Training Log Archive: bl

Nottingcook wander. Came home, not sure what next but noted Beth’s Monday ladies’ luncheon friends were still there at 3p so drove on to the brush dump. Private, easy to change. Lovely day for it too, 70F earlier. Made my way to the Bog and beaver dam & noted the bog was entirely full and water was flowing over the dam. There were fresh beaver knawings on nearby trees. So just maybe…. It could be that water was flowing in way faster than the outlet allowed and there is still a rent that I could not see today. All the feeder streams are working overtime. Time will tell.

Also stopped at the “shooting gallery” to see if any early season abuse & found some fresh evidence of target shooting. Counted 20 cans of “American Spirit” ‘non-addictive’ tobacco at $34.99/can - empty of course but full of bullet holes. It is a dim reptilian brain that brings 20 cans, shoots them up and then leaves them on the ground behind. Leave a clean wake and one might get a break. Leave a dirty one and attract resentment like flies to shit.

Great April day - roads were maybe 40% covered with not-too slippery old, debris-laden ice, making for the right amount of AC.

Event: NEOC: Prospect Hill
 

At Bear Brook with Ernst. We put out 45 streamers for the New England Challenge meet 4/26. It was around 60F, sunny. Still 80% snow-covered in the woods. Did the north section, stopped for lunch and then the south section. Saw 2 moose which ran right across our path about 50 yards away.

After lunch. Pretty tired given snow to contend with. Lots of small debris on forest floor from the winter. More than I remember. Also a new bumper crop of white pine seedlings in many parts.

UNO Mine Falls by Pete B and Mike Commons. Did red, 5.5k. Blustery day, cold if working at/standing around S/F. Good to get feet wet (on the new season) so to speak; also got feet truly wet mostly due to mediocre route choice. Give myself a B/B-. Didn't even see second powerline on map (admittedly yellow is too light) which really threw me off on way to first flag. Dumb on others, too - particularly #3 where I took the left route which involved two stream crossings:( vs none. Points were low in the three pits as they need to be in spring, so there was some back and forth on 2 of those. 8-9' errors total, 4.5' possibly on the first point. A lot of stop and go for me today as in wind sprints, something high time due. Nothing like hard work to get anywhere, eg, improve in CV arena.

Hit watch button on something and not sure what it was trying to tell me last few minutes but splits were recorded.

Missed messing up a toe or two big time earlier today: a 50ish lb bronze centerboard trunk casing fell down below on the boat, landing in part on my right foot. Now a black and blue distal half 4th toe and what appears to be a blackening great toe nail. If the latter goes, it will be the third one. First time summer 2013 hiking in Whites with Phil B, then the fill-in last summer (that was mostly finished) and now this. A bit of blood but no problem weight bearing.

Warmup - a bunch of 50/50s.

Red - Splits

BHS look-see, tried poleless skate. 2" snow yesterday whitened the fields. Rained last night though & was still raining in the am but eventually stopped so I went to see what it would be like. First surprise was how black the track was - 90% snow- free but the grass more than 95% snow-covered & no sun since before yesterday. I learned one can skate on 1/2" of snow on a surface such as the track (there was some snow cover) & it can work on grass with 1" snow, grass tips sticking up. Had it been colder (than the 37F), it would have been better.

C • Skiing on track 3

Went to Page Road lot for a look-see as it has come on the radar re conservation easement or other. Had Z&M along & walked about 200m and returned as M was having too many breathing episodes. Left them in the car and wandered along logging rides til I came upon houses. Then left, into uncut woods and kept turning left til I crossed my tracks. I actually stopped to take a picture of wild turkey tracks and then saw my own so was suitably surprised. Some postholing, up to 12". Going was better under thicker canopy. Surprised to find that much snow. Thick fog on the hills.

North arrow?

An entrance to a wood

Hopkinton loop, long time passing. Around 40F but snowing hard at end. So tired, did a lot of walking on hills. Walked too much but got thru it & later noted slowest ever. No base in place! Looked around on such a gray, barren day: old farm houses in need of paint, woods, fields, walls; one field mud and water with one high spot populated with livestock settled down, right by the fence and road. Gray sky and trees, light brown fields and dark brown mud and the red brown of the cows, all staring intently at me. Passed by the Eddys' old place, empty.

Luti loop from Audubon parking. Gray, mid40s, quite nice after a while.
First 'bonafide' run effort in quite a while.