Running through the backcountry is amazing (look at some trail running videos on YouTube!), but it requires some extra knowledge/skills beyond what you need to go on a trail run in the local park. In this trip, we'll discuss and practice these skills together, including:

• Route planning
• Navigation
• Running-compatible food
• Finding and filtering water
• Clothing and other gear

We'll plan the exact route together during the pre-trip meeting, aiming for ~ 10 miles and ~ 2000 ft of elevation gain, probably somewhere in the Franconia Notch area in the White Mountains. We'll run at a comfortable no-drop pace, and we might end up hiking some of the uphill parts.

If people are interested, we can go swimming during or after the run.

Prerequisites

Fitness/experience

You should be in good running shape and have some hiking and trail running experience (on local trails). As a rough guideline, you should:

• Be a strong runner: you should be running at least 20 miles a week, and be comfortable doing a run of 12 miles at a pace of at least 10:00 min/mi on flat road (and e.g., have done so in the last 6 months)
• Have recent experience with terrain and elevation: have done a hike with at least 2,000 ft of elevation gain in the last 6 months
• Have some trail running experience: have done a 3+ mile trail run in the last 12 months

If you don't satisfy the prereqs, you're welcome to sign up anyways, but please email the leaders describing your recent running experience and fitness routine, so we can make sure this is the right trip for you. (Note: we have many other trail runs planned over the next couple months, of varying difficulty.)

Gear

Beyond running clothes and trail running shoes, for longer backcountry runs, you need a way to carry food and water. The best way to do this is with a trail running vest and soft flasks. We'll go over gear and gear recommendations during the pre-trip meeting.

Pre-trip meeting

We'll have a pre-trip meeting in person at MIT at 7:00pm on Wednesday (8/9).

EDIT: we are running this route to Lonesome Lake and Kinsman Pond.