Ski Tales

Well, I have lots to share but I will start with the most recent and work backwards. Sorry to all of you chonological people...

Rhiannon and I had our second xcountry lesson yesterday. We had a different teacher who was really good and we both learned a lot. And it was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the snow was so sparkly - with those giant flakes that look like sparkly pablum. Then we had our lunch and visited with other homeschoolers. Then Rhiannon and I went skiing together - just the two of us. Rhiannon was doing really well. She hardly fell at all. I would let her ski ahead of me and then I would pass her and wait so that I got a bit of a work out. I loved the feeling of my quads working and pulling and stretching. It was a satisfying feeling. The xcountry trails at Silver Star are really poorly marked so we were just happily going along when we discovered that we were actually on a blue trail (intermediate). It got very hilly. Rhiannon said "This is not cross country skiing, it is uphill skiing". It was. It really was. At one point, Rhiannon had taken off her skis to walk up yet another hill. I had one of her skis and she had the other. Then she dropped it and it skidded away in the track very fast. She ran after it. Couldn't catch it. Lay down weeping. I took off my skis and climbed down to get it. I guess it wanted a little ski on its own. It wasn't that far. Then we climbed to the top of that hill and lay down in a snow bank. There was no one around. It was so quiet and still. We could just hear the wind softly in the trees. It was beautiful. We enjoyed it for awhile and then continued. We ended going down quite a few hills. And I did okay. I was really scared at first but I did alright and the more often I went down a hill, the more confident I was. This week the snow was easier to handle and I was able to stop with both legs.

We were 3 hours on that trail before we made it back to the village. Boy we were pooped. I had worked so hard skiing and acting as a human rope tow for Rhiannon up the hills. But it was good. I was proud of myself and Rhiannon. She is such a little trooper and I am glad that she enjoys these outdoor things like I do. That night she said to me, "I have a different kind of ache. I don't have a stomach ache, I have a leg ache". Poor kid. I gave her a soak in epsom salts and she is fine today. Did you know that espsom salts really work for muscle aches? I don't know why but they do. I used the same technique and I am not stiff today. Turns out I like xcountry skiing a lot more than I used to.