A tad bit frosty this morning. I ran Sharp Top, Harkening Hill, and Flat Top. I began the run at the Sharp Top trailhead and ended at the Flat Top trailhead.
The search for otters began just after 8:30am. Sharp Top was faster than expected, probably because the frozen ground had nice grip, as long as you avoided the ice. Harkening Hill loop went well too. I just needed to make sure I didn't miss the turn onto Johnson Trail to complete the loop. I steadied over to Flat Top and did my best to keep pushing. Near the top, it was pretty leafy between the rocks so it slowed me up a bit. I reached the summit at about 1:30 and thought if I could run 1.8 miles downhill in 10 min, I could be under 1:40 total. I did my best going down and just missed 1:40 by about a minute. Overall, I was happy with the effort! Beautiful day at the Peaks of Otter!
It was slightly breezy on a few sides of the mountains. Temps ranged from mid-upper 20's to mid 30's near the end of the run. Mostly clear skies.
I wore my waist pack during the run and ate 1 SIS gel between Harkening Hill and Flat Top. I drank maybe 3-4 sips of water during the run (maybe 100-200mL).