Saturday, November 7 - Bergen Peak

Run: Bergen Peak - Elk Meadow Open Space

Time: 1:45

Distance: 10.3 miles

Effort: Moderate

Body: Good

Weather: Unseasonably warm and clear

Nice steady run on the trails of Elk Meadow Open Space to the 9,708-foot summit of Bergen Peak. The trails were in pretty good shape. The two feet of snow we got a week-and-a-half ago is mostly gone at lower elevations after so many days of unseasonably warm weather.

I took the Sleepy-S, Elk Ridge, Meadow View, Too Long, Summit Trail route up, and returned via Bergen Peak Trail, Meadow View, Elk Ridge and Sleepy S. The only significant snow was on the upper reaches of the Summit Trail, where the trail winds around the north/northeast side of the mountain, and on the upper reaches of the Bergen Peak Trail and in the trees through the switchbacks. It was all runnable, but it requires one to put the brakes on a fair bit.

Hit the summit sign (pic) in 1:02, about eight minutes off my PR. 40 minutes on the return. Was taking it relatively easy today in order to save a bit for a long run tomorrow. A little disappointed I didn't keep the ascent under an hour, but will blame the snow for that.

3,110 feet in elevation gain, says the watch.