february, part 2

Running--the other part of February. This is what running in winter here looks like.

The sign says "Animals on Roadway."


And it's a little hard to run when they are.

february, part 1

February got away from me. Steve was in NYC for three weeks, and I kept myself busy with skiing, running, and various social activities planned to keep Park residents from going crazy during one of the coldest months of the year. As I write this, the temperature outside is -20, as in Twenty. Below. Zero. Oh, and 15 MPH winds on top of that.

Running has almost completely consumed my non-work life, but before Steve returned from NYC, and back when it a wee bit warmer, I skied the Chittenden Loop with friends. But first, a pre-ski Cheddar Bomb burger at Buns 'n Beds in Cooke City to fuel up for the 10-miler.


Then we hit the trail. First stop, the winter-deserted Tower General Store and parking lot.


Then we climbed up the road to Tower Campground,


and skied past the campsite Steve and I camped at a couple of years ago. Steve remembers this campsite because there was a heavy snorer one tent away (it wasn't Larry Carr) who kept him up all night, 2 nights in a row. But I digress...


This route is only open in the winter, and as we climbed up the road we had nice views of the surrounding mountains.


We weren't the only people using this road. We skied alongside fresh wolf tracks as we went along...


Which makes sense, considering. I'm guessing a carcass log isn't something everyone expects to encounter when they're out for a ski.


And finally, views of Mt. Washburn in the distance,


before we skied back to Roosevelt via the road.