Conecuh Camping Trip

Open Pond

Welcome to the Conecuh camping trip story. Come on in to El Tigre's lounge, take a load off and grab a drink. I'll take one of those Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPAs. Let me tell you about my weekend.

I needed a break from life, school and training, especially training, so I went camping to stay away from running. Okay I'm just playing. I went camping to train my butt off and then relax a little. I packed up the car on Friday after class and drove 2 hours north towards Conecuh National Forest in southern Alabama. I scoped the camping area out the week before on my way home from the Tuskegee Fat Ass 50K. There is 10 sites for tents and a ton for RV's. The Conecuh trail starts around the camp sites and is suppose to be about a 20 mile trail. The camp sites are right next to Open Pond. If your are ever in southern Alabama and want a place to camp, Conecuh is your place.

Once I arrived, I checked out the sites to see which ones were best. Since no one else was at the any of the tent sites yet, I had my choice. I went with the one that had a water pump next to it and a wonderful view of Open Pond. First I quickly set up the tent and then went out in the woods to gather some fire wood.





























Now was that fast or what? Once camp was all set up I took a hike along the pond with Mini Cameron. Who is Mini Cameron? My nephew, Cameron, made a laminated character and needed pictures of him throughout the school year. So Mini Cameron came with me to Pensacola. Here are some pictures of me and Mini Cam exploring the area around Open Pond.





























After our short hike I stared the fire, grabbed a beer and I cooked up some soup. After a few beers and a couple hours later I called it a night. I knew I'd have somewhat of a long day on Saturday.

My alarm went off at 0530 and I snoozed until 0600. As I got up I had a cup of coffee and went to take a shower. It was so hot Friday night that I woke up a few times soaking with sweat. That shower felt good but not as good as the one I'd have once back from my run.

I took my time throwing on my running gear because I knew I had a long day ahead of me. Surprisingly to me, there were already 3 boats out on the pond fishing and others fishing on the pier. It was a little after 7 and I was ready to rock and roll.

Ready to Run

This was the last picture I was able to take since my battery died on me. I set the camera aside and headed off on the Conecuh trail. The trail was marked with white placards and is suppose to be about 20 miles. The plan was to run the 20 miles but where the trail finished I'd have to jump back on the trail for another 5 miles. All in all a good 24-26 mile run. That was the "PLAN" so let's get this show on the road.

The trail honestly started a throw away from my tent. It went around a few ponds and some of these ponds had signs stating, do not feed or molest the alligators. Yes you read that right, gators. That means no quick jump into any of these lakes or ponds to cool off. I had issues right out of the gate though. I couldn't find the white placards at one point and got off the course. I ended up on a dirt road and ASSuMEd if I just kept heading north I'd eventually find the Conecuh trail. I was right but it took me 6 miles to find the trail. After running on the trail for a few more miles I ended up at a fork and saw a sign pointing one way stating Open Pond rec area 1/2 mile. Open Pond is where I set up camp. I took it just to see where I got off course at. While heading in this direction I saw my first snake. As I came close to a big fallen tree, a big black snake went under the tree. I gave a little yelp and jumped back. I finally saw where I went wrong. There were no placards and the trail was hidden on the side of a pond.

Once I saw where I got off course I headed back north on the trail. I only had one spot to reload up on water that I knew of, Blue Lake. Which was 5 miles from the campground. I had a 70 ounce bladder and a 20 ounce handheld with me. Finally I saw a sign for Blue Lake saying 1/2 mile. After two miles of running I realized that sign lied to me. I knew this because a sign now stated 2 miles back is Blue Lake. At this point I could have ran back but I hate back tracking. So I did the dumb thing and ran ahead hoping that there would be water somewhere else.

The trails weren't very technical and there was small rolling hills. Hardly any rocks or leaves but a fair share of roots. The temperature climbed quite a bit and it was very humid. I wasn't seeing any signs of water or people for that matter.

I was running next to a bunch of small ponds and due to all the rain the water was high. At times the trail was actually under water from a few ponds being so high. Around mile 20 I was following the white placards and I approached a pond. The trail went right into the center of the pond or shall I say swamp. There was heavy brush all over the place. I now have two options. Find away around or turn back around and run 20 miles. Since I was getting very short on water I went with option one. I took my time and kept an eye out for snakes and gators. At his point I had already seen 3 snakes but luckily no gators. After an hour of climbing through and around trees, bushes and other plants, I finally made to the other side. I just assumed I'd end up with poison ivy after that.

Finally around mile 27 I finished the trail but then had to jump on a different trail to head back. After 3 more miles I saw that infamous 1/2 mile sign to Blue Lake and realized it was pointing in the wrong direction. I was so happy to find that water pump. I refilled my camelbak and slammed 40 ounces of water before I refilled again and headed back. Those last 5 miles seemed like forever but then again that whole run took a long time.

I saw a total of 5 snakes, ran for 36 miles in 10 hours. I didn't see any gators or people for that matter. Well not until I got back at the campsite. Once back I took a shower and yes it felt a lot better then the one I took earlier. I cranked up the fire, cooked up some food and enjoyed some cold beers.

I hope you enjoyed another story while relaxing in El Tigre's lounge. I'm sorry but it's time to call it a night. Finish your drink and see yourself out. Until next time, Happy Running!

Jerry "El Tigre" England

Tuskegee Fat Ass 50K

My favorite pic of the race

The Tuskegee Fat Ass 50K was not originally on my schedule at the beginning of the year. As always I have to be flexible with my schedule. It comes with the job. Once the Navy gave me orders to go to Pensacola, I quickly looked for races in the area. One was the Ouachita 50 miler on April 17th in Little Rock and the other one I found was the Tuskegee Fat Ass 50K on May 1st.

What is a Fat Ass race? It's a race that is not an official event. It's like a self supported training run. Here is a list from the race director explaining a Fat Ass.

1. No entry fees!
2. No T-shirts!
3. No awards!
4. No sponsors!
5. No support!
6. No time cutoffs!
7. No cheering crowds!
8. And MOST OF ALL: No wimps!

Now that we all have an idea what exactly a Fat Ass event is, let me tell you how the race went. Before I get started why don't you take a seat in El Tigre's lounge. Get comfortable and grab yourself a nice cup of coffee or a nice cold beer. Settled in? Aright!

The race was scheduled on Saturday May 1st in Tuskegee which is a four hour drive north of Pensacola. My plan was to drive up as soon as I got out of school on Friday and find a spot near the start line to camp. School didn't end until 4 P.M. which was going to put me in Tuskegee around the time it would be getting dark. That would have been fine if I knew exactly where the start is and where I should camp at. That whole plan fell through. Not only was it dark out but it was also raining pretty hard. Luckily I had a plan B, find a hotel. Fortunately for me there was a Quality Inn 20 minutes north of the starting line.
Gear all set
After checking into the hotel, I gathered my gear for the race and set it up for the morning. I called Frances to let her know I was all set, safe and ready to go for the morning. I checked the weather to make sure it wasn't going to rain, set my three alarm clocks and settled in for the night. It's never easy to get a good night of sleep before a race. I always worry about over sleeping plus 4 A.M. comes fast. I drank a smoothie for breakfast and starting some stretching while I watched ESPN. The race was set to begin at 7 A.M. so I checked out and headed off at 15 till 6 A.M.

When I arrived, there was just Bob (Race Director) and his wife. I was early but at least I was at the right spot. Before I knew it we were gathered around getting a prerace briefing from Bob on what trails to follow and where there would be water for us to refill. The trails were marked with placards on the trees. We were to first follow yellow, then white, and a loop around blue. Then take the same path back which is white then yellow. Sounds simple right?
Gathered up for the brief
Once we finished we had to write our finish time on the board. Next to the board would be a stopwatch. It was an honor system, which is fine considering we weren't racing for prizes.

Bob's wife did a quick countdown and off we went. I started off in the front group which included 6 of us out of the 20 that started. That didn't last to long. The five of them took off and I was by myself until mile two. Remember how easy it was to follow the color markings? Not that easy for me because I made a left hand turn where I was suppose to go straight. Luckily I heard someone call out and tell me I was heading the wrong way. I stopped and waited for the four guys that prevented me from running the wrong way. I figured I'd follow them for a little ways. That only lasted for 2 miles and they ended up ahead of me. I eventually caught up with one of the guys who I ran with for a few miles. His name is Lance and this was his second ultra, with his first also being a 50K. He's actually in the middle of training to qualify for Boston. Lance and I wished each other luck and I ran up ahead.

The first 8 miles were mostly single track trails. I would show a picture or two here of the trails but it was so muggy out that my camera wasn't working properly. A little after 8 miles we had to run along side a road and behind me catching up quick was Lance. As I turned off on to a dirt road I saw one of the water spots which had a nice orange Gatorade jug. You'll read later on why I like this jug. Just as I got to the water Lance caught up with me. He had dropped off a small cooler there earlier so I went ahead as he loaded up on some food and drinks.

How is that coffee or beer or whatever it is your drinking? Do you need a refill? Enjoying El Tigre's lounge? Those chairs are comfy huh? On we go!

This next section was the blue section which was known as the horse trail. The horse trail was single track trail with some dirt roads thrown in. This was a 14-15 mile loop and was said to be the more difficult section. It lived up to that and had proof that horses used it as well. Meaning, there was horse poo all along the trail. Due to all the rain the day before this section also had a lot of muddy areas.
There was plenty of mud

At this point it was so hot and humid. I was honestly soaked with sweat. I still had a few miles until the next water stop so I had to conserve my water. I recall looking at the map and this section actually looked like a a big loop. But I felt as if I was running in every which direction. I had completely lost my bearings but that didn't matter because I still saw those blue markings all over the place. Finally I got to the water stop with a little water to spare in my reservoir. I was showing 3 hours and 5 minutes with 16 miles on the Garmin. As I was filling up my reservoir Lance was running up. He mentioned that this is about the half way point and it's going to be awhile before the next water stop. I loaded up and we said our goodbyes. This would be the last I would see of Lance until he finished.

Besides the very beginning of the race and the few times of running with Lance, there was no one else out on the trails. If my count was correct there should still be 6-8 people in front of me. Usually around this point in races I don't pass people and other runners don't pass me. So knowing that I was going to be alone for awhile I threw on my Ipod shuffle and cranked up the music. Maybe I should have put both headphones in because I started hearing loud bangs. When you're out in the woods and you hear something that sounds like gun shots you get a little nervous. Then I really started paying attention to my surroundings and noticed there was shotgun shells all over the ground. Along with these shells I saw empty beer cans everywhere. Then the signs started popping up all over the place. What signs? Well here is a picture:

Scary thought huh? Luckily the shots didn't seem to get any closer. I just made sure I stayed the course and followed the blue markings. After another 4-5 miles of trail, dirt road and creek crossings I saw a familiar water stop. It was the stop back at mile 8 or 9. Boy was I happy to see that orange Gatorade jug.
The orange jug
Now I only had 8-9 miles to go. The possibility of making it in under 6 hours was not looking good at all. It was kind of nice running back because I had ran this section earlier and knew what lay ahead, the finish.

The problem is the last sections of an ultra seem to never end. As if the finish is running away from me. But I know the issue is my pace is super slow at this point in a race.

As I came up on the last water stop I saw another runner. I asked him how he was doing and ran ahead. I'm not use to passing others at this point in the race but I think the weather is really putting a number on all of us.

Remember when I said I got lost at mile 2? Well when I saw that point on the way back I got a big boost of energy and was able to finish strong. As I was nearing the finish I passed another runner who was walking at a very slow pace. As soon as he told me he was going to be alright I ran on. Little did I know we were only 5 minutes from the finish. I was happy to see Bob sitting there. I finished in 6 hours and 24 minutes. Not under 6 hours like I wanted but then again the course wasn't an actual 50K it was closer to a 52K. I did finally get a top 5 finish but it wasn't due to my speed. There was only 20 runners that started and 14 finished, with myself finishing in 5th. After the race I sat around for a few hours before heading back down to Pensacola. On the way back I stopped off at Conecuh National Forest to check out the trail there and the campground. As you may have guessed Conecuh is next on my list to explore.

I have to give a special thank you to Bob and Eric for putting on a great Fat Ass race. Until next time, Happy Running!

Jerry "El Tigre" England

Here are some other good pics of the course: