Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Ice trails with a little fluff on top--December 28th

The storm we had on Sunday and Monday left freezing rain, so the ski trail, which was minimal to start with, was left a sheet of ice, with grass and sticks now frozen into place. I have wisely stayed off of this hazardous surface. Noko could not even walk on it without slipping, and he has 20 sharp claws for help.

However, this morning I woke up to see a trace amount of snow on top of the ice, so I decided to risk it and take Noko out for a little ski jor. We started out on our classic track, which was preserved in ice with a little snow in the grooves to soften the ski. Noko obviously did not like walking on this surface. I don't know if he was nervous about falling again or if the ice bites into his paws, but he stepped along pretty slowly. Better workout for me.

We saw a couple other dogs out, and usually he will pick it up when he sees them, but he didn't increase his speed by much. Soon after we crossed the bike path the second time near the oxbow, he just stopped and turned around to head home. OK, that was pretty clear communication, and my ankles ached from trying to stay upright in the icy conditions, so we turned around. By the time we got back to our turn off, though, he was feeling a bit more energetic, so we continued on to the dog park. He ran alongside a 17-year-old dog in the dog park, whose owner had just had knee surgery. I sure hope the owner can make it back home without slipping and re-injuring his knee!

After that little jaunt, we turned back for home, Noko enjoying seeing kids sledding down the dike. It was sunny and 25 degrees above zero. I felt it was nice to be outside, even though the icy conditions were treacherous and barely doable with the skiff of new snow on top. I was grateful to get back home without falling. My knees and ankles certainly got a workout from trying to keep my balance. I sincerely hope we get more snow soon. The rest of the state has plenty--why do you deprive us here in Fargo, Mother Nature? Not very Fargo of you!

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Christmas Day Ski with the whole family in Fargo

We didn't travel to Aunt Belinda and Uncle Doug's farmstead in Minnesota for Christmas as planned this year because a big storm is forecast. Freezing rain is expected, which means no travel, so after breakfast, I proposed that we all go for a ski along the river before the rain starts. The temperature was still under freezing, so I waxed up the skis with purple wax. Noko was very excited to go with us. Alex and I took skate skis and I hitched up to Noko. The trail that had been rolled last week was quite degraded. There was dirt and grass showing through,  and what little snow we had was rock hard, so I took Noko on it. He couldn't possibly make the trail any worse (usually we go on the classic trail we make for ourselves and leave the groomed trails for the public). He LOVED it. He loved being on the hard trail, he loved being with the whole family, and he just ran and ran and ran as hard as he could. We had a great time. Here are a few pictures.


Classic and Skate Skiing at Soaring Eagle Trails Near Park Rapid, MN on Christmas Eve

We reluctantly checked out of our hotel in Bemidji on December 24th, but we had one more ski outing planned on our way back home to Fargo. We decided to try out a third new trail system--the Soaring Eagle Trails just north of Park Rapids. They are easy to miss, but an obvious favorite of local skiers, as there were several cars in the parking lot. We met a woman in the warming hut from South Dakota who had just finished her ski. She said that she had crashed on a couple of the steep hills--one of them had a caution sign. We appreciated the warning. After sitting in the car for an hour, we were a bit stiff, so we decided to warm up by doing a loop of classical skiing on the namesake trail:
We didn't take any of the side loops of this 3.5 kilometer trail, saving them for the next loop. Instead, we just enjoyed the set tracks after a couple of days of skiing on unset trails. It was a pleasure to be able to focus on the double poling, knowing our skis would stay in the tracks. There were some fun ups and downs and twists and turns, but nothing too hard. When we arrived back at the warming hut, we decided to switch to our skate gear. I put on my stiffer skate boots and switched to skate skis and longer poles. Enrico did the same.
Enrico skate skiing on Eagle's Run

This time around the Eagle trail, we took Lily's Loop, which had a couple of very steep hills, both up and down, though they were not too long. That was invigorating. After Lily's loop, we were back on the Eagle trail for a little while before turning onto the Lake Loop. That was a fun trail that descended down to the lake. There was some debris on the trail down there and a bit of dirt kicked up by the groomer, but it wasn't too bad. Skate skiing back up from lake level was a bit challenging for us, as we are quite out of shape, but conditions were warm (about 19 degrees above zero) and fast, so we had fun. When I saw this unique tree, I had to stop and take a little rest:
Something we really enjoyed about these trails were all the twists and turns. It is so fun to go down a hill, rapidly step turning in one direction and then have to rapidly change and start step-turning in the opposite direction. I love little things like that because it makes it feel as if the skate skiing is a kind of dance. 

It was Enrico's first time skate skiing this winter, which is always painful. I, on the other hand, felt so much better than my first time skate skiing last week. It is always amazing to me how quickly one can get in shape by cross-country skiing. No matter how tired out you get, it is low impact, so your muscles are usually ready for another ski the next day. When you go out every day, you feel so much better so quickly. This was a fun outing. We took advantage of the warming hut to change into dry clothes when we were done (we worked up quite a sweat skate skiing!). We also drank some chamomile tea that was still warm in my thermal cup--a real treat. 

I would definitely recommend a stop at these nifty little trails when passing through Park Rapids. After our ski, we headed straight back to Fargo, where we picked up our meal to go from India Palace and then had Christmas Eve dinner at home with our boys. They had done an outstanding job of cleaning up the house and baking Christmas cookies while we were gone.

We were gone about 50 hours, but it felt much longer--a real break after finishing my final grading for the semester. I'm grateful to my husband for organizing this mini ski vacation. We got to try out three different trail systems in Minnesota in a short amount of time. I feel so much more relaxed than when we left, thanks to the exercise, fresh air, sunshine, delicious food, and good company!

Morning ski in Bemidji State Park on Dec. 23rd

Day two of the mini vacation Enrico planned for us started with a morning ski at Bemidji State Park. First, we fueled up on pecan-wild rice pancakes and an Italian egg, spinach and bacon panini, compliments of our hotel. When we saw that the high temperature for the day was forecast to be 35 degrees above zero, we thought we should ski in the morning, so we would be able to avoid the klister zone of waxing.

After renewing our Minnesota State Parks pass at the ranger's office, we parked in the lot by the lakeside and started out on the trail along the river. It was about 20 degrees, with a slight wind off the lake, and gloriously sunny. Enrico's pose in the photo below says it all.


 The trail was rolled, but not set with tracks, which was okay. We had some super views of Lake Bemidji, including some interesting ice formations (below).
 Once the trail turned inland, we enjoyed looking at all the beautiful trees in the park. Lots of birch and white spruce. I especially loved seeing all the birch trees--they remind me of Alaska. These are the same trails we've hiked on in the summer, and it was fun to see how it looks different in the winter. The scenery goes by much faster on skis--it didn't take long before we arrived at the road crossing to the north logging trails.
It felt great to soak in the midwinter sunshine--like a pure shot of positive energy that infuses your whole body and soul. It is such a joyful feeling! I just love being outdoors in winter, especially on a warm day like today. It was also really nice to have the solitude. We did not see a single other person for almost two hours. Just a few crows and a woodpecker, and some squirrels. There were lots of deer tracks crossing the trail, but we didn't see any deer.

The only down side to the trail was that on the north section, some skier was out either before the rolled section was set, or during a time when the temperature was above 32 degrees, because he or she skied deep tracks into the rolled bed. These tracks (which were all over the place), then froze overnight, and they were a bit annoying to maneuver around (especially on downhills, where we had to be careful not to get a ski caught in a rut and fall). We managed this without too much difficulty, though, and this was just a minor annoyance. However, it was nice to get to a section that this skier had not been on. Actually, we got a bit lost at one point.
Enrico looking at the map to try to figure out where to go. You can see the ruts from yesterday's skier on the rolled bed. 
We made a left turn before we should have and ended up on a pristine section of rolled trail that made a straight line to the north. The grade was gently sloping, so we decided to do some skate skiing. There was just a very slight softness and give to the rolled bed, making the skating feel silky, almost sensual, and the gentle grade made our technique look better than it really is. I got into "the zone" for a few minutes, where the gliding and weightshifting of skate skiing felt nearly effortless and it was almost as if I were just flying over the snow.

When we got to the end of that section, we had to admit we were lost, and  backtracked until we found the cutoff trail over to the Bog loop. We wanted to do that loop, even though we knew that all the things that make it delightful during the summer--ladyslippers, pools of water, Labrador Tea--are now decayed or frozen. It was fun to ski on the boardwalk, though a bit challenging to maneuver around the corners. What really surprised me when 
I descended from the uplands to the bog, is the smell that hit my nostrils as soon as we got to the bottom. There is a section of the University of Alaska Trails that smells exactly the same--like my grandmother's basement in McVille, North Dakota--a musty smell that triggers something deep in my memories, an emotion associated with family,  home, old things, canned goods, and a bit of uneasiness, like a fear of darkness or spiders. But a familiar smell, so also it makes me feel attached to the place. 

The part of the UAF trails where you can smell this is when you are skiing north on the back side of West Ridge, descending the trail, and the forest changes from birches to black spruce. On a little section of this trail, when I was about 15, I was trying to find a route from my family's home on campus to this trail, and I came to some larger spruce trees where I saw a hole in the ground. I looked in, and there was a little cave. I crawled in--it was small and cozy. The next time I skied by, I brought a candle. I used to sit in that cave sometimes, just for a little while (it was cold after all), but I could be alone and be underground, and that felt safe and comforting. That is another reason I like that musty smell of certain woods. 
At the end of the bog trail there is a small lake and some benches, so we took a selfie and rested for a couple of minutes before heading back. It was a bit of uphill from the bog to the road crossing, and we didn't have as much energy by then, so it was a relief to cross the road, and then get onto the downhill trails back to the lakeshore and the parking lot. It was a good ski, and good timing before the day got too warm. We felt like we had had a good workout, and a healthy dose of Nature. 

Once we got back to our hotel--the Doubletree on the south shore of Lake Bemidji, we got into the hot tub, then the sauna, then the steam room, then the pool, and repeated that cycle a few times, until we were thoroughly warmed up and relaxed. After a nap, it was time to hit the town for some last minute Christmas shopping before heading to the dinner. Enrico had made reservations at Tutto Bene, a fabulous Italian restaurant. We started with a bruschetta with wild funghi and martinis made with pomegranate juice and prosecco. Molto buono!

I had a lobster gnocchi and Enrico had orecchi with deer sausage. We had a warm beet salad as well. At the end of this feast, we had an espresso--no room for dessert!

As we drove home to our hotel, we got to see Paul Bunyan and Babe the big blue ox surrounded by Christmas lights, a festive and iconic sight to end our evening.

Saturday, December 24, 2016

100 Minutes of Skiing in Itasca State Park on December 22nd

When I finished my grading for the semester on December 20th, Enrico surprised me with a very special Solstice gift--a mini vacation to Bemidji to go cross-country skiing, without kids. I had a meeting on the 22nd, but we were all packed, so he pulled up to Minard Hall on the NDSU campus at 12:45, and we left.

We got to Itasca State park around 3pm and were out on the freshly rolled trails by 3:30pm. It was warm, just under freezing, and we headed out on the trail for the headwaters. The snow was fast and the scenery was beautiful. I just loved looking at the majestic spruce trees all around us. We were the only skiers out on the trail, so we also enjoyed the quiet and solitude. There was a glorious sunset over Lake Itasca, and then we decided we should head back to the car. But first, we took a twin selfie, or "twelfie," as Enrico dubbed it.
Heading back was more tiring than skiing out, and by the time we got close to the Visitor's Center, we were dragging a bit but were rewarded by seeing the first star of the night just as we arrived.

The Visitor's Center is open as a warming hut all night, and there was a fire in the fireplace. We changed out of our sweaty ski clothes, got some water to drink, and sat on the comfy couches for awhile, enjoying the fire. It was a lovely outing, but Enrico had planned more for our evening. He drove us out north of Lake Bemidji to Turtle River, where he had made reservations at the Chophouse. Every Thursday is "date night," and they offer a special price fixe menu. Here is the first course:
It was a great dinner made even more delicious by our post-ski appetites. 

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Winter Solstice Sunrise Ski

This morning I got outside when the moon and stars were still out and headed to the river. The temperature was 27 degrees above, so the snow was fast, which felt great to skate ski upon. I went all the way to Lindenwood Park without stopping, joy springing up in my heart. On the way back, I saw a little movement in my peripheral vision--a rabbit, I think. This caused me to look in the woods, and I saw this little nest by the trail: 
Amazing how delicate grasses can form a home for birds.

I skied on, playing with different techniques, remembering again how to ski in different ways and listening to how my body feels as I change it up. It was a still Solstice morning, and I kept going back and forth on my trail until I saw the sun come up. It was really beautiful, and made me feel blessed.

Happy Solstice, everyone!


Saturday, December 17, 2016

Fresh Snow and Sunshine!

December 17, 2016

If I ever need my dog to stick by my side, all I have to ask is, "Do you want to go skijoring with me?" He will follow me everywhere--downstairs to get my ski boots, upstairs to get my hat and gloves, to the bathroom for one more pit stop before heading outside. When I get his harness off the hook by the door, he always stands in the exact same spot by the door and bows down his head, so I can slip the harness over it. He then lifts his right paw, so I can thread his leg through the harness and repeats this on the left side. When he sees me put on the skijoring belt, he knows departure is imminent, so he begins coming down the stairs. I check the time--9:40am. It is a few degrees below zero and there is a slight wind--the online forecast says ten miles per hour.

But once we step outside, all I notice is the glorious sunshine and fresh snow from last night's clouds. It is lovely! I cannot wait to break a new trail.

Fresh snow and sunshine--hurray!
My muscles are sore from skate skiing yesterday, so I am happy to amble along at a leisurely pace using classic technique. We saw only one other dog (with his two people) the whole time we were out. Noko, who, up until this time, had not been pulling at all, now suddenly pulled the line taught and showed what a mighty pulling dog he is. I appreciated his energy and helped us along with some vigorous double-poling.

Something new I'm doing with our trail this year: I've found a place where we can go up the dike for a bit to get some uphill skiing into our routine. I have also made the trail curvy, to get more kilometers out of our route.

We are both terribly out of shape, and whenever we go fast, we have to take a short break to catch our breaths, but that is okay. If we do this everyday, we'll be feeling stronger soon.
Returning home on our new trail

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Thursday, December 8--First ski of Winter 2016-2017

It was a very warm fall--I continued eating out of my garden until Thanksgiving, which was wonderful, but I wondered when we would ever get enough snow for skiing. Finally, on December 7th, the rain turned to snow, and we got a dusting of snow. The grass was still poking through, but I decided to get out my rock skis anyway and go for a little skijor with my dog. Another reason to get out early was that I wanted some footage for my video submission to Alt for Norge. I was pretty impressed that I was able to film myself with my iphone. The quality is not the greatest, but this gives a tiny glimpse into my first ski of the season. Noko was VERY happy to be out skijoring again, even though we only went for about 25 minutes.