Training Log Archive: CleverSky

Kidder Mountain (approx. route). Figured I'd drive up to where the Wapack Trail crosses Rte. 124 and head south as far as where I've been before coming up from Rte. 31. When I looked at the map, I realized that the crossing was at Windblown -- duh. When I got there, I changed my mind and decided that I'd rather head north than south. Shortly after crossing the power line, though, a bear busted out of the bushes ahead of me and went tearing down the trail. I had a couple of thoughts: 1) a bear can move a whole lot faster than I can, and 2) I didn't have any particularly pressing need to kep going in that direction. Instead I went back to the power line and took the side trail up and over Kidder. My plan was to go down the back uptil I got to a saddle, but the trail did some crazy switchbacks and then looked to be going down in a long plunge, so I ditched that idea and went back up, then returned via a dirt road part of the way and then up and over the ridge on the power line. The dirt road looked passable enough for a 4WD vehicle, meaning that there might be access to a meadow on top that looks like it would be possible to launch from. Another really nice day to be out.

Hanging some controls at Boojum for Barb's school field trip, and carrying a little bit of equipment out to the finish. Distance is a total wild guess.

Willard Brook SE, original standard loop. Legs felt fairly dead*, but I would have felt pretty stupid to have let this beautiful day go by without getting outside to take advantage of it. This loop is quite nice when conditions are dry like they are now. My ankles folded over several times, don't know if it's due to being out of practice, or losing my coordination as I get ld, or some interaction between these shoes and uneven surfaces. Fortunately, I appear to still be sprainproof. Running with the new glasses seemed fine, but they wouldn't be suitable for orienteering.

*I had very little to eat yesterday, which could go a long way toward explaining that.

Stephen and I went out at Pawtuckaway on a short yellow/orange course that I designed for him as a training exercise, to get him a little bit of experience doing more technical stuff. On the way, I took over for one control, #12 from the 2009 WHNO that a couple of people reported seeing out there in the dark this year. Sure enough, it was still there, so we retrieved it.