Training Log Archive: MJChilds

Headed up the road at the farm schlepping my snowshoes. Thought I'd take the clear dirt road up, then put on my snowshoes and head into the woods searching for moose tracks after seeing some in the upper hayfield a month ago. The snow was soft in the woods but had a crunchy crust on it in the field(s). As I headed across the open field it occurred to me that it was so noisy, I would scare away any wildlife. When I saw no tracks of any animal, I realized that no animal with any sense would walk on that crust and make that much noise. Later, back into the woods, there were deer, fox, snowshoe hare and coyote tracks. But no moose. Boo. Lovely calm sunny day in the low 20s. Ahhhhh.

Continuation of walk/showshoe. Nice outing. Also noted that coyotes used old ski trails. Cool.

Practiced out Sun 1-2-3 and worked on next moves of Sun-73. Felt good. Walked there and back. 1-2" fresh snow over ice made for treacherous walking, even wearing my Stabil spikes. I think that Carl is correct that the studs don't grab the ice if there is snow between the sole and the ice. Slipped several times but remained upright. Decided to skip the walk today. A neighbor slipped during her walk on our street and hit her head pretty hard. Not worth it. Maybe worst day of the winter in terms of danger.

C • Sounds nasty 2

Craftsbury Outdoor Center where Adrian put on a nice Ski-O. Carl mentioned it the night before and in the morning, I decided to go. Hadn't been skiing yet this winter, so I had to scramble to get ready and then scramble on the trails. Got there right at 1:00 (last start), but Adrian let me go out anyway, suggesting I do about half the controls. Turns out, that was just about right. Went to 1-2-3-4-5-6, then 10-finish.

Conditions were fabulous, with temps around 20, mostly sunny, great snow and grooming. Since I am a fair-weather skier these days, I hadn't pushed myself to get out in suboptimal conditions and the 3 times I did try to go out, the ski area was closed due to icy conditions. Craftsbury was great.

Had a pretty good time. Was slow and tentative. Developed a better appreciation for ski orienteers' ability to relate map to terrain. Made 2 errors due to misconstruing the map/trail system. Able to correct quickly, but my inexperience showed.

Pretty sore on Monday in groin (herringboning up hill) and triceps. I really should learn how to skate-ski (again).

C • Skate Skiing 1