Between Seasons

In my last report I was struggling with my conditioning for skate skiing. After about 6 weeks, that improved significantly and then, suddenly, skate skiing ceased to fit in my schedule. I continued to do the lift-served downhill skiing occasionally, but backcountry skiing became safe enough to start dominating my schedule. So backcountry replaced the skate skiing as a conditioning activity. However, backcountry skiing feeds the soul in a way no other skiing does. Away from the frenzy of the lift-served ski area, making first tracks, each run with a few friends - what could be better? Three backcountry runs in our playground requires about two hours of uphill climbing - meditative or social, as you choose. Our backcountry playground has been newly named, AARP Only Bowl, by Tom the Clever. AARP is a mnemonic for Avalanche And Rescue Personnel, maybe. Schweitzer's ski season is over, although we could still climb and ski. Plenty of snow remains. However, the voices of the kayaks and bicycles incarcerated in the garage are growing strident. They have been allowed some initial outings - which only feeds their frenzy. Our first kayak outing was a warm and sunny April 13. Since that brief summer, it has been cloudy, a bit of rain, a bit of snow, and a few rare rays of sun. Our 10 days in Silver City, NM were interesting and fun, despite it being the windy season. We even got in an overnight in TorC where we enjoyed the hot springs. Nik was our gracious and thorough tour director. We also got to visit with Joy and were introduced to Jackson and Grace. Nik's embryonic papercrete casita is really neat, albeit only yet a shell. Silver has many (~30) art galleries, most struggling while awaiting the summer tourists. As out of the way as it is, it may avoid the Santa Fe syndrome indefinitely. That probably suits most local residents just fine. Richard 2008.04.15