Training Log Archive: bl

Token orienteering at Pawtuckaway on the way back from Eliot visiting the boat which I hadn't seen since 11/24. I defaulted to Siri to take me to PSP from Dover via Lee which proved a bad idea beyond Lee taking extra time although I saw many old farmhouses and woods and fields filled and covered with snow. Prime NH countryside.

Should have had a copy of the map that allowed me to enter the woods right by the park entrance booth vs have to walk about 10' each way to map's edge. Woods were snowy/pretty. Didn't get very far into the park though.

Winter slumber in rural New Hampshire.

a Pawtuckway White Diamond Tr.

C • Lee to PSP 4

Another woods walk around noon to see the Boulder La. proposal for the Gardner subdivision. Nice woods - I never would have seen until threatened for the chopping block.

Token but not without "adventure". Hard crust for the most part. Heading down anything sl. steep was inviting trouble. Spent some time again following and wondering re the significance of several lines of streamers. Got to far side of marsh, then along the contours. Crossed the stream where it was < 3' from bank top to bank to top as the other side was flatter and hadn't been there recently either.

Vegetation closed in pretty much behind neighbor's house. Managed to fall hard ('head jar') on only snow-covered ground. Ski bindings requiring firm pressure on a nickle-sized surface for release I find to be a failing design, for me anyway. Needed to get a ski against a tree to remove it. Then went 50 yds & fell again --- after all the satisfactory maneuvering before. Crust seemed doubly hard near the end but it was probably me. Walked in by the garage & left the skis there.

Calm as could be, not a sound. Not a flutter of wings. Usual abundance of turkey and deer tracks. One set was dog-like, probably fox.

Close to two hours on a site walk for the proposed subdivison off Bow Bog.
Some 20 attended. Nice day, bright & white & not too cold.

UNO winter walk & party. Met in parking at Silver Lake SP. Perfect eve: bright moonlight, calm, T around 32F. Snow mobile trails were very icy, microspikes or similar were necessary. Didn't really need headlamps which were detracting from "winter woods in moonlight". Maybe as many as 25 people, perhaps 1/2 that I didn't know, I think Pete & Lex's alpine friends. Nice, full-house party after.

Two woods walks today with groups of c. 20 - not the usual fare for outdoors activity.

Two x 15' on treadmill.

Sore back on & off for at least 6 wks., not sure what that's about as is often the case with MSK issues. Hernia sx are behind.

On Town Pond to see what that was like. Crust a bit too soft. Interesting to have the run of it though, along the edges etc. Then to town for Valentine's dinner with Beth at Margaritas.

Token but fine outing at end of day. Worked, came home, napped. Poor night's sleep, and a day that began with shoveling of unexpectedly crusted snow. I wanted to go somewhere & but not in woods as it was getting dark. Hammond came to mind & was perfect. The field had a crust that supported my weight. A bit late for sunset but still a pleasant end to the day. Stopped at Hammond cemetery (1804)...a commanding view of field and sunsets for many years.

Walk out back on an otherwise inside, stay-at-home day with a winter storm watch evening in store. Easy enough to walk across frozen swamp, then up the contours, along the top, then into the green, thick part of the forest. Lost a good part of my sense of direction having to change course due to downed trees etc. Still managed to come out on the SVT adjacent to the bog. Walked along the power line and then turned back into the woods, more open though. Then it was over the knoll-ridge-spur system where we used to spend occasional nights in a tent. And still (usually) say we will again (24 yrs at this address), come May. Finally return across the wetlands where, nowadays, I don't have any familiar landmarks, trees are close and I'm not confident where I'll end up. Today, I was about 100m to the left. There was a 12' by 8" by 1.75" board across the 10" deep, 8' wide stream. It cracked once when I was about 2/3rds way across but "permitted" passage.

I saw lots of deer and turkey prints. I rarely see anything alive in winter woods. Our friends this winter have been the same turkeys, the same grey & red squirrels, the same few deer and, just the other night, two raccoons on the patio, a first. Over the years, we've surmised their being responsible for minor damage but have never seen any. There have been moose and fox over the years as well but not recently. Coyotes used to howl from Nottingcook but again not in a long time.

We've become fond of the turkeys, coming twice daily for months. A few times, the toms pecked at the window, ie, as in demanding more food, different food or whatever. More recently, these two toms (w/ 4-6 hens) have been "all display" portending mating season. Today's "all display".