laying tracks at Conesus Lake

The conditions were not great, the ice was very bumpy, the wind was up and down and there were a lot of fishermen to maneuver around. But a bad day on the ice is still better than a good day at work so I used a vacation day and met Ron and John for some ice boat fun. The wind was out of the NW and we could track a little over a mile diagonally across the lake before turning to head back. We were on the ice from 10am till 5pm and layed down miles of tracks before the sun went down and the wind started to lighten. Here are a bunch of pics of John and Ron as they streaked by. I took some video with John's Go-pro while riding in John's Sirocco so hopefully he will get it edited and posted to youtube and I will link it soon.

High speed fun on Honeoye Lake

I had to patrol at Cummings Nature Center so I didn't get to the lake until after 4pm. Ron was sitting in his car warming up from the bitter cold and rather than hauling all my stuff out I grabbed Ron's ice boat and took it for a ride. The wind was up and I soon joined John flying back and forth across the lake and working our way north. There was a 20mph wind out of the NW and gusts even higher. We went about a half mile north then turned back down wind to give Ron back his boat. He had sufficiently warmed his toes and so I jumped on John's two seat Sirroco with him and off we went. We again worked our way north into the wind and were hitting speeds approaching 40mph. Here are a few pictures of Ron on the ice as we buzzed around the lake. 

Frosting on the cake

I was on ski patrol at Mendon Ponds Park today, the day started cold, clear and crisp with blue sky, single digit temperatures and a frosting of snow on all the trees and shrubs. What a great day, everything sparkled as I skied around. Here are a couple pictures of the South Meadow and one of Quaker Pond, they don't do the real view justice.

Mendon Ponds video

I met Ron at Mendon where he had been most of the day tearing it up and laying down tracks. I got there at 1:30 and the wind was still pretty strong. It mellowed as the afternoon went on and we had a blast cruising around the Hundred Acre Pond. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opE4fjpvtH4&feature=youtu.be
Here is a link to a video he took with my phone.

The ice is nice

And finally we get some ice, there was enough ice a couple weeks ago but it was short lived and due to other activities I never made it out. Cold nights have resealed the lakes and we tried Conesus on Sunday, there was enough ice but not enough wind. Today was predicted to have higher winds so I met Ron at Mendon Ponds Park to check 100 Acre pond. 4" of black ice was enough so we rigged and were able to make a few passes in the inconsistent wind. It wasn't great but it was good just being out on the ice with a taste of better conditions ahead. Here is a picture of Ron with his ice sailer out on the pond. 

wandering through the woods

Another good day on the snow. I met Ron at Mendon Ponds and we did the trail from Round Pond to the water tower then to the North Meadow trail, then back. It was a little cooler and the snow was fast. I got the waxing right on my skis so I had good grip on the climbs and a great glide. The pictures are as we took a break when the sun came out as we cut over towards the water tower on a snowshoe trail. There is a lot of snow in the woods, the excellent conditions should last a long time.

Ski pulk test

As part of ski patrol I have to take a class called Mountain Travel and Rescue, it covers basic winter camping, survival, building emergency shelters and first aid in the back country. As the final for the class we have a two day camp out in mid February. To get the gear needed for winter camping it is easier to pull it in on a sled versus carrying up to 100# on your back. There are two crossed fiberglass poles attached to a waist belt or pack frame ,as I did, to pull it and to keep it from hitting you from behind as you as you go down hill. I pulled Eammon around the yard with it over Christmas but had yet to ski with it so I threw some tools in a pack and went out back to pull in a tree stand in need of repair. It worked sweet, way easier than carrying the stuff back through a few feet of snow. Pictures are of the pulk and two of the view out my back door looking west towards Lima, the next three are looking east back up the hill towards the house.