Tellico Mtn Tri

• 24.3 miles total
• Paddle 7.3 miles
• Bike 11 miles
• Run 6 miles

This course was spectacular and the conditions of the day were prime! The Tellico River was 2′ on the gauge and temps were cool and clear. I started at noon leaving the Ledges put-in and had the river all to myself with perfect green water. The Stinger longboat got me down to the take-out bridge in about an hour and fifteen minutes. Here at T1 I switched gear from boat to bike and started up Wildcat FSRD. The 11 miles of gravel was steep! It starts off with solid climbing on good road, not too steep but a nice steady pitch. After a couple miles FS road 384 comes in on the right, took that and got to enjoy some nice downhills with some shorter climbs. Next intersection is FS road 126 on the left. This is the climb your ass off section of the course. It was a grind all the way to the top of Waucheesi Mtn but after the summit I was rewarded with 3 miles of awesome, fast downhill to reach the Bald River. Three and a half hours from when I started I was at T2 stashing the bike and putting on my trail running gear. The Bald River trailhead is on river right and is so good! I ran through a canopy of rhododendron and stayed next to the water almost the entire time. The trail was technical in spots with chunky rocks and stream crossings. I finished this section of trail at Bald River Falls and hopped on River Road to get back to the put-in finish. I completed the full course in four hours and twenty-eight minutes. The following day I found an alternate finish which keeps you in the woods all the way back to the put-in. There is a right hand spur off the Bald River trail which is Cow Camp trail (#173). The run portion gets shortened to 4.4 miles with this trail but it makes up for the distance with climbing…. Although this loop is not that long, it is A+ quality the whole way with beautiful scenery and water refill spots everywhere! This ones definitely on my list for another go.