Training Log Archive: Funderstormin

Had planned on a short ski from the place I was staying but woke up feeling like a run instead, so I toured some of the lovely quiet country roads from where I was staying, then hit the road by 9:30 for the long 8.5 hour drive home!

Aside from starting the drive on Wednesday night in the aftermath of the storm, I lucked out with perfect winter weather on all three days of the trip, which made me incredibly grateful!

Many, many delicious Vermont IPAs were consumed to negate all of the outdoor activity (and probably more...)!

C • Hurricane Hunter DIPA 2

Out to seek revenge on Elmore mountain which Kristen and I tried to climb in late November but were unprepared for the amount of snow that Vermont already had. This time I had a full arsenal of tools to get me to the summit. Started in microspikes up to the trailhead then switched to much needed snowshoes to get up to the top. The trail had seen some activity but it was still deep and soft and a ton of work.

For the last 10 minutes or so, I switched back to microspikes as the trail was narrow, steep and covered in ice. It was challenging enough just to do the switchover as there was nowhere flat to take one off and put the other on. It was definitely sketchy but there were some prints that told me it was doable! For the last ten feet, the one tool that I didn't have and would have needed was an ice axe, so I had to settle for getting just below the summit, which I still considered a success. I was only able to access one of the two trails so will need to check out the other, which is along a ridge line, when I am there next in the non-snow season!

An absolutely stunning day for cross-country skiing at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, where they have close to 100km groomed trails all over the countryside. Definitely some of the nicest skiing I had ever enjoyed, on a perfect day - literally not a cloud in the sky! The only challenge is that my body gets tired before my heart does. When I realized I'd just about had enough I was about 5km and many big hills away from the center!

C • Craftsbury 2

Long weekend in Vermont - one of my favourite places in the world!

Spent most of the day driving but went out just before sunset on a snowshoe trail up a hill at the back of the inn I was staying.

It was labelled on a map as a snowshoe trail but no one had snowshoed it in some time so it was hard work! Totally worth it for the spectacular sunset though! :-D