Debut ultra for the Bluegrass Blister Brigade
Mammoth Cave is beautiful, but unforgiving. This is a 35 mile technical slog through the hills. The area, especially after last night's storms, has a little bit of everything. Downed trees across the trails, mud pits a foot deep, swift creek crossings, washed out rocky slopes, roots and loose stones to jab your toes and twist your ankles on... And the thorns EVERYWHERE. It's a challenging hike, and a very difficult trail to run. (Also there are snakes!)
The younger brother mistakenly forgot to fill his 3L water bladder before heading out, so we ended using a natural spring for some water around the half way point.
I'm a little disappointed that we didn't snag a sub-8 time, but I'm happy to have made it through in one piece. We did get to see some cool fungi and animals, and crossed paths with a few other folks enjoying the trails on horseback.