Two weeks to go!

Just two weeks before the race and McNaughton Park got 4.5 inches of snow Saturday night. By Monday night, all of it had melted with temps in the 40's and 50's. Several trees couldn't stand the weight with such soft footing so there is some trail clearing to do but that won't take very long. The first creek crossing is the deepest with somewhere between knee high and crotch high water rushing toward the river. Everybody hopes it won't be that high on race day but it is crossable - with care.
The whole crew is working hard to get everything ready for the race, packets and food and shirts and food and course markings and food and aid stations and food and awards and dog biscuits. If we can just get a few days of dry just ahead of the race, the trail will dry out and be really fun.

Marking the Course

Kirk Edwards has been marking the race course already so anyone wishing to give it a loop or two might not get lost. As you can see with this photo, there is a right turn coming. Kirk is putting extra yellow/lime ribbon on the side of the trail that you will be turning toward as you approach those turns. It's "intuitive", as my photographer always proclaims. This really works great when you leave the single track and pop out into an open area - the extra flags let's you set up for the corner before you get there and know where to look for the next flag. Great job Kirk, even I can follow this trail!
The conditions as of 3/26 were pretty darn good. There are still areas of mud and water but it is so much better than it was a couple of weeks ago. Sorry to say the forecast is for more rain but if you live by forecast, you'd never get out of the house to chase away the squirrels!

Lion of March

Some say March comes in like a Lion but the weekend at McNaughton wasn't bad. I had guessed the mud would cause problems but the temps fell far enough that the ground was frozen. So, the biggest problem was the rough footing as all the old footprints turned into frozen moonscape. That and the fact that once you ran through the creeks, your feet were pretty cold for a while.
My people and I joined up with Mike S and his boys to clear a major tree fall on the west side. Everything worked out fine as we got the job done and nobody got hurt, except me as I turned an ankle chasing a deer. I'm okay, it was just a minor sprain.
On Sunday, my people and I spent a couple of hours milling around lick creek near Heaven's Gate. This photo is of me looking across the cold water.
Conditions should be warmer next weekend so I expect lots of folks out training and enjoying the park.