A few winters ago I decided to try cross-country skiing. Once I got the hang of it I found it very enjoyable. These last few winters I’ve traveled much of the time and this year I’ve been focused on making the most of downhill skiing. Last week I took a break from steep runs and put on the Nordic skis for a quick glide up to Boom Lake.

A fresh snowfall covered the well packed trail and the forest sheltered me from the wind. When I got to the lake I was surprised to see that less than an hour and a half had passed. Faint tracks led out along the lake shore so I followed them until they became windswept. Breaking trail was fun but reminded me how much more work it is than following established tracks. The Boom Lake trail has some pretty steep sections and tight turns toward the bottom. These were great fun on cross-country skis and gave me the chance to take a few really good wipe-outs!