2017 Ely Birkebeiner

 The Ely Outdoor Enthusiasts sponsored the Ely Birkebeiner cross country ski race again this year up on Ward Mountain. They moved it to January, which turned out to work great because we had awesome snow (and then a huge warming trend in much of February).

The kids and I were all planning to race, but then I wasn't feeling so great that morning and really wanted to watch the kids race, which I wouldn't get to do if I raced, so we only registered them. But I put on my skis for a little warmup.

Then we watched the adults take off.

The colorful flags made for a very nice start! The wind was really blowing at the start and it was cold.

The adult skiers were doing about 6 miles in a loop.

They quickly stretched out into a line.

 Then it was time for the kids to go up on the hill to their start.

Desert Girl and Desert Boy were so excited to compete. They had been practicing and really wanted to get a medal.

I went ahead to break trail, as the new snow had covered the old trail. Desert Boy eventually came along. He wasn't the first.

These two sisters were battling for the lead. Their mom said they are super competitive.

After awhile I saw Desert Girl. Remember that cold wind at the start? Well, we didn't feel it in the trees, and she quickly overheated. I started taking layers from her. Then her ski binding broke in a way that we couldn't fix. So she had to just shuffle along with one leg and ski with the other. She was not happy.

This little guy was doing really well. The kids' ski race is pretty short, but there are so few kids doing it that they are spaced out a lot.

At the kids' turnaround I saw my friend Meg on the adult course.

 Then I went back to encouraging Desert Girl with her broken binding.

She got passed, which didn't make her too happy.

But she kept going, and I kept telling her that was the important part.

And we finally made it to the finish line! Desert Boy came in fourth, but when he learned that the three kids that passed him were all siblings and their mom used to teach skiing, he felt a little better. I think he was pretty happy with the way he skied.

There were some group photos and a photo of the medalists. Meg came in second for women!

It was a fun morning, with perfect ski conditions. It's so nice to have the opportunity to participate in an event like this. Thank you, Ely Outdoor Enthusiasts!

Grey Cliffs Cross Country Ski

 The kids didn't have school on Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the temperatures were in the low to mid-20s, so we headed up the Baker Creek road in Great Basin National Park to where it was closed. We pulled out the skis and headed up the road in ideal conditions.

Some snowshoers had been out, but we were the first skiers.

We headed down the incline towards Grey Cliffs campground. There was just enough of a hill to give us some glide.

We did pause to look at some of the numerous rodent tracks. We also saw deer tracks and maybe mountain lion.

Desert Boy really wanted to take a rest at the gate. He wasn't feeling so well, so he didn't continue.

But Desert Girl was ready to make some fresh tracks and broke trail for a bit.

This was about the only non-smiling photo I got of her. She was usually singing as we went skiing along. But she did ask several times when we were taking a break.

When we got up to Loop C, it was time for a break. We cleared off part of a picnic table and got out some snacks and our new JetBoil to try it out. The fuel canister was kind of empty, so we didn't get water to boil in two minutes, but we did get warm water...

...to make hot chocolate! Yum!
After a rest, I asked Desert Girl if she wanted to go on up to Baker Creek Campground and make the loop back down the road or if she wanted to turn around here. She chose to turn around.

She was immediately delighted with her decision, as it was so easy going downhill! In fact, she couldn't believe how fast we got back to the vehicle.

We did have to stop for another sit-on-the-gate photo. Then she followed me up the hill at a good clip. She will be ready for the Ely Birkebeiner's ski race this weekend!

It was so nice to have a perfect skiing day, with no wind, great snow, and beautiful vistas. We're already looking forward to the next ski!

Christmas Eve Fun in the Snow

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, we decided to go see how much snow was up in Great Basin National Park. Down in Snake Valley it was mostly rain with a few flakes mixed in, but up at Upper Lehman Creek Campground, there was over 10 inches, and it was still coming down. It's neat how the elevation changes conditions so quickly--and how we can reach a totally different climate in a fifteen minute drive! We were dressed in our snow gear and had some snow toys with us, so we went to play. Desert Girl couldn't wait to sled. We decided to give the beginning of the connector trail to Lower Lehman Creek Campground a try.

It worked pretty well. After a few runs, I was ready to walk around and see what caught my eye. There wasn't any wind, so the snow was balanced even on small things, like rose hips.

I walked over to check out the newly renovated picnic area. The whole campground was redone this past summer with Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) money.

But first I got pulled into the massive ponderosa pines that grace the campground. Snow outlined the branches and pine needles.

A new campfire ring is quite cute.

The amphitheater seating has been redone.

New restrooms have been installed.

This perfect white fir, next to a campsite, caught my eye. The snow looks like frosting on it.

This old road will be restored next year, as part of it goes through a wetland area. A new road was made in the campground to access the higher sites.

The upper part of the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is closed to automobiles.

The snow plow was busy pushing snow as we watched.

Desert Boy made use of some of the snow piles to build a snow fort.

There's not a lot of color in the campground, but the shapes are beautiful.

Desert Girl was decked out in hot pink, and she had found a new sledding spot when I walked back.

It wasn't working quite how she wanted.

I took a couple runs to smooth things out and then she gave it a try.

Then she led me for a long hike in the woods, over the ice, across a bridge I had never seen before, and to several picnic tables where we snacked on snow. We figured it was time to go when we got back, but then she asked if she could ski. Sure, why not? We pulled out the cross country skis and she happily started down the road.

Desert Boy watched from the sled as she passed.

Then he decided he wanted to go too.

Last year the kids participated in their first cross country ski race, the Ely Birkebeiner. Desert Girl came in fourth and was quite upset, because only the top three finishers got medals. She came in fourth because she got passed when she had fallen down. So her goal was to learn how to get up faster so she wouldn't get passed again. She wants to come in third this year. She fell several times and did get up quickly. We'll try to get in some more practices before the January 21 event.

It was a nice, gentle ski going down the road on a thin layer of snow.

Desert Boy was so happy to be moving along.

He passed Desert Girl and kept going. And going, and going.

The turkeys had been out on the road.

I thought the kids would stop at Lower Lehman Campground, but they kept going. Eventually we had to get them to stop so we could go do the Nativity Play. It was a great afternoon outside with snow falling the whole time.

We're hoping to get lots more outside time, even though it's winter!