January to Remember

No, not for the massive amounts of snow or for the extended periods of frigid cold weather. Quite the contrary I would say, given that we've really only had a couple of solid freezes. It has been more like March than January. Take what we get though and make the best of it.

Anyhow, I claim success! This was my first ever January sweep where I rode for the cycle and it may indeed be my first ever sweep of a complete month in general (riding each day of a given month). I know that I've been close in the past but I'm not sure if I've ever completed the cycle.

31 days, 62 hours, 727 miles on the bike, in the dead of winter, primarily offroad.

Yea, I know, this hasn't been much of a winter, which is why I'm spending all of the time on the bike and not having fun apart from it in the snow. Heck, we've only been out to ski 3 times this month and the conditions have not exactly been exceptional.

Is it OK to admit I'm beat already this year? This is setting a very dangerous precedence you know. Wonder how many months I could make it before my legs or ass falls off? Better yet, maybe I won't find out. Regardless, it was a great way to spend the time given the alternatives.

The wandering Birthday ride.

Here's a link to the loop that we did to cap it all off yesterday. Much of the same old stuff but we pieced in some stuff that we had not ventured on in years. Some of this was good, some not so much. The Acton conservation land is some of the best mapped and marked I have ever encountered. It is also some of the least enjoyable, god-forsaken, swampy, bone-yard trail that you can imagine. That said, if you are selective in making your loop you can get in only the good parts and avoid the less desirable.

There is actually a wealth of trail in Acton, most of it having a very similar flavor; old and well worn in. The same can be said for much of the terrain in Carlisle and Concord though. Many trails were colonial roadbeds so have indeed seen great amounts of use. I was pleased to find that a chunk of Concord Land Trust was in excellent shape and actually had better content than I remembered. It also makes a great connector.


With a little more exploring I can see really big things on the horizon, for the upcoming season.