Pryor Creek

A group of five journeyed to Pryor this morning to check out some newish trailz. I say "ish" cuz I've run here twice before and have wanted to share the fun playground in this low-lying area along Pryor Creek.

We met at the Elliot trailhead--probably named after a nearby landowner who may have allowed access to the lushly wooded tract. (I'm guessing here.)

It had rained during the night. How bad? Weather apps had varying opinions on the coverage area and amounts. My app showed the edge of the rain was right over where we would be running. When we started out, there was a steady mist, and I had taken off my windbreaker but put it right back on. It was actually great for running though, and the precip let up within the first mile. Only in a few spots was there any standing water or unmanagable mud.

These are nice soft single track trailz with very little in the way of hills and after I had my first mile that sucks out of the way, I settled into a semi-fast (for me) pace that felt wonderful. If I had longer hair, it would have been flapping in the wind.

Now I thought I had heard these trailz were only a couple of years old, but there were several of these nice park benches along the way that looked older--but who knows?

Oops--I forgot to mention the members of our tribe. Pictured above are Lynna and Mishelle. Pictured below are Kate and Taylor--aka Tay Tay.

Kate ventured down a steep embankment so Tay Tay could get a drink. The climb back out involved a lot of slipping and sliding and 4-legs towing 2-legs to level ground.

I am not a good selfy taker--my arms are too short. Lynna manged here without getting her finger in the frame.

This HUGE fallen tree has been laying here for over a year and a half. It's getting lower and lower as time passes. Some of our group climbed under. Kate and Taylor went over. I took a path down a steep embankment and did my slip and slide act basically paving my backside with slick sticky mud.

There were lots of fallen trees. Lynna dared, begged, and pleaded with me to walk across this one, It was wet, slimy, and not only guaranteed sending me to a cold baptism but also my untimely death. Everyone knows TZ no swimmy. If I were a fish, I'd be a bottom dweller.

 

Make no mistake--this is a fake picture. I was nervous even being that close to the edge.

Right after crossing Troll Bridge, a bridge that seemed way different the last time I crossed it, we met this tree standing menacingly overseeing our passage. A brief fog swirled in adding to the mystique. I remembered more of a steel bridge. Maybe it had simply been redecked with CCA treated wood planks.

Here are the remnants of another passage over the river. I had crossed the stream and climbed out the other side on these odd concrete steps last time here, but with the mud and the flow of the river, we decided to bypass this adventure.

Connecting the north trailz with the south, we ran along the edge of what was once a hayfield. We were about five miles in at this point, and I was still enjoying a great run.

It was somewhere along this stretch that food was mentioned. Instantly, my stomach growled. All I could think about was pancakes.

Here we are crossing the fallen tree. Youth and canine fly over the top. Lynna had my phone and took pics. 

Here you have the horror of my huge butt crawling under the trunk. Unflattering, and being the gentleman that I am, I'm not posting the other limbo pix.

We ended u with 6.1 miles. Would have been 6.2 had we not taken a shortcut on the way back. Everyone enjoyed the trailz, and we will possibly return later in the year--but not when the ticks are bad. Yes, I got my pancakes. We hit the Denny's out on HWY 69.

Next trip--in 2-3 weeks. I'm open to suggestions as to a locale. If you'd like to jump in and explore trailz with us, visit TZ'z Trail Trips on Facebook.