Training Log Archive: Swampfox

If you do much O' training in the woods (though where else would you do much O' training--ha!), you go through a lot of socks--or at least I do. In light of that observation, it was a shock several days ago to discover that a reserve supply of 7 identical pairs socks have gone missing. Several searches have not turned up the socks, therefore the overwhelming odds are that somehow a sockosaurus was able to enter my house, consume the socks, and exit undetected. Quite alarming. Or even more alarming: it is somewhere still in my house, ready to spring out at most any time and consume more socks...

C • Sockosaurus 4

Ran an old Red course at West Medicine Bow in the afternoon. The course line took me into an area that underwent fire treatment by the Forest Service earlier in the year, which was interesting--it looks like they were targeting ground juniper. I could show them a lot more of that elsewhere (like up at Happy Jack)!

More recent beaver activity in the main drainage on the map made the crossing there somewhat, ummm, adventurous--yes, that's the word I want. ; )

Besides one big heron and several deer, it seemed I had the place to myself. Certainly there were no other orienteers.

Ran jeep trails at Remarkable Flats, picking up an unremarkable two beer cans along the way.

Rode out to Herrick Lane and as far as the underpass at I-80, and turned back from there. Good for 2 1/2 hours; steady strong wind out of the west, which is why I decided to head west first.

The underpass has served as a nesting spot for a colony of mud swallows for as long as I can remember, but I only saw one today and some of the nests didn't look to be in good shape, which makes me wonder if something ha happened to this particular colony.

There was a conspicuous, dark plume of smoke coming from the fire to the SW by early afternoon. Light haze more or less everywhere, just as it has been for most of July.

Ran late in the day to close out the month, up at Happy Jack. As usual, saw many mountain bikers, and no runners. Never could figure out the skies to the west--whether they were dark clouds of rain that never rained, or dark mixtures of clouds plus forest fire smoke. Now no meaningful rain at my house since July 4, and may have to uproot everything and prepare a conversion to cacti and yucca soon.

Streamering at Pelican Bay. Saw many cattle, few (no) orienteers. Ran through a lot of bitterbrush.

Orienteering at Remarkable Flats. Sunny and warm in the sun about 95% of the time, cooling relief 5% of the time when clouds interdicted the sun. Legs were working better today, with some amount of spring in them rather than stiff clumsiness, so some more progress.

No cows, but I did spook up 2 pretty good sized bull elk with impressive antlers. Also, one mountain biker had parked near my truck and was just getting ready to get started as I was finishing up. It wasn't anyone I knew but I said hello anyway.

Funny/strange to me that for the past few weeks the light for the middle part of the day seems bright white in nature, and very different than the way the light seems at an equal time interval on the other side of the summer solstice. Somehow for a given temperature, it seems warmer than it would back in May. Maybe it has something to do with the amount of smoke haze in the air now.

Streamering at Bisbee Hill. Lots more downed trees than when I've last been out in the wooded areas, and in places there is a good bit of young aspen growth emerging to take advantage of the removed pine canopy.

Saw two moose. I thought they were cows, but I didn't see any calves with them, and didn't get great looks at them as they were in an area of thickish forest.

Sad news this afternoon about the passing of Mil Plant. While I was driving out to the hills, I thought about both Mil and Jim. They (and their van) were fixtures at the 1000 Day, always smiling, always helpful. I used to make more regular trips between Laramie and Lake George, and I stopped by their house in Frisco any number of times. They were always so welcoming!

I did some streamering at Forrest Meadows, and ran easy while I was doing that. I could feel my legs a little from yesterday, which I regard as a good sign--it means I was actually doing some effective work.

In places the map is showing some age--mostly some new aspens springing up, and several groves now having grown larger. And of course any number of areas where pine trees have succumbed to beetles. But mostly it's still good, certainly good enough, and it's always fun to run there.

With so little rain the past few weeks, the under-vegetation is getting rather crunchy.

I found one nice mule deer shed, and brought it back home with me. I also found a small herd of cattle, but upon reflection, I left them where I found them.

Quite hazy in the afternoon with smoke from the fire off to the SW. According to the Denver Post, "hot, humid weather and strong winds fueled extreme fire behavior" today. Though I wonder about the humid part of that.