Skiing the W&OD

This weekend we had one of those (cue dramatic music and digital titles) "Storm of the Century" storms. It's pretty unusual for us to get enough snow to ski here in Arlington so I took the opportunity to strap on my skis and hit the trail. Clearly I wasn't the only one with this idea. By the time I hit the trail there were well established ski grooves and I came across about half a dozen other skiers along the way.

The W&OD trail was a pristine winter wonderland. The little foot bridge over Four Mile Run to the trail was like a pathway into a deep wood. I love the look of streams in snow and paused to reflect on the Four Mile Run before continuing on. I took the trail through the parks, down past the caboose, all the way to Carlin Springs Rd. Pretty much my morning running route. There was so much snow that even some of the typical bare spots under the overpasses were filled in. No problem at McKinley Rd. A few steps over bare spots at Patrick Henry Drive. The only real bare patch was the long underpass under Wilson Blvd.

This morning I tried to repeat the experience with less satisfacotry results. The W&OD trail had been plowed clear of snow (the bike trail was cleared before my street!). Fortunately there were new ski grooves cut alongside the trail. Unfortunately, about 1/2 mile down the trail one of my 30 year old ski boots gave out - the "duckbill" that attaches to the ski broke off. Still, it was nice to have a second taste of skiing the trail and it was a quick walk home.