Conditions were perfect for a long run! Temperatures ranged from low 30's to low 60's and it was mostly cloudy with some spots of sun along the way. We had a slow start up until Moose Mountain due to some trail-finding difficulties in the dark with a fresh blanket of fallen leaves. Motivated by a beautiful sunrise on Moose, we made good time up Holts and Smarts. The descent down Smarts was a joy, but we hit our first wall on the climb up Cube. The descent from Cube gave us a bit more energy to continue the run. From mile 40 onward it was a bit of a strugglefest. We took it slow up to and along the Glencliff climb, then hobbled our way down Moosilauke to the Ravine Lodge.This section added a good amount of time to our run, and there's plenty of time that future groups could cut off here.
We each started with 3L of water and plenty of gu, shot blocks, oreos, and clif bars. I filled a .5L filter flask at a steam near the Smarts trailhead, at a stream halfway between Smarts and Cube, and at a stream near the Glencliff trailhead.
8.5.0