Home Spun Trails

My wife and I got a chance to sneak out and do a bit of skiing with just the two of us, a luxury that I am sure many parents out there can appreciate. We chose to hit up some local trails that are maintained by a long time family friend and former ski coach. They are his passion, or as his wife says, “his obsession.” Either way they made for a great day out skiing.
It was like a throwback in time, as the woods we were skiing in were the woods I grew up playing in. A large soft wood grove that had trails winding around interesting trees and finding fun ways to use the terrain. The trails reminded me of the first groomed trails I had ever skied, as they were narrow and gave you a sense of being a part of the woods, not just in the woods.
We skied for a couple of hours and in that time saw a great horned owl, which we later learned had taken care of the squirrel population at the trail builders home. We say hundreds (or at least I’m saying hundreds) of spots where wild turkeys had bedded down. Deer tracks, rabbit tracks, and a whole mess of tracks that I had no idea what they were.
We glided through the woods enjoying the trails all to ourselves, feeling like we were in the middle of nowhere, but never more than 15 minutes from the truck. We found old stone walls, and barbed wire, we found a tree that looked to be several hundred years old. It was a day of skiing that I won’t soon forget as my mind just shut off and all that I was aware of was what was around me, very therapeutic.
We crossed a road and headed out on another section of trail. It wasn’t long before I could hear the sound of a snow machine and guessed it would be Roger (the trail builder) out doing some dragging. He had his home built groomer behind his snow machine, with other tools of the trail building trade: shovel, chainsaw, ax, etc, each attached in very deliberate ways. I asked him if he had had a chance to get out and ski, he said not yet but he figured he would in a few days after he groomed out the next big storm. It takes him about a full day to groom his entire system. It was at that moment that I realized how there is perfect harmony in the world when you have people who so enjoy building trails so that others (like myself) can get out and enjoy skiing on the trails.
Karen and I thanked him for his efforts and continued on our way. At times feeling lost, at other times seeing a house or other landmark that told us exactly where we were. It was a great day of skiing and one that I look forward to doing again very soon, this time with a field guide to animal tracks.
First published in the Mountain Ear 1/22/2009