Scott's Ultra Challenge - Day 7

Day 7 – Dedicated to my family (Jan, Derek, Erica, Mom, Dad, Karen and Auntie Ruth)
Start: River Rd in Kent, CT
Low point: 397 ft River Rd in Kent, CT
High point: 1,403 ft Schaghticoke Mtn in Kent, CT
End: Hoyt Rd in Sherman, CT
Distance: 16.25 miles

After a second night on a comfortable bed I felt MUCH better this morning! My feet are still terribly sore but the swelling has gone down and I can again wear my beloved NewBalance 909 trail racing shoes so I can fly to the finish line! I brought very little food of any sort with me because I intended to keep going until I got to the end… plus I couldn’t stand to eat another energy bar! I did bring some Cliff Shot Blocks which I still like eating and it gives me needed electrolytes to go with the water I’m drinking.

Today is dedicated to my family. That’s because on this final day I know that this crazy trek would have been impossible without their support and love and encouragement… aside from my Mom and Dad telling me I was TOO OLD to do something like this! One of the most inspiring moments was when my son Derek told me one night on the phone that he was proud of me and what I was doing. Imagine that, my 17 year old son proud of his old man! Erica stuck a note of encouragement in my new supplies that I picked up on Wednesday that brought tears to my eyes. That resupply point with my parents was crucial to getting through the week too! And then there is my wife Jan… she sacrifices the most for me… all the hours of training takes me away from them, she follows me to my races and dropped me off way up in VT just to drive home alone, and she is always encouraging me to keep going when it would be far easier on her to suggest that I not push myself too hard. Yes, God works his ways on me through my family as well.

I started the day by bounding up St John’s Ledges and built a cairn on top of Caleb’s Peak that hopefully other hikers will continue to build up as they pass by. I remembered the section from St John’s Ledges to Rte 341 in Kent as being rather short but it took way longer than I thought to complete it despite moving at a very fast pace. I guess I remembered wrong. Running up Mt Algo is no easy task but I knew that was the last tough climb so I pushed up it and would take a mid run rest just south of it near the edge of the Shaghticoke reservation.

The day had turned beautiful after two rainy or dreary days on the trail. The morning fog burned off to leave a wonderfully sunny day as my last day on the trail.. if not a bit too warm. On my mid-run rest I called Jan to tell her when my ETA at the end was and then I was running against the clock for the rest of the day. I really didn’t want to be hanging out at the end waiting for her to get there, nor did I want her waiting a long time for me because that section at the NY line has NO mobile phone coverage.

When I got to Bull’s Bridge I knew I had about 6 miles to go, 147 miles down and just 6 to go! Yes! From there on my pace quickened with every ½ mile. As I ran along the ledge above the Housatonic River heading towards the 10-mile River campsite I was flying! I love the camping area at the confluence of the 10-mile and Housatonic rivers! It is so peaceful, and so relaxing to hear the rapids of the Housatonic and the babbling 10-mile. The shoreline covered with rocks worn round and smooth by time and water is beautiful. The footbridge that allows the AT to cross the 10-mile river is called the Anderson Footbridge. Ned Anderson was the man who blazed the original AT path in CT many years ago and he maintained the whole length of CT himself for quite a few years before the AMC was formed. What an impressive feat to blaze 62 miles of trails!

I headed down the trail and the only thing in my way of finishing was 10-Mile Hill so I charged up it… and then jogged up it some more… and then walked up it a bit further… and then I cursed it! Man that last mountain kicked my butt!

At the summit of my final climb, on my final day, I paused in the sun to think about what I had accomplished, who I had accomplished it for, and whom I was helping by doing this. I did it to honor my friends, loved ones, and loved ones of friends who had lost their battles with cancer. I did it to encourage people don’t even know who are battling cancer and other debilitating diseases right now who need to know that we are there supporting them. I did it to help those good people in search of decent housing all over the world who just need a chance to get their lives and their children’s lives on the right track. And I did it for me… to make a difference in a world where one can get swallowed up chasing the money trail or living the good life. I built a classic “Redfern Cairn” atop 10-Mile Hill to honor everyone I ran for, with rocks in the shape of an “R” like we have done on mountain tops in WY, AK, SD and other places we have hiked. I said a short prayer thanking God for giving me the strength to finish this trek when I seemed so beaten on the second day, and I headed down the “hill” towards the finish at the state line a mile away.

The end was anticlimactic… unlike an organized race there was no ribbon at the end or finish line, no cheering fans, just one loving wife waiting to congratulate me, take the obligatory final photo, and take me home.

Peace my friends.