OK, today we did the hike we were supposed to do in the above post. We were with our friends, and it was very fun. Of course, today the trails were iced over in about 90% of the terrain, and there is no way you could acutally hike without ice spikes. We saw a few people trying to walk along the sides of the trails, as well as one guy who was sliding down a hill on his butt, being pulled by a couple of dogs.
The part of the hike that we didn't do last time is awesome. We were on trails that are part of the conservation land in the next town, that went along water, which was beautiful. Saw a large beaver dam. Then, we turned onto a trail that parallels, to some degree, the big climb of the ski trails. It is called Stone Root, for a good reason. It's a dedicated hiking trail in the ski area and quite up and down, narrow, and on a ridge for a good part.
The hike was about 5 miles. Near the end, we saw a dad and his maybe 7 year old son on fat bikes, on one of the flatter ski trails. The kid was climbing at a ferocious speed on a little Trek fat bike! We got back, ate a snack, and then went and had lunch at Ferns, where all cyclists meet to eat. We actually saw two riders stop in. It was a nice enough day for a ride, but our friends don't ride in the these temperatures, and i was happy to hike.
Ready to fall asleep now!