Training Log Archive: bl

Nottingcook with W. Hadn't been there in a while. Lots of foot prints, some tire tracks, no skis or snowshoes. Had 4 pm sun last part - bright, blue cloudless day, wind was down, still cold though. Nice outing. January almost done.

Went to Concord for a brief look at the ice sculpture contest. Cold, noisy fun for a bit.

C • Nice guitar! 2

With Beth & W at SPS. Wanted an easy surface, minimizing hidden ice. Wandered in and out of woods and fields. A super cold and windy day. SPS nordic was out skiing on just-enough-snow w/ groomed sections. Fun for effort before making a hot coffee stop by town pond and then calling it a day. Even now, TGIF has impact. Big beautiful full moon last night.

SPS, gray, calm day. Walked across fields onto the XC course which I used alot in past. Took a walk onto a peninsula of old hemlocks which was gorgeous. At home, followed the course of the Turkey River fm Little Turkey Pond to the Merrimack. Met 1 woman with old golden. Saw another on the field ahead - also woman/golden combination.

Winant Park - hadn't been there in a few years. Started on John Winant Tr., then Joan Winant Tr., finally Rivington Winant Tr. back again to John W's Tr to parking. I had been on most of that before but my recollection was not very good - only on a few parts, incl. fine view of SPS and distant hills.

Meeting walkers and dog walkers to lesser extent has become a mixed bag - mostly good for the latter. One crazy guy came out of nowhere & shouted to the hills "go away, dog, get out of here!!" or similar. W., not tethered, had gone to say hello. Not two minutes later, when he said his nice walk had been spoiled by loud noise, I didn't bite my tongue. I find myself less tolerant of some people s/p the Trump era. I did wonder if he might have been mentally challenged. Hard to say in the brief encounter.

Started sunny but as I drove to EMSP, it was getting gray in the SE. All gray around time we started. Very quiet. Met 3 people going to dike, one on the other end with a yellow lab and a lady with < 2 y/o golden - good fun for W and her dog. Seems a great place for ice skaters being very large and varied but never see any or signs that say no skating.

Off Parsons with W. Went there at Beth's suggestion since it had been awhile, therefore refreshing. After the small frozen pond and the cluster of boulders, I recognized almost nothing until exiting the woods. I had decided that a bit to the left of the sun was the default return direction. The woods are hemlock and mostly all knolls as well as generally open. I did come to a marked corner for the Meadowsend easement and had been there a few times in the past. But, again back into nothing that I could ID. At one point, I could see I'd only gone 0.25 mi - it seemed twice that. There were footprints and some paths I did not recall. Finally, I just stuck to a direction right toward the sun and eventually saw part of a house. I crossed frozen swamp, thinking that the most direct route to the road. I walked up an embankment onto a significant trail, looked left and was most surprised to see that I'd entered the forest about 20m from where I exited. All that in 0.6 mi. Felt like 2 mi.

Hammond NP w/ W. It was a NW nasty cold morn yet bright & sunny. Got in woods which was OK. Trees were creaking and groaning as they do in cold wind. Still later, with more shelter, it was routine. Went to beaver pond for a look and, when I got to Eagle Tr., went down to the brook. When I got to the field, I sat against a tree in warm shelter. Got windier as I crossed the field. Nice to get a bit out of comfort zone.