Sunday Adventure
I did the Hillman's/Summit/Lion's Head loop today. Rather than bore you to tears with obvious details, here are some highlights:
- As you know, there is an incredible amount of snow on the mountain. Hillman's is so filled it that it's like a straight bowling lane.
- The entire ascent was scored with the sound of sleet-like ice running down the gully like sand down a dune.
- Significant clouds, forming undercast (see Picasa Album). Treeline on Lion's Head
- The real big excitement: Lion's Head Trail was so filled in with snow it was almost unrecognizeable. The pic to the right is looking down on a guy ascending. I'm standing at the spot where we normally change just before treeline. No shit. That means that where I was standing had to be on top of at least 10-15ft of snow. (g-$$$, the trees down the slope behind the guy in the picture are about where you and Higgins were working on his boot issue when I met up with you guys last Feb.) Heather's wasn't any steeper than anything else. Everything was this horrifically steep pile of snow all the way to the woods just before the trail meets the access road.
- I had a nearly continuous, high speed, high excitement butt slide all the way from the 'breather rocks' below Lion's head all the way down. It was pretty controlled and I stopped frequently to check my speed. I only lost control once, but I can tell you that the guy that shot into the woods last month (and had to be rescued) almost had a buddy in the ICU. I tried to stop by jamming into a tree trunk but was moving so fast I went into a spin of sorts. I couldn't get my axe to bite hard enough and stopped by hitting my leg against a trunk and grabbing a branch.
Well as you all know I didn't get up North...I did manage 15 miles on Saturday and a 1 hour and 20 minute trial run with MPM...conditions fall like...wind and driving drizzle of rain. It was good to be on the trials it is a totally different world and feel. Legs felt little dull from my Saturday which I did at heart attack pace. MPM looked strong...Riley had all four pistons firing.
ReplyDelete2 weeks until I pop the "road marathon" cherry...
You're going to rock hard in Boston and the MPM is going to destroy Mt. Washington. (All this race talk is getting me pumped for Jay.)
ReplyDeleteLooked like a fun outing in Tucks and up to the big bump. TMail and I were thinking of you whilst getting pelted with cold drizzle and brisk wind gusts.
ReplyDeleteOn the injury front...
My Achilles is dangling from my heel like a small piece of chicken lard - slimy, cold, pink and pliable.
The fact that I have 3 races coming up before Jay and my leg is in this condition has got me a bit worried about my ability to train for the big 33.
I may ratchet this weekend's race in NY back to the 10K option and may also end up doing the same for the Seattle race in early May.
I do want to rule the Clydesdale class up Mt Washington and then take down Jay like hitting a songbird with a howitzer.
Like Death Dog sings - "Mother shits of pain have got me going in-fucking-sane."
PM: you MUST HEAL! Curses on that flimsy tendon! Begone EVIL DEMONS and servants of the DARK LORD!!!
ReplyDelete(okay, now try it...)
Update:
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if this is good or bad I am being deployed to India for another 3 weeks in May...I don't know what this will do for Jay Training but I will hit the treadmill like it is my job...find the best staircase to climb in all of India...cook myself in 90 degree hit...let malaria ravage my body...
and inject cobra venom in my blood stream...
ReplyDelete