2nd Annual Full Moon Frozen River Run Cancelled

Well, is it really a surprise?! Seven days of temperatures above 40 degrees. AND, the night temperatures never below 35 degrees!!

I have been holding out hope, nonetheless.

But today, only the SECOND day of above 40 degree temperatures, and the river is becoming un-runnable.

Let me explain:
I went out on the river this afternoon - in dress shoes and galoshes - because there were trucks and ice houses out there and I could literally see 10 inches of ice.

However, the St Croix River is fed by numerous streams and springs that, even in the coldest of temperatures, leave the banks of the river unfrozen. Today, as I drove to work, I could see from the top of the Fairy Falls hill road that the edges of the river were unfrozen. That always serves as my first gauge of the the state of the river. Then, down on the river, the sewage drain area north of the Stillwater gazebo had created a very large area of open water.

But here is the main reason that the 2nd Annual Full Moon Frozen River Run has been cancelled: presently there are pool of water on top of the ice and where there are no pools of water, there is slush ranging from 1" to 6" deep. There will be NO below freezing temperatures before Friday night, so the slush will only get worse. On a good day, I can run on the river on the hard packed snow from Marine to Stillwater in 2.6 hours. If we were to run on Friday night, it would be 3-5 hours of miserable slogging in ice cold slush. Sorry. Not my idea of a fun Friday night.

There is always another day, another cold winter and another run.

So, if you're looking for an alternative, join Marty and me for an incredible concert in Stillwater put on by the St. Croix Concert Series, a great organization that my law firm supports. Concert starts at 7:30. Drinks and food afterward at the Reve324 on Main Street. Hope to see you there; warm and dry!!