A midwinter day, snow on the ground, and another storm on the way. The ideal time to go barefootin' around someplace fun! As temps climbed up to around 40F on a day I was headed for a social gathering, I decided to check conditions in the Fells on the way over. Instead of messing around finding group hikes like a year before, this would be a quick solo blast around as far as I felt up for at the time. It was a month and a half after my stupid calf injury and at this point it felt pretty solid, only giving a mild reminder once in a while on heavy dorsiflexion, so I figured I was okay to hike. A few short jaunts closer to home had pretty much confirmed that. |
Bah, who needs microspikes for this?
That's what toes are for.
I had plenty of grip and stability, in terrain where I saw some other
people being somewhat uncertain about foot placement.
[Full disclosure: this pic is from a different walk around the same seasonal timeframe, in similar conditions and slightly deeper snow, but illustrates the same comparison I was seeing here. It was even taken with the phone camera, which actually doesn't do too badly (considering) once I figured out the right software *settings* for it in the stupid Cat app.] |
And the ice was fine, even pretty solid up against the shore where it
tends to retreat away from first!
I was able to break open a thin top layer where a hole had formed,
possibly due to current from a spring underneath, and sample the
thickness of the main layer around it.
Still 5 or 6 inches thick, totally safe to walk on, and no hint of weakness
or cracking even when I jumped up and down on it.
Way behind me is the North Dam in Winchester, which is again part of public water resources, and the Fells trails run right over it at that corner of the reservation. I opted to head straight across to the nearer shore, though, and find the trail along that side. If anything the lake ice and snow-crust on it out here felt warmer underfoot than the stuff in the woods, and it had a fairly fine and nicely grippy texture to it. My toes has been enjoying the glowing sensation from vasodilation for a while at this point and the calf was still feeling okay, so I was good to go for plenty more distance. |
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