Skiing, with biking on our minds

Jo-Ann, Karen, and I planned to ski from the Upper O'Malley trailhead today. Karen, the Daredevil Diva, thought she broke her wrist skiing yesterday so she didn't join us. Jo-Ann and I braved the cold temperatures alone.

The cold had frozen the transpiration from the trees so the branches were coated in a thin layer of frost. The sky never cleared up but blue sky peeked through, highlighting mountain peaks. A thick fog covered the lower elevations of Anchorage and Cook Inlet.

The cold and recent winds had hardened the snow. The skiing was nice but it was hard not to think about biking these hardened trails - especially since I finally got my studs on yesterday. I was thinking about the last winter outing that Jo-Ann, Karen, and I did together. Last winter in early November, before there was much snow, we biked around the Campbell Tract (that's Karen in the photo).

Jo-Ann and I had a good time skiing today, but our final conversation was about biking together soon. So far, this is one of those winters when biking is definitely a viable alternative to skiing.

- posted by Corinne