The Escarpment Run

By Ernest Joseph – August 2003

Escarpment trail runners, affectionately known as the mountain goats, got the opportunity to display their craziness on July 27, 2003. 2About 175 mountain goats showed up at the foothills of Windham Mountain in the Catskills, a region that was first made famous by Washington Irving through his rendition of Rip Yan Winkle.

Webster’s dictionary defines Escarpment as a long steep slope or cliff at the edge of a plateau or a ridge. The Escarpment run is aptly named after the terrain it covers in about 18.7 miles. There are three significantly vertical accents as well as descents – Windham high Peak (3424 ft). Blackhead Mountain (3937 ft) and Stoppel point (3420 ft). However, the word “Trail” is used here simply because of the lack of a better word to describe this run. The run is extremely rocky with hidden roots, loose boulders and tree branches thrown in the mix right from the start.

In every bit of the way, this run is different from any other trail runs. There are no awards or trophies, not even a T-shirt. Yes, you can earn your first T-shirt only after completion of 100 miles or 6 Escarpment runs. Tom Gannon from our club has earned this distinction this year. Even the race entry form is different – along with routine information a runner needs to provide, it asks the applicant to provide their IQ score. I claimed mine in the single digit. The race packet, which was sent out by Dick Vincent, the race director goes to extraordinary length in providing reasons why one should not run this course.

Here are some excerpts from the acceptance letter sent:

The acceptance letter from Dick reads “do to a stroke of bad luck, your entry in to the Escarpment run has been accepted.” – Either Dick has good sense of humor or he really means it. Well, there is only one way to find out.

“With nearly 10, 000 vertical feet of elevation change, mile for mile this is as rugged and challenging a run there is.” –  No argument here.

“The Europeans call this trail running as “fell Running.” – I call this fall running. There is no question Whether you will fall; it is just how hard you will fall. I had 3 falls and met someone at the Dutcher’s pass who had his hand taped to barely keep the pinky attached to his hand.

“Contestants must be prepared to deal with any of the forest’s natural barriers such as bees, slippery rock s, porcupines, black bears and anything else that can be found in the forest of the Catskills.” – Fortunately, this year nobody had disturbed a beehive like in 1987 when runners were inflicted with multiple bee stings.

“This is not a carriage trail. …..” – no kidding! There were no volunteers telling you where the trail goes and no bus to take you to the finish line in case you cannot continue. You must hike out of the trails once you start the run. At my work, there sits a plaque on my desk with these words from a poem by Robert Frost. It reads “Two roads diverged in the wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

Before the Escarpment, these words had a meaning of perseverance, but it had taken up a whole different meaning since I got accepted for the run. You see, I have a tendency to get lost on the streets with clearly marked names; so my biggest fear was to be not able to find blue markers of Escarpment trail and wonder aimlessly until I reach the sign welcoming me to Canada. But I must say that the trail is very well marked and even I was able to follow the trail without getting lost.

“The personal responsibility … . you are responsible for the costs incurred if it becomes necessary lo airlift you from the mountains.” – Few years back, our own Steve Ozer made a wrong turn on top of the black head mountain and plummeted down 20 feet or so before his fall was stopped by the bushes. He was airlifted by a helicopter, but the cost was not covered by his insurance.

“Occasional divorce is listed among complications that could occur.” –  Days prior to the run, my wife only knew that I was running in the Catskills with our friends, and no details of this run because that would have triggered endless worrying on her part. When I told her after the run, she agreed with my stated Intelligent Quotient level.

“Water …. there will be limited amount of water backpacked into few places, but won’t be nearly enough for everyone, so you must carry some water with you.” – If you have ideas of finding some water along the trail, forget about ii. You will be looking for water right up to the moment you die of thirst….. I was carrying 1 liter bottle and still had to fill it up at every station. One big sincere thank you to the volunteers who hiked up to seemingly unreachable spots carrying gallons of water. In this run, even the volunteers are of a different breed here.

“Trail Etiquette …. please let the faster runners go by you. Duh! Especially on the steep downhill, where if you fall and the faster runner is behind you, you could become a roadkill. By the way, do you know why there are trees on the steep downhill? They are there to stop your falls! I found that out on one such downhill section. Luckily, no faster runner was behind me to plaster me to the tree trunk and make me a permanent tree fixture.

Stragglers …. every year, due to injury, lack of training, or just having a bad day, we get a straggler or two.”- Well, one of the three honorees this year is yours truly. I was not 100% fit due to Bronchitis and was taking medication up to the day before the race. Due to the diuretic nature of this medication, I suffered dehydration which led to severe cramps around mile 13 (Dutchers Pass). A fellow runner provided some Sodium chloride tablets that restored electrolyte balance in 15 minutes, but I missed the cut-off at this point and had to finish hiking 4 miles via the “yellow’ trails. It was an adventure that lasted six and a half hours for about 1 7 miles. A lesson to share with you is, unlike a marathon run which can be completed by reducing running pace if you are not 1 00% fit; this run is an exception. Because the average running pace on this run is 1 5 – 20 minutes per mile and you will be spending more energy per mile than any marathon out there.

Regardless, I enjoyed various aspects this trail run had to offer, including the solitude it provides. This was a wonderful run across a wonderful country, a run in which I was able to share experience with seven other RockIand mountain goats Kathy Mahoney, Peggy Marzel, JC Santa Teresa, Tom Gannon, Pat Periatti , Steve Ozer, Steve Borton and my colleague Bronek from Taconic Road Runners. This was just about runners and mountains, and some refreshments at the finish line. It does not get any simpler than that. Now when I look at the plaque with Robert Frost’ s poem on my desk, I am glad I took the road less traveled.

Significant Event after the Escarpment Run:

Updated on August 17, 2023:

Remembering grandma Commissioner Saguna Dahya today. She would have been 116.

This event is from the same Sunday in July of 2004 as Escarpment run.

On Thursday before this trail run, I had visited her and she had no sign of illness.

On Sunday, I took off to Catskills around 4 AM to run The Escarpment trail run. No cell phone reception once we took exit for Kingston NY.

About an hour after I left for Catskills, she apparently suffered heart attack, which we did not suspect considering no cardiac history. Anyway, She refused to go to the hospital when my dad insisted. Instead, she said when Ernest gets back, we will go.

By the time I got back late in the evening, she was still fighting and insisting she is ok, just indigestion. But once I insisted, she agreed and we took her to the hospital. That’s when her cardiologist said she had suffered a heart attack. No previous history. Puzzling, but Dr said “at 97, body finds a way to move on.”

So she was fighting all day to survive until I was back. I then realized that she was waiting for me to tell her that I will take her back to Portland OR, the resting place for her late husband, where she can reunite with him.

Back in 1996, she moved to NY with us after grandpa’s passing away, but only after I promised to her to reunite her with him in Portland when the time comes.

It all clicked to me then. I then told here in her hearing aid that I will take her back as I have promised, so it is ok for her to rest in peace now.

She then reached her ear, apparently lowering volume of her hearing aid, and she closed her eyes for the final time.

This picture was taken around 2000 when we were fortunate to have her with us for her last 8 or so years of life