Today is bittersweet! For the past month, any chance I would get I grabbed my skis and headed out to the local cross country ski trails to see if I could still ski. It was fine that there wasn't much snow in town, but a few miles away I could pursue my passion. BTW, doesn't it strike you as funny that people are so into getting rid of snow in the spring that they spend hours each day shoveling it onto the pavement where it will melt? I'd rather ski!...well, actually I'd rather be doing anything but that.
Anyway, today I headed out to County Road 510.... basically the end of the Noquemanon Trail that sets higher in the hills west of town. I had been traveling to that end of the trail daily for the last week or so since I returned from Wisconsin. Each day I was greeted with less snow and larger bare spots. At first, they were easy enough to step across and then it was maybe twice that I had to take my skis off.......then a lot more.....each day they grew.....today it was large sections easily 1/8 mi long. I only removed my skis for the long sections. I felt lucky that there was any snow at all, as most of the woods looked like a gigantic brown and white jigsaw puzzle.
The only reason I could still ski was that the trail had been groomed and packed repeatedly over the winter and it set up a nice lasting base. This section, as aforementioned, is extremely hilly so most of the crests of the hills were barren but there was still some nice downhill runs. Like most days skiing, I enjoyed every second of the experience! It was only yesterday while I was snowshoeing on that very trail that I had flushed some sand hill cranes and then they circled above me before flying off. Today I saw two deer and the usual squirrels. All was right in the world!
Because I was now walking half of my ski time in melted and dirty areas, I decided that this would be my last day of skiing for the season unless of course the snow gods appear again (Did I mention that I was wearing my bottom of the collection rock skis?????). It was bittersweet, as I'm not really ready to call it to an end but it is nearly 70 F and other activities can take its place. Maybe it's time to get my bike tires pumped to the proper level, and prepare its chain rather than my skis.
Now awaits the task of hot scraping the skis. All of them need to be thoroughly cleaned and topped with a fresh coat of storage wax...it is a daunting task to do them all at once, so I will work on a few at a time.
Maybe by the time I'm finished I will be ready to embrace spring weather for all that it brings, but I'm certain that a "perfect" but too short winter, will remain in my joyous thoughts.
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