Training Log Archive: Charlie

With Fazli and Rhonda, just a little farther than yesterday morning, and as far as we could go on Eel Point. More wildlife, including a bunch of really handsome oystercatchers preening for us, various sanderlings, sandpipers and plovers. Really missing out by not having binoculars, but a beautiful day and a beautiful walk. Rescued two more horseshoe crabs, stranded upside down next to the water. I hope they were happy to get dunked back in.

With Rhonda and Fazli along the beach west to Eel Point and back. Stunning scenery, saw no other people, very clean. AOWN count included several seals out by the point, greater black-backed and herring gulls, adults and immatures; lots of cormorants, egrets, lots of nesting piping plovers. Rescued a large horseshoe crab who had gotten flipped over by the surf and was stuck on his back. If we hadn't flipped him over he would certainly have made a meal for a gull.

Another nice hike at Nantucket conservation property off Madaket Road, down to the south shore and back. Grasslands, ponds, scrublands, and finally the beach. Very nice walk. Lots of birds, shadbush and high bush blueberries in bloom.

Wahoo app is not downloading tracks. Hope to get them when I get home.

C • Wahoo 5

Along the beach at Eel Point with Rhonda and Fazli, from Fazli's daughter's wonderful place.

Another very pleasant walk, this time at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation, directly across Eel Point Road. Wonderful.

C • Nantucket? 11

Rhonda's morning class, well attended. Karen, Jan, Laurann

Around W Simsbury with Rhonda. Surprised that it was spitting a little. Pretty sticky this morning.

Rhonda's morning class, with Karen. Really stiff and sore after o yesterday.

PT session. 10 minute warm-up on the elliptical, then lots of stretches and exercises, left me in a bit better condition, however temporarily.

Family outing from Pleasant Valley, me, Rhonda and Zack.

Trimming laurel along the dog loop with the brush mower. Pretty hard work. The mower does a good job, but there are rocks to look out for, and I don't want to cut any of the other stuff growing along the sides. Eventually ran out of gas, but I was only 150 yards from the barn by then, so pretty lucky.

Event: WCOC Mashamoquet State Park
 

Some pre-o limbering, before getting in the car to stiffen up again on the way to Mashamoquet.

Red course at Mashamoquet Brook SP. Nice course by Rich N. Hot day. I think some folks opted for Green, might have been smart. My back was pretty tied up after about 7 controls.

Trail for a bit, then straightish to 1, noting the promised big unmapped stonewall on the way. A little high on the way to 2, mostly to get around a big deadfall, then saw the flag off to my left where I was generally looking for it. On compass from the field corner to 3, moving a little right to get around some laurel. Over the wall and R of the not very convincing marsh, could see the tree and the flag from a distance. A couple of green runners coming in from another direction.

Tried to thread my way through the laurel on the way to 5, got hung up a few times, popped out on the trail and looked for the low spot, and across, in good contact all the way in. Headed south for 6 to the big rocks and tried to angle toward the control, but got sucked way too far uphill, had to hunt a bit, finally found the big cliff, but no control. So where would it be if not here? Tried the next one down and voila!

Down the ridge line toward 7, getting tired, thinking I'd gone a long way, looked in a few reentrants on the way, finally got there. 8 was pretty easy, although the area wasn't much field-checked. Looking for the big cliff and reentrant, found it, and then not too far beyond it. Heading more or less along the bottom of the slope toward 9, above the marsh, headed up and doing fine, but came to another marsh and thought for a bit that it was the one just S of the control, so hunted in mt laurel for a bit until I confirmed it was not. Then up hill to the bag, easy, but a slow climb up there with a very sore back.

Heading to 10. Second time going through the laurel across, this time finding a clearer path. Then N along the trail, cutting off when it started to get steeper, above the big cliff, but then not heading down close enough to the marsh, checking a bunch of tiny re-entrants before realizing I needed to be lower.

Followed the stream to 11, trail for a while, cutting the corner to 12, although 12 was pretty hidden. Started to go down the steep hill, decided I wasn't in that much of a hurry and went around, but got confused about what was a stream and what was a pond, so lost a bit on 13.

Map and route - click on map for doma view.



Pretty nice crowd developing around the finish by the time I left, but I had to get home. Nice visit with J-J. Always fun to see him.

C • My recollection is that the... 6

About to head off for bed, heavily dosed on vitamin I. Back is extremely tight and sore after today's o-course. Maybe there won't be too many more red courses.

RED - Splits