June 5 was National Trails Day, so of course, we had to indulge. It was also a designated open gate day at the Lula Lake Land Trust… which so happens to be the site of Stage 1 of the Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race. Ah, everything falling perfectly into place!
The race itself has 2 loops (opposite directions) inside the park, with a middle section that takes us out to Covenant College and back. With steamy high temps, we kept inside the park (close to the water) and fully explored what we’ll soon be running. I’ve only been up here 2 other times, both for races, so it was nice to take it easy and soak in the scenery for a change. It’s really a hidden gem – a mere 25 minutes from my house, and you all but forget there’s a city just at the bottom of the mountain.
After 2 hours of running fun, the crew sat in the creek and ate watermelon; but I still needed 30 minutes, so back out I went. I took this opportunity to hike to the bottom of the waterfall – awesome! peaceful, serene, with a cooling mist filling the gorge. I highly recommend a visit!