Getting Up To Date

I haven't written in this blog since our first disastrous trip to Steven's Pass but am happy to report that subsequent skiing expeditions have been much more successful. We took Nordic skiing lessons back to back on our next two trips and it helped tremendously. I fell repeatedly and Luna didn't, much to her amusement. The instructors were total pros and made me feel successful even when I was a moron. Ultimately we both learned the basics and managed to get halfway to the top of the trail several times. The scenery was incredibly beautiful and made the trip worthwhile in the end. I love this sport.

Last weekend we went to Hurricane Ridge after a two week absence from the slopes and things didn't go so well. We tried to ski but there was seven inches of fresh snow from the previous night on top of 36 inches of fresh powder from the previous week. This led to very soft conditions, so much so that my skis sank a foot or more into the snow, not a good thing when you're trying to slide gracefully over the surface. We sensibly decided to snowshoe and had a great time.

Snowshoeing at Hurricane Ridge is the best entertainment value on the Olympic Penninsula. It costs nothing (as long as you own the equipment) and allows you to get into the mountains far enough to see fantastic vistas. After hiking 45 minutes we found ourselves in a fantasy land of powder, covered trees and incredibly silence. Snow absorbs the sounds of your environment and produces an unworldly sense of intimacy. The first time I experienced this was in Epilanges, Switzerland but its the same here at home. We encountered some fellow travellers along the way but everyone was pleasant and the view was amazing.

Thanks for listening...