Second Annual Frozen Snot Set
by John Lipez
McELHATTAN – It promises to be bigger and better than ever, the second annual Frozen Snot.
Event director Jeff Stover said that as of the last check, over 180 participants have pre-registered for the Frozen Snot, a 12.5 mile trek up the Bald Eagle Mountain come Saturday, Jan. 25.
A year ago the inaugural trek saw 166 participants, 155 of whom completed the running/hiking event.
This year, Stover said, the course has been made even more difficult, adding some 1,600 feet of elevation gain for a total climb of 5,000 feet in less than a half marathon in length.
Asked to describe the event, which draws entrants from five states, Stover said more than anything the challenge is an “adventure race.” He said the course offers “the worst that Bald Eagle Mountain provides,” noting it is scheduled during what is usually the coldest week of the year.
Stover said backers are hoping for what he called “Chamber of Commerce weather,” 5 degrees and light blowing snow.
Stover is a veteran of staging the popular Megatransect. He said hiking/running/trail enthusiasts were looking for a new challenge in the winter and decided upon the Frozen Snot.
Some 15 to 20 volunteers man the event which will depart from the U. S. Army Reserve Center in McElhattan at 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 25.
Most of the route will utilize established trails from the Megatransect and Eagle Trek events but the path will also travel ground only passable in the winter when underbrush vegetation is not so challenging.
Participants can also anticipate four stream crossings, which may or may not be frozen.
The city of Lock Haven is the “official” event sponsor and additional sponsors have been secured, Stover said, including Lock Haven Hospital, Woolrich, Inc., Lock Haven Strength and Conditioning, American Alpine Institute, Gomacro and Kahtoola.
