Just as I was about to pull into the trailhead lot on Thursday, a large owl swooped out of the pines and off into the darkness. I was hoping that was a good omen for critter sighting during the morning’s lumber. Sadly, it was not.
Far in the distance, a dog barked; to my right, the river gurgled under the bridge, and each step brought the familiar crunch, crunch, crunch of frozen leaves and dirt beneath my feet. All the while, the cold mist of rain in the air was illuminated by my headlamp.
As I crunched along, waiting for daylight, I kept expecting to see some deer, but not one made an appearance throughout the entire hike. I think I could count on one hand how many times I’ve completed a hike at Deerfield without seeing at least one.
Sure, a few squirrels were scurrying about nut-hoggin’, and a random crow could be heard on occasion, but no squawking of bluejays, no woodpeckers pecking, and no geese honking (although I did see some floating in the “lake” area of the river near the lot near the hike’s end). The whole thing was quite strange.
Since there was nothing of note to photograph, I concentrated on lumbering and even ran a few sections to increase my effort. I haven’t run in almost a year, but it felt good to up the tempo and know that my old ass legs can still do it for a bit if I want. I think seeing Wifey’s dedication to her training plan for her December 5K (her first in over 20 years, I think) has given me the itch to pick up the tempo. I’m not sure this is the right time of year for me to get back into trail running, but I’m not ruling it out.
Finally, at mile 5.30 of a 5.51-mile hike, I saw a bunch of sparrows flitting around in some brush and got a critter shot. Eeesh, way to leave it to the end! The only other pics were a crap trail pic and a tree that has been well pecked by the woodpeckers, and always has me humming How Deep Is Your Love? by The Bee Gees as I lumber by.
I’m at 21.13 miles on the week, and will easily hit my abbreviated hunting season 25-mile minimum goal on Friday.
Later.