Where is Everyone?

Very attentive boys at the trailhead as I get out their "end
of run" hotdog treats. And, yes, that exposed right hand
got cold fast!

The temperature was zero degrees with a gusty wind when we started out skijoring today. It was probably around 10 to 20 below zero when you factor in the wind chill. A beautiful day for the Siberians - Max & Zorro were wondering why we did not encounter another soul on the trails today. "Such wonderful Siberian temperatures, where is everyone?" ;-)

Today's route involved a lot of steep hill climbing - the human needed the aerobic effect to keep the blood flowing to avoid getting too cold. We traversed up (and down) 1400 feet in just 6.1 miles. That's a short but very steep course.

We started at the French Gulch winter trailhead and then: (1) Skijored about 1/2 way up towards Sally Barber Mine; (2) Took a left and made a steep ascent all the way up and past the True Romance Mine; (3) Cut across the thick forest to the front side of Baldy Mountain; (4) Started up Baldy until the trees started thinning and the wind was too cold; (5) Looped back to Sally Barber Mine and then down to the Barney Ford/Sally Barber trailhead.

Needless to say, not too many pictures taken today - too cold to stop & too cold to shed the glove to operate the camera!

Vital Stats: 6.1 miles; 82m total time; 74m skijoring time; 21 MPH top speed; 1400 feet of elevation gain. A short & steep route to keep from getting too cold!

Nice shot of the fresh, untouched snow on the trail we are about to
embark upon.