Training Log Archive: CleverSky

A piece of the Midstate with Nancy, including a few stops at benches. Pretty good breeze mostly kept the bugs away. Looks like I've got 1000 km on these shoes at this point; I'm quite pleased with them, the second pair I've had from this company, and the first pair was also very satisfying. As expected, it appears that they no longer make shoes.

From the car to the start of the hike.

Midstate Trail, Spencer to Charlton. This isn't a particularly interesting part of the trail, because a substantial part of it is on roads. Most are paved, although some of those were torn up for resurfacing, and one stretch has a sign indicating that it's a "scenic road", which I guess is a euphemism for dirt. A little warmer than last night, but also less humid. Ultra pace, i.e. walked the uphills. Lots of little bugs eager to form a cloud in front of my face, but there was a good breeze that took them away when I got out of the sheltered areas. I should have brought my waist pack to carry my phone and a water bottle, but I didn't, so I just took a good drink from the bike bottle before I started, and carried the phone in my hand.

This sign had me perplexed, I think it speaks for itself:


The crossing of the Mass Pike was just a road bridge, but the crossing of Rte. 20 was more interesting:

On my way home from work, a fairly large cherry tree fell across the road, presumably shortly before I arrived because there were not so many cars stopped in front of me, but they quickly piled up behind me. I could see somebody dragging branches off the road, so I got out to help, as did a few others. One guy apparently had a chainsaw in his car, because he had already lopped off some larger limbs and was going after the trunk just off the shoulder when I arrived. Several of us picked it up and deposited it in the ditch, and we were all well on our way when the police cruiser came zooming by. Life in a rural town.

WBSE, In The Dim. Slightly cool but rather humid. I felt kind of blah starting out, but felt like I ought to get some exercise, and I was moving more or less okay by the end. (I've also been dizzy for the last four or five days.) This was intended to be the Challenge Loop, but I made a wrong turn shortly after leaving Old City Road, and did the extra oak-leaf shaped bit around km 2, which definitely added some distance.

Ascutney gear hike, sharing the load with PK. First we went out with our harness bags and my glider, but about 2/3 of the way there PK had to give up on his harness because the pack sticks up too high and was interfering with having the glider on his shoulder (he kind of had to walk sideways). When we dropped my stuff off, I scampered back and grabbed his pack and scooted it out to launch while he walked back to the parking lot, and I caught up to him just about when he got there. Then out again with his (heavier) glider. Hard work.

Followed by a rather nice flight.