FINALLY- Cross-country skiing this weekend!! Yay me! It would have been Yay Us, but Kate needed to study, so I was gently ushered out of the house. Cypress Mountain opened a couple days ago, and I've been itching to get up there. It was wonderful to wend my way endlessly upward into ever deeper drifts and there eventually at the top- a winter wonderland. And the snow was falling...
I picked up my shiney new season's pass, and off I went! I spent a couple of hours toodling around in there by myself, with dense fast flakes falling, and I worked up the best sweat I've managed since I quit doing boxing classes. I was pleasantly soaked, and drunk on cold fresh air. Sooo good!!
I did much better than I thought. I've been pretty lazy lately, so I wasn't expecting to be motoring strong after an hour, but that's often how it works with me- that first 30 minutes or so are brutal, and then my body goes into endurance mode, and I get stronger and stronger. I did a huge loop, and then on the second pass, I charged up this huge hill that went on and on... the trail was actually closed, and since the snow had long since kicked itself into blizzard mode I could hardly see... but on I went. Finally, I realized I was a good 20 minutes from the last human being in any direction, I was alone in a blizzard on a mountain-top just before dark, and I suddenly flashed back to cougar-pouncing stories I've heard over the years. Hmm, I thought... Kate's last words as I left the house suddenly rang in my ears, along with her stern look as she said, "promise me you'll be safe!!" Perhaps this situation didn't qualify.
I turned around and high-tailed it back. There was this super-huge hill to go down- the biggest one by far I've ever tried on x-country, and I didn't even think about it- I just launched. WHAA-HOOOOoooooOOO that was fun! I scared the crap out of a couple people emerging from a side trail as I screamed on by- (completely in control, of course...). It was great. I turned around for another loop.
Margaret- you really must visit.
