Training Log Archive: bl

In the name of Walk, did yard work instead of gym work & thus improved the appearance of the yard while likely maintaining personal status quo. Cold day but got to liking it.

Blither: Remember November

The last day. We (Beth & I) came up with an idea to read a poem each night after dinner. It started with our reading “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” before Thanksgiving. Being of marathon length, we exchanged stanzas. We’ve gotten back on stride after the holiday. Last night I read “Daffodils” by Wordsworth, a last minute (aka desperate) search for my turn (written in calligraphy 45 years ago). Tonight, she read Poe’s longing “Annabel Lee”. After, I reread Frost’s lovely “November Guest” as his “My Sorrow” exits this eve. Poetry is one of many beautiful things that speak to the heart.

BHS around 5p for 30' roller skiing. 25F, dogs along (who eventually found the running around on hardtop not so interesting). One kid on a cycle, a cold looking activity but he seemed pretty serious. Well lit in spite of fact there was no school on top of Black Friday. No falls tho macadam cracks & one instance of grassy ground contrived to do so.

Visited Stowe, Vt in returning today. Last time I was there was maybe 10 years ago when I bought my first pair of skate skis (used rental). Went to Trapp Family Lodge outdoor center for a look-see; there were 5k of groomed trails open. What a lovely setup - great views all around. Noted a poster for the March 2014 US Ski O champs!

C • Poster 2

Lake front, south first, wind behind, down to Main Street ferry dock. Back on the bike path, biting wind some of the time, wild on the lake, fun! Burn to earn calories.

Drive to Burlington. Rained all day, 42F at start around 4:30. T steadily dropped to 32F & stayed there for the last 50mi. Moderate snowfall at times (passed by the high point on 89, looking for it but didn't see), white ground at the end, branches laced with snow, making a wintry scene.

Logged for various reasons...leaf blowing of Sheridan & Steer Brook trails in Nottingcook. Got the BOS leaf blower (weighs close to 30#) from Bob D & away we went. Had never used a LB - this is a backpack carry type and it blew a storm, making all the roots & rocks visible almost instantly. Did not think much of leaf blowing trails initially but it makes them visible, exposes trip-y stuff and adds a whiff of quality to the forest trail network. Some Nottingcook trails (all are generally light use) are so leaf-covered, it's easy to lose track but for blazes.

Before
After

C • Leaf blowing 5

A start - got skis today, went to BHS just at dark but plenty of light available. One other person there, a woman, who agreed we had the dark track to ourselves. 35F balmy. Bought "slow" skis at the recommendation of the seller (good for 70% of skiers was the advice). I found them hard to work with on the all-weather surface. Had poles with small baskets & was informal enough to not bother with straps for the most part - which allowed the baskets to face forward a few times which was not efficient. Got on the hardtop which was considerably better. BHS is a good place for this - gentle ups & downs, light & little in the way of traffic. Steadier than on ice skates, 7' pace is out ahead, already at the turn....

C • Poles on track 2

C • Skate or classic? 4

Back to OJR to re-walk what we did Saturday. Had dogs along - drove to end of Bow Highlands. Got all the pins with lat-longs save one. Crossed the PL (not possible to find a corner there) & walked the boundary of the irascible person - no one encountered. Walked down to the OJR gate on BBR, Beth picked us up. Went to end of Morgan for a look-see & then back to my car. From there, I walked the last bit of boundary to 93...down to a neat corner of beech and descending spurs with small streams - all w/in sight of 93.

OJR

To IS 93 corner.

Event: NEOC: Blue Hills Traverse
 

PM walk on the wild side, at least that's the way it felt and sounded with the wind roaring thru the treetops. No BHT, much too inhospitable here to venture in that direction which wasn't likely to be much better. Did not get above 25F with strong wind all day. Took a walk with Z&M to the slough & powerline. Was in awe of a few of the gusts. Intense late sun lighting up one particular hemlock grove. Stiff low back today from yesterday's wood carting & splitting.

Z&M were not able to walk yesterday eve after their 2 hour walk. At one point, M was barking from her bed. For the life of me, I could not figure out why. She was not distressed. Finally, to stir the pot, I put a treat on the floor between the two dogs. That got M crawling, then she stood up to unsteadily walk to the water bowl about 10 ' away. Then we finally knew what it was she was trying to communicate. 

C • Sounds like they're getting arthritic 4

From yesterday:

Two happy dogs


Ken inspecting a tire. All the lug nuts were sheared cleanly. IS 93 is about 100 yards away. How did it get there? There is this close by story, discussed at last night's BOS meeting but many loose ends from my point of view.

Bow Bog Brook

Event: CSU Lynn Woods Iltarastit #5
 

Boundary walk with Ken (&Z&M) of Old Johnson Rd. forest. Had not been on an OJR walk for maybe 5 years. Not blazed in the first section. We found a corner pin & then were pretty much set following yellow blazes. Very nice woods in places. One borderline encroachment. Excellent day, no hunters encountered on a Saturday pm. 305 lost satellites under a canopy which surprised me - first time I've seen that (I'd experienced same only in the White Mts). Would not reacquire until I turned it off & missed hardest part of keeping track of things.

Walk a

Walk b

A bit over the line

DP, calm & gray, light steady rain turned to moderate steady. M found some kind of food - thought it was a deer bone at first but it did not smell &, on closer exam, had grain-like food allurements stuck to the surface. When I threw it away, it easily broke into 3 pieces - a strange find in such a place. Wondered if it served as a bait of some kind - otherwise no ready explanation.

Y after work. Dreary, rainy day. 41F seemed cold.

SPS-Audubon wander, parked at latter. One faceplant on leaf-covered root or stone. Mid40s, situps by the water.

Bought rollerskis & bindings today to put my plastic where my mouth is:).

C • Plastic 6

AM DP, bright, windy, waving brown grass, moon. Stayed in and around the
Amphitheater.

At Y, nice to be there. Meeting at 3p & too dark for the mindset after.

Blustery day, wind made it feel colder than it was. Took the day off - nothing to gain by running - maybe the Y but didn't get there. Ate too much, undoubtedly burned a lot of calories in the past 3 days.

Blue dome am - what weather there was passed by overnight. Drove to Sebago Beach. Had the NAOC 2000 green X map, 13 years later. Entrance was closed - looked like Sandy damage has kept the area closed - virtually no sand on beach, some road damage, presumably flood damage to the bathhouse. But still the same lovely woods. However, plenty of mountain laurel and blue berry. Did not have gaiters or O pants. Temp was perfect & dismissed such wear in the hurry to get going. Considered breaking 60’ (vs the 45.5’ from 2000). Not NAOC wound, age is upon me, legs were somewhat leaden from the weekend & blueberry & mt. laurel contrived to slow & even cause course reversal which was not the case in ’00 (more laurel in the same areas). No problem with navigation, woods as open as can be where no laurel. Course is rather devoid of route choice. From 7 to 8 called for 2 more points in my opinion. Didn’t even break 70’. Beth went to the fishing area to while away the time. Good time had by all. Got Beth in home on time for start of a colonoscopy prep (4p), so her good time ends for the time being.

Harriman woods at their best

GreenX, day 1 - Splits

Event: NEOC: Brooksby Farm
 

Sunday - (an abbreviation as what I wrote initially went into the ether somehow...grr....). Looked for all the world like rain but fortunately not. Shucks, one bad egg spoils the lot and that was #6. Plan was to contour but climb slightly to the path & know to turn L when I got there (would have made more sense to contour & turn right), arriving at the key junction - anyway route depended on being on that path curving to the SE. Was sure I was higher, turned L, went 50m, but did not see the jct. So I went anyway - got on the ridge after mostly green. It was white there, went down a bit to a boulder & decided where I was & took a bearing from there but (particularly in retrospect) the route did not match up - did not cross an old road or path. Very soon, I could see the bottom path & river & then was on it. I saw a trail jct that I could not find on the map.... Or there was one a very long way away...had I done something like a 90 deg?

Moved NE a bit along the path, saw Rick W coming down from above & stupidly went that way...up, up & up...to nowhere. Now planless, I returned to the path. Went quite a way to the NE this time, far enough to see the valley/stream. So I turned back & again came to the same baffling intersection. This time, there were more runners (green) coming from the W & I could finally see that the baffling intersection was a point were the two paths were closest. Went west, noted the boulders I’d initially seen, spotted a small reentrant & went again uphill. PG was coming down, so that reassured me as to locale - but still got to the height & had to look more than I cared. Other points amounted to a B/B+ run.

Anaomy of a leg (5>6)

Nice meet! Thanks DVOA.

Stopped in Liberty Corner on the way home to visit Carolyn & Woody. Woody died in 1996, Carolyn in 2011. There they were, their names etched in granite, side by side again & at long last. I first met the English family in 1966 & shared virtually another life with them. Beth shared many times too in latter years. Toward the end, we spent many a pleasant eve with Carolyn in the farmhouse kitchen..a farmhouse that looks out on old ways but surrounded by encroaching modernity with all its crassness. Then away we went, down the byway to the 287 rushing highway all the way to the crescendo of Route 17 in Mahwah where we are holed up in a new, spanking clean Super 8. I have had an inkling of visiting Harriman tomorrow (brought a NAOC 2000 map) but with the weather forecast, it doesn’t seem likely. Parts of the Midwest were wracked with storm earlier today and a watered-down version of bad weather is expected tomorrow.

Geese at Liberty Corner

C • Anatomy lesson 5

Hay Creek - Day 2 Brown X - Splits

Event: DVOA Fall Orienteering Festival
 

DVOA A meet, French Creek North map. Perfect weather. M65, Brown X. I'd give this an A - : good navigation for the most part, some good hunches and some good luck, too. Forgot that "check point" over the hill was a flag but that fell in place with a glance. For 2, started round to L but saw the small, indistinct path marked by a streamer & noted it would take me there. Phew! nearly wasted a minute or so had I failed to note. 3, saw charcoal pit halfway. 4 - went close to tower, got on spine of ridge but then, somehow, got a bit off it -- things didn't match, did not see the first bldr or boulder pair - had gone far enough down, felt like I needed to go due W. There were a few others looking like they might have come fm last good point on ridge - so I went due W feeling very uneasy, pace counted - could not make much of contours, then saw what looked like a reentrant & flag straight ahead. And it was mine. Next 2 went straight & pretty much kept in touch. 7 I noted it was due into the sun, so kept at it & followed hillside contours - maybe saw a reentrant but no charcoal platforms. Finally saw a flag to L about 90m away - was thinking I still had about 100m to go. Investigated - it was a stone pile & went ahead to my point. 8 - went over hilltop, did not see flag but saw runners to right & then could see it. 9 - lost maybe a minute - did not rely entirely on my own plan...a runner ahead distracted, then when flag came due, no flag. Some circling then someone took off & then Peggy D too who had also been about &, phew, that was it. 10 - straight to nearest loop & found an exit from there.

Very lovely countryside around French Creek. Visited Hopewell & Scott's Run Lakes. Geese honking on Hopewell this morning were ever so reminiscent of West Point on a spring morning. Very nice BPOE Lodge dinner with Saegers, Walkers, Rick W & Linda K & Jim A. Interesting place!

Scrapbook




Morning drops

French Creek - Day 1 BrownX - Splits

Drive WIth Beth & Z&M to Pottstown. Left 8a, and in a blink, it seemed, we were on 684, passing Cross River-Katonah but this wasn't to see WP or WPR. Went 3, 495, 290, 90, 84, 684, 287, 87, 95 over GWB, 78, 29-100, 393 mi., arrive 4:30, 2 stops, total about 40'. Passed fairly painlessly talking & listened to "Slaughterhouse 5" which is pretty entertaining. Only slow down was stop & go traffic around noon hour on Yonkers-Bronx stretch.

Guess I've managed to remind myself of past visits to FC & environs but needed maps to recall (& not well at that). '82, '84, '92, '01 & now. Also Lehigh area in '08. There was a time when easy miles-on-wheels was just the way it was.

AM Bower loop w/ Z&M, agreeable temp. Powder blue sky at the PL when we emerged from the woods. 1 truck, didn't see anyone.

SPS wander after work. Low 50s, very pleasant. Stopped at the artificial turf field, did some exercises & admired the surface. Saw one SPSer rolling skiing. I think I'll buy a set of roller skis - can't hurt.

C • can't hurt 4

BHS track around 4:15p - getting dark, 3/4th moon, calm & cold. Walk-run, too late in day for much else.

Nottingcook wander - plan was 60', on & off trail but then decided to look at some of perimeter for BOS stewardship & new view on things. Forgot a compass which would have been quite useful. Got to end of Hope La, then along Bower loop & then into woods. Picked up Peasley development & found a blazed boundary. First, it took me to a granite cornerstone on the O map & then a 90 deg turn. Followed for a while & then another 90 deg turn I think - have not looked at track. Marked a few stones. Finally was following a non-Notingcook boundary...Lyford property vs other. Had not field checked that area so it looked even more unfamiliar than things were looking given fact that I did not have compass & logging either distorted or disillusioned me so that I couldn't "see straight". Finally came upon a lane - did not recognize but only choice was Rosewood if not WH. Out to BBR & back. A cold sunless (early) day, 32F felt like freezing but if it were a snow-covered, sunny landscape, 32F might feel balmy.

Boundary perusal

Nottingcook wander with Z&M. Started at S. Bow Road kiosk, had a map & compass. Went over Great Hill, then yesterday's vantages and then the small view that had been restored, presumably by Bob D. Wandered around off trail, too, taking in the loveliness & good terrain available in Nottingcook. Mappin' as an itchn' came to mind - it's been 6 years, time for a redo or maybe Knox Rd TF from scratch.

Event: NEOC: High Rock
 

Event: WCOC - Ansonia Nature Center
 

Bear Brook, green Y 2. Gray, low 40s. Lots of mountain bikers and hunters but saw nothing on course. Pretty good at times, so so at others. Hardest terrain around given coutours, boulder quantity & low visibility.

to 1 - straightforward, path on L, knoll on right

to 2 - went to #9 & got on ride but failed to stay on correct one! Maybe 15 deg difference.

to 3 - thought I'd crossed all three rides but came upon the third, surprise....was too far right too

to 4 - OK, white woods & came out on ride about 100m N

to 5 - straightforward but not always in contact tho short leg

to 6 - easily hardest leg - went by marsh 40% of way - could not stay in close contact. Then had trouble staying in contact period. Was going straight, came upon 2 large boulders in NE-SW relationship; spent too much time puzzling, finally, finally figured it out with assoc boulders as well - looked up & knoll was not 25m ahead.

to 7 - could read these contours & also green marsh midway. Came upon a knoll & more marshy stuff, maybe not mapped but could see feature a ways away

to 8 - ends of rides & big green marsh made this fairly straightforward

to 9 - made my way to large green marsh then got on ride halfway along NW edge & managed to stay in north-going ride; had passed an hour earlier. Looked SO different w/o leaves!

to 10 - long way around, thru start, got on correct rides but wall was less distinct than mapped & maybe more green. Coming fm SW about near impossible....

to 11 - straight, did not see ruined wall but second was not too miss & 'green wall' to left made it secure but did not immediately recognize (had been there)

to 12- pretty much straight -was surprised to see I came out opposite marsh

QR

Green Y2 - Splits

Brush clearing & hauling on spur adjacent Great Hill with Beth & a few BOS people. I seldom find enthusiasm for such work but the end result is pleasing.

Monadnock & Crotched Mt. to the west


Looking NE over Nottingcook - a portion of Bow's best view (NNE to ESE)


Scared Mocha. A tree crashed to the ground which put her on high anxiety. Shortly after, she walked back to the car 1/4 mile away.

Purgatory loop, ccw. T low 40s, initially sunny, west wind - by finish, it was mostly gray with some hail. Beat - flat at 5mi, not a particularly positive attitude - long time since I last did this. Written log says 4/13/13, then 11/22 & 11/6/12, 103-109'. Chilly the last 3 mi into the modest wind. Drive home, eat, drink sugary coke & be merry cause the 'work' is over for the day. Maybe now to help Beth plant daffodil bulbs. As I write, a cricket chirps from a potted plant base - its been doing that episodically for about 5 weeks, ever since we brought plants inside.

C • Training time 3

Not much to this day. Went to SPS after work but it started raining as I stepped out of car. Warm enough anyway but not enthused. Considered the Y but instead drove toward home & BHS possibilities.

Wind sprints on BHS soccer field - got out of breath anyway, walked between. Something better tomorrow. Such a gray, uninspired day.
But recall My November Guest.

Bower loop with Z&M, just turned dark. Had a headlamp which I finally turned on. Could have done w/o on the trail I was on but a toy's a toy & a bright light toy needs playing with. Pleased that the battery lasted the 25' (& maybe more?) - had not used in several months & don't regard these made-in-China battery packs as paradigms of quality. Encountered several reflective "buttons" on trunks - not enough for a pattern, more a puzzle as to why there and why not more. Warm day, 52F at sunset which was one of those stunning mackerel skies (sp checker says "erel", doesn't look right).

QR

BB, Saturday Brown X retry. Warmer & no falls/blood to distract. Accurate, constant contact - went different ways when I could. Saw no one - had Hayes Field to myself. Will try a Sunday green next chance I get.

Found another French Creek map - this time USOC '92 on French Creek East, still 1/15, much more detail and difficult.

C • Good for 2nd place overall 3

Brown X - Splits

Concord's West End Trail, north to south. Dropped car off at Stickney Hill Rd. exit with Beth taking me to other end. Clear, fine day, chilly in shade per November. Didn't see anyone - a few cars in the one road crossing. No hunters - not sure of rules. This trail feels quite remote. Maybe the 4th time. Some attention to follow it in places - have to have 'heads up' as there are other trails near Carter Hill & leaf cover is quite significant. Missed once, entering a familiar field. Stopped a bunch for photos & ran-walked a bit, too. An agreeable November day is hard to beat, mostly due to increased vision. Nice to be done before noon, too.

Field today

Last February.

Marsh today

Last February.

Summer's ghosts

Event: NEOC: Powissett
 

Went to BB to run a Saturday brown (start 2p) & then to an UNO celebratory dinner in Salem. The day had cleared completely. It was clear blue & warm enough in the sun at Hayes but quite chilly in the shade. Tripped on deadfall on way to #2, cut my thumbing thumb and had to deal with blood on the route at hand as well as compass for just about the rest of the course. Also, every direction I turned, it seemed the sun was in my face - strange as that sounds. The white woods were so open & subtle. Rusty, bloody & distracted, watch stopped (distance/elapsed time a guess) - will try again another time. Beth walked over to Hayes marsh dam.

Very nice UNO dinner after at Deb & Bruce's place in Salem with the usual core members.

I look at this photo & say "wow, I can run forever here!" Wish I'd been there.

Another pleasant, warm day. Needed a close-by loop which became Dean, Knox, thru forest, back on BBR. Legs tired, couldn't beat 10'/mi. Met 5 hunters, 2 at trail head & three returning to their trucks (latter group more in the Billy Goat gruff MO). I thought hunters hunted dawn & dusk. They're as omnipresent as jellyfish today. Second encounter was around 12:45.

On the DP this am, spotted a hunter standing on a knoll under the PL, in the open (8:56, I noted). Changed course to avoid collision. One problem is that the dogs don't like "smoking sticks" & this has caused problems in past. Do need to get out the orange see-me-now outfits. Also open house at the Bow Meeting house with bells ringing, lots of people - feels like a Sunday.

Nottingcook loop via Allen, South Bow Road, Ordway. Day was warm, began gray with rain, then complete clearing, nearly 70F...how nice! Met Beth at end of Ordway with Z&M. Got lost right after Ordway Cemetery due to logging changes & disappearance of a key old, small trail. A sign said "Ordway Cemetery 1834", which was chained off, seemingly to keep recent changes - anything but quaint - at bay. Wandered east & north thru lots of laurel. Finally spotted an old SVT, recognized it & we were on our way. Met one hunter with rifle (not hunting season yet?) and another fellow with a dog, commenting on how nice it was to be in the woods today.

Ran in brand new New Balance shoes - picked, in part, for color (avoid garish) as well as support & cushioning. Cost too little to confess to - so will call it an experiment. Color is black & so not much to show for some of the stuff we encountered wandering thru thickish, wet stuff in search of a way through.

November 1 pix

Ordway lane "lantern"


Woodbury barn, Nottingcook A meet Saturday start bus drop, 6 years, one month ago


Would you let this dog in your house?