Skiing in November
/Top of Lonely Lake Trail
It's been a while since I dusted off the skis as early as November. Many years back, we would get reliable early snow, but this was the first in recent memory. I decided that it was a good day to pull out the cross-country skis and poles, and venture outside.
For me, the first few times I ski each year are more about lungs, legs and arms. Specifically, rather than worrying about perfect technique or good stride and glide, I just try to get back my muscle memory and lung capacity. Yesterday was a good opportunity for that. The ten or so inches of snow on the trail have yet to be packed. This meant that I was working my way through powder, breaking trail with every step.
And steps they were. As I trudged my way up the powerline trail, I could see that another creature had been there before me. Those four skinny legs were no match for my two long boards. Sometimes, when my pole would plant cleanly through to the ground, I could feel the metal tip hit rock.
The scenery more than made up for the extra effort I had to exert. I wanted a good workout after all. And who can deny that the view of a still-open Gunflint Lake, taken from the top of the Lonely Lake hill, isn't a beautiful sight? It took my breath away--but probably in part because it was running short already!
Gunflint Lake 11.28.2012
For the first time, I actually bombed the hills all the way back to home. That's laughable, since my speed was greatly reduced given the unpacked snow. It was fun though, and slow is my speed these days on hills. When I got down the first hill, I looked back and saw that I had managed to leave behind some fairly respectable tracks. Things will improve greatly once we have more snow and can begin packing and tracking the trails. A good start though, wouldn't you say?