I took the afternoon off on Tuesday to got to Frankfort.  My wife had made the trip to the state capitol last week to get the necessary seals for our adoption paperwork.  China requires certifications for the required documents as opposed to apostilles.  We initially received apostilles, but found out only after sending the paperwork via FedEx overnight to D.C. at great expense that we should have gotten certifications.  This is our fourth time through the China paper chase and each time there are new documents or variations in the process.  So back came the documents and it was now my turn to head to Frankfort. 

Until Tuesday I had not been to Frankfort and have only been to Louisville a few times, but I knew there were other parks and trails in the Frankfort/Louisville area.  If I was going to take the day off from work to make the trip I figured that was a good excuse to also find a trail run in the area.  A quick search turned up Capitol View Park conveniently located along my route.  The trial map on the site was too small to be of much use, but I found a larger version on another site. 

After getting the certifications on the paperwork I took them to a nearby FedEx office and sent them on their way.  Then it was time to run.  I found the park on the East West Connector and parked at the kiosk.  From there I followed the notes on the trail map that direct you to proceed through the parking lots to “The First Section”.  I actually overshot that trailhead and ended up heading down the double track and hoping onto the section of trail that runs along the upper perimeter of the map.  I went to the right and found myself on the abandoned railroad bed that took me back to the kiosk.  Realizing what I had done, I simply turned around and retraced my steps, moving counterclockwise as suggested.  After a full circuit of the park I grabbed a quick drink and bite at the car and ran clockwise this time, skipping the long loop that runs behind the library building.  I picked up the trailhead of “The First Section” this time around.  All told I covered about 12 miles of great trail under a blue sky.

If you go note that the trails are marked better in some areas than others.  Also, there a few details like side trails and intersections not included on the map so you may have to feel your way along, exploring, to make sure you’re on the main course if want to get the full mileage out of the park.  That’s part of the fun though.