Training Log Archive: TomN

Run/walk up Puzzle Mountain from the Grafton Loop trailhead, and back. 54:37 up, with about 2400 feet of elevation gain. There were long sections on the ascent where I could run, but the last half mile is steep and rocky, hard to push the pace. Descending was fun, particularly cruising down the ledges. This is a fairly recently constructed trail, and it is a real gem. Spectacular views out over the Mahoosucs to the Presidentials beyond, and to the north, Saddleback and Sugarloaf mountains in the Rangeley area. And on a personal note, a rare view of Howard Pond where our cabin is.

Pushups, planks, squats, figure-8s.

Howard Pond end-to-end.

Same as yesterday.

Lunges and step-ups.

Howard Pond end-to-end run, Seely Gate to Morrison Lodge and back.

This was supposed to be a 6-mile trail run up to Mt. Zircon and back. I had never been there before, even though it's highly recommended and very close to home. I followed the directions online, but it was tough to find. It seems like what used to be a gated entrance is now gateless and open, and I drove up the dirt road, which got increasingly sketchy, and after a couple of miles I came to a trailhead with no parking. I drove the van into some woods off the road, got out and headed up the trail. It was too steep for running, but I pushed hard and came out onto ledges and then the summit after about a mile. Looking again at others' descriptions, I believe I drove up the first 2 miles of the hike and only started on foot at the place where it got steep. The view at the top was great, and I'll definitely put this down for a future family outing.

Drove from Kensington MD to Hanover ME in about 11 hours, including spending an hour and a half with Mei-An in Exeter. No traffic, no construction, no accidents, no slowdowns. It was a breeze.

The climate has been out of kilter up here. There was very little snow this winter, although it was cold, and as a result, very little snowmelt this spring. The pond is about 4 feet lower than normal. The weather is warmer than usual at this time of year, and the water is warm too. That part of it is nice, but I can't put the dock in because it's sitting on dry land when it should be floating in water.