Cross Country Skiing - Third Time's the Charm

Ah, this Wisconsin life! How ironic and interesting I've found it that the colder winter weather actually results in more people being outdoors and enjoying themselves than in warmer climes in which we've lived. Perhaps there's something about embracing the extremes to prove that you can, to prove your personal toughness and ability to seize every opportunity nature throws at you.

That sounds lovely and philosophical, doesn't it? In my case, though, I'm simply obsessed with getting back on my skis. I love to learn new things, and once learned, I want to improve and get better until I have some level of expertise. It doesn't hurt that this particular new obsession is also a great workout, a terrific occasional substitute for the endurance training in preparation for April's Illinois Marathon.

With the mild temperatures and lack of snow, though, I have been forced to expand my search for trail options. Having accepted getting a long workout in means both going it alone and probably driving quite a ways to find the snow, I researched trails in upper Wisconsin, finally narrowing it down to about four options depending on last minute ski reports online. With the information I could glean, I decided last Saturday afternoon that I would get up super early on Sunday, drive three hours to Minocqua Winter Park, and plan on a cross country skiing morning with a workout equal to the duration of a 16 mile run, the distance on my training plan.

I headed out at 6am, with a plan to be home no later than 3pm so that I could take the kids to play tennis at 4pm when we had the court reserved. Yep, I'm the ambitious mama, for sure. As I drove north, I kept my eye on the snow conditions along the way. About two hours into the drive, it began to look like I might not need to go all the way to Minocqua, so I consulted the different options for which I had brought trail maps. Nose Lake Trail would cut about twenty minutes off of the drive, and had a good report for having been recently groomed last Saturday.

I got there a little before 9, and there was only one other car in the parking lot at the trail head. I bought my day pass at the self service box, got my act together with all of my gear (including chap stick, hand warmers, tissues for my pocket, and phone in the baggie to keep snow and moisture away from my pictures!), and finally got on the trail around 9:15.

I took the west loop first as it was shorter and I wasn't feeling terribly confident as I'm still quite the beginner. Unlike our backyard and the nature preserve, this trail had ups and downs, challenging climbs and fast descents that were far beyond my abilities. I fell at least seven or eight times the first time around, including a straight up face plant on one of the trickiest downhills! Good thing there was plenty of snow, as it was a painless fall other than the handful of snow that went right down the front of my neck gaiter!

On my second time around the west loop - this time determined to not fall as much - I passed another skier who was kind enough to stop and talk for a few minutes, giving me some tips on controlling my descents down the hills, which helped tremendously in keeping me upright. After two loops equaling 5.5 miles, I headed over to the east loop which was marked at 4.8 miles. Lo and behold - longer, but easier. Some gentle rolling hills most of the way around, but much easier to manage and quite a bit more encouraging for this novice! Unfortunately, by that time I was pretty tired and I had developed two blisters on my right foot, but I soldiered on, confident that the minor pain was worth the effort.

It is absolutely beautiful in the snow covered woods and meadows, but I also had the joy of skiing in a light snowfall all morning with no wind at all. Most of my two and a half hours on the trail were spent in solitude, too, giving me plenty of opportunity to stop and enjoy watching the big, soft flakes falling gently around me, listening to the sounds of the woods in this classic "silent winter sport" so popular here.