Training Log Archive: CleverSky

Willard Brook, In The Dim. This was more like it, I managed to read the trail map correctly (armed with some knowledge gleaned from Friday) and did the loop I had intended to do then, along with an exploratory jaunt on an unmapped section. I started 10 minutes earlier this time, but this is the time of year when sunset is changing most rapidly, so it was getting pretty hard to see by the end again, but at least I had some familiarity with the trail I was on. Not that I have all the rocks and roots memorized, though. Again, I didn't plan on being out for so long. I could have used a headlamp, but it was too hot for it at the beginning. Working pretty hard.

Willard Brook, In The Dim. I realized I had my running clothes in the car, so I went right over from work. Rather than run around on trails that I thought I knew and look at the track later and see that it was on mapped trails, I actually printed out a "map" and took it with me (just the trail schematic, no contours). That didn't work out so great, and I didn't end up going exactly where I had intended. The switchbacks on the way up were very civilized and pleasant, but the ones on the way back down were much more technical, which wasn't so great when it reached the point that there was more moonlight than sunlight. On one stretch I started to doubt whether I was on a trail at all, or just following my imagination through the forest. Out for longer than I was planning, but still very enjoyable, and no doubt good for me.

Loop over at Pearl Hill, same one as last time, In The Dim. No hat, no repellent, no bug problems. Felt pretty good, particularly on the big climb. Temp about 80 F, humidity not too bad. Took a split at the "halfway" sign, and a few minutes later I heard some loud snorting in the bushes off to my right. Almost certainly a large mammal, my guess is moose, but who knows. In terms of time, is that sign actually halfway? I mean, damn!

Vehicle retrieve at West Rutland. Pete Cassidy gave me a ride around to the gate, and I took off at a jog, which lasted about until I was out of sight, then it was powerwalking the rest of the way. I took the road up to the hairpin, and went pretty straight from there, through the woods, and popped out just before the parking area. Probably about 80 degrees and humid. FDFs weren't bad on the way up, but when I was driving the truck down, there were so many buzzing around the rhino guard and the rear-view mirror that I was reluctant get out to open the gate.

The elevation chart on gmap-pedometer has changed dramatically recently, very much for the better.

Groton Town Forest, carrying a map and cell phone. There were enough bugs (FDFs and mosquitoes) that I was reluctant to stop, but enough berries (blue and black rasp) that I couldn't resist.

Kingsland Bay, with Nancy. Looks pretty clear that if we could have started from Thompson's Point, we could have gotten to Split Rock Light, but starting from Whallon Bay would have meant about twice the distance. Choppier water than we've generally dealt with before, but not a problem.

Lower Saranac Lake, with Nancy.

Pearl Hill. I did most of the MTB test loop, then after the top of the knoll I banged a left onto an unexplored trail. It came out not quite where I was expecting, but close, and I saw another couple of side trails, so I have a few more places to explore.

At one point I came across a sign that said, "You have reached the halfway point. Please consider the time it took to get this far." (and there was a similar sign on the other side of the tree). I wasn't sure what to do with that information. I mean, if I decide that I'm short on time, it doesn't sound like a convincing suggestion to turn around. It could mean that there's now no reason at all to turn around, but what does the time have to do with that? And I was impressed by how accurate it was (I saw the sign just before the 25 minute mark), because it's hard to imagine that they knew where I had parked or what route I'd be taking.

I finally remembered where I put my tanglefoot, and decided to wear a blue hat tonight. I started at about 7 PM, and the timing was fine, plenty of light when I was done. The hat did its job, I wasn't bothered by FDFs at all out there, and when I took it off at the end, I had 20 kills.

Midstate Trail, Barre Falls Dam to East Hill Road in Rutland. Started sprinkling around 5K, and continued enough to get me damp without ever real being full-on rain, at least where I was, but I could hear thunder. I had initially thought about going a little further, but I was not at all unhappy when I got to my bike. Less than half a Highlander -- I've got a lot of work to do.

Leisurely ride back to the car. I walked the bike for the first stretch because it was on a dirt road, and started the watch when I started riding. The rail trail was very pleasing. There had been bugs while I was running, and when I was going uphill on the bike and slowed down, they were back: the occasional FDF stuck in my hair, and a cloud of 6-10 gnats right in front of my face (very annoying).

Getting to the place where I dropped of my bike, and then back to the start of the run, was a boondoggle, in part because I was doing it by GPS instead of using a map. But on the way there, I saw one of the most horrifying things I've ever witnessed. Just south of Rutland center, there was a bunch of motorcycles on a group ride on the other side of the road, and the vehicle two spots in front of me was a pickup truck signaling for a left turn. I don't know if it was impatience or an appalling misjudgment of a gap, but the truck made the left right into them and basically collided head-on with a Harley, resulting in the 250 pound rider being tossed into the air like a rag doll and coming down hard on the pavement, after which he wasn't moving (and my view was blocked right after that by a car that turned sideways to stop traffic). There were plenty of witnesses, and I could see that somebody was already calling 911, so I turned around and left. I hope I don't keep seeing that scene in my dreams all night.

C • oh wow 2