I got on the ski trail at 7:38am this morning, and it was light enough to ski during this time that is called "civil twilight," although sunrise was not until 8:06am. It was 16 degrees warmer than yesterday (6 above!), so I decided to skate ski, a good decision as the trail had been freshly rolled, leaving a corduroy surface. Unfortunately, some parts of the skate deck were marred by someone being too eager to ski on after the groomer passed by:
Trails that have just been groomed need time to "set up" before they are firm enough to ski on. I learned about this when I was a teenager, out skiing on the UAF trails late at night. The groomer passed by, paused, and waved me over. He explained how the trail needed to set up overnight, so if I could please ski on the trails he wasn't grooming, then I and other skiers would have a much nicer trail to ski on that week. I was glad to know this and changed my route.
Here's an example of my track this morning on a segment of trail that had been set up (to compare with the above):
Even when the trail is "set" it is best if walkers and bikers stay off the trail. In a couple of sections, I saw how a fat tire biker had dug into the skate deck when he or she tried biking on the trail for a few yards. Fortunately, this person thought better of his decision and moved off the trail:
When I got to the Dog Park, I noticed that Fargo Parks had put up a new sign to remind people of ski trail etiquette. I hope it helps educate people about ski trail use:
The ski trails, like the swimming pools and hockey rinks, add to quality of life in Fargo-Moorhead. I hope people will treat them well, especially given how little snow we have right now.
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