This last weekend January 29th and 30th was a tough wintry weekend for walking. Saturday was snow until mid-afternoon. Eight inches in Stamford. We were lucky Long Island had over twenty inches of snow. We also had strong winds and bitter cold temperatures.
This was a perfect weekend to stay in the house in front of a roaring fire. My wife and I did Saturday night. We had cheese fondue in front of our fireplace. It was nice and cozy.
However, I did walk both days. Seven miles on Saturday and ten miles on Sunday. One of the challenges to walking is staying warm. As they say use layers. And it worked for me. Long-Johns, sweaters, two pairs of socks and a heavy winter coat did the trick for me. I never felt that cold. Also, I find wearing the facemask helps to keep the face warm.
Walking after a snowstorm is always a challenge. Sidewalks are usually a trap. You are walking along, and the next part of the sidewalk has not been cleared. The good news is that Stamford has been promoting bike lanes. They are usually cleared, and I feel safe walking on them.
Another issue is black ice. You are walking and suddenly there is a patch of ice. The black ice will get worse as the week progresses. The snow melts during the day and refreezes as ice at night.
As usual I always see strange sights. There was an off-road four by four turning around in a parking lot and they flipped the vehicle. The driver was not hurt. How it happened is a mystery to me.
One final thoughtlessness. I am walking down Franklin Street by UCONN and a person turns into Franklin and stops to let out a student. Of course, a garbage truck had pulled in behind them and was blocking the main road. Why couldn’t they have pulled further in or to the side. People seem to have a mental block and very rarely think about the other travelers.
Stamford By Foot 