FKT: Brandon Minckler - The Jay Mountains - 2022-08-19

The Jay Ridge is one of my favorites, but I've never tried running it before this.  I hit the start button at the trailhead sign/parking lot, and started off.  10 minutes into it I paused for about 20-30 seconds to observe a great barred owl.  Such beautiful creatures!  Anyways, after the pause I resumed my pace. Once atop the ridge, the views are nearly constant, with the exception of short stretches of path in woods.  Continuing along the ridge the scrambling becomes more frequent, with many ups/downs, making for a fun workout.  Quick route finding decisions are needed the closer one gets to the usgs marker.  In fact, the last 500' stretch I had to search for the path.  I found it only by parting some of the evergreens apart and looking down.  I stepped on the marker, and proceeded to run back to the trailhead, all while trying to soak in the views along the way.  Another awesome day in the Jays.