Monday, 5:57 AM

After two days of rain and warmer temps, I was up early on Saturday morning, anxious to get out for a lumber on what I hoped would be ice-free trails. As you can see from the photo above, they were not.

The park lot was void of ice, but 99% of the trails were still solid ice. Microspikes were needed, and as I CLACK! CLACK! CLACKED! my way down the path to the trails, I was surely scaring every critter in a 5 mile radius, as well as disrupting the peaceful morning of the ice fisherman making his way out onto the ice to my left.

The CLACK! CLACK! CLACKING! was not ideal for critter photos. Nor was it good for the mental rub and a tug that I so often receive from being out in the woods. I find it difficult to find peace when I can’t hear myself think or relax knowing that the trail is somewhere beneath several inches of thick, lumpy ice.

Oddly enough, despite the endless clangor of my footsteps and less-than-ideal trail conditions, I got in my longest lumber of the week at 5.34 miles. It was actually 5.59-miles but I failed hit START on my watch until I made it into the woods.

I saw no other folks out on the trails, just a couple of folks in ice shanties out in the cove.

When I finished, I was happy to have gotten out, but disappointed that the ice remains, and given the weather forecast, I don’t see it going away anytime soon. Maybe by June it will be gone.

Once home, it was a quick shower, and coffee-drinking whilst watching a day of FA Crap football before moving on to some Pilsners later in the afternoon to forget another horrid display by Tottenham.

Sunday was a day of straight slack as I fought off winter depression and the knowledge that 2026 has started off like shit for me in the fitness department. Meaning that I look and feel like there is NO fitness in my life whatsoever.

I need a mental enema of Biblical proportions, but I’m finding it impossible due to the amount of instinctive ass-clenching while hiking on icy trails.

I guess I should gather my gear for another morning of CLACK! CLACK! CLACKING! and clenching.

Later.