Coldest Ski of the Winter . -32F

I know winter is not over, but I'm going to call it and say that today's ski was the coldest of the winter (for me, anyway). It was -32F according to weather underground. And no wind! The sky was clear, and a crescent moon hung in the sky. The sun was coming up, so I quickly dressed--maybe I would be able to take some good photos today, I thought, grabbing my sister-in-law's canon with the long lens in addition to my iphone. Of course, they would probably not last long in this temperature, so I made it a priority to start taking photos soon after heading out. I skied north--downstream--and then made my own trail after the nice Fargo Parks-groomed trail ended at the dog park. I wanted to see if the Red River was still running toward Canada. Indeed, there was still some open water at the dike.

The nice thing about the Canon is that I can take photos without taking off my gloves, which is great. I took several photos around the river before heading back south along the trail. Some parts were drifted over since yesterday, but not too badly. The wind in Fargo was not as bad as I thought it might be, though it still made some interesting patterns in the snow, especially at this one part, where black bits of grit mixed with the snow, giving a salt and pepper appearance to the pattern.

I wonder if the footprints belong to the red fox I saw around here earlier this season? After about 45 minutes, both cameras quit working and my feet were cold, so I put my energy into skiing without stopping. After I passed the water treatment plant, I was facing the sun directly and it was higher in the sky, and I could feel the warmth on what little parts of my face were still exposed to the frigid air.

I saw where a deer had crossed the river and come up to the ski trail to walk and nibble on the willows along the riverbank. I think the deer and the fox are the only creatures who have been out here since yesterday.

I stopped at the second bike path crossing to take off my ski and swing my leg to warm up my feet. I also skied hard enough to get my hear rate up to 170. That did the trick--the blood started flowing to my feet and I decided to go further. The curve around Ponte Park was pretty drifted, and the snow was hard, so it's not like I could break a trail through it, so I just skied on top of the drifts. As I got into Lindenwood Park, my feet were getting cold again so I turned back. I was out for an hour and 15 minutes total--a pleasant way to start my day. When I got home, my husband was headed out the door for his ski.
"Coffee is all ready to go for Denise," he said, as he headed out the door.  Our friend, Denise, is staying with us. She just got back from Florida, so this weather is a shock to her!

Some is Better than None at Twenty Below

Once I mentioned to Hans Bjellum that I was half Norwegian, "Well," he said in a consoling tone, "Some is better than none." That is how I felt about today's ski. It was 18 below with 18mph winds before my ski and 21 below with 29mph winds after. School was cancelled today due to the the wind chill advisory: "Dangerously cold wind chills as low as 65 below zero expected. Wind gusts to 45 mph causing blowing and drifting snow and sporadic whiteout conditions in open country." I thought I'd just try to get out and do some skiing. 

I have to admit, it gave me a bit of a thrill to finally use some kick wax besides blue and purple. I went with a Ski Go green--I couldn't bring myself to use polar because it just didn't seem that cold. It was pretty nice when I first went out--not too windy, and the sun was weakly shining in the sky. I wasn't looking forward to seeing our messy tracks from last night--I'm pretty sure we did not break trail in a straight line. At all. Then I got a wonderful surprise: groomed tracks! I love you, Fargo Parks, for getting out here and grooming on a day that schools are closed!

I skied up to the Dog Park, then paused to swing my right arm--my hand got a bit cold when I took my mitt off to take some photos. I continued on toward Lindenwood Park. When I got to Ponte Park, the wind started gusting--as it often does at that part. I pulled my neck gaiter up over my nose and picked up the pace a bit. I thought that if I got too cold, I could always jog through the neighborhood by the water treatment plant on the way back. 

The sun peeked out a bit more strongly, and a bird flew right over my head--a pileated woodpecker! He landed on a tree right in front of me and the sun lit up the red crest on its head. I just stopped and watched him as he picked his way around the tree. As I skied closer he disappeared around the other side. But, wow, that was the best view of woodpecker I've ever seen along this trail! I continued on with a bit more spring in my stride. 

At the Gooseberry Bridge, however, I looked to the west and saw that a big cloud mass seemed to be coming up, probably snow stirred by increasing winds. My feet were a bit cold, so I thought I'd go ahead and turn back in case it got colder and windier. On the way back, the track had been filled in, at times, by wind-driven snow. I kept rotating my neck gaiter around to find a less icy part, and pulling it down when the wind was at my back. 

It seemed to take longer to get back. The snow is definitely slow today because of the low temperature. Also, I am slow. But some skiing is better than no skiing, and I am still getting some fresh air and a tiny bit of sunlight. Near the end, I could feel the fat on my inner thighs getting cold, which is something that doesn't usually happen! Nevertheless, I felt warm at my core and not uncomfortable. Here is what I wore for the conditions today:

From top to bottom: a fleece hat (thicker than the hats I usually wear), earmuffs, and a neck gaiter; Three layers on top: a thin skintight Odlo baselayer, a fleece sweater, and an REI shell. Two layers on my legs: Odlo baselayer and Novara bike tights with a wind panel in the front. Smartwool socks, Alpina boots with thinsulate. I wore lobster mitts. If I were to stay out longer than the hour I was out, I would add overbooties and a liner to my mitts. Possibly a thicker layer under my bike pants would be helpful too.

But, hey, I got an hour of exercise, averaging a heart rate of 150bpm. Time for a hot cup of tea!

From New Orleans to Fargo: Time for a Night Ski

I was in New Orleans for the last few days for a work meeting. Although I did one elliptical workout in my hotel and went walking around the French Quarter at night on a writing marathon with Richard Louth and my C3WP colleagues, I didn't get much exercise, and I ate a lot of fattening food (Beignet, done that). So, by the time I got back to Fargo, I was feeling kind of blah from all the air travel and overeating. Then we heard the university would be closed tomorrow due to cold temperatures and high winds. When Enrico came back from walking the dog, he said, "Actually, it's not windy out right now, and it's plus 7, not bad." We looked at each other. "Night ski!" I love skiing as an antidote to jet lag--it makes me feel as if I have really landed.

We got dressed quickly and were out the door by just after 8pm. There was a bit of "Farglo" reflected off some low clouds, but we could also see a few stars twinkling above us. As our eyes adjusted to the dark, we found our way to the ski trail, or we should say, where the ski trail was. With the new snow, there really wasn't a trail, which was a bit challenging, but the soft snow felt so good under my feet. The longer we kicked and glided, the more peaceful we felt. And we were warm. Everyone has been so stressed out about the coming cold weather, that I put on an extra layer, so I was extra toasty.

We skied into Lindenwood Park a ways and then headed back before the I-94 bridge because I was getting a bit tired (I had been up since 4am). On the way back, we heard this weird, periodic screeching sound. I thought it might be a hawk at first, but then it sounded like a rooster, then a turkey, then a small dog being hurt, then a just weird sound. We couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe a rugaroo came back from New Orleans with me and was distraught by the cold weather...

Skiing with Siri

BEGINNING OF SKI	END OF SKI

Siri asked me to take her skiing. As much as I LOVE taking people out skiing, I have to say I felt a bit intimidated. I mean, this is SIRI we are talking about--anyone with such a fine Norwegian name (I think it means something like "beautiful victory") is probably an amazing skier already!

"Did you say this would be your first time skiing?" I asked a bit incredulously.
"That's right," said Siri.
Okay then, we would begin on the flat football field at the high school where Siri teaches.

It became clear pretty quickly that Siri would not need the basic tutorial I usually give to new skiers. She could handle her equipment, stand upright, keep her balance without poles, and weight shift to kick and glide pretty much right from the start. After a traverse of the football field, I could tell she would be bored pretty quickly (if she wasn't already).

"Let's face it, Siri, even if you have not skied before, you clearly inherited the skiing gene through your DNA . . ." Siri laughed. " . . . so, why don't we drive over to the Anishinaabe Center and get on some real trails?'
Siri readily agreed.

We had to park at the entrance because the gate was closed, but we soon found an opening in the woods that beckoned. I broke trail and Siri followed. Sadly, just a few yards into the trail, my new-to-me skis I picked up from Dakota Boys Ranch for $19.95 last week simply . . .  delaminated. A long blue strip was soon hanging from the underside of my skis. I picked up the shed fish scales and glided/ground back to the car to swap out for my waxable skis, rejoining Siri a few minutes later.

Our ski was going along pretty smoothly, until we got to a section by the lake, where the wind had blown in the snow until it drifted over the trail. It was tough going through the loose granular snow, punctuated by hard drifts that one may or may not break through any moment. For the novice skier, breaking through a harder section of snow, often meant sliding backward, falling, and then the major effort of getting up while thrashing through lots of loose snow that didn't really pack down. Siri was a great sport about this, though, showing great flexibility and persistence in getting back up.

I was getting a good workout by stomping down the trail to make it easier for Siri; Siri was getting a good workout by learning about vectors (Yay for Physics 101) and the importance of keeping skis perpendicular to the slope, keeping poles behind the boot (and on the outside of the ski edges) and what happens when skis cross each other ("Slip-slidin' away, hey"). Oh, and getting up again.

Some of the slopes were a bit steep, so I showed Siri how to herringbone up them, which she did like a boss, as you can see below:

The trail ended in a big circle, and the only way out was down. Way down. OK, so maybe I should have checked out this trail a bit more carefully before taking a new skier--even one named Siri--on it, but here we were, in the woods, no one around, nowhere to go but down, and the winter daylight fading away.

"Okay, I'm going on reconnaissance," I shouted as I pushed off and flew down the slope. My scream near the end was probably not confidence-inspiring, but I was startled by the flock of pigeons that burst out of the abandoned building at the end of the hill. I quickly skied back up the hill and gave Siri my last big tutorial--"You can sidestep all the way down if you want to (I demonstrate), you can sidestep part way, then go downhill in the tracks I just made (I demonstrate), and if you start heading downhill, be sure to bend your knees, and just sit down if you have to."

Siri asked me how I would react if she hit a tree and ended up in an Ethan Fromme-type situation, but I suggested that such a scenario would be better explored in her own fiction, as it was extremely unlikely she would hit a tree. We laughed about the potential scenarios. Actually, we did quite a bit of laughing from the ground near the end, which turns out to be a great place to have a bit of a rest, while also laughing a lot.

Plus, you can admire different views of nature from down here. And the snow is so soft...

Eventually, we determined that the coldness of the snow was detracting from the softness, so we pulled ourselves together, got down the slope, finished our ski, and departed for dinner!

Skiing at Adam Lake in Turtle Mountain Provincial Park, Manitoba

Enrico taking in some midwinter sunshine

Enrico drove up to Belcourt from Fargo for the weekend, so I would not have to drive back this time (I'm doing some work with teachers here). On Saturday, January 20, 2019, we decided to take our friend Denise's advice to check out the cross-country ski trails at Adam Lake in Turtle Mountain Provincial Park in Manitoba, Canada.

After a substantial breakfast of toast, spinach, prosciutto, cheese, and eggs, we started out for the Canadian border. It was 21 degrees below zero (Celsius for Canada; -6 deg F), but it was supposed to warm up to 18 below by mid-day. Thankfully, there was no wind. A couple of days ago there had been a light dusting of snow.

At the trailhead, which is just a few miles beyond the border, we parked next to two other cars and went off to explore the trails, which were groomed with a double classic track. Once we warmed up, it was pleasant skiing, with views of birch and aspen, gently rolling hills, and several frozen lakes and ponds.

As skiers who mainly ski in flat Fargo, we appreciated the gentleness of the hills. It was quiet, and we did not see another skier for over an hour. There were a few shelters along the trail. Here's the one at Mary Lake. There was a wood stove inside and some benches--a good place to have lunch trailside. On the right, you can see there is a little outhouse as well--how convenient!

As we got further from the trailhead, we got to some narrower trails with just a single set of tracks. We also got to a larger cabin, with smoke coming out the smokestack, so Enrico poked his head inside. This cabin was set up for overnight visitors; in fact, there was evidence of visitors--sleeping bags and such--but no people, so he quickly closed the door and we continued on our way. Apparently, one can rent this cabin for the night. 

All the segments of trail we had skied up until this point were relatively easy and short, and we weren't really paying attention to how far we had come, but at a certain point, we realized it would be quite a ways to get back, and our kick and glide was significantly less peppy than at the beginning. We passed through the area pictured below with lots of big trees that had been knocked over, and after that, we didn't stop to take any more photos--we got colder and colder, and more and more tired.

Two and a half hours after we started our ski, we made it back to the trailhead and were delighted to have a hut with bathrooms and running water in which to change out of our sweaty ski clothes and into dry clothing. We got in the car to head further north to Boissevain to follow a tip from teacher Carmelita Hunt to try Choy's Chinese restaurant. We ordered tea and a dinner for 3 people, as we were voraciously hungry, but soon realized we would not be able to eat a fraction of the masses of food in front of us, so we carried some back over the border with us.

Thanks to Denise and Carmelita for their recommendations--we enjoyed our little day trip. It's fun to ski on new trails. What a great provincial park!

Breaking Trail Around the Anishinabe Center in the Turtle Mountains

Before heading over to Brian Johnson's memorial service at Saint Ann's this morning, I went for a short ski around the Anishinabe Center of Turtle Mountain Community College. Only animals had been on the trail, so I got a workout breaking trail. It was nine above with little wind today. Challenged myself getting up the steep hill to the round house at the end.

If Today's Ski Were a Starbucks Drink, It Would be a Flat White

Today's ski is dedicated to Brian Johnson, who passed away yesterday.

The kind of day
When the snow is white
And the sky is gray
And even the light
is just another shade
of grayish white,
somewhat overlaid
With haze pulled tight
Over the sun.

The track ahead seems
Old and worn, and
not so white as cream.
Debris blown across the land
Has gathered in the grooves:
Grass and grit and leaves
Grab at my skis. Hooves
of deer where they heaved
From feeding here to there,
Leaving punctured snow behind.

No bird call crosses the air--
No shadow of any kind.
Today is flat white
Sky and land one shade, not two.
There is little of delight,
And yet, a ski today will do.

Introducing New Skier Madi Novacek

I received this facebook message on Wednesday from a former student: "Happy New Year. Will you be skiing at all this weekend? If you are, I'd love to join." I laughed. Of course, I will be skiing, and of course, I would be happy to have her join me. I know Madi is a runner, and I love converting runners to cross-country skiing. The weather cooperated with some warm temperatures on Saturday morning (+28F), so we headed out to the trails about 11am. First I introduced Madi to classic skiing, then we came back to my house, had a drink of water and changed to skate equipment. The trails were a bit icy in spots, which made learning skate skiing a bit more challenging, but with a little extra practice on the softer spots, she soon got the hang of it. Madi has experience with dance, including ballet, which helped her catch on to the rhythm and balance needed for skate skiing. She did a great job, and was still smiling at the end of our 2-hour outing! I predict she will go on to do the Birkebeiner one day, as I heard her chanting, "I am a Viking warrior" on the little uphill section in Lindenwood Park.

The Way to Start a Day

Nothing like starting the day with a 10K classic cross-country ski on good tracks in sunshine and +26 degree F weather with little wind! I used purple wax on my skis which was just perfect. Later it will be a bit too warm for that and the trail will be mushy. It was a bit icy in the spots that got a lot of sun yesterday. It's too bad it got up to 40 above because a couple spots melted through to the ground on the part of the Lindenwood trail that faces south.

I enjoyed the warm weather yesterday, but the ski trail did not not.

Clothing

For today's weather +26F, 83% humidity, less than 10mph of wind, I wore a my light Prairie's Edge ski cap with ear muffs, an Odlo light baselayer and over that an Eddie Bauer fleece sweater that is smooth on the outside (giving it a slight wind resistance). On the bottom, just tights that have a thin layer of brushed fleece on the inside. Thin wool socks on my feet, ski gloves on my hands. I was toasty warm but did not get too wet from sweating.

Out skiing 'til the street lights came on

Got home around 4pm and scooted out the door with my skate skis because the temperature has been going up, up, up all day long, which means great gliding. It was 27 degrees above! Although I tried to take it slow to warm up, it just felt so great to be out that I soon found myself huffing and puffing so hard I had to stop and take a break. The first circuit (5.8K) of the skate trail was so fun, I decided to go for another. On my second circuit, I finally saw another skate skier, and another one and another and another and . . . then I realized this was the Moorhead High School Ski Team. I met them again on the way back and stopped to chat for a couple minutes with their coach, Dan Dooher, who will be teaching my Young Adult Literature class this spring, so I can devote more time to my grant-funded work on the College, Career, and Community Writers Program. We talked shop for a couple of minutes, then continued on. It got kind of dark near the end of my ski--the street lights were coming on, and I was reminded of my childhood and playing tag in the neighborhood until the street lights came on. Skate skiing makes me feel young again. 

First Ski of 2019

After fueling up with a hearty brunch, Alessandro, Enrico, and I headed out for a New Year's Day ski. The tracks were freshly set after we got a bit of new snow, making for some excellent conditions--thank you, Fargo Parks! It was chilly, though, about minus 6 with a light wind, so glide wasn't terribly fast. It was a good workout, though. We saw my colleague, Ben Melby, out on the trail and a couple of other people. After about half an hour, I felt warmed up, finally, and enjoyed the sunshine. After Alessandro went in, Enrico and I skied a bit longer. I went back and got Noko, but it was too cold for him, so we came back after just a short skijor jaunt.