Training Log Archive: Swampfox

Rode for 2 1/2 hours out past Big Hollow. On the way back, I caught a little off-side spray from a passing rain cloud, but that was okay. It cooled me down and washed me off, and now I probably won't need to shower for a few days at least.

Later, I headed up to Happy Jack for some trails. First fun thing was a yearling cow moose standing in the forest just a little off of HQs Trail. It looked to me like it would let me skirt by on the trail so long as I took it nice and easy, which I did, getting at closest about 20' to the moose. Don't try it at home, folks (I did have two trees between me and it.)

Next fun thing was coming across the group of stray yearling cows I had seen being chased around by a cowboy and his dog and pony the other day. (Should I say it or not? Yes, I shall, I can not resist.) They were all looking utterly uncowed by the experience. ....if you....can just get...your mind together....

Anyway, it was fun seeing those cattle again and I gave them my compliments.

Massive numbers of dragonflies were out, the first day there have been large numbers patrolling up top this season. There were even quite a few of the largest class of dragonfly--the man-O'-war class, capable of consuming upwards of 360 mosquitoes today. Needless to say, mosquito season will be coming to a quick end now.

Considering what I did yesterday and the bike ride today, my legs felt surprisingly fresh, even on the hills. I am sure the performance-enhancing-pizza I have been making has nothing to do with that.

C • Should I say it? 1

O' at Pelican Bay, 12.3 kms, 37 controls, a lot of sage, many cow cows, a lot of bitterbrush, three cow elk, one orienteer. Almost no bears (plenty of bear over-turned rocks, however.) Ran at midday; warm, but still comfortable.

One humiliation (kind of a victory to have only one!): I had set a loop at the far end of the course, beginning and ending with a common control; the 4 lines leading into/out of that control were too much for my pea brain, and I headed out on the loop in reverse order. I didn't get too far before noticing my mistake, but far enough along so that plenty of nearby cows were also able to observe.

In order to get back on course, I had to run right through a herd scattered out on a prairie area, all laying down in the sun and chewing their chew (cuds). Usually in this situation cows will start to pay attention to you as you get closer, and eventually they reluctantly (seemingly) will get to their feet and move on off if you get too close. But not these cows, not today--it was as if I could see them in the finest detail, while I was invisible and noiseless to them, because they didn't even so much as twitch an ear, let alone swivel their heads around. Afterwards I wondered if I could have touched one of them. But probably not.

Set off to run trails at Happy Jack right after a cowboy and his pony and cattle dog got up the trailhead in front of me. When I next saw them, circa 35 minutes later, the pony was at full gallop in a meadow near Brown's Landing, with 6 stray yearling cattle in front of it. The dog was barking and it looked like quite a time! Though I couldn't figure out what the cowboy had in mind--the meadow they were in was only about 300-400m big and surrounded by forest, the next nearest pasture was quite a ways off, and in any event there wouldn't be any nearby gate into the next pasture. But you have to figure a cowboy on his pony knows what he's doing and how to handle cattle.

When I next saw them all, now maybe another 20 minutes later, the cowboy looked as if he might be getting exasperated, the dog definitely looked tired, and the yearling cattle were as feisty as ever and looking like they were enjoying it all. And then one of the yearlings split off from the group with some speed, headed straight for some heavier timber and entered it. The cowboy took after the cow and he and his pony disappeared into the timber as well, which impressed me because I wouldn't have thought they could have fit in there (it would have been pretty tight for a runner just trying to get through without doing too much bobbing and weaving.) Terrible crashing noises! Lots of sticks and branches snapping and breaking! Then, silence.... Next thing I saw, the cow was streaking out of the wooded area and straight down a steep slope through scattered trees and sage, and there was no sign of the cowboy. Score one for the cow?

Skies were threatening rain the entire time--it had already rained once, with many puddles on the trails--and once again I had expected to end up getting soaked, sooner or later. But once again I lucked out, and I made it back to my truck just as the skies were opening up again. A lucky swampfox is a happy swampfox.

The cowboy had got back before I did, and his truck and trailer were gone; I expect he will be returning with reinforcements next time out.

Cruise intervals under gray skies, with lightning in the distance from an advancing storm. Happily, it didn't advance fast enough, and I finished before it got started. Really felt good, and starting from my usual marks I was getting further down the trail each time than I can ever recall. Maybe my watch is starting to age and slow down? That would be one explanation! ; )

I went out biking in the afternoon as a storm was approaching from the west, and once it was over the Snowies and approaching the valley proper, it sent out curved horns of advance rain far off to both sides--in a typical Zulu attack formation, and once the two horns curved completely around and met up, I was entrapped, with the main body advancing from the west.

However, my situation wasn't immediately dire as 1) it wasn't raining yet right where it was, plus 2) no lightning, plus 3) I had my own plan. And my plan was to lure the main body into close proximity, and then hightail it for home at top speed, hopefully getting back just before the main assault began. This would ensure an ample amount of rainfall (hopefully) ending up in my yard, and that's how you take advantage of a Zulu rainstorm attack.

It worked to perfection--this time! Ha! However I can recount many other times when they were total fails.

Once the rains petered off to a mild drizzle, I headed out to go running at Happy Jack. It was quite late, so I thought I might have the trails to myself, but there was one car for a mountain biker in the parking lot.

I had checked the weather radar before leaving home, and I really had expected to maybe get started more or less dry, but to get soaked by one or more passing clouds sooner or later, and so I dressed accordingly in some clothes that would be fine for running while wet, and which could use the washing anyway. I figured it could be good training for Scottish running conditions.

In fact, besides a very few drops just as I was starting out, it never did rain again--it just threatened the whole time.

Running along mindlessly and enjoying not getting soaked in cold rain, things came to a screeching halt at one point when I noticed a dark object up ahead, blocking the trail where the trail ran through a small grove of short, young aspen trees. Cow? Darth Vader? Cloak of Death?

No. It was a bull moose. A very large bull moose with very large antlers still in velvet, and therefore still growing. It looked at me very nonchalantly, and then went back to munching some aspen. It was cool just watching it for a bit, and then I noticed there were too many legs for a bull moose--it was not one bull moose but two, standing side by side, and the second moose had an even larger set of antlers in velvet. I watched for a little while longer but it got to the point where I was ready to continue, and I really wanted to continue along the trail, which presented an obvious problem. I thought that maybe if I moved a little closer they would just pick up and vacate, but they didn't, and now I was starting to feel like I was a little uncomfortably close--I don't know, 45' or so away from them. And there wasn't anything really good I could jump behind right where I was, just in case. Then I could see they had raised their hackles, which is not the way moose show they are just being friendly.

So I backed off slowly, left the trail, and made a big loop around them through the woods, and that was that.

It's so random--just a week or so ago I had remarked to a friend that I hadn't seen a moose in weeks, and in the past several days I've seen three, including the two biggest I've ever seen locally!

Very hazy out by the afternoon, easily discerned from the trails at Happy Jack. The thickest haze was to the west and south and I couldn't make up my mind whether it was just the usual sort of haze that gets generated along the Front Range during hot and dry weather, or if it was some forest fire(s) near and/or far, or what. As a general observation, I believe the air is getting hazier on average with each passing summer.

Lots of bikers out as is usual, and I crossed paths with another runner--less usual. Mountain biking reins supreme at Happy Jack these days.

Another hot day, and, if the forecasts hold up, tomorrow will be the 7th straight day above 80F--a new record--for just a brutal stretch of weather. Dogs spend all day loitering in the shadows and don't show even the merest hint of interest at chasing rabbits or mailmen, fishermen go down the river and open beer rather than their tackle boxes, bees only visit every other flower, and I even heard that some AC company was successful in making a sale of a small window AC unit to some rich family in town.

It's worse at night. Sometimes the temperature doesn't even drop below 50F, and of course when that happens and you leave ice cream out on the counter overnight, bad stuff happens. Like I said, just brutal.