Training Log Archive: jima

Setting out some more flags.
Knee generally feeling OK - but was still being cautious on it.

Hanging some flags for a probable BYOM event.
Was tough to get out the door, so it was mid-late afternoon. Pulled just the flags I thought I had time for, then when I got past the beaver dam, realized I'd left the map in my truck...
Glad I had a good headlamp with me - fun to do some night-O control hanging. Have been to most of the locations previously and flagged many of them. Well, I'd been to all of them during the course of making the map, but had done some course design and visited spots to confirm descriptions.
Had my knee in a brace - felt OK for the most part. Discovered it is not good to attempt to flick branches off the trail with that leg.

Knee doing better - walking is pretty much normal. Can still feel it twinge a little occasionally - grandkids and work have taken up enough of my day that I haven't had the energy to get out the door for a run of any kind.

Uncomfortable enough on night 1 that sleep was intermittent. but not as bad on night 2.
IB and periodic icing helps.
2 small grandkids in the house is having me move around about as much as I can deal with.
Stairs are OK, but twisting the wrong way is a quick reminder to be more careful

After the monster storm, was delayed in much of the normal path creation around the house due to my snowblower being in the shop. Borrowed neighbor's to get the driveway and around the fire hydrant.
Got my snowblower back from the shop and decided to clear paths before the rain started - but the warm had compacted stuff enough that it was tough going.
Decided to clear the flatter roof on the back - 3' of snow, then 2-3" of rain on top of that is a recipe for unpleasant surprises. Using the push scoop - which is great for this.
About 3/4 done, and had just dumped a load over the side and pivoted on my right root - immediate sharp pain on the inner/front part of my right knee.
Was able to hobble through getting the rest of the snow cleared, then iced the knee. Didn't really swell and a quick google of torn ACL symptoms eased my concerns considerably.

Back out again - skating this time. Initially headed out Maple from the bottom, hoping that the well groomed conditions meant that they'd cleared the big pine that was down on the section between Short Oak and the Cutover - nope. Got to that point, turned around and dropped the drag and made it smooth. Web site claimed Short Oak was open - nope on that as well.
Not sure what I have on those skis for wax - probably for warmer conditions as they were a bit slow.
Had a great time - no faster skiers out there to destroy my illusions that I still have it.

Pretty darn good coverage - they've had the big machines out and skate groomed and set track on a lot of trails. Still a few prime sections that have major blowdowns some they've run the machines through, but without the corrugator drag (or whatever it's called) to smooth things out - so irregular fluff.
Went with my skintecs today - was ideal hard blue conditions, but somehow my good waxable classic skis never got cleaned off at the end of last season and it looked like klister - which would have been sub-optimal.
Think I'm going to feel this in the morning...

Then for a change of pace, headed over to the downhill slopes. Parking lot had started to clear out, so got a close-in slot. Panorama Quad was running to the summit - got in 2 runs from the top before that closed down at 4:00. 2nd trail I went down could have used some more attention. They must have been blowing snow that set up like ice. They'd tilled it a few times, but was still death cookie conditions. Felt sorry for some smaller kids (and their parents) trying to make their way down a particularly steep pitch.
Went over to the Pistol lift, but the only trail down was the 'terrain park' with jumps and rails and 'features' and wall to wall people.
Headed to the Ramrod lift - did a couple of runs there, then called it a day.

36" of beautiful whiteness all around here.
Debated heading over to Gunstock to ski on the groomed trails, but opted instead to head out on snowshoes.
Pulled out the big monsters that Dad got for me way back when I was in my teens - 50" tall, 12" wide, ash frame and rawhide laced. Had restrung the center portion of the rawhide when I got them - mice had feasted on that one so Dad got them at a good price - money was tight back then. He worked at Page Belting, which made thick leather drive belts for the mills among other things. He got a quarter piece of rawhide - which is pretty big, we soaked it in the tub, then sliced off strips and matched the weave/pattern from the other one. Good memories.

Parked at Gilford Elementary - been a few folks heading up the Blue Trail and a couple skiers had come down, so it was packed out, but on the narrow side. Modern snowshoes are not as wide, and there's a tendency to get a single track packed in and everyone just stays on it. I did widen it out in places, alternating which side I'd bust out, as the fresh stuff was well over a foot higher than the packed. Took a right onto the lower section of the Benjamin Weeks trail - just a couple folks had been on this piece, so it wasn't as packed - easier to go right over their tracks, but sinking in pretty good. There's a short very steep uphill section - glad I had poles with me - was slipping back some with each step, and had to lift my foot really high to keep even the up-swept tips from plowing in.
Short piece where it links back up with the Blue Trail, then plunged off onto the yet-untouched upper section of the Weeks trail. That was some deep snow! Even with the floatation from the large surface area, was going down 18"+ with each step. Almost wandered off the trail in a few places - all of the short stuff was well buried and the treadway was not apparent at all. Got saved by blazes several times. Ran out of steam after about 1/2 km - been a long work week. Turned around and headed back down - stayed on the Blue trail for a change of scenery - widened that out for most of the way.
Temps down to the lower teens when I got back to the truck. Hadn't felt that cold - was working pretty hard and with no wind it was downright pleasant.

C • You hit the jackpot! 2

Broken Ground trails from the Portsmouth St trailhead. Out along Ry's Way - new Mtn bike trail, then following some spur trails to get the tracks. One dead-ended, but the next went over to the main N-S jeep track, then back along other trails I'd hit before.
Wore neoprene socks over thin Wrightsocks, which kept my feet dry. Happy with the Spikecross Salomons - good fit and traction is as expected.

Headlamp run at RV Farm. Pretty well boot packed, still glad I had studded shoes on. Probably time to retire this pair, o hand them off tom someone with slightly smaller feet, but the cheap yankee in me rebels at that thought. I can still cram my feet into them, they have more studs left in place than some other pairs I'm still using, so why mess up my nice spiffy new studded shoes?

Temp a little higher than Tuesday, and was a bit over dressed - probably didn't need the short sleeve T in addition to the long sleeve one under the wind breaker.
Brought my poles to get my arms involved. Really should have grabbed skis and seen what the Gunstock XC trails look like. Downhill opens for the season tomorrow, but the XC page is still silent.

Finally go myself out the door.
Run/hike/snowshoe up Mt Rowe from Gilford Elementary.
New red Salomon Spikecross 5 GTX - which were great on the first part. Not a lot of snow down lower - maybe a couple of inches, which numerous hikers had boot-packed down. I took a right on to the lower section of the B Weeks trails - fewer folks, so more of the snow laden bent over trees partially blocking the trail.
About 3-4" where it rejoins the Mt Rowe trail, then at the split I stayed on the less travelled B Week upper portion. Snow getting deeper, more branches and trees blocking the trail. Got maybe 2/3 of the way up, looked like 2 others had been there before me , snow now about 8" - stopped and put on my snowshoes. Smaller ones, so not a lot of floatation, but do a better job of packing down the snow for later hikers, and reduces the snow clinging to the tops of shoes/ankles/calves. Maybe 12" closer to the top. Other than one intrepid runner who'd come down the North Spur trail with widely spaced footprints as they'd bounded through the deep stuff. Broke trail up - and noted all the trees I hadn't taken out a few weeks back when I was trimming along this part of my adopted trail. A lot of bend overs and large branches covered with snow making for a lot of diversions.
Came down the yellow trail - pretty well boot packed, but tricky to get through in some places with knee deep snow and the packed trail only as wide as one snowshoe.
A bit under dressed - but a fun adventure!!