Mountain Top Trot Trail Run

The Mountain Lake Conservancy 
presents the 1st Annual...  

Mountain Top Trot Trail Run

10-Mile and 5K Race

    

When:    October 1, 2011 
   

Registration                7:30-9:30am

  10-Mile Start Time   10:00am 

  5K Start Time           10:30am 
   

Where: The Mountain Lake Conservancy Trail system in Pembroke, VA. Both the 5K and 10-mile race course will encounter forested trail terrain varying from gravel to rocky and a climb to one of Mountain Lake's scenic vistas. 

Some minor changes have been made to the courses as of Sept. 26, please view updated and final course routes below:
Click here to view the 10-Mile course

Click here to view the 5K course

Kirby from East Coasters in Blacksburg, VA, recently ran the 10-mile course. You can check out the stats from the run here.
 

Why: To savor the magical fall foliage and cool mountain-top temperatures of Salt Pond Mountain. This is also a fundraiser event to benefit the Mountain Lake Conservancy, a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to immersing you in nature, where you belong.

Entry Fee:      $25 Pre-registered -  Pre-registration ends Sept. 28!

                          $30 Day-of race

 

The Goods:      

     Race T-shirt 

     (Guaranteed to all racers registered by Sept. 16, limited shirts available day of)

     Post-race Meal & Refreshments

     Adrenaline Delights

     Prizes awarded to fastest overall and category male & female racers

 

Categories: Men's and Women's

                  Age 10 and under, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 60 and wiser
 

Limited to 200 racers! Register on-line or via mail:

     On-line at : 
http://www.active.com/running/pembroke-va/mountain-top-trot-2011?int=29-6

     Mail-in : 

Mail-In Registration Form & Waiver

On-site lodging available at the historic Mountain Lake Hotel, rate includes Oktoberfest!

http://www.mountainlakehotel.com/

For more information please contact Jess Coker at the Mountain Lake Conservancy at 540-626-7121 ext. 444 or email the mlc@mountainlakehotel.com. 

See you on the Mountain!

Lake Update

The current lake level is estimated at 52 feet below full lake, 12% full by volume, and 29% full by total area.

Naturalist Hikes & New Friends of the Conservancy Nature Center

Meet Hazel, age 16, Naturalist Extraordinaire.

This summer season, Hazel volunteered to lead naturalist walks throughout the week for visiting hotel and day guests. She is the daughter of two scientists and her family spends a good part of the summer staying at the Mountain Lake Biological Station here on the mountain. Miss Hazel has acquired a great wealth of knowledge over the years of the mountain ecology and many studies that take place here every year. The guests and staff have truly enjoyed learning from Hazel, and are most appreciative of her volunteer effort and passion for environmental stewardship.
Thank You, Hazel, for your wonderful walks this summer season!

We have a new friend of the Conservancy, Sylvia, the corn snake. Sylvia is a 4'6", female corn snake, age unknown. She was originally taken in by a Reptile Rescue Center in Christiansburg, VA, and then adopted by the Wildlife Society at Virginia Tech. Sylvia was housed in the lobby of Cheatham Hall in the College of Natural Resources. She is a fairly shy creature, however, and was recently taken out of Cheatham Hall and in need of a new owner. Sylvia's new home is now set up in the Conservancy Nature Center. She is adjusting nicely and we will keep you updated with pictures of her indoor habitat and reception from our visitors.

The Corn Snake, Elaphe guttata, is native to the mid- to south-eastern United States. The corn snake's range is from southern New Jersey south through Florida, west into Louisiana and parts of Kentucky. However, this is not a common snake of Salt Pond Mountain. Corn snakes may be found in wooded groves, rocky hillsides, meadowlands, woodlots, barns, and abandoned buildings. This snake is not poisonous, and as pets they are generally docile and relaxed when handled. More information about the corn snake can be found here:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Cornsnake.cfm

Dirty Dawg Results

Congrats to all of the mountain bikers that rode in the Dirty Dawg Race this past Saturday! The mountain provided nice, breezy temperatures, a couple of downpours, and a superbly muddy ride! Big ups to East Coasters for putting another awesome race on this season at Mountain Lake, and many thanks to all the volunteers who prepped the course, marshaled the road intersections, and served up refreshments and food!

Kirby briefing riders before the race

And they're off! Only 6 hours to go!!

Duos ready for the switch off

Cheering on the racers!

6 hours later... grill and chill time

Sweet jersey!

Brought to you by:

Results:

Duo

1 Brice/Kyle
2 John Mckenna/Eric Carlson
3 Mark Zhu/Spencer Riddle
4 Scotty/Doug
5 Nathan/Donald
6 John/Caleb
7 Wake/Beth 1st Coed
8 Geffrey/Emily
9 Dave/Eric
10 Thomas/Nathan
11 Patrick/Susane
12 Alex/Lindsey
13 Gregory/Michelle
14 Brian/Jonathan
15 Brandy/Melissa 1st Womens
16 Kevin/Daniel

Solo Men

1 Dave Reid
2 Ben Brown
3 Andy Reagan
4 Andrew
5 Steve Howard
6 Dave Williams
7 Damon
8 Bob Wright
9 Steve Bulter
10 Ryan
11 Craig
12 Jeremy
13 Cecil
14 Jay
15 Jarrod
16 James
17 Greg
18 Jerry
19 Walter
20 Chris

Solo Women

1 Laura
2 Emma
3 Kyrstin
4 Amy
5 Gabrielle

Single Speed 

1 Brian Marshall
2 Steve Hertherington
3 Cliff Hatchett
4 Christian Probst
5 Thomas Hash
6 Seth

Survivor Mountain Lake Weekend

This weekend is themed "Survivor: Mountain Lake", and the Recreation Department and Conservancy will be hosting a variety of activities to engage the mind and body. 

In addition to normal Recreation activities, Survivor: Mountain Lake activities include:
 

FRIDAY

8:00 pm: How to build a fire
8:30 pm: Campfire and S’mores. Time to share your wilderness stories!

SATURDAY

10:30 am: Hike on White Dot to Old Golf Course overlook
11:00 am: Introduction to Knot Tying
1:00 pm: Scavenger Hunt
8:30 pm: Night Hike- meet at Conservancy

SUNDAY

9:00 am: Introduction to Orienteering- meet at Conservancy
11:00 am: Introduction to Shelter Construction and the Leave-No-Trace ethic
2:00 pm: Intro to Geocaching
3:30 pm: Hike on Indian Trail and talk on “What to do if you’re lost: Wilderness Priorities”

 We hope to see you up here learning something new or polishing you skills this weekend!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bunch of pictures from the 2011 season have been added to the Facebook site, check us out!
http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=929cae6bd1c82e43fab6b1976e11cd0f#!/TheMLC


Among those pictures include a local artist from Roanoke, VA - Eric Fitzpatrick. Eric was at Mountain Lake last Thursday creating some beautiful landscape paintings. A lovely scene for a summer afternoon on the mountain indeed!

The lake bed and wetland

Classy!

 

Bald Knob

The folks from East Coasters have been busy up on the mountain getting geared up for the Dirty Dawg mountain bike race tomorrow. Come show your support for these tough riders! The mountain top breeze accompanies this perfect escape from the summer heat down in town.

Dirty Dawg Mountain Bike Race - this weekend July 23rd!

It's that time of the season, the Dirty Dawg 6-Hour Enduro Mountain Bike Race will be held this weekend, July 23rd! Sure to be an event of epic fun for all, whether you're biking in the race or cheering bikers on. More race information can be found at http://dirtydawgmtb.blogspot.com/. It's not too late to register! - solo, duo, and single speed categories. This is a family-friendly event, play a round of disc golf on our course that surrounds the Start/Finish meadow, or take a hike before the race gets started. Camping is available for registered racers and family on the evening of July 23rd, concessions will be available after the race, please remember that Mountain Lake property has a NO PET policy!

Special discount rate in the hotel for registered racers and family - $99.00 per night, double occupancy, includes dinner and breakfast! Special valid Friday, 7/22 and Saturday, 7/23. 
http://www.mtnlakeconservancy.org/special-dirtydawg.html

Some photos from previous Dirty Dawg races: