Lottsa Skiing

  While we haven't had an abundance of snow this winter, there has been enough for lots of skiing.  This was especially true the week before the February break from school and then the whole week I had off.  I was feeling pretty strong from a couple weeks of skiing, mostly in Six Mile Creek, and I got thinking about the old days of the Chautauqua Overland Ski Marathon and the Tug Hill Tourathon, so I thought I'd give a solo marathon a shot.  The snow in Six Mile Creek had turned to a hard crust and ice, and I expected Hammond Hill to be crowded on a sunny Saturday, so I headed to Connecticut Hill where the trails are seemingly endless thanks to a friend who maintains many miles of them all year long.  I got a sunrise start and skied a little over two hours alone on trails I was fairly confident not to get lost on, then met my friend, Dave, for the second leg.

  He took me on a tour of many trails that this machine will be laying waste to in the coming months.  It's part of the DEC's forest management plan for CT Hill which is classified as a Wildlife Management Area.  The DEC has made it clear that is the purpose for the area, not recreation, by removing almost every marker Dave and others have put up on ski trails.  Fortunately they haven't actively blocked the trails and we spent a few hours seeing some before they are converted to a deer park.
  I then headed out again on my own and managed to ski the entire Bob Cameron Loop of the FLT before getting a little lost, there are so many trails and no markers!  All together I spent 7.5 hours on the trails and figure I skied between 15 and 20 miles.  Far less than the 30-35 of the official events, but a much tougher course with lots of time spent consulting maps.  No complaints, it was a beautiful day to be out and a nice way to see a place I don't know well.