Hearth Lake

Making sure I had my jacket water and energy bar , before heading out for my run Hearth Lake was my destination this morning.

One of many markers --- if you stay on proper trail

My plan as I told Gail was to run along the power line and up to Hearth lake and down the chicken ladder to head home. It didnt take me long to chance my running route and i was heading up St watts road to banon forestry road, running up south watts road I felt like stopping,  I did a few times  because of the steepness and getting out of breathbut you just keep on walking and then an another jog up the hill I felt like stopping  to check my runners to take the Velcro of the bottom of my runners because running along this stretch of road it seemed my runners were stuck on the dirt of the road and I had to haul ass just to keep moving, must of been the early start this morning

Road comming to Stocken Lake

Its is never easy to run up a road that is soft from the rain and running here I used short strides because of the hill I was running upand the soft road way, (I noticed a while back they made a new road for logging it went towards Marsden's old home stead in the bush) I think it would have been easier to hike up hearth lake trail, following this road I get  to stocking lake i went straight and followed this trail for awhile till I came to sign saying [ to lookout] so following this trail I had an other hill to climb I didnt think there were any more hills after getting this far, This trail had a few puddles I had to maneuver around and the trick was that being up the mountain to keep your feet dry and try not to slip into a puddle I survived this part and came out by Stanton peak and here you get a beautiful view of the valley below.

Just besides Stanton Peak

heading away from the peak you follow a rough trail hard to run on but great for hiking and this ends at the top of hearth lake, deciding that I had been out long enough I head down Hearth Lake trail,

Hearth Lake

running some parts sliding the rest of the way, This trail is also in good shape for hiking or to run up, It doesn't take long to get down to the power lines from here and only a little while to get home , your running mostly on gravel and pavement roads from this point,no rocks -branches or bramble bushes getting in your way My run this morning was about 16 k.m and i would split it half hill and the other half down hill and road