The weather was perfect!  Not a cloud in the sky and 55 degrees at the start.  The trees were just beginning to show some fall color.  The trail is actually almost a grassy road through the woods, 18 feet wide with rolling hills all the way.  It never goes flat, you’re always either going up or down so it’s quite the workout.  The staff and volunteers who take care of trail maintenance do a terrific job, the grass is mowed and large obstacles are removed on a regular basis.  It cleary is a labor of love for them.

 My goal was to try and maintain 15 minute miles throughout the Trek.  I finished in 3 hours and 18 minutes, just over my goal.  The events were staggered so everyone finished at the same time and it was fun to come across the finish line with runners and walkers of all ages. 

 I really enjoyed the challenge of doing the distance.  I wasn’t sure how it would feel to walk that long but I felt strong and once I warmed up and fell into rhythm the time flew by.  There were lots of conversations and new friends to be made on the trail, and there were surprises around every bend of the trail.

 It’s an annual event so you might think about joining us next year!

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There is nothing better than the smile of a 3 year old anticipating snow on the hill unless it is the same excitement found in his Dad’s smile.  We had so many families come to us this weekend looking for the best fit and the best deal to get them back on the hill to ski and snowboard, makes all the long hours and hard work of an event like this worthwhile.

I’ve just returned from a quick camping trip to Montana.  My youngest son, Sam, lives and works in Bozeman so we loaded up all our camping gear and headed west last week.  A good audio book put us safely in Bozeman and ready for adventure.

 Sam had spent the weekend before up at South Meadow Lake above Ennis.  It’s about 1 1/2 hours from Bozeman including the long 4 wheel drive up the canyon road.  Arriving at the lake we found ourselves all alone in the campgrounds with trout jumping all over the place and eagles playing on the winds.  It was so beautiful!  We set up camp and proceeded to explore and pick up wood for our fire.  Sam has 2 dogs, Marley and Sky, who came along to protect us from bears and provide the free entertainment for the weekend.

 Sitting by the lake with a glass of wine while our dinner cooked on the open fire was perfection! We had nothing better to do than watch the lake, marvel at the full moon rising through the forest and enjoy getting caught up with Sam.  There’s something magical about sitting around the fire, being mesmerized by the flames, and letting go of everyday life stresses. 

 We spent Saturday hiking around the bay to get to the other side of the lake.  It’s basically a “C” shape wrapped around a tall rocky penisula so the back bay is hidden from view.  The wild flowers were in full bloom, almost as if all of them for the whole season were blooming together.  Early spring bluebells along with Indian Paintbrush and many more, some I had never seen before.  There were some serious snow fields still on the upper peaks and a beautiful waterfall all the way across the lake.  Sam spent time casting his line out but never caught any fish. It didn’t seem to matter, the pace of the day was all about having nothing better to do than follow the trail up and around to see what there was on the other side of the mountain.

We only had 2 days to enjoy the lake but I know Sam will be back.  And I’ll be there with him in my mind, maybe I’ll find the same peace thinking of him there that I knew when I sat by the lake.

 I was essentially alone on the trail, one other biker, an inline skater and a photographer trying to catch the birds on the tall grasses.  It was a beautiful morning with lots of animals moving around and I was really enjoying the ride.  As I rode out of the sun and into the shade I suddenly was aware that the shape on the side of the trail was a big white tailed doe, just watching me approach.  I had visions of colliding with her when she would decide to bolt so I slowed down and called good morning to try and get her to make her move. She waited until I was about 8 feet away, already unclipped and ready to stop, before she leaped across in front of me and dashed away into the trees. 

Although deer are numerous in our area and we often see them on the property it is still a thrill to get so close to one and share that eye to eye contact for just a moment.  I hope I never get to the point that these encounters fail to make me hold my breath and wonder at the beauty of life surrounding us.

The important thing about it was that the interest and enthusiasm for learning about nordic walking was very similar between the two groups.  They are both passionate about staying active and listening to what their bodies and spirits are capable of  doing.  There was a different energy level, but walkers, whether inside or outside, all want to get the most out of their walk.

 So even tho it felt a bit schizoid to be moving so quickly between these two worlds, I feel that I found the common link between them and I’m glad to have been able to bring nordic walking to their worlds.

At 8am we had 27 women waiting to walk with us.  A few more than the 12 we had expected.  It was a beautiful morning, they were pumped to try the poles and we headed up the hills and into the woods.  Most of them are cross country skiers so it was a relatively easy transfer of movement to nordic walking. After 3 miles in the woods we finished with tea and fresh blueberry scones at the Moose Lips Cafe.  yummy!

The afternoon was spent kayaking on the White River, a trout stream north of Cable.  After a delicious dinner at the Angry Minnow we fell into bed so exhausted that we never heard the “big” storm that came through during the night.  Guess we were a bit tired.  Good thing we slept well because the Saturday morning clinic also exceeded our expectations. 

Total walkers: 66!!!!  Men, women and children, ages 7 to 70’s. I was blown away!  Somehow we actually had enough poles to go around, I think it was the stone soup scenario,  and after introducing everyone to walking the nordic walking way we took off into the woods.  It was amazing to walk with so many people with poles in their hands and they were all very good students. Wow!  What an experience.

We sold lots of poles and one pair is even going home to Hawaii. I’m looking forward to going there to do the next expansion of the kingdom!

 It was our biggest group of the season and we were not really prepared for it.  It’s a lot of poles to adjust and we want to make everyone feel welcome and part of the group.  Once we got out walking it was a beautiful evening and everyone fell into rhythm by the end of the first mile so we were on a roll.  Lives connected, new friends made, a new activity explored. 

 I’m ready for bed!

We enjoyed fresh Superior White Fish with organic veges and salads at the Crooked Spoon and The Angry Trout and a big breakfast at the Blue Moon Cafe.  John took us kayaking Thursday morning and we got up close with the big water.  Water temp was only 38 degrees, way different from most of our kayaking ventures.  But it was calm and the rhythm of the paddling relaxed my spirit.  I can’t say I was ready to return to work but I was in a better place, connected to my husband of 33 years and this wonderful creation we call earth, as I headed back to the cities.