Rave Run #3: Spruce Knob

One more installment in the Rave Run series, aka Joanna Returns to the Mountains 2011! The last run comes to you from my favorite place on earth, Spruce Knob, West Virginia. I'm going to tell you a bit more about Spruce in a vacation wrap-up post. For now, let's just stick to the running, shall we?

We were at The Mountain Institute's Spruce Knob Mountain Center, where I've spent a whole lotta very happy time. The Mountain Center is several miles from a paved road and is in one of the last dark spots left on the eastern seaboard. There's a dirt road a mile long that connects the "main" dirt road of the mountain with the main part of The Mountain Institute. It's a route I've run many times. I even acquired my first running scar on this run, waaaay back in 1998. This weekend I ran it out and back twice, for four miles. It's a run I carry with me every single day.

Here's the view just as I was starting out.

At the top of that little hill you're greeted by this splendor.

Here's my buddy Evan running ahead a bit, about a third of a mile in. 

We ran a mile down the road then turned around and headed back. This picture makes me so happy I could almost cry.

When you crest the last hill of the run, you can see the yurts from a distance. Yep, I said yurts. These are the main buildings at The Mountain Institute. Because it's that insanely cool.

Then I got to turn around and run it all again. Best.run.ever. I absolutely love this place!