The BIG Snow- A high Country Day to Remember!

This was the kind of storm that really delivered. Talk of 10-20 inches sounds exciting and it is... but is also creates doubts. A big storm around here is 4-6 inches. The snow started Friday and kept dumping through the night and into Sunday morning. By the time it was all tallied we had over two feet of the fluffy powder on our porch.

Friday night I took Lil' our youngest husky out for an hour of gentle hill climbing on the abandoned back roads. Saturday was full of snowshoeing... I guess I logged about two hours out in the woods between our house and the river, some with Lynnea, Lily and Goliath (Aster on the DL with turf toe) and some by myself, trudging along briskly (Bear Grylls style) in lieu of a run that day. I feel you need to take advantage of these sorts of days, it is not as if I was eating bon-bons like Stuart Smalley I just wasn't running... "and that's okay".

Sunday I laced up again for a quick (but searing) 6 miles including the big climb up to check on the in-laws home on the hill. This 1/2 mile+ long hill is comprised of two 20% grades with a short, very short, flat section near midway. I used this area to STOP and breath for a minute in the falling snow and solitude of the countryside over looking the TN state line near Hwy 321. It was quite nice.

I finished the climb and then prepared to accept my reward. 5 full minutes of downhill bliss!!! Running down a powder-filled descent in the high-country, I silently "flew" with such ease and softness trying to be in the moment as possible.

These are the experiences you can close your eyes and recall for years to come!!

Monday I was stuck at the house. Seems the Honda would not make the trip down the driveway without me first clearing the way. No run, but I did get in 2 1/2 hours of shovelling; moving nearly 6000 cubic feet of snow. As I made the attempt with the Civic I was painfully close to being home free; just the last few feet to reach the pavement of the county maintained road when I was suddenly stopped on a large pile of compacted white stuff... damn.

Back to the house for the shovel... within 30 minutes I had the car out, the area cleared and I was joyriding the streets of Bethel, NC in all its winter splendor!! Happy Winter Solstice runners!!