Great Skiing

   The best December of skiing I can recall in town had to come to an end.  It happened in a classic fashion when it got warm enough to soften the snow, followed by a deep freeze to give us two weeks of frozen footprints.  It was a good opportunity to get out and do some trail work that didn't get done before the early snow.

   I don't think I've ever waited until January before I had to drive out to Caroline to find skiable snow.  Gail and I went out a couple times.

  

  After a brief spell of bare ground, this crazy storm put us back in good shape with enough fluffy snow to get back to the local trails.  

  The day before the storm, we had some crazy lake-effect where Ithaca actually got snow for a few hours, but just five miles east and west got none.  I couldn't help but take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime event to gloat to the Caroline crowd.

 

  Wipe out on the pond.  Hurt my elbow by falling from a standstill.  Nice conditions though.

   The cold has persisted, and Fall Creek backed up behind the ice.  I alerted the authorities and they put up the chain alerting visitors to dangerous conditions.  A couple days later I stepped over the chain and stepped through snow that had filled a chasm and got a wet foot.

   But I got a good picture.  And I have a spare set of shoes at work so didn't have to wear a wet shoe and sock the whole day.

   At last, I got to Treman State Park and skied the Rim Trail (and a little creek skiing).  It's as sweet as I'd hoped it would be, but I lost the fob to the car so it's costing me almost $400.

   Keep in mind, as an out-and-back ski, it's up hill both ways.  And down hill both ways...

   All the way from Buffalo, Amy spent a night with us and I got to show off the forest of Six Mile Creek to a professional land assessor, and someone with a couple more years of skiing experience than me.  She questioned the sensibility of the trail to see this white oak and another on the just out of the picture.  It's the turnaround spot.  I like to go to make sure they are still somewhat vertical; a couple big red oaks came down recently and obliterated a trail.

   One more post about lake-effect.  While Lake Erie might be frozen and not producing any more this season, to the great relief of those from Cleveland to Buffalo, Lake Huron is still open and produced this band one morning.  Pittsburgh is not known for its lake-effect storms.