Weather/Ski Update

I'm in heaven - it's been below freezing for over a week and we got plenty of snow.  For the last week I have been cross country skiing every day up the Upper Buskin.  I have a little maze of trails all worked out and know them well enough now that I can really rip.  Up the river, through the alders, negotiating sharp curves, over the bumps, across patches of ice, and with just the occasional devil's club here and there to be avoided.   Pretty darn good training for the Tour of Anchorage.  My only worry is that I am generally skiing in my old wood Bonna's or a really fat pair of Rossignol touring skiis (the one's Mark Buckley gave Zoya), and I'm worried that track skiing in Anchorage will be sufficiently different to put me at a disadvantage.  But really who cares - the skiing is great.

Sometimes I hear people complaining about the cold and snow, and I just wish they realized how much brighter it is outside with the snow and cold.  I find it far darker and gloomy when it is raining and 40 degrees.  Depressing!  Cold weather generally means clear weather; warmer weather generally means rain and grey skies.  And the snow reflects so much light!  I say embrace the cold and realize how lucky you are that it is not 40 degrees and raining.  Embrace the light.  Patrick