a moonlight skate--abbreviated as it was

the day: february 17, early. the temperature alread around 32°F. not much wind even out on the wide open lake. the clouds were building, but had a few clear spots.

the adventure: skating by moonlight out on mascoma lake--the 'north of the bridge' trail.

the memories: .the moon was out, but as i was putting my boots & skates on it dropped behind the hill and clouds were coming in. i got the blades on, took off toward the dam, and whipped out the camera as i skated to get this shot. in another couple hundred yards, the ice got really rough, as in unskatable rough. i turned around.

notes:

• maybe i should have not made tea and toast before getting out--it's not often the moon lights up a skating trail
• good ice is good--sometimes really good.
• ok ice is ok--just ok 
• bad ice is bad--sometimes really bad 

go outside and play!

a quick, cold, solo hike up cardigan

 the day: february 16. the temperature maybe around 20°F, maybe. but there was a really strong wind from the south east. above treeline that made it feel well below zero. there was some sun, but it was mostly veiled by high thin clouds. the snow was now totally frozen into one thick crust. 

the adventure: hiking the west ridge of cardigan, mostly on the regular trail. i took one detour up the lowest section of the ski trail.

the memories: cold and windy at the top but with a very faint view of a snow capped moosilauke off in the distance. mostly, i took this photo because i was out of the wind behind the tower looking north. because the wind was out of the southeast, it was extra cold on my face going downhill. my left eye was watering enough that it actually froze at one point. after thawing it out i kept a hand up to shield it.

notes:

• googles are good on windy days
• just because it's about 20°F with no wind at your house, don't forget a buff for up high--and goggles
• no micro-spikes were used in the making of this hike, though goggles would have been nice

go outside and play!

a happy valentine's day walk in the woods

the day: february 14. cold! temperature somewhere in the teens, but windy enough to make it seem much, much, much...colder. sunny. the snow packed down and frozen fairly solid, at least on the trail.

the adventure: pam's loop: up into our field, the top section through the trees along the upper edge; dropping down the back fence to the lower section, heading back to the field; where we duck back into the trees in the middle section before hooking back up with the top section.

the memories: it was fun tromping behind pam. whenever she caught a gust of wind in the face, she would make some pretty strange noises. i borrowed her phone and ran along the trail taking series of her, heading homeward along the upper section on her loop. i think this is the best one.

notes:

• pam's phone works for pictures if you keep it warm against your stomach
• wind is not always your friend

go outside and play!

a warm saturday on town hill with pam

the day: february 12. the temperature around 40°F. sunshine and clouds--happily sharing the sky. no wind to speak of down in the trees although i can see some branches moving about up high. the snow is definitely soft and still 3~4" deep after settling a couple of days in the above freezing temps.

the adventure: up over town hill to the marsh, pam on snowshoes and me on skis.

the memories: the skiing was mostly slow save for the two or three steep sections. even then it wasn't so fast that it ever approached furious. i took this shot of pam as she reached the top of town hill. she was happy, and warm enough to unzip her jacket.

notes:

• pam got warm enough to shed her unzipped jacket!
• except for one, not really enough speed for hitting my favorite launch rocks, at least if you wanted much air
• when this snow freezes, there is going to be a wicked crust

go outside and play!