Remainders of Foxfest

In looking at the projected hourly temperatures for today, I could see that it would warm up from twenty below to twelve below, so I thought about going skiing in the afternoon, but then I saw that the wind would be increasing from 3mph to 12mph, so I decided to go in the morning because I think wind is worse than cold.

I warmed up my ski boots in the heating register before heading out. My cat, Benjamin, thought that was a good idea, so he cozied up to my ski boots. I decided to go with mittens today (instead of gloves or lobster mitts), and for good measure I put in the beaver fur inserts that were a gift from my friend, Siobhan Wescott. I also wrapped my right knee before putting on my long underwear because it has been giving me some trouble lately. As soon as I stepped out the door, my spirits lifted. At 10:15am, it was bright and sunny, and there was almost no wind. As soon as I got out on the classic trail (Swix green kick wax again today), I saw that the foxes had been active. I could see their tracks along the trail, some tufts of fur, and the occasional scat. Up in the trees, I could see some small birds with their white, gray, and brown feathers all puffed up--maybe tufted titmouse? In the willows on the ground, sparrows were active. Even though it is a very cold day, it still feels like spring is coming. I continued on my ski, first to the dog park (no dogs) and then toward Lindenwood Park. At Ponte Park, someone had driven on the ski trail, degrading some of the edges of the set tracks. Snow coverage was still sparse. I saw a turkey feather in the middle of the trail--maybe one of the foxes had caught a turkey?

I passed one other skier, and we greeted each other. At Lindenwood, I saw a figure walking a dog. I recognized the gait of the walker and his dark green parka--my colleague, Bruce Maylath, with his dog, Joy. We chatted for a brief time, and he noticed that Joy was shivering, so he decided to head back home. I continued on toward the I-94 bridge. This part of the ski trail was still in bad condition, with much debris that grabs at one's skis. I went very slowly to reduce the jerking from that. On the way back, when I got to the part where there was the feather I looked around and saw evidence of the foxes having quite a feast, with many feathers left behind. Must have been quite a Foxfest!

I don't like to have my face covered while skiing, but occasionally, I would pull up my neck gaiter when the trail had me facing into the wind. I discovered another use for taking selfies wiht my phone--it allowed me to do a quick check for frost bite. I didn't see any white patches, so I continued skiing with my neck gaiter down until I got home.

I was out for about 80 minutes, just taking it easy and enjoying being outside on my skis on a chilly winter day.When I got back, I made some chicken vegetable soup, and I will enjoy a bowl of that when I have posted this to my blog.