Yeah, sounds like a bummer ;-)

there is no sex vibe at harbin........

I go there all the time.........

lord

> then running out in the evening

Here to tell you... that would be quite an undertaking. Having done trail runs, marathons and triathlons for years... and having both hiked and run that trail, my honest opinion is that a one-day excursion would be nuts. For several reasons. The most serious of these being that you'd have to travel light, so minimal food and warm clothing. (You can get water along the way if you carry a filter.) So the problem is, you run in... the terrain is most severe in the last few miles. You arrive, eat, soak, dry (weather permitting), dress, and now you need an absolute minimum of 3 hours to get back before dark. If you don't make it for any reason (injury, fatigue, dehydration, etc), it gets cold as FUCK at night in the valley, and you've got little with you to keep warm. So you have to keep going just to keep from freezing your ass off. Not good.

The other thing to consider is that while hot water FEELS great after a long run, it's actually not terrific for flushing lactic acid from sore muscles. Meaning that you might be feeling very stiff for the entire return trip. Haven't tested this, but I have a sneaking feeling that this particular trip would not be the best way to find out ! It's a pretty serious hike, even with a fairly light pack.

But a run in, spend the night, run out" plan sounds awesome. If you do it in summer when the days are long and the nights not so cold, I think you'd have a winner. Carry a polypro bag liner to sleep in, take agood shell and use it to keep the morning damp off, and figure out what to eat that doesn't weigh much, and you're set !

PM me if you decide to try something like this... I'd love to join you !

Watsu....... good. ;-) <spoken in my best Yoda voice>