I had been waiting/wishing for it to snow so I could go on a snowshoe run where I was not running over patches of dirt. Well, it snowed about 2 feet Sunday night! So now I had to figure out where I would go that i was not breaking trail.
I thought the 7 mile loop I had been doing out of Tahoe City was probably hit by snowmobilers that had been waiting for the same storm. So I headed to Tahoe City. Of course there were no tracks on the Tahoe Rim Trail (& Map) but more importantly there were no tracks coming down the fireroad that parallels the Rim Trail. So I headed up Bunker Street (the other end of the loop) to the other fireroad that connects to the fireroad that runs all the way to Truckee. (The Fiberboard Freeway) and what do you know; snowmobile tracks heading out around the green gate!!! Well allrighty then.
I strapped on my Atlas Run snowshoes and my super brite Magicshine light mounted to my new headstrap and curiously headed out on the newly cut trail.
The "perfect" trail
I think I was very much like my cat when he saw snow for the first time. I did not know what to think. This was nothing like any of the prior snowshoe runs I had done. Prior to this I was either running in untracked shallow stuff, really packed out rutted stuff or on runs with thin snow pack and patches of dirt. And remeber, this is my first winter snowshoe running.
It was amazing to say the least. The snowmobiles had created the perfect trail for me. I estimate 2 snowmobiles had done an up and back earlier in the day so basically the trail was created by 4 sled passes. The surface was not to hard nor to soft. My tracks were anywhere from 2-10 inches.
This was anything but an ordinary run. For a runner that has never ran a trail I think they are missing out big time and for a runner that has run trails but has yet to snowshoe run is missing out even more. And....If you have done any of the above (road, trail or snow trail) and you have not done it at night
be happy to know that life is only gonna get better for you.
I continued on up the fireroad wondering where the fresh trail would take me. I knew there was no exit near the Rim Trail so I figured the trail headed to Mt Watson (near the backside of Northstar ski resort) It was just me in the woods running along listening to Slacker Radio cached on my Blackberry.
This is where I would take a left to head over to the Rim trail as I had done on my other runs.
I was curious to see what it would be like on these tiny snowshoes. So I took a left and started running on the untracked fireroad. I got about 20 yards out and my heart rate was through the roof, so I turned around, came back and snapped a picture with my crackberry.
This map shows both last night run and my loop that I did 2x's last week. You can see where I tried to go left. I am sure that as I am typing this there are snowmobiles breaking trail so I can go do my loop again but without the dirt sections!
I continued on up the "road"trail heading towards the other section of the Rim Trail where it comes down from Painted Rock and crosses the Fiberboard. I was running fueled by the excitement of running on such a perfect surface and knowing there was nobody else out there. (that I knew of).
The impact to the body is so minimal as compared to the road or dirt. The hard thing is not knowing what the foot is going to do each time it comes down. With road or trail running you can see the surface that you will be landing each foot on. In the snow (soft powder) you know you are coming down on snow but do not know when the foot will be done "landing". In areas where the trail was exposed to the sun it may have packed harder or maybe the tree cover/canopy held more snow off the trail then other areas. Knowing how to read the snow conditions is important to adapting and having successful snowshoe runs I believe. For the competitor (i assume) it is mandatory . This quote is from an interview with the phenomenal snowshoe runner Tom Sobal (LINK) " I understand why the Inuits have so many words for snow—it feels different every day. And I've learned to read the snow: hard, smooth, deep, icy. When I'm running I know where the fastest spot on the trail is, and I know the best technique to use. It's given me a big advantage in snowshoe racing."
At ~4 miles out I decided my light would not last forever with a partial charge running on high and I was hungry.
I was going to eat this Cliff Bar for dinner on the way back but it (along with my water) was frozen. I got one bite in my mouth and that was it. Now I had chocolate brownie taste in my mouth and no water to wash it down.
So I continued to head on back along the powdery "trail"
I thought the way back would be easy since I thought the 4 miles out was (mostly) all uphill
It sure did not feel downhill to me, I was trashed and the trail felt softer and deeper all of a sudden. I started thinking about the Trader Joes Pesto Tortellini I had waiting at home and wondering if my hands would ever be warm again. I sucked it up and just ran, realizing that I had discovered snowshoe running was satisfying on so many levels. Last night I was in the perfect storm, the storm of bliss.
Happy trails,
TD
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