2014 March Trail Conditions

I am not telling my son that! Notwithstanding all our threats, he is teaching my granddaughter to wear her pajamas inside out, and their combined efforts seem to have worked way too well this winter. The last thing I need is for him to redouble his efforts!

@dkel 80402 wrote:

That doesn’t work unless you flush an ice cube down the toilet, and sleep with a spoon under your pillow. So say my two sons.

The first snow flakes started falling as I left home at 7:15 this morning. By the time I got to Shirlington, it was real snow and starting to stick on the grassy areas. It also was sticking in places on the concrete pavement of the 4MRT on either side of the I-395 and West Glebe underpasses. On the MVT things were just wet until Columbia Island where there were patches of snow sticking, the inlet bridge had a dusting, and the TR Trollheim wooden walkway was snow coated. Right now I can barely see Key Bridge from my 9th floor office in Rosslyn (near Lynn/Wilson).

I’m optimistic for a clear-trail ride home. It was looking like it was gonna be sticking there for a bit, but now it just looks really wet (out here in Reston). Drove by the trail along 7100 at lunchtime and that trail was still black, so am hoping W&OD looks similar.

@TwoWheelsDC 80504 wrote:

Looking at the temperature projections, the trails should, at the very least, be ice free until through most of the night, even if snow does accumulate.

agreed, tho i’m pessimistic about tomorrow morning’s conditions.

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@hozn 80503 wrote:

I’m optimistic for a clear-trail ride home. It was looking like it was gonna be sticking there for a bit, but now it just looks really wet (out here in Reston). Drove by the trail along 7100 at lunchtime and that trail was still black, so am hoping W&OD looks similar.

Doh. I blew it. Darn.

I didn’t have the studs on and rule #1 is no more fractures (at least for the next 8-ish years), so was concerned about ice/slush on the way back. Maybe I’ll put the studs back on tonight so I can get the ride in tomorrow.

@dkel 80520 wrote:

W&OD between Falls Church and Vienna had accumulating snow as of 8:30 this morning in all the usual places: patches between Little Falls and Great Falls, over Citizens’ Bridge, cresting the rise before the Shreve Rd crossing, and much of the stretch between Gallows and Cedar. There were isolated patches from Cedar past Ayr Hill, but that whole stretch was better than I had anticipated. Given that it has been snowing steadily since this morning, I have to wonder if that clear-trail ride you’re looking for will pan out.

I’m decreasingly optimistic It’s really coming down out here.

I will probably just drive home rather than take the risk of falling. That gives me an excuse to mountainbike tomorrow AM too if it is frozen enough.

@dkel 80520 wrote:

W&OD between Falls Church and Vienna had accumulating snow as of 8:30 this morning in all the usual places: patches between Little Falls and Great Falls, over Citizens’ Bridge, cresting the rise before the Shreve Rd crossing, and much of the stretch between Gallows and Cedar. There were isolated patches from Cedar past Ayr Hill, but that whole stretch was better than I had anticipated. Given that it has been snowing steadily since this morning, I have to wonder if that clear-trail ride you’re looking for will pan out.

My trip back along this route beginning at about 4:30 was much better than anticipated. Still some snow in the same places, but it was pretty easy to contact pavement with my 32 slicks (that I decided not to pump up this morning). Citizens’ Bridge was almost a game-breaker, but I prevailed without flintstoning once. I don’t know how it will be in the morning, but since there were good lines in most of the snowy parts, I’m likely to go for it regardless.

Have fun, everybody!