This was supposed to be the 34-mile Epiphany Ultra, except I got lost. So I did 16 miles of muddy trails instead…
So despite stormy weather in the SF Bay Area, I woke up early to go for a run at the Oakland Hills, fully intending to do the Epiphany Ultra route. The morning was pretty with the fog, rain, and trees.
This would not be my day, however. I felt bloated and out-of-shape. And I was lost after just a few miles!
So I had to backtrack all the way back to the parking lot and my car.
Actually, it turned out I was already off-course at Mile 0! For whatever reason, I incorrectly started out on the West Ridge Trail shown on the right instead of the Stream Trail on the left.
Now going on the right trail (at least briefly), after just half a mile was this downed tree that, obviously, made running difficult in this section.
As you can see the trail was very wet and muddy. Unfortunately I got lost again, and ultimately turned around well before the designated turnaround point. So my total distance run was only 16 or so miles, well short of the Ultra's 34 miles. Lesson learned today: bring a map!
