Great Day on Gateway

Spring came!! Bright and sunny today.
60 (sixty!) degrees by the time we finished.

Gateway trail is a paved trail with a gravel horse trail along it.
Horse folks were out today.
Bicycle riders were on Gateway today... including some small children on their bikes.
Many runners on the trail today... some just enjoying the day... and some clearly training for some upcoming race.

You may note that I did not say that the entire 8 inch snow of just 5 days ago had entirely melted.
A substantial portion of the trail was at least partially snow covered.
But Minnesota folks are hearty, stubborn, and really tired of winter.

We parked the car at the horse bridge and made our way about 4.2 miles up to Pine Point Park at the north end and back..
for an 8.4 mile round trip. Note that the distance is in
miles now that we are outdoors.

We ran.
We walked.
We tramped through a lot of snow.
It was slippery, but none of us fell.
You may note that I did not say the roller bladers or the baby strollers were out today.

As you can see here, some of the trail was clear and dry.
A young woman on horseback was training her doberman to accompany her.

And a delightful surprise along the way: There's our Runner Dude running toward us.. when we thought he was taking the day off.

This woman must be training for a horse show.
By this time we had shed jackets.

Here we are back within a mile of the car... and some of the deeper snow.
Little dogs were not so grateful to be walked here.

What a day!
Oh glorious outdoor run!
Best day of the year!