Snow Day Morning with Dean and Didg





Strava Data from a Brutal Forced March in Sticky Snow

SNOW DAY!
I must admit... I LOVE SNOW DAYS!
even as a contractor who does not get paid when he does not go into work
I still Love Snow Days!

I LOVE THE MAGIC OF SNOW!
I love that unplanned day off
I love that it happens so seldom in this town that it is important to make the best of it
and I try to make the best of it


went to bed and it was snowing but not sticking
I anticipated the minimum of a 2 Hour Delay
to my pleasure I awoke in the early morning and saw out my window the snow was stacking tall on the railings of the deck
so I checked the update status on OPM

GOVERNMENT OFFICES CLOSED!
which meant I did not have to show up for work

HOORAY!
I get to sleep late and then go play in the snow

the boys got up early... knowing that they did not have school meant that they would get to dive on full force into the electronic world
my boys like so many boys of this modern age are addicted to screen
different games come into their lives and dominate their attention
right now there is something maybe T2 on Steam
not sure... all I know is they could play if for days straight without sleep or food
okay... I bet they would call out to their mother to serve them food
but they would certainly never stop playing if I did not make them

Grant was not feeling 100% over the weekend
which meant he was already scheduled to stay home
not well enough for school... not well enough to play in the snow
so I had Dean shut his laptop shut and suit up to head out with the dog

we would multi-task
we would walk the dog and go sledding
then return early enough so that Dean could join up with his friends and shovel walks or go sledding again
we went to one of our favorite secret spots

we broke trail in the deep snow
then we got fresh tracks on the short\not so steep sledding hill

it was short but sweet
in and out

trying to set the standard for the day
sledding down the center and marching up the same path on the side
trying not to "post hole" the sledding track down the middle
then we marched home

sure enough... when we got home there was a cluster of kids suited up for snow activities
several kids dragging sleds behind them
they were almost ready to leave
I had Dean hustle inside to change out of cold wet gear and grab something to eat

I made Dean a sausage and egg sandwich while he called his friend Sacha to join the group

Dean ate and relaxed... recharging his batteries then left out with Sacha shortly after he arrived
there was instructions to wear a helmet
but with the large peer group... a group including a bunch of girls
this had Dean ignoring my helmet rule

it is a mellow hill... but the activities are only going to get more aggressive
there will certainly be jumps and standing on the sleds 
there will be crashes
he owns a ski helmet... it looks more cool than geeky... but I get it
he does not want to be the only one with a helmet

but I do not want him to be the one in ICU with a serious head trauma
sure... I survived childhood without too serious injury
but these are different times
times of seatbelt laws 
very different from my youth where we climbed all over the car and hung out or slept wherever we felt comfortable

it was a good day...
Dean left off with Sacha and Company
while I hung back with Grant
also needing to recharge my batteries

when Lisa finally got back with Didg I got ready to go out on the XC Skies
oh man... great snow in the morning was already shrinking and getting heavy
what was once light and fluffy had already become wet and sticky
I was wondering if I should have waxed my waxless skies

I left out on a standard loop from the house
not clipping in until I got on the flat of the bike path

IT SUCKED!
IT WAS LIKE WHITE PEANUT BUTTER!
I stopped to try and clear the base of my planks
but found that it only took one or two efforts to swoosh forward to have the skiies lock up and halt
I was convinced that the snow would improve deeper into the woods
I would foolishly push forward with that logic never finding any better snow

towards the end I was tired... 
defeated and tired

the snow had done nothing to improve my skill on the skies
never did I get a rhythm with the slide of the skiies
never did I get to work on controlling my downhill skiing
TERROR AT 3-6 MPH

no... it was all marching all the time
with the occasional surprise where one ski would slip out from under me
sending me flailing and falling down like a clip from a Warren Miller film

it was a beautiful day in the woods
the dog had a good time
and my time was good as well
not epic skiing... but a nice time in the woods

sadly... when I had to report back to some friends about the conditions it hurt to say
unless the temp drops... it is not worth the time
my search for better snow was a slow slog

2 hours 45 minutes of movement to go 5 miles?
the Strava data only records moving time
that is INSANE!

my legs could feel the effort for two days!