Trail Guidelines
Here are some general suggestions for those who are new to the trails.
- These are strenuous, hilly training runs, on fire roads and narrow,
rocky trails. Trail running shoes and trail gators are recommended.
- Go for time on your feet rather than mileage.
- Trails will be marked with flour arrows. You may get lost. Hikers may
erase the marks. Other running clubs mark arrows too. Fatigue may cause
you to miss an arrow.
- Always stay with a "buddy" if you do not know the way. If you turn back,
tell another runner so someone knows where you are.
- Check out your surroundings, don’t just follow arrows.
- If you are lost, backtrack to the last arrow. If you cannot find your
way, stay at the arrow. We always go back out to look for lost
runners.
- Carry water! There may be water stops but not always. If you're not
sure, ask someone before you leave.
- Drink 20-oz per hour plus some electrolyte replacement. Two 20-oz bottles
are not enough for a twenty mile run in the mountains in July. Please
don’t skimp on water...we can't carry enough to share with you. In hot
weather, it’s a good idea to freeze one bottle of water the night before...it'll
melt as you run and stay cool!
- Carry supplies: Power Gel, salt, snack food. PB&J sandwiches, trail
mix, dried fruit. Duct tape, Compeed band-aids, tissue, baggie, ginger,
Advil, Tylenol, Tums, candy.
- You will be running in wilderness. Be prepared to encounter heat, altitude,
streams, rocks, rattlesnakes, poison oak, and possibly mountain lions.
Falls are a distinct probability. Many reasons to not be alone on the
trail.
- Wear hats, visors, bandanas, sleeves, and sun block.
- Do not wear headphones. You will not hear rattlesnake warnings, approaching
mountain bikes, or lost runners calling in distress.
- There are no toilets on the trails. To poop, go off-trail, dig a small
hole with the heel of your shoe, and then bury the remains. Do not bury
soiled tissue. Pack it out in a baggie. It is acceptable to pee by the
side of the trail!
- Take salt: On long runs (more than 3 hrs.) take 1 tsp. salt every 1-2
hours beginning at 2 hours.
- At stream crossings avoid grabbing tree branches. Poison oak usually
grows near water. Upon exposure, immediately rinse your skin with plain
water. Rinse, don’t rub. At home, rinse off under the garden hose (while
fully dressed/shoes on) then launder.
- Trail right of way:
- Horses have the right-of-way
- Foot traffic yields to horses
- Mountain bikes yield to foot traffic and horses
- Test Question: A horse will yield the right-of-way before a mountain
biker will...so which one has the bigger brain?
