Zen and the art of hypothermia maintenance

So I keep getting drawn back to Talcott mountain. Why? because it's like, there.

I have noticed that when it decides to be sunny out around here, it happens in the morning, until maybe noon, then the air patterns shift over the Berkshires, and in particular Talcott is the last straw in the bunch as the air masses move eastward. It was gorgeous this morning as I hung out bullshitting with the locals at the 7-eleven.

I get away with this, because the owner likes me, as I ride every single day. I have to dodge various plumes of cigarette smoke sometimes, but it's fun hanging out with the dog owners. Of course the place has a "No Loitering" sign every three feet and being that it's Hartford, it's probably been held up 29 times. But the owner is really nice to every single customer, and I think that extends his 9 lives.

So I pounded a couple mug fulls of the legendary "Brazilian Bold" and came home and worked for awhile, well, sort of.

Of course when I left the house at about 1:30 the clouds were rolling in, and the temp started dropping rapidly. This gets depressing, but you must press on.

There are lots of climbs on this training route. It's only about 15 miles, but you get your money's worth.

You have to pace yourself correctly in winter, as it's easy to use up all your energy at the start, and you need that energy later to stay warm.

The main culprit is perspiration. My feet suddenly got cold. I was wearing too many layers of socks, which didn't allow for proper ventilation. Smartly, I stopped, sat on a rock, and re-did my socks. I massaged my bare feet. Passing cars were puzzled by this.

So I did an old trick. You can help keep your feet warm by putting a sock OVER your shoes. It looks dorky as hell, but it works.

So I had one thick wool sock over my foot, then the shoe, then a lighter synthetic sock, which also helped stop the wind.

I made it across the top of the mountain, feeling a little better. Being an avid fly fisher and bow hunter, I'm ok with a certain amount of suffering. When it gets painful, however, I start to think of solutions.

You don't really need super expensive cycling specific gloves. I mean, yeah, they're nice, but a pair of 6.99 ski gloves or polypro gloves do just fine. Not a bad idea, however to bring a dry pair, the same goes with the socks.

If you ride clip pedals, there's more of a thermal draw factor, as the cleat will suck the heat right out of your shoe. Neoprene "booties" also work fairly well for me, but again keep those feet dry.

I also use "Bag-Balm" which is lanolin, comes in a green container, it's made in Vermont. The stuff works great on face, ears, fingers, and toes. I find my skin feels well protected from windburn with this stuff. Nothing else comes close. If you put it on your feet under your socks, your feet will still sweat, they just won't be as chilled by it.

I'm sure if you are a cold water swimmer the stuff is great for that too.

So I was marginally warm, doing ok. so I bombed down route 44 at 50 MPH. I don't recommend doing this, even in summer. But today I was invincible, or so I thought. Amazingly, the cars were cool about letting me take the whole lane, and they all moved over well in advance.

I had to pull over when I stupidly tried to downshift out of the big ring in front to the small ring. The chain came off, but my new patented "anti chainsuck" device kept the chain from becoming hopelessly jammed in the frame. Chainsuck is when your chain gets "sucked into the frame". It can be dangerous. But I did ok.

It takes awhile to get your head back together when you get in the house. You start to realize that you were not as focused as you thought, the cold anesthetizes your mind so wonderfully. I'm actually addicted to this sensation. After you warm up, you feel downright euphoric, as all the endorphins rush in. Just ask a "polar bear" swimmer about this. The cold water sensation is actually quite different, your extremities don't hurt as much as they do when you're on a metal structure, getting slapped in the face by the wind.

Nothing is bothering me now as I write this. I keep thinking about the cool two hundred foot high cliffs I saw that overlooked a swamp toward Ely lake. There's a sort of "bowl" at the top of this mountain.

I'm sure many indians sat up there, sunbathing, and scouting for game in the swamp below. I never noticed it before in summer, as I blew right past it.

I also found an old road that went up this impossibly rocky slope, at the entrance was a stacked stone pillar, this had to be 18th century, I'm sure it was a nice house.

So it pays to slow down and look through the barren trees once in awhile.

peace out

Rob