Last weekend a real winter weather finally appeared. On Saturday, the first snow of 2020 finally came to Mountain Lakes. On Sunday, the temperatures dipped down into the lower 20s. Weekends like remind me why I couldn’t live in a place that doesn’t fully experience all four seasons.
I took advantage of the Saturday snowfall to squeeze in my first long snow run of the year on the trails at Birchwood Lake and the Tourne. One of my favorite things to do is to run in the woods during a snow storm, with the only disruptions to the silence of the forest being the patter of my footsteps as I pick my way through the rocks and roots hidden under the fresh snow on the trail and the occasional squirrel scampering around on fallen trees or (on this day) a lone woodpecker look for lunch. The quiet, solitude, and beauty of the snow blanketing the park is as close as I ever get to a religious experience.
Two and a half hours later, I developed my first good snow beard of the year.
On Sunday, the boys, Jenny and I headed to Mountain Creek Ski Resort to continue our odyssey is learning to ski. The boys are picking things up pretty quickly. Lucey looks like a natural skier already. Will is doing well too. We skied for a couple hours. Jenny spent much of the time ferrying Lucas up the exploration area slope. Will did a great job of practicing walking up the slope in his skis before he determined that it was a lot easier and quicker to take his skis off and walk up the small slope. The day was capped off with some hot chocolate and waffles for the boys.
I can see that I am really going to enjoy skiing. It isn’t the serene experience of running in the woods in the snow, but there is something exhilarating about the experience that you don’t get running. We off for a little more practice after school today (if my ankle holds up a little trail running mishap during a long run on the slippery snow covered trails yesterday).
Professor No More 