maybe, maybe not--the winter will tell!
for years, i have been bugging pam about moving to a climate where winter is still winter. of course i am looking for more snow. the problem is, a warming climate precludes that we could find such a spot, at least a place where it is a given. things are changing every where and while there are areas with more snow than 'wintery mix' it would be hard to find a guaranteed deep snowpack anywhere. in anycase, pam loves our spot now and friends tell me i should just have multiple winter sports in my quiver.
i mostly agree--the upper valley has a lot to offer in the outdoors. i was out on the ice a couple more times around the new year. monday, the 31st i went with the pendletons--including eben and simon--out on goose pond.
considering my last foray onto that ice, we drove to the boat launch at the north end. the recent rain left the parking area a solid sheet of ice. si and i found a walkable path at the edges and watched the others each slide about and fall once or twice getting down to the frozen edge of the pond. once we had our skates on, moving was more controlled and less anxious. we skated south, zigging and zagging our way to the dam, where simon took this panoramic.
along the eastern and western sides of the pond, we skated by dramatic evidence of the changing water levels. the influx of all that water from the last two heavy rains--we got 1.6 inches in the second event--raised the ice significantly. a week later, frozen chunks were left jutting up around boulders and sunken tree trunks.
the last time i was out on goose, i had found a couple perfect lifts that made great launching pads for a fast skater. i looked for one particular one, but in the shifting levels it was lost.
back toward the boat launch i went by a promising ramp and picked up some speed making a loop headed back for it. the approach was bumpy and i will use that as an excuse for why even though the launch was good, the landing went wonky. after a brief upright-ness, my skates slipped out to the side and i went down fairly hard onto my upper arm, even scraping the ol' temple enough to leave a mark.
ok, no more of that is necessary--just skate.
and that is what we did, plus visits with a former student ice fishing, and a pond side resident who had built his own ice boat, thrown in.
with our skates off, we all tromped along the edges of the parking lot / ice rink without incident. as we loaded gear into our trucks, and wished each other a happy new year, i was glad to be outside and playing! with such good friends.
ps--i heard that a good crew made it out once more on the 2nd, back on mascoma lake this time, before we had snow and freezing rain the 3rd. the ice was supposedly fantastic. with more wintery mix in the next week, and a heavy wet, 8-10" of snow just last wednesday, the skates are back in the quiver and i have skis and the sled out.
for years, i have been bugging pam about moving to a climate where winter is still winter. of course i am looking for more snow. the problem is, a warming climate precludes that we could find such a spot, at least a place where it is a given. things are changing every where and while there are areas with more snow than 'wintery mix' it would be hard to find a guaranteed deep snowpack anywhere. in anycase, pam loves our spot now and friends tell me i should just have multiple winter sports in my quiver.
i mostly agree--the upper valley has a lot to offer in the outdoors. i was out on the ice a couple more times around the new year. monday, the 31st i went with the pendletons--including eben and simon--out on goose pond.
considering my last foray onto that ice, we drove to the boat launch at the north end. the recent rain left the parking area a solid sheet of ice. si and i found a walkable path at the edges and watched the others each slide about and fall once or twice getting down to the frozen edge of the pond. once we had our skates on, moving was more controlled and less anxious. we skated south, zigging and zagging our way to the dam, where simon took this panoramic.
along the eastern and western sides of the pond, we skated by dramatic evidence of the changing water levels. the influx of all that water from the last two heavy rains--we got 1.6 inches in the second event--raised the ice significantly. a week later, frozen chunks were left jutting up around boulders and sunken tree trunks.
the last time i was out on goose, i had found a couple perfect lifts that made great launching pads for a fast skater. i looked for one particular one, but in the shifting levels it was lost.
back toward the boat launch i went by a promising ramp and picked up some speed making a loop headed back for it. the approach was bumpy and i will use that as an excuse for why even though the launch was good, the landing went wonky. after a brief upright-ness, my skates slipped out to the side and i went down fairly hard onto my upper arm, even scraping the ol' temple enough to leave a mark.
ok, no more of that is necessary--just skate.
and that is what we did, plus visits with a former student ice fishing, and a pond side resident who had built his own ice boat, thrown in.
with our skates off, we all tromped along the edges of the parking lot / ice rink without incident. as we loaded gear into our trucks, and wished each other a happy new year, i was glad to be outside and playing! with such good friends.
ps--i heard that a good crew made it out once more on the 2nd, back on mascoma lake this time, before we had snow and freezing rain the 3rd. the ice was supposedly fantastic. with more wintery mix in the next week, and a heavy wet, 8-10" of snow just last wednesday, the skates are back in the quiver and i have skis and the sled out.
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