Is that a triple? December 29, 2017

Here I am after 90 minutes of cross-country skiing with three different sets of skis. 

It was a bit warmer today, perhaps above zero, so I decided to try skate skiing today. I also hoped to give the blister on my left heel a break by using skate boots. Once I got out, however, I found that we had got more snow than I thought while we were away. That meant that skate skiing--with no rolled trail--was quite a slog. I worked up a sweat just getting to the water treatment plant and gave up soon after.

When I got back to the house, I thought that maybe my blister wouldn't hurt so much if I used my race (rather than recreational) classic boots. While I was switching boots, Noko looked at me with his eyes pleading, "Won't you take me with you?" I relented and put his harness on and got my belt while I was getting my classic skis.

We headed out, but as soon as he dipped a paw in the cold snow, Noko balked. He pulled back on his harness, threatening to turn it inside out. I backtracked and tried to go in the opposite direction. He went along with that plan for a few yards, then balked again. Frustrating! I probably need to sew him some booties for these colder days. We compromised by him running on the bike path, and me skiing in the snow adjacent to the path. In that fashion, we had a reasonable run to the dog park and back, and then Noko was done. He pulled to go up the dike and home.

However, I wasn't done skiing for the day. I was feeling toasty warm by now, so I took Noko home, then switched skis again, putting on my faster Fischer RCS cold classic skis instead of my old rock skis--some Kneissels.

The third time out was the most satisfying--I skied in the trail I created earlier that loops around the oxbow. I felt plenty warm and felt much better by the time I got back than when I left. I still had time to take a shower before heading to NDSU to work in the office for a few hours.