#50 miles

[gramarobin]

Looks like 🌟perfect🌟 weather for your 50 mile run! @thisgingersnapped50 💙💙 🌤🌞

[willbrakeforneature]

Knobstone Trail

Part 1/3 of the Indiana Triple Crown, 50 miles in 13.5+ hours and put my name as the first lady on the FKT leaderboard for this trail!

The Knobstone Trail is the longest, and arguably toughest, trail of the three; toting 10,000 feet of elevation with steeper climbs and descents throughout the escarpment. I completed this in the ides of May 2023 and it is my longest run to date (time and distance)! By this time, it was already becoming overgrown in sections especially reroutes and there are many, many tree blow downs throughout from the inclement winter we had.

The idea started with a deep love of the trail and confidence from the hundreds of miles I spent on the Knobstone since learning about it in 2020. There were some local races that interested me at the 50 mile distance, but the most exciting and rewarding goal for me was to compile the trail in one effort, marrying all my dedication to it over the years. So I began to plan; how far apart were each trailheads again? where were the sources that I would filter water? could I really carry that many snacks? I was already very familiar with the weight of my pack at this time but realized that incorporating strength leading up to this endeavor would be paramount to my success so I became more dedicated to adding that to my training (and could my hips, calves and feet have done it without this?).

Based on fuel training and familiarity, I compiled my nutrition needs. Half of this in the front pockets, the other half stored with the bladder to be moved to the front around mile 22. ~ Ten salt tabs, two 16 oz front flasks filled with 1:1 scoops of Skratch hydration and Skratch super carb, two Skratch hydration servings for later, 40 oz of plain Louisville tap water, 2 Skratch rice krispy treats, 2 packs of Skratch gummies (with caffeine), 3 Bobo's oat bites, 2 granola bars and 2 GUs. While clearly aligned with Skratch, their cookbook taught me the importance of liquid hydration and I planned over half of my calories to be consumed that way, not to mention keeping up with the salt/electrolytes requirements.

I topped off the "oh shit" bag in my vest with a reflective blanket just in case, headlamp (needed to start), phone charger and cable, nut butter, sanitizing wipes, bandages, bug wipes, headphones, extra socks (not needed) and attached my trekking poles. My vest weighed in over 10 pounds, is this overpacking or complete preparedness?

Waking up that Saturday morning it felt surreal. Was I really about to wake my partner up, have him drop me off at a trailhead in the dark and continue north for 50 miles? I guess so, so I got out of bed.

I sipped my coffee on the ride there, a storm just passing over the knobs as we neared the the parking lot at Deam Lake, mile 0 of the Knobstone Trail. I put my pack on, said goodbye and off I was. Immediately I was wet, it was a humid morning and the passing leaves were holding water from the nights storm until I brushed against them. But even that was slipping from my mind, a continuously calling whippoorwill was the only sound I could focus on, followed by my breathe in the dark. I could see the lightning bugs still flickering, off to bed as I began my day. It felt magic, this had to be the morning for such a feat.

The first hour heading to Round Knob, the tallest point and most scenic overlook of the trail, I kept on track with nutriton plans (100 calories an hour, steady water, salt tab each 90 minutes or less) for the long day ahead. Getting here is a feat in itself, I stopped to enjoy the foggy view and then let it go behind me.

Time and miles went with ease. I was nearing mile 20 and as planned, my front pack snacks were running low and in a few miles I would be nearing a water source I planned to stop to filter water and rearrange my pack. Woof, putting on a pack filled with another 60+ ounces of water felt heavy but I kept out a snack to work on as I climbed back up to a ridge and out of this valley.

Next, the crux. It was nearing 90 degrees at this point in the afternoon and I was passing Leota (mile 25+) on my way to Elk Creek, 30 miles from the start. These hills always seem the most daunting and unrelentess, climbing up and down hollers in seemingly the middle of nowhere. I stopped again to refill water and worked on moving forward, running when I could even if just moments as I think its good for morale. This trail isn't what I would call "runnable" to begin with but it definitely pays to have the mental strength and strategy to settle in with the glorified hike, as I often hear of sections like this causing folks to bonk and tap out. I was beginning to miss the water bearing leaves, as that had evaporated by this point and I was focusing on staying hydrated and eating at this 9th hour.

I filled my front flasks again near mile 40, a flat mile or two that runs along the creek before the Delaney loop. This area was where my last longest run ended less than 6 months ago; that and thoughts of past runs with close friends in upcoming sections fueled me onward. Was I really this close to 50? I started to hear thunder in the distance, whose clouds I saw as I climbed, would this run end in a storm as it had almost began? Each turn on the last loops leaves you feeling like the last is just around the corner, I tried to stay in the moment and not to expectant as I broke 13 hours and thunder seemed closer. Nearing 13 and a half hours, I started going steeper downhill, the end was near! It started to sprinkle. Then I could see the ending trailhead. I was so proud, how did all of that just happen?

The rain started to pick up so I changed in the back of the car and got a Coke out of the cooler and some chips. We drove out of the park as the rain picked up. It was more than I could have asked for. Fifty miles on the Knobstone Trail. I am still giddy with a humility.

[honeycombhank]

Backpacking 7/4-9/23

My love, our friend and myself on the Three Sisters Loop.

At least a 50 mile trek

All photos taken by me ❤️

[oldpotatoe]

as many of you know, gaza has now gone dark.

targeted israeli strikes have wiped out the telecommunications infrastructure. phone lines and internet services are gone. gazans cannot call their loved ones to check if they are still alive. they cannot call for ambulances for aid. if they survive the increased bombardment tonight and the following nights, they will bleed out alone with no aid.

now i will tell you what will happen in the next few days/weeks, and i pray it to be untrue. unfortunately the apartheid state, also known as israel, has been quite obvious and transparent with their plans.

the stated goal of many politicians over the years from israel, including netanyahu, has been to have the entire strip of land of gaza as israel, with no separate region for palestinians. i am not going to provide links, google is free and i am fucking tired.

what they had done before tonight, in the last two weeks, was destroy over 50% of buildings in gaza city as well as neighbouring areas, so gazans have nowhere to return to. gazans have been forced south, and israel will use this opportunity to have troops in north gaza (currently referred to as the ground invasion) advancing south while bombing "h*mas sites" in the south. israel will do this knowing there are plenty more civilians there that will die, causing terror and panic and having palestinians want to flee to anywhere, anywhere that is safe.

israel is doing this in the hopes that this panic and terror will convince egypt to open the border (well, the border israel isn't currently bombing) so that palestinians can escape to the sinai desert in egypt.

once survivors leave, the area that is currently the gaza strip will 1) be reduced in size if a lot of palestinians stay, should they not be bombed out of existence, or 2) be entirely absorbed into israel if very few palestinians stay, which is the ultimate aim of israel. those remaining palestinians will be moved to the west bank, or the remainder of gaza will be converted to west bank conditions where they'd go through the same problems palestinians in the west bank go through (reduced access to water, checkpoints to go from any place to any place within their own land, getting dispossessed, or randomly killed by racist extremist settlers).

now, egypt has been adamant not to displace the palestinians. in online discourse, people have been dehumanising palestinians by talking about past disruptions in other refugee areas and saying that is why egypt does not want to take them. while there may be slight truth to this from egypt's perspective, the major reason egypt is refusing is that no palestinian refugee abroad has even been given the right to return to their own land. and this will be the fate of gazans if they are made to leave in a mass exodus to egypt/other neighbouring countries such as jordan, which these leaflets from army-backed israeli are threatening palestinians with (photo from salfit in the occupied west bank):

therefore, what i likely see happening is the above bombardment (in increased numbers now that gaza has gone dark) -> mass panic in gaza, more so now that gazans are cornered in the south -> a reluctant egypt, but with the US will promise a large amount of "aid" money to egypt to facilitate the mass exodus of palestinians, the borders will open.

palestinians will be forced out. israelis are already planning on hoovering up the prime real estate there, for amusements park no less!

this is nabka 2.0. this is genocide.

btw, as we speak: israel's leading newspaper is already making claims that h*mas's main operation base is under shifa hospital. the hospital currently housing 50,000 displaced palestinians. the idf is claiming h*mas is using the hospital as a human shield, which is their new favourite phrase to justify killing civilians. so you already know what to expect in the news.

[stupidapple4]

OH MY GOD ARE YOU GLUED TO HIM

CANT YOU STAND LIKE EVEN A FEW CENTREMETRES AWAY FROM EACHOTHER

[0vergrowngraveyard]

It was another quiet and still night in Green Hill.

Sonic was sitting on his bed in Tails’ lab, leaned up against the wall of his room. He didn’t use his bed very often, he always preferred the couch since it was easy to just plop down on and pass out, but he’d been using it a lot recently.

He wasn’t sure why he suddenly wanted to use the usually forgotten room. It's not like what piece of furniture he decided to lay on really mattered, he rarely slept either way.

Ever since he returned from the Shatterspace, everything just felt…different.

It wasn’t a good or bad thing, it was just different.

He was different.

And it’s not like he was very discreet about it, his friends definitely noticed. They just never said anything about it.

Well…that wasn’t entirely true. There was one person who occasionally hinted at his concern, but was never direct about it.

He knew the hedgehog too well to do that.

He looked down at the back of one of his gloved hands. For a split second, his white gloves turn grayish with white lines forming a grid, a familiar piece of technology at the center of his hand.

He blinked and it was gone.

Sonic sighed, putting his hand being his head, his other resting on his stomach, as he closed his eyes.

“Sonic?”

His ears perked up at the sound of his name. A small, fond smile forced its way onto the hedgehog’s muzzle as he opened his eyes halfway, his emerald green eyes meeting the baby blues that belonged to his little brother.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed, kiddo?”

Tails’ expression went from unreadable to annoyed in record time, an all too familiar glare forming a knot in Sonic’s stomach. A small pout formed on the kit’s lips as he averted his gaze downwards.

“And before you go and call me a hypocrite,” He moved the hand that was situated on his stomach, bringing it to about shoulder height and pointing down. “I am in bed.”

“You know that’s not what you mean by that.“ Tails groaned, rubbing his gloveless paw down his face. “And I was but I…I just…nevermind.”

Eyes slightly wider, Sonic took another look over his brothers’ appearance. He wasn’t wearing any shoes, gloves, or even socks, all four brown paws visible, and his fur was slightly ruffled. He always wore at least socks and gloves in his workshop and if the fuss he made anytime Sonic messed with him was anything to go by, he hated his fur being unnecessarily messy.

The kid was right, he had been in bed.

He noticed Tails starting to turn to leave and he sat up a little straighter as he swallowed past the lump forming in his throat.

He really didn’t want him to go.

“D’you have a nightmare?” Sonic asked him, desperately hoping that his voice sounded normal enough but alas, the kid could read him like an open book. The look he gave him definitely suggested that his voice wavered a bit.

Tails fidgeted with the tip of one of his namesakes and glanced back at the floor. “N-no, I just…it’s stupid, I’m sorry.”

Sonic begged to differ, Tails never came looking for him when he was upset anymore — even during thunderstorms, he’d argue that he was too old to look for comfort in his big brother and that he should be able to handle it himself — so the fact that the kit was standing in his doorway looking upset meant something was wrong.

And Sonic had a pretty good idea as to what it was.

“I can guarantee you it’s not, bud. What’s botherin’ ya?”

Tails was quiet for a few seconds, most likely debating if he should voice his worries. His grip on his tail tightened as he took a sharp breath, mentally preparing for the daunting task that telling your big brother about what’s bothering you apparently is.

“It’s just…” He started, refusing to meet his eyes, “ever since we got back from the cave with the whole prism thing, you’ve been…weird.”

Sonic’s mouth pressed into a line, it seemed he had guessed correctly.

“You’re constantly trying to be around us, but you’re also distant. A-and…it sorta feels like you’re walking on eggshells around me specifically.”

The kit’s ears pressed against the back of his head. “So uh…I guess I just wanted to ask if I did anything to upset you recently?”

Sonic just stared at him. The answer was no, easy. It was pretty much always no. Tails could never upset him. But the words were caught in his throat.

Because that was it, wasn’t it? Tails could never upset him, but someone who looked exactly like him did (well, he wouldn’t say that Nine upset him, either. It was more like he scared him, but even that felt a little harsh.)

He knew it was wrong, projecting one two-tailed fox onto another. He thought he’d learned his lesson, but considering his baby brother was standing at his doorway at the ass crack of dawn, hurt by the way he’d been subconsciously treating him like he had been the one who tried to steal his prism energy, it was pretty obvious that he hadn’t.

But he couldn’t help it that everytime he looked into the kit’s eyes, all he saw was that angry and hurt version of him.

He must’ve been staring for too long because a small “I’m sorry…” snapped him back to reality.

Tails had shrunken in on himself, looking smaller than he usually did. He looked so…young. He looked so guilty even though he hadn’t even done anything. He turned to leave, namesake still in his hands.

Sonic sighed, spreading one arm open. “C’mere bud.”

Tails’ eyes went wide in disbelief…and embarrassment.

“W-what? No-! no. It’s fine, really. I can go, there’s no need for this. Really! I’ll—“

“My arm’s gettin’ tired kiddo.” The hedgehog said, gesturing his head towards the open spot next to him. “Ya got like, 10 seconds.”

Tails hesitantly took a step forward, looking up at his brother to see what he’d do and once nothing happened, he took another step and looked up again.

Then he walked as fast as he could to his brother’s bed, climbing up and curling into his side. Sonic let out a chuckle as he pulled his little brother close to him, Tails responding by snuggling closer.

They sat in silence for a while. Sonic gently rubbed the kit’s back as he blankly stared ahead. The sound of palm leaves gently rustling in the wind was the only thing that filled the air.

“I really am sor—“ Tails started to say, but he was cut off by Sonic ruffling his fur.

“Shush, you.” The hedgehog said. “You didn’t do anything wrong, I promise.”

He looked down to see the kit looking at him, a confused expression on his face. “But-“

“Nope. I’ve just been a little stupid is all. Nothing that’s your fault.” Sonic expected the quiet that would follow, so he let his guard down, until he heard a small snicker coming from the fox kit.

“That’s a recent development?”

Unfortunately, he forgot how cruel his beloved baby brother could be.

Sonic’s gaze shot towards the kit, his expression turned to one of obviously fake shock as his brother giggled quietly into his side. He squeezed the kit as hard as he could without actually causing damage, Tails wheezing out a laugh in response.

“And here I was having a moment, speaking from the heart and all that, and this is what I get?” He said in a joking tone in between Tails’ giggles.

“You set yourself up for that one, don’t blame me!” The kit said, earning being trapped in a headlock and dragged halfway onto the hedgehog’s lap and noogied mercilessly. “Sonic!”

“Nuh uh, you don’t get any mercy after that!”

They both continued to laugh for a few minutes. Sonic dragged his little brother fully onto his lap, the kit squeaking as the hedgehog wrapped both arms around him in a tight hug. “Sorry for makin’ ya feel like something was wrong, bud.” he said.

Tails snuggled up against his big brother’s chest, feeling nothing but the security, love and warmth he’d grown up with flowing throughout his body as he melted into the hedgehog’s touch, a soft purr making itself known. “You don’t need to apologize.”

Sonic’s arms stayed looped around the kit as he leaned back and closed his eyes, the rumbling from the fox’s chest soothing the knot that had formed in his own, just like it always did.

The comfortable silence returned. Sonic was glad that the conversation turned light hearted. He didn’t think he was ready to even begin to explain whatever the hell happened in the Shatterverse, especially to Tails. Not when he knew the kit would blame himself no matter how many times he was told not to.

As the hedgehog felt his brother slowly drifting into slumber, his soft breathes slowly evening out, he suddenly felt a burning need to say something to him. Something he never usually said out loud because he never needed to. It always went without saying, that’s just how close their bond was.

But after everything that happened…

“Hey, bud?” He whispered, the kit stirring as he gently tapped him.

“I love you, Miles. I don’t want you to ever forget that, ok?”

Wide blue eyes snapped up at him, blinking owlishly. He was definitely confused by the use of his real name, but instead of voicing that confusion, he just smiled and nuzzled into his brother’s chest.

“Love you too, Sonic.”

Somewhere in the Shatterverse, there was another twin-tailed fox kit who sat alone in The Grim. Another Miles who had no big brother to cuddle with when he had nightmares or when he was just worried that he had somehow hurt his feelings.

Deep down, Sonic hoped his words would somehow reach him just as they reached the twin-tailed fox kit asleep on his chest.

He leaned forward, placing a light kiss on the top of his little brother’s head before he slowly followed the kit into slumber.

[sh-0-w-1-sh]

Cowboy AU! Designs

[popping-your-culture]

[k-kroomie]

ITS MILES AND HOBIE!!

Sunflower X Moonflower

🌻 𝙓 🌕

[honeybeeffdrawshere]

teenagers

[whilomm]

"oh theres so much laios tentacle stuff" WHERE IS IT?? WHAT WEBSITES?? TELL ME

[saltyloafy]

im. so proud. of what ive done today.

[honeycombhank]

I hiked the three sisters loop with my love and our friend. 50 miles at least. This body has taken me places!!

7/4-9/23

[stupidapple4]

miles edgeworth death glare vs phoenix wright puppy eyes

[0vergrowngraveyard]

"tails" takes an L