On Saturday I hung around the house playing video games with my son and made some contacts on amateur radio. During the night we received a couple inches of fresh snow and by Sunday morning cabin fever was rearing its ugly head again so by my second cup of coffee I had my plans finalized to get out of Dodge.
I threw my skis and gear in the car and made the 45 minute drive to Mohican State Park for some back country ski fun. I consider myself fortunate to have such a great park so close to home. Mohican is also home to a killer mountain bike trail I highlighted in this post which is located in the northern part of the park. For cross country skiing the ideal track is the bridle trail network detailed on the map south of State Route 97. My route for the day was about half of the Blue Trail. Starting at the staging area I traveled in a counter clockwise direction working my way south and basically skiing a big loop. I paralleled County Road T-3286 for a short time then crossed C-3275 before swinging back north again. After crossing the frozen Pine Run and continuing north for another half mile or so I used the new red-blue connector to put me on course back towards the bridal staging area and back to the car. The connector is the faded red dashed line that parallels T-3234 on the right side of the map.
I estimate my total trip was about 8 miles and I was on the trail for a total of four hours. Had I continued following the blue blazes I would have eventually crossed State Route 97 before turning west and ending up at the snowmobile trail head shown at the very top of the map.
Pine Run
Snack break at C-3275 crossing
My Trusty CamelBack Mule.
The Mule is my four season adventure sports companion. The little pack rides securely and comfortably on my back with plenty of room for a day out in the wild. I've used this hiking, biking, skiing and even kayaking and like it's namesake it is always up to the task.
One important thing to remember this time of year is once you have gotten a drink hold the tube up in the air and squeeze the bite valve so the water runs back down into the reservoir. When pressure is released from the valve a seal is created and the tube remains empty. If this step is forgotten the whole thing freezes solid in short order.
Great post, looks beautiful. I especially like the scene shown in the Pine Run picture. I miss XC skiing. It's been over a decade since I've done any of it but I had great times when I did. Looks like you had a great time in the woods!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike,
ReplyDeleteYour snow shoeing on the AT inspired me to get out of the house. Once I was out there I was so glad I did. Thanks.