this new-to-me course, what a beautiful spot! The terrain was soft and trails were not too hilly, although somewhat overgrown in places (tick check after!)
@lynsayayer and I went this morning and paused for a photo op, naturally! We were also coincidentally both wearing our challenge shirts from last year
Laughed at the part of the RunGo instructions where Adam told us we wouldn’t have to run up the hill. However, I followed the instructions to look up at the hill and missed a rock in front of me, which sent me pretty dramatically flying down the trail. Slightly shaken, I finished the course with a good slice to my knee and the blood, sweat and dust to show for it
Finally got to my first challenge course. Adam’s directions kept me on track despite being distracted by memories of hosting field trips to the LH bog with SUNY Cortland education majors teaching Cortland county school kids about bog life. Messy but fun! A bit like trail running.
This was our first time visiting Lime Hollow and this is such a beautiful area to explore. It was hot and we hiked Watkins Glen yesterday, so Erin asked to hike this one. On our hike we saw turtles, a dark banded snake we could not identify, a wood frog, a female Baltimore Oriole, and plenty of blooming Dame’s Rocket (my favorite wildflower).
I’m sharing a few photos, including one where we are “basking in the glory of the bog.” And yes, Erin was grateful RunGo didn’t send her up that hill! The directions had me laughing out loud a few times. Nicely done, and they seemed to be spot on the whole way.
I was so happy to finally get to Lime Hollow today. It’s a place I have driven by the signs many times and said I should go there, but just never got to. Went out and hiked the course with my wife our friend and her daughter.
My GPS was terrible and the RunGo app constantly told me we were off course and unknowingly doing the route in reverse slowed us up in the beginning.
Fun to accompanying our son Kieran on his penultimate challenge course this morning out at Lime Hollow. He is only home for a few weeks (he currently resides in Urbana, IL for grad school) but has been charging through the courses, mostly solo since Jamie and I were in pre-marathon and now post marathon rest/recovery mode for much of his visit. Just 6 days post Buffalo marathon I was only supposed to do an easy three miles today but couldn’t resist this opportunity to run with Kieran . It was a hot sticky morning but luckily the course is mostly shady and just lovely.
This was Simon’s first time at Lime Hollow, so he was very excited to explore some new trails. I’ve only been there twice before, so it was mostly new to me too. RunGo kept us perfectly on track (we definitely would’ve been confused without it), and we enjoyed the variety of trails and scenery. Near the bog, Simon almost accidentally landed on a turtle that was hidden in the grass right on the course, but luckily he stepped right over it. So be especially careful by the bog to keep the turtles safe! Looking forward to returning here soon.
This morning I decided to knock off two courses. Ellis & Lime Hollows
This was my first visit to Lime Hollow, and I will be back again to explore more.
The smoke haze seemed to abate a bit when I was in the woods. I think the trees may have helped filter the air in those sections which I was grateful for.
There was a school trip going on while I ran the course.
Kids were exploring the wildlife they found in the stream at the first bridge
I found this course Easier than Ellis even though it was much longer.
I think the hill grades were easier to run so I was able to not have to hike as much.
(I did still hike )
I’ve totally convinced them we must come back to explore the other trails.
What is wonderful about hiking the second go of all the courses, is I can take time to find all the trail snacks. Raspberries should be ready in a week, elderberries end of summer, wild strawberries are petering out, but the JewelWeed (a.k.a. Touch-me-not) is flourishing
The afternoon’s heat and humidity made for a nice day to increase my blood plasma volume. I’d only run this loop once so I needed the RunGo lady to boss me around and remind me to “bask in the brilliance of the bog”. The loop is a fun and fast course. On my second run through I crossed paths with our one and only 2023 Ultra Challenge finisher @dennis-s, who was out for a hike. What a difference it makes escaping the exposed field trails for the shady singletrack!
Bonus pic: this was from this morning at upper Taughannock, but too good not to share somewhere. My son Adrian spotted the sign before I did and both kids went nuts when they recognized it from my shirt and our yard sign.
Due to the poor air quality decided to postpone today’s planned long run till tomorrow. Instead, headed out to Lime Hollow for a slow, easy loop. Very peaceful. Just me, a few rabbits and the bridge troll.
This past Saturday I was in Cortland for a cow show and packed my gear in case I could sneak away for a loop at Lime Hollow.
No such luck. The show took longer than I expected, but I guess that’s what happens when your kid does well in showmanship and has to show again at the very end for Master Showman. She didn’t end up winning, but I always enjoy watching my kids show their cows.
We had 10 animals in our show string. 5 of which were cows which is a crap ton (literally and figuratively) of work.
I think I just invented a new hair treatment: deer fly guts!
I made a poor choice at Lime Hollow Nature Center this morning by hitting the trails without bug spray or a hat. At first I tried to pull deer flies out of my hair, but then I gave up and just squished them in there. I let the treatment sit for about an hour before shampooing and rinsing.
What a beautiful area!! I made a few wrong turns, but most the time it just resulted in me looping around in a small circle. I had to rein it in a few times as my hike/walk was morphing into a jog.
Stepped out into this muggy morning to snag my final course. Smartly brought the bug spray but should have brought a hat. Everything was going fine and fun until I hit the first pavilion. A couple of wrong turns later and I tanked my otherwise peppy speed on this course. Still enjoyed peeping the sculptures and taking in the quiet scenery.
Heading back to the car Rob and I were attacked by super deer flies that didn’t react to multiple slaps. Genetically engineered ??? Stranger things, my friends. Pack extra deet with you and happy trails !
This week was a rough one, so I decided to wrap things up with another visit to the beautiful Lime Hollow trail after work today. It was the perfect way to unwind.
The threatened “severe thunderstorms” held off, and except for some moderate AQI & haze, it was really pleasant. I didn’t even need snacks, because nature provided!
Aside from bountiful blackberries, I saw a huge amount of wildlife, including three bunnies, seven groundhogs, and dozens of red efts (dusk was a good time to go!)
The trails were quite muddy in parts, and I was very careful not to trip or slip and slice open the other knee (still have a solid scar from my last run here). The smells of pine needles, wildflowers, and the bog, along with the many twists and turns of the course kept things interesting.
It was honestly so meditative to be in the forest (aside from the relentless deer flies), I forgot the things that were stressing me out and was just tuned in to the experience.
It felt great to push myself and wrap up the course and the week with a celebratory first-of-the-season peach from our CSA. That, and a bag of Cape Cod potato chips made the perfect recovery snack
. It was a hot sticky morning but luckily the course is mostly shady and just lovely.
even though it was much longer.
)
I will be happy to return here.
