After five days inside with my ass alternating between Whooshing on the trainer and relaxing on the couch, I was back in the woods on Tuesday morning for a snowshoe.
The -1˚ morning temps made me less than enthused to return to the woods, but it did warm up to 3˚ by the time my feet were on the trail, so I guess I shouldn’t complain too much.
I was shocked not to be the only car in the lot on such a cold morning, but I saw no one and could only assume it was a couple of skiers out for an early morning loop.
Today marked my first time strapping on snowshoes since last winter, and when combined with my trekking poles, it made the lumber much easier. I only wish I would have swapped boots because the Merrell hikers I use with my snowshoes continue to prove to me that the term “insulated” is subjective to Merrel, and my piggies were gettin’ cold quick despite being ensconced in wool socks.
I was also happy to see that when the county groomed the trails, it seems like they set the tracks a bit further to the side this year, which allows lumberists such as myself a bit more room to avoid fucking up the classic ski tracks. I also saw no signs of folks walking on the tracks, which is saying something because most people do whatever the hell they want with little regard for the wishes of the park officials or other trail users.
Even with a “Feels Like” temperature well under 0, the sky was blue, the sun was out, and it actually felt warm to the skin during random breaks to soak in the Vitamin D and give a shout-out to Ma Nature.
The boots were a mistake that I should have remembered from last year, but once spring comes, I tend to bury any memories of winter down deep, right next to that Rolodex of adolescent traumas. I hope to switch over to some better-insulated hikers tomorrow, but for today, I decided to keep things short to avoid frozen toes and finished the lumber at just 3.75 miles but a smile on my face (even though you couldn’t see it under my frosted snood).
It was great to get out and enjoy the morning sun, crisp air, and snowy trails. Hope to go longer tomorrow, especially with the temps getting all spring-like, with a predicted high for the day in the low 20s rather than below zero.
For today’s photos, I used my Nikon z50 with a 28mm (42mm on the z50) so that I could fit it in my jacket pocket to keep the battery warm. I usually feel naked without the 250mm zoom, but luckily, I didn’t see many critters except for one deer hiding in the dark woods. Of course, I didn’t seem to have much else to photograph either, so there’s that.
Later.