the Way of the Turtle

SNOW!
3.3 Mile XC Ski at Beaver Lake Nature Center
Saturday, December 11, 2010

While I knew ahead of time that the Syracuse area had anywhere from a foot to two feet of snow (Albany is still bare) it was still a pleasant thrill to see snowbanks when I pulled into the parking lot of the motel last night.

Originally I was going to do the Last Chance Trail Run & Pancake Breakfast at Highland Forest this morning, then Ann and I were going the spend the rest of Saturday and a chunk of Sunday together before heading back to our respective sides of the state. But then the forecast changed to sleet/freezing rain Sunday morning and we decided to head home Saturday night instead... so I really couldn't see spending the whole morning apart. So instead we slept in a little later, had a leisurely breakfast, and headed over to Beaver Lake Nature Center to do some XC skiing.

Ann had commented last winter that she'd really like to ski someplace where there were dedicated XC trails (most of the places we go are also popular with runners and walkers... especially dog walkers, many of whom seem to think there's no reason to clean up after their pets in the winter... so skiing those trails is often an exercise in bouncing over post-holes and trying to avoid piles of poop.) I've been to Beaver Lake twice before - once with Ann for a bit of walking, and once for a small snowshoe race - and have wanted to get back there ever since. Add in some good snow reports (15-20") and it was a no brainer to do some skiing there this weekend.

We ended up skiing the Lake Loop, with an initial side trip along the Deep Woods Trail. Tracks were pretty well set for much of it, and we passed through a lot of different terrain - hardwood and evergreen woods, swamps and streams (with lots of boardwalks and bridges), a bit of uphill and a bit of downhill, but mainly pretty level terrain. After a fairly chilly couple of days today was downright balmy; I ended up taking off my hat and ear warmers about halfway through the trip and was very happy I'd gone with only a long-sleeved shirt and a lined jacket.

Despite the fact that I haven't been on skis for over 1 1/2 years (I'm pretty sure I was last skiing at the Pineland Farms Winter Triathlon, way back in March 2009... whew!) my meager skills don't seem to have deteriorated much, though I ended up wishing I hadn't waxed the skis as much as I did... they were definitely squirrelly a few times when I stopped to snap some photos. I'm also pretty sure I'll be feeling some sore muscles early next week, especially given my recent inactivity.

Along the way we spotted a few woodpeckers, chickadees, juncos, and cardinals, as well as a hawk and a deer. I was surprised we only ran into half a dozen other folks on skis, but maybe we just timed it right. Afterwards we headed into the Nature Center and spent a few minutes checking out the displays and watching the birds and squirells at the feeders. I wouldn't have minded doing that for a bit longer... but lunch was calling...

With luck I can get back there once or twice this winter on my way to or from Rochester... and we agreed that we'd definitely like to visit in warmer weather.

JMH