Walk - Featherstonehaugh State Forest

With leading a moonlight snowshoe trip on my schedule for this week, and a big thaw this past Monday, I thought it would be a good idea to head back to Featherstonehaugh to see if there was still any snow, and whether it was OK for either snowshoeing or even for walking. I had my doubts, but in case anybody actually calls to sign up, I needed to know what to expect. What I got was a snowmobile trail that was like concrete and walkable but slick; 10-12" of off-trail snow that was very crusty; and a ski trail that was glare ice. On top of that, the only night that's looking halfway clear at the moment is Friday, with temps in the low teens and windy. This trip isn't going to happen this week - maybe I'll try again in late February for the next full moon.

I spent much of the rest of the day, and indeed much of the past week off and on, in the basement doing my annual winter bike maintenance, cleaning, and overhaul. I'm replacing lots of parts this year in preparation for a coast-to-coast trip later this summer. I always do all of my own maintenance, and this year it's new cables, cassette, chain, handlebar tape, and brake pads, in addition to truing the wheels, putting new grease in the hubs and a complete top-to-bottom cleaning. With no snow on the horizon, this is a good time to spend getting this stuff done.