Arggh

Well this morning I woke up with every intention of doing the 3 mountain loop. The weather was kind of chilly and overcast. The rain was holding when I landed in the Brom parking lot. My first 2 minutes into it right before I hit the I beam bridge I tripped, slammed my knee and jammed my finger. I soldiered on and hit the summit. On the way down my knee started to act up a little. The trail was wet and sketch. I took my time in both directions. The down is what kills me.
I headed over to $tratton. Stratton is a little higher up and the temp at the base was way cooler. The summit was in the clouds, so I headed up. I followed the work road up which was in good shape, I started to get a little cold and my feet were already soaked. I finally summited in the cold clouds and the descent sucked! My quads were burning, it was cold, and my feet were soaked.
Back at the truck I called my wife and asked her to pick up a tupper ware tub so I could soak my legs in ice water. Next stop Magic.
I was 3 miles from Magic and turned around. Then I got pissed at myself and headed back to Magic. I was pretty cold and wet getting ready for the last run I pulled a base layer out and a pair of dry socks popped out!! I put on dry socks, dry Salomons, and headed out(it was cold,cloudy, and looked like rain). I got about .2 miles into the workroad to the summit and called it off. My little voice was saying don't do it. I was solo, feeling lightheaded and just not feeling it. Next time will be it.

Two-fer part 2

Well I'm back on the keyboard, the days must be getting shorter. I'm really getting pumped for ski season! Hopefully it will be as good or better than last winter.
Today I came close to completing a goal that's been on my list for a while. I've been wanting to run up Bromley, Magic, and Stratton for the longest time. It actually started as biking to each one and running up each one, hopefully that will be done one day!
I ended up getting a late start today which only allowed me to finish Brom via the Long Trail and Magic via ski trails. The weather today felt more like summer than fall, however the foliage was perfect! The LT was in perfect condition(thanks to the volunteers) a couple muddy spots but eh. I went up Magic via a green trail that was super steep(that's what makes Magic awesome). The ascent wasn't very long, maybe a mile or a little over but it was tough!! The descent down Magic was rough because of the steepness and loose terrain but hey it's effing trail running!!!!!
I had every intention of doing $tratton but just ran out of time, and I am kind of kicking myself right now. Hey that's life and running isn't my full time job. I along with you have this thing called life that's constantly calling.

Hamma FEST

The Red Sox are on a winning streak and the world is going to end tomorrow. Figures.
Anyway after the back to back mountain runs I was surprised that I was able to go out and hammer for 41 miles with some big climbs thrown. I kept it in the big ring for the whole ride and felt really good! On the Wilcox flats I was able to hold it at around 30mph for pretty much the whole flat section(the new pavement and tail wind did help).
I headed out on East Arlington Rd up Sunderland hill to River Rd past the Wilburton to Man West-Morse Hill-Tollgate-Bromley-Man East-Union-River-Muddy lane-East Arlington. I ended up averaging 18 mph and am pretty happy about that.(ya I know all you hard-core superstars that ain't shit, but it made me feel good! biatches) Every spring I feel really strong then as work gets busy and it gets hotter it just slowly chips away at my endurance and motivation to train. But thats life!

Big Spruce

Wednesday I took off into the A.B.C. on a run with Shay where I skiied this past winter. Even with all the rain it was relatively dry. When I came to the junction where I usually continue up I continued straight and took a different route up. It was pretty steep but it took me to the summit. I was really excited because I had yet to summit a mountain in Arlington. There are no "real hiking" trails around here, you have to look and explore to find them. Usually I get "dead-ended". But today we found a route to the summit. The trip total was around 3.6 miles.
Thursday Shay and I went back and tackled it again. I wasn't sure how my legs would feel. I started out with a 20# weight vest on but it made by bad knee feel really tweaky. I went back to the car ditched it and continued on without it. My legs felt really good! I was wondering how Shay would do with it being humid around 70 degrees, and back to back days for him as well. We started off strong then he started to get hot. He managed to keep a good tempo, we stopped at multiple streams where he drank and just dipped his feet in. By the time we were close to the summit I was at a fast walk with him and he was panting like crazy. We didn't summit coming to within around 200 ft. I think the summit is 2335. Nothing crazy.
The descent was steep but we took it easy. At the first stream Shay drank and I covered him with the cool stream water, this seemed to help him quite a bit.

Summertime Rolls

As the weather gets warmer the restaurant where I work becomes increasingly busier. Once July 4 rolls around it's balls to the wall until the last leaf falls off the tree in November. Every spring I find myself getting in a lot of quality training rides and trail runs in with grand thoughts of racing. Then in middle to late June those dreams are broken like a buerre blanc where the butter is just not cold enough.
I'm planning on doing a 13.3 mile trail race in June on Father's day. It is typically slower that day but the night before is always wicked busy, and it's hot, oh yea and there's a ton of STRESS!! Last summer I did an 11 mile trail run after a super busy night and was in awesome position but around mile 8 I was stupid and almost killed myself hammering down a rock staircase. Thankfully I only blew out my knee. I finished the race running/walking/limping.I came home and iced it for an hour then went to work and did service. It's just me the Chef and usually one other person so calling in sick is not an option, we work through the pain only to suffer more. Just to make it clear this is not McDonald's short order food we're preparing. We do fine dining with a crew of 3-4 that is equal to the stuff that kitchens with a crew of 15-20 cooks prepare. To top it off we usually work out everyday before we come in.
Going back to my original thought, I would love to be able to race. I have in the past and then come in and done service but I must be getting older because I just don't enjoy suffering twice anymore. As the summer season progresses and it gets super hot the heat just drains something out of me that I can't explain. By the end of the work week I am toast! So I will enjoy the spring rides and runs still considering doing races but in all actuality it probably won't happen. I will definately do some shorter 5 and 10k runs, every year we do Race for the Cure which is a great event here in Manchester.

Bromley to Rootville Rd

Tuesday was cloudy but there was no rain. Shay, Gary and I headed out from the Bromley LT trailhead parking lot from VT 11/30. We left Gary's truck on Rootville Rd in Manchester and took mine up to Bromley. I wasn't sure how I was going to fare today. I did a hilly 54 miler before work on Sunday up to Stratton. I did stop a couple times to take pictures of the racers doing the Tour of the Dragons. Monday I followed up with a 34 mile big ring up to Bromley.
Shay took the lead with Gary and I following. The trail was in really good condition! Mostly dry except there was a lot of downed limbs etc. We ended up seeing three other hikers as well. The total distance ended up being around 6.1miles. Our time was 1:22:00. This was a section that both of us had been wanting to do for a while. All in all it was a great run!

Two-fer

Yesterday and today the weather-fools were calling for rain and thunderstorms. Thankfully it never happened and both days turned out to be really nice, a little warm but really nice. I took Shay out for a trail run yesterday but the heat was just killing him, we ended up doing 3.5 miles. It was an out and back with a nice little climb. Evidence of the recent windstorms are apparent everywhere in the woods right now.
After an afternoon trip to Rutland with my wife the weather was so nice I had to get on the bike. I wasn't sure how my legs were going to feel but I felt like I had to keep it at a high intensity because I just didn't get enough riding in this winter. I ended up doing 35 miles on a rolling course with a couple nice kickers thrown. I was suprised how good I felt even going into the headwind.
This morning the sun was out again so I decided to take Shay up Bromley. The trail was in rugged shape with lots of water and downed limbs once you went past the shelter. I had to move a lot of tree parts off the trail. We turned around once we hit the ski trail Runaround. My gore-tex Salomons were already soaked and I didn't feel like post-holing for a mere .3 miles.
I dropped Shay off at the house, ate a couple sandwiches and decided to go for Equinox. This was my original plan but I was debating on a bike ride as well. I started out at a slow run. My legs were really tight and it got steep real fast. I made it about half way up before it became too snowpacked. I switched out my Salomons for my Sportiva's when I was home, which are not Gore-tex. I wanted to go the the land slide but it just wasn't worth it. On the descent my legs felt really good, no cramping etc. All in all I figure it was about 8 miles all together.

The trails are nice!!

I have been able to get out the past couple days for some fantastic trail runs!! Over at the preserve the trails are snowpacked but very runnable. Over in the ABC the trails are bare and firm. It has been sunny but still chilly. This makes for nice firm terrain, not lots of mud.
Sunday I got out for hilly 5 miler. I've been noticing that I did way too much skiing this winter and not enough running. I'm totally fine with this. My legs on the other hand disagree. I felt pretty good although Shay did short rope me a couple times with his leash. Tuesday my legs were feeling really heavy but still decided to go for it because it was a pretty nice day. It felt like all we did was climb. After about 2 miles I started to feel better. We only ended up doing 4.6 but it was a good fun run. Yesterday I had nothing in my legs but after working in the yard the weather was so nice I got "fat tire fever". I broke the old "Y-11" out of the shed and took her for a spin, to the "old cement factory"!!! I had nothing in my legs! Nothing!! I was kind of pissed but it was so nice out I didn't care. The hills sucked and the descents were technical and sketchy with sections of ice and snow. It was fun!!
We're supposed to get hammered with snow tomorrow. My skiis are waxed, the skins are in my pack and I'm ready to go. I'll probably hit the resort for some runs and see how it is. Then I might swing by some stashes where I know there is still a good base. Hope you get to get out as well!!
ENJOY!!

1130

V.A.S.T. Run (yes it says run not ski!!)

The address of this blog is Vermontrailrunner yet there has only been one post on running. I apologize, the snow has been epic this winter!! I'm going to fast forward to today and skip yesterday. I will fill you in a little on what I did. Yesterday I skinned up Mount Equinox and made my first visit to the "landslide". There will be more on that coming up.

The rain on Monday absolutely killed the foot and a half of light, gorgeous, fresh powder we accumulated from Fri-Sunday. My kleenex box is empty.

Today I took Shay out for a run on one of the snowmobile trails that span the state. It's only about 10 miles from our house and is a road that gets multi-season recreational use. The Kelley Stand is closed in the winter for snowmachine travel. Many people use it for XC skiing and snowshoeing. The Sled-Heads are always very courteous in these parts. The road runs between two mountains one being Glastonbury on the southern side and I'm not sure about the other side. I do know that the Lyebrook Wilderness is on the northern side.

Shay and I ended up doing a total of around 8.5 miles round trip. I brought my Dion snow shoes with me but opted not to use since the trail was hardpack. When I started out it was around 33 degrees. I had my warm base layer and light Craft jacket with my Craft hat. I was feeling good but decided to turn around at 4.25 miles. Thankfully I did because it started to get colder, we now had a headwind and it started snowing. The one good thing.....it's all downhill.

When we got back to the truck we were caught in the middle of a snow squall, and it was windy as heck. 10 miles back at the house when we got home it was warmer and cloudy. It's amazing what ten miles and a little elevation gain can do.

Yesterday morning I set out to my local backcountry mountain for some more fresh tracks. We received an additional 5" of really nice snow Saturday night into Sunday morning. When I went to step into my left ski I realized I had lost the heel clip. This made me so mad!!! So much fresh snow and with rain predicted for Monday this might be my last shot for some nice turns. I ended up getting one from the Mountain Goat in town(thank-you!!!). Problem solved but no time for turns as it was time for work. But wait, I ended up not having to work! I got a call from a friend of mine who was going out for some quick turns at the preserve.
When I arrived the parking lot was full and cars lined the access road. I forgot it was Sunday, beautiful out, and there was an abundance of snow. Everyone was on the same page. It was good to see people out taken advantage of the awesome wilderness we have around us. We were short on time so we took to the nearest ridge did some bushwacking and found some cool lines. The snow was epic once again.
Right now it is pissing rain. The snow seems to be holding up o.k. for now. The test will be to see how crusty is tomorrow when it gets cold again.

Freshie von Gnarlsberg.

Well after a week of warm weather old man winter came out swinging and hasn't stopped!! Friday I woke up to some really heavy wet snow falling and rather warm temps. It was supposed to start dumping around 3 am but didn't begin until around 5:30 in the morning. I decided to lay in bed, get some sleep and let the snow accumulate for a while.
I ended up slapping the planks on around 10:30 and heading out. When I headed into the woods I was pumped on the conditions. There was around 7" of fresh and still dumping!!! It was heavy and wet but it was nice!!!! I overdressed and ran through some clothing because everything was getting soaked.

The picture up top is a stock one from last month but it pretty much sums up today!!! I went back to the A.B.C. and my tracks from yesterday were covered!!! The skinning was tough for the first section then I hooked up with yesterday's tracks, although they were covered it did offer a little relief. I had to break some fresh track for quite awhile up a steep climb but then spotted a new gem around 2000'. Ohh yea!!!! The lines were so SICK!!!!!! I skinned up changed into some dry upper body clothing and dropped in. I ended up following that down to the bottom then skinning back up and skiing down to the truck. When I came home my legs were cooked!!! After 3.5 hours breaking trail and unbelievable East Coast conditions it was time to go home and fix the snowblower, snowblow the driveway, and then go to work.
When I left work at 9:30 tonight it just started snowing. We're expecting around 3-6".

LEATHERMAN TOOLS ROCK!

This is what happened to my beloved Leatherman Carbon Skeletool. The pliers shattered in half when I was trying to loosen a bolt on my snowboard. I was really upset and pretty pissed off!!
My wife shipped it back to Oregon for repairs. On Facebook people said to make a note about keeping the serrated blade as all the new blades are straight on this model. I made a note asking them to please return it with the same blade.
I was totally amazed when I went out to the mailbox this morning to get yesterday's mail. There was a padded envelope from Leatherman. When I opened the envelope it was my tool with a new plier!!!!!! Same exact tool, sharpened blade(super sharp!!!), and new pliers. I was really excited!!! It feels good to have an old friend back!!
In an age where customer service seems to be a thing of the past and companies taking pride in their product is no longer Leatherman still stands tall. I am truly impressed and grateful for their product. Thank-you again Leatherman!!!

Vermont Backcountry

I feel really lucky to live where I do. There are so many possibilities for outdoor recreation. In the summer trailrunning, cycling, hiking, rock climbing, and just general awesomeness. Winter has been presenting new opportunities to me this year. The snow this year has been SICK!!!!!
I started telemarketing last year after snowboarding for more the 16 or so years. Last year I skinned a bunch of local mountains like Bromley and Stratton but the backcountry never really presented itself it was usually just restricted to snowmobile trails. This year has been totally different. With the amount of snow we've been receiving especially down here in the valley I've been able to access a lot of local unknown mountains. The great thing about Vermont is that there is a lot of great skiing in the backcountry everywhere. If you take the time to explore you will find good lines and good times.

Bluebird Tuesday.

Today was a beautiful day here in Southern Vermont. Old man winter awoke after an almost springlike day yesterday. Unfortunately the thaw left snow that reminded me of the crust from week old Dominoes pizza. Gary and I headed out a little before noon literally skiing out his front door towards the base of the mountain. Our original goal was to do a traverse with two cars. Time has a funny way of slipping away especially when your a responsible adult. We ended up getting a late start and decided on a summit.
Below 3000' the snow was awful. Crusty and hard. As we worked our way up the mountain the conditions became better and better. When we hit the evergreens it was a whole different world!! Fresh pow abounded!!! I only ended up taking one run that didn't really work out the way I planned but it was still fun!! At around 2:30 just below the summit we decided not to stick around as it was getting late and we wanted to be descending by 3.
We kept our skins on beginning the descent which kind of messed us both up. The descent was super narrow, winding, and tracked out icy. This is when my day started to go "downhill". I couldn't make turns, or control my speed. To make a long story short this was pretty much how it was the rest of the way. I ended up bootpacking some spots and did end up getting one more powder run.
All in all it was a good day with good friend. Plenty of Sunshine, fresh air, and smiles.

2011 rando race start at MRG.MOV

I did this awesome race from MRG to Sugarbush. That's me off the back! Can't wait to do it again next year!