WINTER RETURNS, BRIEFLY...
2.1 Mile Walk Through the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

When I left work today and saw the snow coating the trees, I realized just how much I've missed snow during this non-winter we've had. My preference would have been to go out for a run, but given how little sleep I've gotten recently I didn't trust my legs, so I went out for a walk after dinner instead. The snow was changing over to sleet, but everything still looked wintry and wonderful.



















Not that we should get used to this.... after all, the daytime temperatures are supposed to be up around 50 this weekend...

JMH

2.1 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Monday, February 27, 2012

7.1 Mile Run at the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve
Sunday, February 26, 2012

Weekly Activity Summary
2/19/2012 - 2/25/2012

running (1x) - 7.6 mi
riding (1x) - 12.8 mi
walking/hiking (4x) - 11.0 mi
snowshoeing - 0 mi

JMH

4.2 Mile Walk at Hand Hollow Conservation Area
Saturday, February 25, 2012

7.6 Mile Run on the Nipmuck & Natchaug Trails
Saturday, February 25, 2012

WOO HOO! COOL MUSIC!
Tannahill Weavers in Rochester!
Dougie MacLean in Schenectady!
Thursday, February 23, 2012

12.8 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, February 22, 2012

No Surprise... No SnōShū...
Tuesday, February 20, 2012

Didn't take a psychic to see this one coming... we cancelled last weekend's snowshoe races because, well - there's no snow! And with temperatures forecast for the 40's and even 50's this week, along with on and off rain - doesn't look like that will be changing anytime soon, so the plug has been pulled on this weekend's race as well. Fortunately it does sound like they have plenty of snow for Nationals in Frisco, CO... but it's going to be tough going for anyone from around here, between the the few opportunities to train and racing at altitude.

On the plus side, the lack of winter weather has made it much easier to run trails... if only I was getting my backside out the door to run. At this point it seems more and more likely that I will have to skip the Instant Classic Trail Marathon in Virginia in mid-March - I've been way too lazy over the past few weeks and right now I doubt I could even finish 26+ miles, much less in 7 hours or less. Nothing's definite but right now I can't say it's looking good...

JMH

2.4 Mile Walk on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, February 20, 2012

I wasn't quite ready to head back indoors yet, so I headed over to the bike path in Niskayuna and walked down to a little ways beyond the Niska Isle bridge and back. Couldn't see much - it was getting dark when I arrived and was fully dark by the time I left - but I heard geese calling out on the river, and a heron squawked a couple of times down near the bridge. I also heard a number of splashes that I suspect were muskrats heading for safety underwater when they realized I was there.

What really stood out was the night sky... Venus and Jupiter leaped out in the southwest, and as it got darker more and more stars became visible. Despite having multiple degrees in astronomy, I'm only familiar with a few constellations (astrophysics was more my thing, what can I say?) but I definitely saw Orion and Ursa Major. Once the sun went down the air temperature dropped pretty rapidly, so it was a cold night - but definitely a gorgeous one.

JMH

2.1 Mile Walk at Ann Lee Pond
Monday, February 20, 2012

I had hoped to go for a long run today but then something I ate had my guts in an uproar all afternoon - which meant I couldn't even take advantage of the sunny weather and get out on my bike. Once things finally settled down I decided to at least do some walking, and started out over at Ann Lee Pond, which I haven't visited since October.

Despite the warm weather we've been having, much of the pond was iced over - so I was pleasantly surprised to see a group of mallards back by the crazy bridge (where there was a stretch of open water, probably because that's where the inlet to the pond is. Looks like a few more trees fell back that way, though it also looks like the town is continuing repairs on the crazy bridge.

From there I walked back to the beaver pond - or perhaps I should say, ex-beaver pond. The dam was breached and the pond mostly drained when I was there back in October, and the fact that it's still that way suggests that the beavers have moved on. The heron nests also seem to be gone - I'll be curious to see if the herons come back with the beaver pond reduced to more of a marsh. Or perhaps this spring some new beavers will come in and rebuild.

I also spotted a bluebird in the meadows on my way back to the crazy bridge, and noticed that the nesting boxes are in pretty bad shape... I wonder what it would cost to build a few and put them in there? Perhaps a project for my upcoming March vacation...

JMH

2.3 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Sunday, February 19, 2012

Another day of finding it difficult to get my backside into gear, but at least I finally managed to get outside for a walk, even if it was three loops around Buckingham Lake. Fed the ducks some cracked corn - I'm sure they appreciate the warm February weather (and all the open water available) much more than than the snowshoers and skiers do...

JMH

Weekly Activity Summary
2/12/2012 - 2/18/2012

running (1x) - 10 mi
riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (2x) - 5.6 mi
snowshoeing - 0 mi

JMH

2 Mile Walk at Ooms Conservation Area
Saturday, February 18, 2012

10 Mile Run on the Metacomet Trail
Saturday, February 18, 2012

Long Week...
Friday, February 17, 2012

Heading into the end of the term at work is always tough, but this time seems even busier than usual. Between getting home late several nights, not getting much sleep most nights, and general laziness - I didn't get out at all over the past five days. But tomorrow is looking better - I'll be heading down to Connecticut to run with Ed and Konrad. No snowshoe races this weekend - our essentially snowless winter continues, but at least that's left us with decent conditions for running.

JMH

WINTER CHILL... BUT NO SNOW
3.6 Mile Walk at Peebles Island State Park
Sunday, February 12, 2012

I had originally planned to do the Hoot Toot & Whistle snowshoe race this morning, despite the forecast of crummy trail conditions... and then it turned into an icy trail race last night, and the slight motivation I felt to make a four hour round trip to Readsboro vanished... after all, I can run plenty of trails a lot closer to home.

While a so-called "arctic chill" settling in for the day (incredible how the weather guys are exaggerating everything at all winter-like) wasn't all that bad, the wind was absolutely brutal - so I decided a walk was a better option, and headed over to Peebles Island to spend some time at the confluence of the Erie Canal and the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. I wandered around the perimeter of the island, enjoying the views when I wasn't getting hammered by frigid windchills (mostly on the far end of the island.) Spotted gulls and geese in the water between the island and the Waterford waterfront, as well as a few ducks and a pair of mergansers. Heard quite a few birds in the woods, but only saw a sizeable group of robins. I figured the deer would stay hidden, but I spotted them near the end of my walk, foraging in the woods - must be close to a dozen of them on the island, which may explain why all the lawns around the are covered in deer scat.

There was lots of signs of the flooding that happened last August and September. Mud covering areas that should be grassy, debris that washed up with the floodwaters - given that the Waterford waterfront was underwater, I think it's safe to say that all the low-lying areas on the island were also flooded.

A number of historic structures are looking the worse for wear. One of the buildings in the Matton Shipyards has collapsed (admittedly, it's been several years since I've been there - I have no idea how long it's been that way.) The roof of a portion of the Cluett & Peabody bleachery has collapsed, though from the photos I've seen online that's at least 3-4 years old. I know finances are very tight these days, but I hope the state finds a way to stabilize these historic buildings. Much of our history has been lost in the rush to demolish the old and it would be a shame if these met the same fate due to the inactivity of those given stewardship.

It seems like I always end up at Peebles Island either in the winter or the summer - sometime I need to see what it looks like in another season.

JMH

Weekly Activity Summary
2/5/2012 - 2/11/2012

running (3x) - 27.5 mi
riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (4x) - 6.5 mi
snowshoeing - 0 mi

JMH

10 Mile Run at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve
Saturday, February 11, 2012

Season of the (No) SnōShū 2012 - Race #5
Camp Saratoga 8k 5k Snowshoe Trail Race
Saturday, February 11, 2012

2012 Event TotalsRun 6.2 mi, 1 hr 20 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 14.3 mi, 3 hr 37 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 min

states visited: MA, NY

TURKEYS, DEER, MAYBE AN OWL, AND... A WOODCOCK?!!
2.4 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Headed over to Five Rivers to do a bit of walking after work... very few other people there, probably because it was a cold grey evening. There was a bulldozer at the trailhead to the Beaver Pond trails and signs that the trail is closed - looks like they're doing work along the far end of the pond, plus they may have been resurfacing the downhill trail which has washed out a lot over the past few months.

Quite a few birds at the feeders - nuthatches, woodpeckers, juncos, sparrows, and doves - and of course the turkey trio were there as well. I kept them company for a while, they've obviously become pretty comfortable with people. While I was watching the birds at the feeders they disappeared, but then I caught up with them going down the steep path parallel to the road. Spent a bit of time at the bottom herding them away from the road - the way cars blast through there one or more was bound to get run down if they spent any time out on the pavement - and then sat at the picnic table watching them for a bit, before heading over to the trails along the Vloman Kill.

There was a good-sized group of deer up the hill overlooking the creek; I was also pleased to see that they're rebuilding the bridge across the creek that was removed back in the fall, since that gives me more options for running and walking through that area. Followed the creek all the way up to the boundary trail, then took that to one of the connectors and over to the meadows. In one spot I walked into the shade of a path of evergreens, and a large bird flew across the path to head deeper into the trees - from the size and how quite it was I suspect it was an owl, though it was getting dark enough that I really couldn't be sure.

Walked along the access road and definitely heard a woodcock calling out in the meadows... poor guy is in for a rough time, woodcocks feed mainly on earthworms and I don't know that they're built for the kind of cold weather we're supposed to see this weekend. As I made my way past the ponds and back to the parking lot, I also startled some sort of ground bird off in the bushes - no idea what, but it made quite a racket getting away.

No deer in the orchard, but there was a group at the edge of the field next to the Nature Center - probably the same group of adults and youngsters I saw there a couple of weeks ago. I probably wouldn't have been able to see them at all, if not for the very bright lights that have been installed at the entrance to the parking lot. I'm sure they improve night security (especially with the construction that's been going on for a while now) but they definitely make ending a walk in the dark a lot less pleasant, since they're almost blindingly bright.

JMH

HELLO MOON!
1.9 Mile Walk Around Buckingham Lake
Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Stopped at Buckingham Lake for a walk before heading out on some errands, and heard a small group of ducks over on the section of open water back near the marshy end of the pond. It's not the mobs that were there in the spring and fall but it's still good to hear them calling. I was a bit surprised by the cold, especially after the last two days have been very mild - but then the temperature drops rapidly when the sun goes down and reminds us that yes, it is still February.

On my first lap I watched the crows streaming across the sky to wherever they were roosting tonight - always an incredible sight. Since it was getting dark, I had pretty much resigned myself to not seeing much else (other than the occasional dog walker) and then was surprised on my last lap by the sight of a beautiful yellowish full moon rising, surrounded by a few hazy clouds. While there are numerous possible explanations as to why the moon appears larger when it's lower in the sky, the one thing everyone seems to agree on is that it's all in our heads - time lapse photography shows that the moon is the same size as it moves from the horizon to points higher in the sky. All I know is it was quite a spectacular sight tonight, especially since I wasn't expecting it.

JMH

A WARM, MUDDY SPRING DAY
BUT... IT'S EARLY FEBRUARY??!!
14.5 Mile Run at Green Lakes State Park
Monday, February 6, 2012

BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS
A Visit to Wild Wings
1.2 Mile Walk at Mendon Ponds Park
Sunday, February 5, 2012

MUD, MUD, MUD
1 Mile Walk at the Isaac Gordon Nature Park
Sunday, February 5, 2012

Weekly Activity Summary
1/29/2012 - 2/4/2012

running - 0 mi
riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (2x) - 3.2 mi
snowshoeing (1x) - 4.5 mi

I think I need a "do-over" for this week... sigh... definitely my worst week activity-wise in a very long time.

JMH

GEESE, SWANS, GULLS, & AN EAGLE
Montezuma NWR At Dusk
Saturday, February 4, 2012

I Am An IDIOT.
Saturday, February 4, 2012

I printed out the race application for the Cast A Shadow 6 hour race in Rochester this morning - and was very unhappy to see that I misread the date on the website. The race is actually TODAY, not tomorrow. Can't make it out there in time now, so - no race for me this weekend.

(Cue repeated sound of me thumping my head against the wall.)

On the plus side - Ann and I will have more time to spend together, and I can work on getting in a long run on Monday, since the weather is supposed to be nice and I've already taken the day off.

But I'm still an idiot.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

JMH

MUDDY SNEAKER 20K LOTTERY RESULTS
On the Waiting List
Friday, February 3, 2012

For the 2nd year I made it onto the Muddy Sneaker 20k Trail Race waiting list - 19 runners down, not quite as favorable as last year. Don't know what that means about my chances of running the race - close to 20 runners dropping out between now and April seems unlikely to me, but I can certainly keep my options open for the third weekend in April.

JMH