Training Log Archive: Charlie

Event: WCOC Tarrywile Meet
 

Tarrywile WCOC meet red course. Woefully slow, but navigation ok. There was a route that crossed a large OB area. I took it seriously and went around, which added both distance and climb. First part in particular very rocky and green. Near the end there was a control description on top of a 5 m. cliff. Lost a fair amount of time and energy climbing 5 m. cliffs in the area before finding it on a 0.5 m cliff. Yikes!

Red - Splits

Around Roger Williams Park, mostly roads, some grass. Took one sidetrip down to look at a sort of Lincoln Memorial looking structure, but no indication of what it meant - no inscriptions or anything. Hotel was full last night so stayed in a B&B south of Providence. Big, old, well maintained, very pleasant. Running not so great - pain in the R knee, very sluggish.

C • RWP 3

At the hotel in the am.

Major bear event today. The DEP came to tag and collar the bear in my woods and tag and measure the cubs. After some equipment gathering and practicing, the DEP officer shot the mom in the leg with a tranquilizer dart fitted with a radio telemetry device, in case she ran. She did not. After about 10 minutes she was woozy enough for the biologist to climb into the den and pull out the squalling babies - two fine male cubs, approximately two months old. Then, the whole party pulled mom out of the den, and submitted her to various indignities, including getting pink ear tags (#2-6) and a radio collar, and having a microchip implanted between the shoulder blades. Early estimates were that she might weigh 150, and the general range of sows is supposed to be 120 to 200, but she topped out at a healthy 228. Because she was bigger, the dosage was a little low, and she was treated to a little extra to keep her down.

The cubbies had to be held inside coats to keep them warm, and were quite cuddly. I'll try to figure out a way to post pictures, of which I have several. They were 7 and 7.5 pounds, and one of them has pleasing blonde ears and muzzle, and the other a blond chin. Mom is coal black.

The cubs will stay with mom for another year, but will all be out of the den in another month or thereabouts, which means the den can probably be a control site this summer.

After about an hour and a half, mom got pushed back into the den, and the babies in after her, arranged to be cozy, but still pretty indignant.

Quite a fine experience!

C • The cubs -- 17

NYT & Uconn women's BB at the hotel in the evening. Go Huskies!

With the Courant - pretty sprightly all the same.

Art Sweeton loop with Hazel, plus a trip down to the mailbox for the mail. Kind of cold - not too good on the uphills.

At Mashamoquet. Got a very early start (6:45) as I left the house at 5:20 to take Rhonda and Jess to the airport. Very cold. Mostly walking, and a bit of running from time to time. Met up with J-J around 10 or so and kibitzed as he cleaned up the NE part fo the map. Really tired when I got home. Watched the Huskies squeak by Kentucky and need to crash.

C • Go UConn!!!;-} 4