the Way of the Turtle

Season of the SnōShū 2010 - Race #10
Camp Saratoga 8k Snowshoe Race
Saturday, February 13, 2010

Another opportunity to exercise a lot of faith in our RDs, in this case Jeff & Laura Clark, who sent word mid-week that there was actually a decent amount of snow at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and we would indeed have a snowshoe race. Between what I heard were extremely poor conditions at Saratoga Winterfest last week and the utter lack of snow all around the Albany area it was a bit hard to believe, but I showed up at the Camp Saratoga parking lot and lo and behold - there was snow. Not a lot, and it was pretty crunchy, but still more snow than I've seen anywhere else around here in the last week. Pretty darn cool, really.

Since this was a USSSA Nationals qualifier and Nationals are in Syracuse this year, I expected a larger turnout than we actually had, but it was still a good sized group running the trails in Wilton, and one where I would not have made the list if I were still trying to qualify - good thing I made to trek to Vermont last weekend! Race HQ was once again inside one of the old cabins from back when Camp Saratoga was a Boy Scout camp (from 1930 to 2001, I believe.) It was pretty crowded and warm in there, and I was happy to get back outside. I went through several combinations of gear trying to decide how best to deal with the chilly breeze that was blowing, before finally settling on a double layer of shirts and the possibility of being cold - not that that's happened very often during a snowshoe race, I'm much more likely to overdress and end up cooking...

We started in a different spot this year, in part because of the anticipated larger group and I suspect in part because the path we usually start on was very icy. Jeff had a few words about the course and welcomed not only the usual suspects from NY and New England but also some folks from Virginia (someone quipped that they were up here to get away from the snow) and a group from the Army's 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum who were running with us. And then, without much ado, it was time to run.

Maybe I'm getting used to this course, because other years it seemed like it went on forever and this year it didn't seem as bad... of course, the relatively easy running conditions probably helped. The first time I ran this race the snow was deep and loose, making for some of the toughest racing conditions I'd ever faced, and about 2 miles in I found myself wondering if I'd be able to finish. This year I cruised through the first couple of miles without too much trouble, walking the hills and running the downhills and flats. The course wasn't as pretty as it has been sometimes - one year all the trees in one section were coated with ice crystals and the sunlight made it look like we were surrounded by thousands of sparkling diamonds - but this is a really nice place to run, with lots of evergreens and a few stretches through fields to help you appreciate being in the woods. No really long hills, just a lot of rolling terrain. A cool old barn along one edge of the preserve serves as a reminder that part of the preserve was farmland at one point - more specifically, from 1936 to 1972. Thanks to to Opdahl family donating the land in 1997, these days we're fortunate to have it as part of nature preserve.

You can't tell when we run it in the winter, but the much of the soil is very sandy, a reminder that roughly 10000 years ago the area was under the waters of Glacial Lake Albany, with the sand deposited on the bottom of the lake. Now it's an important area in the attempt to restore the population of the endangered Karner Blue butterfly, because the butterfly larvae feed on the leaves of blue lupine plants, which only grow in areas like the sandy open fields of the preserve (the Albany Pine Bush, home to the annual Brave the Blizzard snowshoe race, is another local area vital to the restoration of Karner Blues.) Some scientists believe that Wilton has the most viable population of Karner Blues in the northeast.

More woods after the water stop by the church, and a lot more hills. My knees were starting to grumble about all the pounding, and having to go down hills with little snow cover didn't help. I'm always glad when I reach the ridge above the pond, since that means the end is near... but also always a little apprehensive, because the toughest part of the course is still to come. Some bare patches made for slow going as I came out by the pond, but it was still nice to see the finish - even if I did have to run past it to get to the final mile or on the hills overlooking the finish.

That last mile is easily the toughest part of the whole course, with seemingly non-stop hills to climb and descend... and climb and descend. Going down them can be fun when the snow is deep, but today it was tricky, and I was very glad to finally hit the relatively flat loop around the field. Of course, that left one more steep descent, which this year was pretty much devoid of snow - not a good place to take a tumble, so I inched down it and did my best to turn on the speed (or what passes for speed for me) with a final sprint to the finish, crossing the line in 59 min 10 sec - and very happy to beat an hour! I pushed hard today but in the end it was worth it, though I suspect my knees and legs will be letting me know about it tomorrow.

After that I waited to watch a few friends cross the finish line, including Konrad and Rich, who had apparently stayed together for most of the course. Changed into dry clothes, grabbed some food and waited around for the raffle (no luck there) then got ready to head out for a few more miles at the Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail, where I went XC skiing last year after the Winterfest race. While I was getting things ready at the car, I heard a hawk call and looked up to see one circling high overhead... managed to get a few photos of him, though I don't know that any of them will be all that spectacular. All in all, a good day up in Wilton, on a course that was in much better shape for snowshoeing than I anticipated. Jeff and Laura and their small army of volunteers all deserve a big round of applause for putting on a pretty darn good race in the midst of one of the most snow-free winters we've had in a few years. We're pretty darn lucky we have folks who work as hard as they do so that the rest of us can just show up and have a good time... thanks, guys!

JMH

2010 Event Totals
Run
Bike
Snowshoe 44.0 mi, 10 hr 51 min

states visited: MA, NY, VT