XC Skiing - Albany Pine Bush Preserve

Yesterday, we got hit with about a foot of new snow, much more than anyone expected when going to bed the night before. It was heavy and wet, and shoveling the driveway repeatedly was not fun. With a big warmup coming on Monday, with lots of rain, Holly and I got out today to enjoy this latest storm while we could.

We chose the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, both because it was nearby and because we hadn't been to parts of it in quite a while. Some of the trails had already been snowshoed, which made for easier going in the deep and heavy snow. The trees were all coated in white, since this snow stuck to everything as it fell.



Parts of the area we skied in were being rehabilitated, and had recently been cleared of non-native vegetation, leaving only the pitch pines and other brush that really belong here. It made for some rather eerie looking terrain at times, and also some rerouted trails.



We spent about an hour covering a couple of loops, sometimes breaking trail, other times following previous human or animal tracks on the trails. More snow tonight to freshen things up a bit, and then one more day to enjoy this batch before it all starts to melt.