If I had to miss the second ROC series race (and then the Runnin' Cadet Classic), this is the way to miss it! A
sweet run on Hilton Head Island. I didn't look at a map ahead of time, so I headed north (which turned out to be as much east as north), parallel to the beach, but it dead-ended. I wasn't ready to hop on the beach, so I just went with the trails along Pope and Hilton Parkway, until it was time to turn around, then a bit on the beach on the way in.
I think gmap underestimated the distance because the paths twist and turn, but no by much because I had a couple of late, measured miles that were 8:34 and 8:38. The weather was warm, but not brutal, and the trails are mostly shaded.
Had I seen the maps they have scattered about, there would have been a nice loop option up the Parkway a couple miles farther, then back on the beach. I most note that the beach is most excellent for running (well, except when the tide is at its very highest) because of the smooth, relatively firm surface where the tide hits and retreats. Not like I imagine beach running. Biking on the beach is quite popular, if you can imagine that.
Saw a couple of dolphins, a bird with a curvy neck that was standing next to a fisherman's [bait?] box, amongst a few people, and oodles of jellyfish(?) in various states of dying in the sun. Didn't see an alligator until Sunday.