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On Sunday, March 14, Patch veterans Stephanie Konowitz and Tim Singer set out on course, Konowitz looking to be the first ever female winter sprinter; Singer looking to add to his record total of Patch finishes; both looking to make the first recorded successful sprint of the 2010 winter season.
“It was a fun day,” said Konowitz. “very little snow, perfect temperature and we went at a nice easy pace.” The pair needed 27 minutes to summit Bare and a little over an hour from Bare to Rattlesnake. Following a lunch break, back at the starting line, they cruised up Sugarloaf. “Smooth sailing all the way,” Singer noted. “We didn’t see anyone all day, though we did hear gunshot fire on Bare, Rattlesnake and the back side of Sugarloaf!”
The trekkers reached their first snag at a familiar trouble spot. “We made it through Feigalley and the tunnel and, if you can believe it, the swamp was worse than last year!” Not wanting to submerge with the air temperature falling, the duo traversed a half-mile south to avoid the swamp. Upon beginning their ascent of Pok-O, the real trouble began. “It was very icy, blue ice, and I don’t like ice at all,” stated Konowitz. The climbers successfully negotiated the steep icy pitch leading to the mountain’s first lookout, then decided to halt their efforts.
“It was slow going to make it up the ice,” said Singer. “As it was getting late, getting colder, and had started sleeting, we agreed that we could make it to the top, but getting down might be a hazardous undertaking.”
With only a few days remaining in the winter season, it appears as if 2010 will come and go without a new name being placed on the the Winter Sprint roster.
