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.