Devil’s River State Trail - 11/12/2022
It was colder than I had hoped. Delayed the start until 10:23 AM hoping that the weather would improve. In retrospect it might have been better to start a bit sooner. The north end trail head in Denmark is in the middle of town. The park there has good parking and the bathrooms were open and heated even in the middle of November! Unfortunately, there is not much activity at any parks in Wisconsin this time of year. I was impressed to find this one open as most where I regularly run in the Fox Cities area are locked by the end of October. My main fear at the outset was a nagging left foot injury that had me prepared to turn around short of the end of the trail. Fortunately, I was able to complete the full out and back circuit from Denmark to Rockwood Rd.
The weather was cloudy nearly the entire time and it got cloudier as the day moved on. The lightest little bit of snow flurries was constant and notably heavier during the second half of my run. About one mile into the run I had to stop and remove a layer as the sun popped out and it was pleasantly warm sans glove and hat. I decided to carry all my supplies with me and was nervous that I had enough water. Considering the finite amount of water and the brisk north wind I also slowed down in order to avoid sweating too much early on. I maintained my goal pace of 10 minutes per mile for the “out” portion of the run. There was not much worth noting. I saw a couple cats hunting mice, a couple dozen cows standing in fields, and quite a few farmers working to get fields ready for winter.
Things got interesting at Rockwood Rd. when I made the turn back to the North. I had just run this section moments before but it looked altogether different. I was now running directly into the wind and the snow was beginning to impact visibility for the first time. I suspect I did not notice the snow as much when I was moving in the same direction as the wind. The ground was too warm for it to stick, and it never snowed as hard again the rest of the run. The wind and snow never did stop, the the snow did wane from time to time. About 100 meters north of Rockwood Rd. I again had to stop, this time to add the layers of clothes back on. I also opened a pack of handwarmers, ate waffle cookie and a gel, and drank quite a bit in preparation for a cold 14 mile jaunt into the wind.
Until the last ten miles I had no difficulties beyond the weather and some smoke from burning leaves along the route. However, the last ten miles I had a hamstring that required regular stops to stretch it out. The trail was quite quiet for a Saturday, but not unexpected at this time of year with snow in the forecast. I did get passed twice by the same fat tire bike. I saw a few stray individual people walking during the afternoon, along with one hunter.
This was entirely unsupported. I carried my backup phone battery, all water, food, gels, and clothes with me. I expect someone could make this run much faster with a concerted effort, but it was my best effort on this day. It was my first time on the Devil’s River State Trail. I have never run on a trail quite so nice and soft. Thanks to those who added this route as an FKT.