the Way of the Turtle

6.5 Mi Snowshoe Run in the Pine Bush
Tuesday, January 6, 2008

A good night for a run... not too cold, and I finished up before the storm started (though running in a snowstorm could have been kind of fun.) The only real downside was something I anticipated as I headed over to the Pine Bush - namely, that the trails there would have been used so much since the last snowfall that they would be packed pretty solidly, giving the snow the consistency of slightly crunchy concrete. While that makes for quicker running, the impact is also harder on both me and the snowshoes. At least it helped me appreciate the brief not-quite-so-packed sections all the more!

Not as many trees down as I feared, possibly in part because the massive amounts of "habitat restoration" have resulted in a lot of trees being removed over the last two years. There were two spots were very large trees went down from the ice and wind two weeks ago, and a few smaller falls, but nothing that couldn't be easily bushwhacked around.

One thing that was very noticeable is how noisy snowshoes are! No chance of sneeking up any any deer tonight...

JMH