February doldrums descend with a vengeance. Running helps, of course, but running on the Flagstaff trails is what really serves as a mood-lifter. I have no problem with road running in town during the snowy months, icy asphalt patches notwithstanding, but I miss the trails and don’t always want to drive to Sedona or elsewhere to get my fix.
I happen to live near the foot of the Tunnel Springs Trail, a hilly part of the popular 5.6-mile Railroad Springs Loop, which also includes Mars Hill, Thorpe Park and a two-mile straight shot on a dirt road above the railroad tracks. Every morning, since that big early February storm (three feet in three days), I’ve looked longingly toward Mars Hill, aching to ascend.
Finally, on Feb. 21, some 11 days after the big storm left town and relatively balmy winter weather ensued, I said, screw it, and thought I’d give my favorite loop a whirl. I wasn’t naïve enough to think I wouldn’t encounter snow-covered trails, but my hopes were buoyed by the fact that the south-facing part of the hill looked snow-free after the warm afternoons.
At some point in the run, I knew, I’d have to put on my ice spikes, a necessary evil to avoid falling and potential injury to my aging sarcopenic carcass. Yes, the spikes slow me down; the alternative, of course, was to bag the whole idea and get my miles in on the roads. But Mars Hill was calling to me, so off I went.
Most people tackle the loop by parking at the Thorpe Bark Park, but since I live near the origin (or terminus, depending on your view) of the Tunnel Springs Trail (after the railroad road ends), I started there and ran clockwise up Tunnel Springs to Mars Hill, through the gate, down Mars through Observatory Mesa and Thorpe Park, then along the railroad tracks.
To say “ran” is generous. Oh, at the start, my hopes soared as I climbed the 321-foot first mile up Tunnel Springs. Yeah, there were snow patches, but the way was clearly runnable and certainly not spike-worthy. It almost – almost – felt like summer, if you could disregard the 25-degree temperature.
Somewhere near the large green tank, almost to the top of the steep climb, the trail turned whiter and less spongy. Then it turned deeper and more pronounced. Then the only way to traverse was through deep impressions of footsteps from those who braved the trail before me. Talk about stress to a guy’s ankles. The footing was precarious.
I broke down and put on the spikes.
This helped a bit but, as I was nearing the gate for the righthand turn onto the Mars Hill Trail, the snow was routinely shin-deep and occasionally almost to knee-level. The run became bogged down. I think the technical term is “a slog.” These conditions continued for the next mile and a half downhill, including that 13-percent downgrade that was downright dicey due to the conditions.
Conditions improved at the Thorpe Park dirt road next to the disc golf course and were fine once I hit the asphalt at the tennis courts. Off went the spikes. After a block or two heading south and through Old Town Park, I reached the railroad tracks. Not much snow, mostly mud. That, I could deal with. But I put the spikes back on because I wasn’t sure what to expect and I knew the snow would be back on the short stretch of the FUTS I needed to take to return home. It felt good, again, to be running without hindrance. Much of the traverse in the snow felt like fartleks – brief bouts of running on good footing, punctuated by slow slogs (is that redundant?).
When I exited the FUTS and got to the street, I sat on a boulder and removed the spikes. Just then, I saw speedy Masters runner Stephanie Hunt walking her dog, Mugsy, down the street. She gave me a curious look, and I explained that I’d just done the Loop. She shook her head. “I stay away until the snow’s gone,” she said in a nice tone that had just a touch of condescension.
I got Stephanie’s point. No more Railroad Springs Loop until conditions improve. March? April? Who knows?
In the meantime, there’s always Sedona and Camp Verde and road running in Flag.
Railroad Springs loop
Length: 5.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 502 feet
Parking: Bark Park, 788 N. Thorpe Road
Directions: From the parking lot, cross Thorpe Road and onto the Mars Hill Trail. Turn left to run parallel the park. Turn right at the tennis courts and run through the parking lot and up the hill. Turn left on South Spring Street to Old Town Park. Duck under a fence near the Old Town Spring and go right (west) on the dirt railroad frontage path, FS Road 506. At just past the 2-mile mark, just beyond a tunnel on the left, veer right onto the Tunnel Springs trail. At the 3.8-mile mark, turn right onto the Mars Hill Trail and take the path, downhill, back to the bark park.
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