Winter Storm Linus and Sections 3 & 4

Sam the trail chief was right about sections 3 & 4, with 12-16 inches of new snow they were brutal. I had been averaging 2.5 mph, but dropped to 1 mph in the deep snow.

The first 2 miles of section 3 were really easy, but once the snow depth reached 10 inches I really slowed down. There were long stretches where I was knee deep.

I arrived 90 minutes late for my pickup after section 3. I can't thank Patrick the Wilmington Innkeeper enough for patiently waiting for me. 

Section 4 got off to an interesting start. I took a snow mobile trail for the first two miles where I should have intersected with the CT, but I never found the trail, despite my gps telling me I was on top of it. At -9F degrees, and knowing I had a long day in front of me I decided to cut across the reservoir which had 6-8" of snow cover (much easier). 

I found the CT at the far end of the reservoir with 3 miles to go. This is the section that killed me. Snow depth was 12-24" and really sloooow. After 15 minutes I realized I had strained my adductor muscles from pushing/ lifting through the deep snow. I was able to finish, but I'll need a few days to let my adductor muscles recover. I'll skip section 5 and maybe 6 as well depending on how i feel. 

It's all part of the adventure😃.