the Way of the Turtle

3.9 Mile XC Ski Along the Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail
Sunday, February 1, 2009

I knew I wanted to get out for some skiing today, even though the weather wasn't quite as nice as I'd hoped for ("partly sunny" turned out to be chilly and grey.) Still, chances to ski are few and far between, and I had new boots to try out! So after running a couple of errands I headed slightly east of downtown Saratoga Springs to the Bog Meadow Nature Trail, following the directions in my copy of ECOS's Natural Areas of Saratoga County (my ECOS guidebooks have been an invaluable resource and worth every penny!)

The Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trails runs approximately 2 miles along the old railbed of a passenger railroad line that once ran between Saratoga Springs and Saratoga Lake. The railbed was converted to a nature trail 16 years ago by volunteers and members of Saratoga P.L.A.N. (a Saratoga land trust organization with the goal of preserving natural areas in the Saratoga region.) The trail is essentially flat and includes a bridge over the Bog Meadow Brook and a boardwalk through an open marsh. All in all it sounded like a good place to ski after a tough weekend of snowshoeing.

There were two other cars in the small parking area... not too crowded, fortunately. I geared up and particularly enjoyed pulling on my new boots, which fit much better than the old ones. As I was finishing my preparations some folks came walking out with their dog, which told me that the trail would be pretty well packed.

Railbeds are a mixed blessing for running, riding, skiing, and so on. On the plus side they're typically pretty level, but on the minus side they can be a little bit dull, running straight off into the distance. This one started out running through what would probably be a hardwood swamp in wamer weather, though as I got closer to the bridge over the brook one side opened up. Pretty nice overall. After that the surroundings grew more wooded and included some nice stretches under evergreens as the path gradually made its way around a bend. The main part of the trail had been packed by plenty of walkers, snowshoers, and (probably) skiiers... not the easiest going, since that made staying on track a bit of a challenge, but nothing too difficult.

Eventually the path opened out onto another marsh... I realized I was skiing over a boardwalk when I placed a pole a little too far to one side and it dropped off by a foot or more. After that I was a lot more careful! From there it was a short glide through more woods to the end of the path at Meadow Brook Road.

And then there was nothing to do but turn around and head back. I tried to get some momentum and flow going, but it never lasted too long, since I usually spotted something I thought would make a nice photo. The sun started to peek through the clouds as I made my way back, which was a really nice change from all the grey, grey, grey. When I finally got back to the trailhead I was really a bit bummed it was over. I even considered heading to one of the other parks I'd looked up to do a bit more skiing, but decided not to push it... after 7 miles of snowshoe racing, 8 miles of riding, and 4 miles of skiing I suspect my legs are going to be sore enough tomorrow...

JMH