Rolled into the Woodward trailhead this AM and bummed a ride to Ankeny from the pops (shout out to him for still putting up w/ my BS for almost 30 years now...).
I got to the Ankeny trailhead, filled up the Camelbak, questioned my sanity and started off on the trail around 0840. There were a lot of walkers/joggers the first 2 miles, but this quickly dissipated and it was just myself and a biker or 2 every now and then. Weather at the start was upper 60s, sunny, humidity ~60% and a favorable wind (SSE ~10mph...many thanks to the wind gods out there today).
I had with me the following gear:
-Camelbak w/ 1.5L of blue powerade (don't @ me w/ the gatorade > powerade takes, that's just flat out wrong!) :) Had maybe 4oz left at the end, somehow rationed it reasonably
-GU chews strawberry blocks (1 pack), started around mile 8 and finished around mile 15ish or so
-1 regular GU ( didn't use)
-1 Clif bar (didn't use)
-1 pack of skittles (didn't use, and maybe my biggest mistake of the day!)
Overall, the legs felt pretty good through 14miles and overall not too terrible until ~20-21miles. Once I got to the bridge (~3 miles to go), however, all bets were off and it was more of a struggle to the finish. My body took a cumulative hit from the sun and heat and could feel my body warming up quickly (80 degrees by the time I finished). The shaded sections, which at times were few and far between, were a godsend. I should have been more observant, but i didn't pay much attention to possible water stops available on this route.
The trailhead sign in Woodward may have been one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen, and I am glad to be sitting in an air conditioned house while typing this.
This was my first time on the High Trestle Trail and would recommend to others! There were several places to stop along the way (didn't hit these up, but the Flat Tire bar in Madrid looked to have a sweet patio) that would help to break this trek up for runners and bikers.