I noticed a second pair of tracks about three or four kilometres from the parking lot. I wondered who they belong to since it was the type of winter day that only called to the diehards or the foolish.
I had already committed to running on Moose Mountain Road when I checked the weather before leaving Calgary. Snow was in the forecast so I wasn’t surprised when the conditions turned poor as I exited the roundabout onto Hwy 22. I was following a car that was driving about 30 km/hour, which I felt was a little too cautious. (Mainly because there quickly became a long line of cars behind my Qashqai). I couldn’t pass so I tried not to follow too close.
No cars were in the parking lot when I arrived just after 9 a.m. I quickly ate an apple and got my running gear sorted. Thankfully it wasn’t freezing. There was already a good amount of snow on the road, and it was still snowing heavily. I didn’t mind the snow and I knew it would be impossible to keep my feet dry.
This week I remembered to bring extra socks and boots to change into after I finished. Driving back to the city in wet clothing is not fun. It can feel like the longest drive ever.
My legs were definitely working on the trail. In some areas there was ice beneath the snow so I had to tread very carefully. It was much easier on the way up the road because I was mostly fast hiking. When I turned around, I rounded a corner and I felt hard. I have a nice huge bruise on my left quad and I broke some skin on my shin.
The further I went, the more deeper the snow got. At times I felt like I was crawling up the road and getting nowhere. Being a winter warrior is not easy at the best of times.
Still it was so beautiful and calming to be alone in nature on such a wintery day. It is not very often that I am the only person on this busy road. So it was a bit weird when I turned around to see another set of tracks. I was curious why the person turned around.
I was happy that I could run downhill to the parking lot. While most of my tracks were covered by snow, I was able to follow them down. That saved a lot of guessing about the ice.
When I got to the parking lot there were two other vehicles but no sign of people. I thought that was odd. Then a runner emerged from a car and she started up the road. I regretted turning around so quickly. Maybe I should have gone further. Oh well I thought I did two hours, and it was better than nothing.
As I was taking my shoes off, a guy emerged from the trees with a rifle slung over his shoulder. I had to do a double take. Was that really a rifle? We chatted a bit. It was his tracks I saw on the road. The guy was hunting coyotes. I asked if it was legal here. He assured me it was.
The whole encounter was a little unnerving. I’ve never seen anyone with a rifle on a running trail. (I am not stranger to guns because I come from a family of hunters and trappers) It freaked me out a bit. I don’t want to worry about being mistakenly shot by a hunter. (I learned later that he may have been hunting on the wrong side of the road. )
Have you ever encounter a hunter in the woods when you were out running? Do you carry a weapon (other than bear spray) with you on the trails?
Have never encountered a hunter when I was out and, quite frankly, it would have freaked me out just a bit. I know that some of the local trails will advise you of when it’s hunting season, so that you can make yourself a little more visible. Goodness hope there are no long-term side effects from your fall (although I think you meant to say “fell” hard, not “felt” hard…teehee} And no bear spray around these parts, although I would consider it in N. Ontario, for sure!
That’s a little unnerving! It’s not ok to shoot coyotes here. They’re protected.
I had that winter warrior thought this morning–I was the only one out on the path until about halfway into my run.