Date: 2010-01-18
To: Thinking about cold
Miles today: 0.0

I just got back from a trip to Seattle. Helped Brenda move and packed home a load of furniture for the current bedroom remodel project. It was the typical spring-winter driving sort of trip. Going to Seattle, first pass clear sailing, second pass with snow flurries and slushy snow all over road with a slush pile down the center white line. Crazies going fast and weaving thru traffic, hit slush, lose control and do 180¢s down road. They play a bit of bumper cars and end up off road in snow pile. Next thing you know, miles of traffic back up. And people ask me why and I want to go hiking.Coming back, the slushy pass was now bare and wet, but the clear sailing pass changed to compact snow and ice. Nice thing about 4X4, you just slow down a bit and keep right on traveling. Just like AT hiking, snow slows progress and feet keep moving north.I received "Southbound" by the Barefoot Sisters as a Christmas present. It is one of those books that keep you spell-bound and I read it in two nights. What a great adventure and memory to have forever. I was really intrigued with their adventures in the snow and cold. I was never as cold as the Sisters. But they brought back memories of how it can be really brutal and every piece of gear takes on new significance. During my first trip with an April start date, we got snowed on in Hot Springs-it was pretty cold. Second and third trips with first of March start dates each required several zero days to wait out storms and it was just plain miserable cold. And there were trail stories of frost bite and rescues for the less prepared. Serendipitously, both long stretches of zero days were at Kincora¢¦go figure. I spent one Easter there and what a feast we had, I¢ll never forget those days. I still remember Brain and Pinky¢s snow angels in Morland Gap shelter¢ha, ha, that¢s were they were sleeping and the snow pilled up clear to the back of the shelter. The second zero spell, Bob Peoples shuttled Mrs. Limestone and I to Braemar Castle. After the first night, the hostel was full and there were many more cold and weary thru¢s arriving off the trail so we moved to make more room. We enjoyed the Castle and went out to dinner which was an unplanned treat. Its mid-January so I checked my weight loss for the year. Good news, down 14-15 pounds. All the holiday cheer additions are already gone. Bad news is the training is suffering as too much is distracting. I also read Winton Porter¢s "Just Passin¢ Thru". This is another book that you pick up and read cover to cover without too many breaks. What a collection of great stories. Puts a little bit more character is some of the trail characters. Latest snow and cold storm he mentioned is May!We have been wetter and warmer this winter. There is at most 18 inches of snow pack here at the house and it has been pretty compacted due to the rain. During the day, it reminds me of cow pies as in wet and sloppy. Only four storms have dumped enough snow to require the snow thrower to work, but it has been heavy wet snow. I am thankful for powerful thrower. Checking out NOAA climate data, El Nino in Pacific has built in strength the last month and will hold well into spring, maybe into May or June. From the report: "Expected El Ni±o impacts during January-March 2010...For the contiguous United States, potential El Ni±o impacts include above-average precipitation for the southern tier of the country, with below-average precipitation in the Pacific Northwest and in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. Below-average snowfall and above-average temperatures are most likely across the northern tier of states (excluding New England), while below-average temperatures are favored for the south-central and southeastern states."Based upon this, colder and more precipitation, it could be a cold, snowy first month on the trail so I am re-thinking some gear.Go Tenners!