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una_dogger · Mar 23, 2008, 10:55 AM

I've been thinking about hiking, and saying a sad goodbye to my first season of downhill skiing.
As MJ noted, I have one more peak (saved Haystack) before officially joining the 46r's club. Also have 15 more to complete the NE115 --- if I save a NH peak for last I can finish the NH48, NE67 and the NE115 all on the same summit...<glee!>..but we shall see. I'm looking forward to hiking again, and I'd like to see Michael and I complete our lists together this summer.

Thought I'd cross post this here (from VfTT)...this thread seemed appropriate...its sort of a mini Una_dogger mainifesto related to why I haven't been hiking that much this winter!!!!

<begin random musing>

I did something this winter that I *vowed* I would never do....I forsake the crowds, the noise, the artificial structures....and I learned to downhill ski.

I am now an addict, trying to get every last fix I can before the snow is gone for another year.

I used to look at open slopes on mountainsides in horror ...oh the injustice and the disregard for nature! Now I just want to find a steeper and longer one to carve my way down.

I feared that spending the winter on a chairlift would surely cause me to lose fitness...now I have gained so much new strength through skiing that I am trailrunning again, something I haven't been able to build back after a back injury in Winter 2005.

Similar to the personal journey and challenge I feel when climbing a tough peak or trekking long miles, skiing presented for me, a new opportunity to challenge myself -- physically and mentally. With every run, I wanted to get better. With every run, I coached myself to be more precise, more a part of the mountain and snow and air. Soon I couldn't stop myself. Every week I'd watch the weather and secretly plan a ski trip. I knew MichaelJ would be easy to convince.

I skied the bunny slope, then the greens, then the blues, then the blacks, and now the easy glades. I went from easy mountains to hard mountains and back to easy mountains again--always seeking the best conditions, from packed powder to deep fresh ungroomed wonder-snow. From skied-off bare ice headwalls to granular pellets to mashed potato mush. It was always different. Always fun, as hard or as easy as I wanted it to be.

To answer a question I was asked yesterday, "Yes, I do call myself a skier now"!

<end random musing>

Mar 23, 2008, 10:55 AM	#11 (permalink)
una_dogger Una_dogger and MichaelJ on Cannon Join Date: May 2005 Location: Acton, MA Posts: 99	I've been thinking about hiking, and saying a sad goodbye to my first season of downhill skiing. As MJ noted, I have one more peak (saved Haystack) before officially joining the 46r's club. Also have 15 more to complete the NE115 --- if I save a NH peak for last I can finish the NH48, NE67 and the NE115 all on the same summit...<glee!>..but we shall see. I'm looking forward to hiking again, and I'd like to see Michael and I complete our lists together this summer. Thought I'd cross post this here (from VfTT)...this thread seemed appropriate...its sort of a mini Una_dogger mainifesto related to why I haven't been hiking that much this winter!!!! <begin random musing> I did something this winter that I vowed I would never do....I forsake the crowds, the noise, the artificial structures....and I learned to downhill ski. I am now an addict, trying to get every last fix I can before the snow is gone for another year. I used to look at open slopes on mountainsides in horror ...oh the injustice and the disregard for nature! Now I just want to find a steeper and longer one to carve my way down. I feared that spending the winter on a chairlift would surely cause me to lose fitness...now I have gained so much new strength through skiing that I am trailrunning again, something I haven't been able to build back after a back injury in Winter 2005. Similar to the personal journey and challenge I feel when climbing a tough peak or trekking long miles, skiing presented for me, a new opportunity to challenge myself -- physically and mentally. With every run, I wanted to get better. With every run, I coached myself to be more precise, more a part of the mountain and snow and air. Soon I couldn't stop myself. Every week I'd watch the weather and secretly plan a ski trip. I knew MichaelJ would be easy to convince. I skied the bunny slope, then the greens, then the blues, then the blacks, and now the easy glades. I went from easy mountains to hard mountains and back to easy mountains again--always seeking the best conditions, from packed powder to deep fresh ungroomed wonder-snow. From skied-off bare ice headwalls to granular pellets to mashed potato mush. It was always different. Always fun, as hard or as easy as I wanted it to be. To answer a question I was asked yesterday, "Yes, I do call myself a skier now"! <end random musing> Last edited by una_dogger; Mar 23, 2008 at 12:19 PM.