Outside

It's been snowing here a lot lately. Like, five FEET in the last ten days. This was my front walkway ... a week ago:

I didn't buy a ski pass to our local resorts this year, so I haven't really been excited about all the fresh powder to the degree that my skiing and boarding friends have. Instead I have been grumping a lot about snow removal. And then coaching myself to get over it and appreciate the excellent workout that comes with throwing 5-lb shovelfuls of snow over one's head for hours. And then whining about my baaaack later.

This morning, we woke up to a beautiful, sparkling, blue-sky day and I knew I should take advantage of the break between storms and get outside. But I looked at the thermometer, saw -4, and instead decided to head to the rec center for an hour on the good old reliable stair climber and treadmill. I had my People magazine ready, my water bottle filled, and my running playlist all queued up. And then I drove up and realized I'd arrived an hour before they opened. Exasperated, I pointed my car back toward home, but as I turned toward the mountains, I looked up and suddenly thought, what is the problem here? You live in a place so beautiful and special that people save up all year just to come visit for a week, and you're annoyed that you can't run like a gerbil on an indoor treadmill? Get your ass outside.

So I did. I bundled up, strapped on my cross-country skis, and landed here: 

trail, untouched since yesterday

my old buddy Finnegan, grateful to be included

top of the trail. note the snowpack all the way to the TOP of the fence on the right

I also ran into that guy Travis who was on The Bachelor a few years ago and now has his own TV show and writes diet books. I wanted to take his picture too. But I didn't. Here's one someone else took: 

 I think his boobs are bigger than mine

Anyway, yeah. It was cold. I couldn't feel my toes most of the way, and my nostril hairs got itchy when they froze (who knew?). But I found myself with a huge smile on my face nearly the whole way, marveling at the lightness of the snow and the little tracks from some critter who'd gotten up a lot earlier than me. I felt a rush of strength and confidence as I fell into that perfect swish swish rhythm on my skis. By the time I got back to the car, I was sweaty and breathless. And SO glad I hadn't bothered with the treadmill.