Winter Trails

It was so fun to get out on the snowy and icy trails with the headlamps this evening! The temperature was right around freezing and there was no wind. It was perfect running weather. We wore our screw shoes, so traction wasn't a problem. Kevin walked a few miles while I ran. I caught him about a half mile from the truck and we walked out together.

Yesterday, I lost both of the microspikes Kevin had given me. He said he didn't like them because they fell off his shoes. I tried them on and thought they seemed secure and would work nicely. I ran all over the Ossipee Trails and then crossed some rocks over to an island Kevin was exploring. I looped around the entire island, tracking Kevin. Somehow he came up behind me instead of me finding him as I had planned. A little while later I looked down and saw the spikes were gone from both feet. No wonder things seemed more slippery than they had at the beginning of the run.

We crossed back to the main land and split up to search all the trails. It gave me some bonus mileage, but I didn't find anything. Kevin found one of the spikes, but the other is still at large. I think it must be somewhere on the island. Kevin is going back over to the island tomorrow to do some more exploring while I am at work, so he says he'll keep his eyes open for it.

This evening, Dan came in from a day in the woods and asked, "are you guys the ones making all those trails near the river?" It seems he and his friends stumbled upon them today. His friends thought there must be some crazed trail building kids around. Dan suspected it was Kevin and I. When I asked if he spoke up and said it was probably his mother, Dan looked at me like I was nuts and just shook his head. I asked if he liked the trails and he said he didn't know because he and his friends don't walk on no stinkin' trails, they walk in the woods. I guess he's a bushwhacking snob or something. I swear I saw new boot tracks on the Black Forest Trail this evening, but I'm not calling anyone a liar. I wonder if any of them found that missing microspike. I forgot to ask.

It's been a busy work week, but I have fit in all my scheduled runs. Several of them have had to wait until after work, late in the day. These late runs are hard to get motivated for, but they really help me unwind and relax for the rest of the evening.