Swept Away

Earlier this week, when the latest round of storms passed through Philadelphia, Brent and I both found ourselves stuck at home, with all roads leading out of northwest Philly – and all area highways – shutdown due to flooding, mudslides, or, in one instance, a giant boulder in the middle of the expressway.

So after spending the morning plowing through work, we did what any two adventure racers in our situation would do – we took to the trails to survey the damage.

We knew that Forbidden Drive, the 5.5-mile gravel path that is one of the hottest running spots in Philly, had been covered with water earlier in the day, but we weren’t sure what to expect when we left the solid ground of the high trails and crossed the Wissahickon Creek.

Still, neither of us was quite prepared for what we found.

What had been the day before a smooth gravel path was now a mess of rocks, the dense dirt that used to cover them having been washed clear downstream.

The dogs, generally wary of creeks and rivers, were so fascinated by the scene that they threw themselves into the deep puddles that covered their usual path.

There were fish, stranded on the trail as the waters began to recede…

We threw this guy back in the creek, but a lot of his buddies weren't so lucky.

…and once buried sewage lines, now towering over the rocky remains of the trail.

We ran/walked/hiked/waded for a couple miles toward the paved section of trail, the only part of the road where cars are allowed to pass.  Instead, we found this:

          

We left the Wissahickon then, and as I took to the treadmill for some speedwork, Brent decided to head further into the city, to check out the famed Kelly Drive loop.

Yep, somewhere under all that water is the Philadelphia Marathon. The city’s got a lot of work to do before November!

Looks like we may need to find a new running route…

Time to get out the canoe?