Limington

I was looking for a place to stop for a run on my way home from work yesterday and decided on Sawyer Mountain off of route 117 in Limington. The Sawyer Mountain trail isn't great running when there isn't snow cover. This is due to the rocky trail conditions. These are not the nice kind of rocks that we New England trail runners enjoy, they are more like piles of loose rolling scree left behind due to erosion and poor water run off. But in the winter the trail is used by snowmobilers and it becomes a wonderful place to run.

The snow was a bit soft as we had warm temperatures during the day, but it was still very enjoyable. To the top of the small mountain and back is about 4 miles. The views from the top are very nice. Coming back down on the soft snowmobile trail was fast and fun! When I got back to my car I crossed the road and followed the snowmobile trails on the other side. I had never been on these before. I was having a great run, but as the sun set and the trails started to firm up, things got even better. I came to an open area and saw 3 or 4 deer at the top of a hill, silhouetted against the evening sky.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any better, I rounded a bend in the trail and found a brand new wooden outhouse sitting there in the middle of the woods! This thing was a work of fine craftsmanship. It was such an unlikely site that I had to smile. The sign on the door said "Limington Crankers Snow Mobile Club." I continued running well past dark, but finally had to turn around and return to my vehicle. I hope I can return soon to explore further down the trail.