Cross Country Ski Adventure

On Monday, December 30, 2019, I went to bed worried that I would miss the ideal time to go out and clear my driveway.  The forecast said that the snow would be changing to rain around 3 AM.  The best time to clear snow is before is changes over to rain but there was no way I was going out at 3 AM.

Early Tuesday morning, I peeked out my window and I was shocked and happy to see that it was STILL snowing… no rain!  I kept watching and eventually the snow just stopped.  I went out to snow blow and shovel and get everything cleaned up.  I like to play in the snow so I don’t mind cleaning up.  As I went about my snow clearing project I had an a-ha moment… I should be popping into my skis and getting out into the woods… ASAP!

Last winter I never got out on my skis because the snow changed to rain and froze every single storm we had.  I scrambled around my house looking for equipment that hadn’t been used in two years and gathered up my skis, poles and boots.  I dusted off my boots, slipped into them and headed outside.  I clicked into my skis and headed down the road… that’s right the road.  The plows hadn’t been through yet so I could ski to the trail head on the other side of my neighborhood.

When I got to the trail, I popped off my skis and followed someone else’s snow shoe tracks. The first part of the trail is to steep and risky to cross country ski.  In a few minutes I was at the access point for the trails on the old Navy base.  These trails are perfect for cross country skiing because they are wide and flat.

I was the first person out on the trails so I had to break the trail.  That is hard work so pretty soon I had worked up a sweat.  About a quarter of a mile in, I bumped into some other cross country skiers coming from the other direction.  We chatted a bit about how wonderful it was to be out skiing and shared information about trail conditions. As we moved on in our respective directions, my job got easier.  The other skiers had broken the trail and I could follow their tracks and get more of a glide going.

It was so beautiful kicking and gliding down the trail.  The trees were bent down with fresh snow which made the woods look like a winter wonderland.  Before I knew it, it was time to head back home.  I was exhilarated from the exercise, the cold and the beauty of the woods.