Monday, February 8, 2021

Another visit to Ashfield to continue with the snowmobile corridor connections.

This time, I would hopefully complete the loop from my ending point on Saturday, near the Ashfield Bear Den, and continue out to Bear Swamp Road and fill in the gap to Watson-Spruce Corner Road.

All was successful, finished with 6.85-miles and feeling good.

And, in the Old News Department...  one year ago today:

Nipmuck - Natchaug Marathon - February 8th, 2020
Ashford, Union,  & Eastford, CT
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I met up with Andy Hillbilliage early to attempt a Nipmuck / Natchaug Marathon.  The Wuzzam was planning to meet up with us to ramble through the last 9 or 10-miles with us, as his legs were still feeling last weekend's 17-miler.

The route is fairly easy:
  • Boston Hollow Road, Ashford, north on Nipmuck Trail to Bigelow Hollow (~8-miles).
  • Return via the same route, opposite direction (~8-miles).
  • South from Boston Hollow along the Nipmuck Trail to the turn onto the Natchaug Trail just prior to Ladies Room Rock, down to Moon Road (~4.5-miles).
  • And then return along the same sections (~4.5-miles).
What isn't easy is the trail really rolls up and down.  A lot.  5760' of ascent and descent for the full gps measured 24.6-miles.  It was also somewhat cold (around 22-degrees at the start), but that didn't stop Hillbilliage from going with shorts and a short-sleeve top for the last 9+ miles (where it might have gotten to 32-degrees or so, outside the Hemlock forest).

We completed what we wanted, pretty much averaging 4.1 mph the entire day.  At 2-miles we were at 4.3 mph, at 8 the same, at 16 the same, at 20.5 we dropped to 4.2 mph, which we almost maintained to the end.  Very steady rolling.

Completed in 6:01:00, which I felt pretty good about.  It was really awesome of Wuzzam to meet up with us to help with the company, that I (we) really appreciated, as Andy and I were getting a bit tired by the last sections.  Great day, outstanding mileage builder!

This was my 58th completed marathon all-time.