Short then Long

Two days of running the trails at Rabbit Ears Pass - wheeee!

Zipping along the snowmobile trails at Rabbit Ears Pass.

We only had time for a short run on Tuesday; but then made up for it with new terrain & a long run on Wednesday!

Day 1: Fresh Tracks & Short Run:

We arrived at the trailhead late Tuesday morning to find 2-4 inches of untouched snow on the trail in front of us! What a treat to be able to lay fresh tracks for our entire short run on Tuesday...

Laying fresh tracks as we weave through the trees for the entire outing.

I was convinced I was going to have some great "kicking up powder" video from the day but instead was disappointed to discover that the GoPro had a large water spot covering the center of the camera case for almost the entire day's footage. So, I only got the fresh tracks shot above from the beginning of the outing and then the following "sprint to the finish" shot to end the day:

Sprinting back to the trailhead to end a short run for the day.

Stats for day 1: a quick 5.3 miles with 700 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 20 MPH.

Day 2: New Terrain & Long Run

We made up for Tuesday's short run with a great 11.6 mile run on Wednesday. We did the "5B Loop" at Rabbit Ears with a couple of "side excursions" to add a little extra distance to the day.

We had done 4 to 5 miles of each side of the loop in the past (as 8-10 mile out&back runs); but had never skijored the connector between the sides to make the complete loop. Well, today was the day to explore the new terrain between the sides and finally connect the loop...

"Interesting sounds & smells of wildlife along this new section!" say the 'hunt & jog' Siberians.
I love how they can take in the surroundings without breaking stride!

Zoom, zoom - love running 10+ mile loops!

Stats for day 2: 11.6 miles with 1000 feet of elevation climbed at a top speed of 20 MPH.

Tally for our short & long runs on Tue/Wed: 16.9 miles with 1700 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 20 MPH.

2014/2015 Season to Date: 65 days on the trails covering 553.5 miles with 59,800 feet of elevation climbed.