Dodge the Deer 2006: The Wet One

The weather is one of very few things that most agree we will never be able to control. It can spoil outdoor weddings, postpone baseball games, create mudslides, and alter even the most organized and thorough plans. In the Northeast, it also happens to be highly unpredictable – so much so that in the days leading up to the 4^th annual Dodge the Deer, even with the ominous forecast looming in our unescapable near future, the rhetorical question, “What do they know!?” was often repeated in my presence. Well, this time they weren’t wrong.

In early October 2005, I met with the Pine Bush Preserve Commission, who informed me that until they finish their “Resource Protection and Visitor Experience Plan”, “…the Commission will not contemplate granting further TRP [Temporary Revocable Permit] applications for large, recreational events. This includes all ARE Pine Bush events that are currently listed on the ARE website for 2005-2006 and beyond.” How promising! The “R” in “TRP” is what led to the exciting change of venue for Hairy Gorilla, and with the ostensible alacrity with which the “Resource Protection and Visitor Experience Plan” is moving, looking for a new place for Dodge the Deer seemed like a good idea.

The previous summer, we introduced Peebles Island State Park to the Summer Trail Run Series roster of locations. It was (and is) an absolutely beautiful park; while small in size, its trails literally hug cliffs dozens of feet above the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, offering spectacular views and moderately technical trails. With Pine Bush no longer an option, I called up Peebles Island to inquire about using it for Dodge the Deer 2006. The original contact name I was given referred me to Rob Taylor, who is in charge of several State Parks along the Hudson River. When speaking with him, he mentioned the small size of Peebles in consideration of the scope of our event, and suggested Schodack Island State Park as an alternative site. While I was slightly disappointed with the implicit rejection of using Peebles, his words were also painfully true: the park just couldn’t hold that many people! The parking lot probably would top out at 50 cars and with the trails on the narrow/dangerous end at places, it wasn’t the most practical choice. Going into this phone call, however, I was also very scared of something painfully simple: the end of the event. Rensselaer Lake’s location truly was ideal; it was ACROSS THE STREET from the i90 off ramp. Even more importantly, and this is huge, it is across the street from the University at Albany, the home of the ARE. With a large majority of volunteers coming from the college, in previous years we never had to worry about carpools and getting people there; they just walked across the street! It was a place we ran in every day. I lived a half mile from the facility. I didn’t know of any other nearby places, and also with our desire to keep Dodge the Deer on safe and easy trails, Thacher Park’s sometimes rocky/rooty/hilly trails wouldn’t provide the most ideal course. With all that floating around in the back of mind, his adamant suggestion of Schodack Island State Park was well received, and I told him I would visit the park very soon and inform him of my decision.

A week later I went out to the park with John Kinnicutt and we scoped out the trails, mainly with the intention of finding a general idea for a 5k course. Neither of us had ever been there, and both its proximity and layout were a pleasant surprise. The ride down 9J is a fast 8 miles, save the half mile stretch in Castle-on-Hudson, and the mile entrance into the park area provides a pleasant and bucolic touch to the atmosphere of what is to come. With the staging area just off the river (a boat ramp is present here), one has a crystal clear view of the water and the boats that frequent it. The first thing we noticed in this area was what is called the “Horseshoe”, which brought quick smiles to our faces. It was a giant grass field – perfect for a starting and finishing area! Its width was ideal and its size also allowed for the inevitable flexibility of just exactly where to start and finish the races to ensure the correct distance. Once on the trails, their width and lack of undulations was a welcome surprise. We’d never been on trails so wide! And amazingly enough, they were even flatter and safer than those of Pine Bush! It didn’t take long before we verbalized the mutual thoughts running through our heads: this place is perfect! With that said, on November 28, 2005, I mailed Mr. Taylor a proposal to host the event at Schodack Island State Park. Mr. Taylor quickly approved the permit request, and Dodge now had a new home! Applications were made, the website was updated, and DTD 4.0 was well on her way.

While we didn’t have a formal course designed yet, the mild winter afforded us something I had never experienced before in my six years living in Albany: a chance to be on trails (literally on the dirt) in the winter. On January 29, 2006, the Albany Running Exchange directed the fourth race in the HMRRC Winter Series, and on February 11, 2006 was our second Brave the Blizzard event, which, unfortunately, had to be downgraded (again!) to a trail race. Talk about the weather causing problems: it led to the cancellation of more than half the snowshoeing events in the Northeast this season, even in the Berkshire Mountains! It made Brave the Blizzard, (which we called Bummer, No Blizzard! for the second straight year) an emotionally difficult event because we weren’t able to offer what we’ve been trying for two years: to get the runners of the Capital District on snowshoes. The 2006 event was a bit easier, however, as it was simply trail. In 2005, we had to contend with a course rivaling a skating rink. Taking it in stride, we looked ahead to our premiere April event with a great degree of anticipation.

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