Today we are visiting Lone Pine — probably one of the most scenic towns in the country. I have a plan for an easy recovery run, with enough time to get a coffee at Alabama Hills Bakery and Cafe, and I stop by Elevation Sierra Adventure Sports to check out a book they might have on Eastern Sierra trail runs. A chat in the store quickly turns into brainstorming potential running ideas, and I am quickly convinced to try something unplanned — run along the Owens River.
With LA Waterworks maintaining the area around the river, expect wild, unbuilt terrain, with birds, cows, and lush plant cover. The trail is mostly a flat dirt road, but the scenery is unmatched. With the slowly flowing shallow river, a strip of green near the water, and a mountain backdrop, it's as good as it gets. In one view you can take in the river, the Alabama Hills, and the High Sierra with Whitney front and center. And with it being spring, delicate flowers dot the trail, making this an ever more special run.
In one view you can take in the river, the Alabama Hills, and the High Sierra with Whitney front and center.
In the end I clock 21 hot, dusty miles, swim in the river, and drink a gallon of water. And yet it's the best day ever.
I get home psyched about upcoming adventures, and then — just as the next week starts — I am injured. There go my plans.
