trail conditions

this is how things looked yesterday when i went out to refresh leashes (after a friend called to say that the ones at 9th street had had the clips torn off, were burned in half and then tied back together- someone clearly has WAY too much time on their hands. when i got there, those had been thrown away)

this is the grove trailhead with a nice little stream running across the trail.

and this is the 9th street parking lot entrance.
swimba has good trail condition information on their website. altough the individual trail info in the table isn't very current, the overall trail condition info is-

http://www.swimba.org/trails/trail-conditions

Trail Conditions Report
General Update: 12/30/08- The recent warm temperatures have melted the snow and have turned all trails into a mushy, muddy mess. Stay off the trails! Wait until later this week when overnight temperatures go below freezing and the trails freeze overnight. Then use the trails in the morning while they are still frozen (typically, the thaw starts around 11 am). Be careful of the ice (try to use studded tires) as the freeze-thaw cycle makes for a very slippery and dangerous surface.

i am feeling chubby after all of the holiday eating & drinking and am dying to get out & get some exercise, but it looks like for now it will have to be in the neighborhood. it's icy too, but at least i won't be damaging anything. i am really thankful that the dogs are trained to walk on a loose lead. i saw one guy being pulled along by his 2 (about 1/2 the weight of mine) and it looked really dangerous.

have a great week!