I went to college in Stevens Point, yet had never skied Standing Rocks Park, just a few miles out of town. I was a bit scarred off by reports of how hilly it is, and frankly, there’s something intimidating about the name. So when my uncle suggested we take a trip to Standing Rocks to ski, I decided that today was the day.
Continue reading
January 14, 2017
I haven’t written a blog post since April.
I’ve been busy. I married my best friend, changed my name, hiked through Zion National Park, rode bikes with friends and ran with my lab. My full time job has kept on my toes and I’ve filled my free time with developer meet-ups and volunteer work.
But now it’s ski season and I’m signed up for another Birkie.
On a crisp April morning, Lola the labrador and I headed out to Dane County’s Indian Lake Park. This park is a favorite of ours because of the large dog exercise area as well as the beautiful wooded trail section.
As we neared the parking lot, Lola let out squeals of happiness that are reserved for her most favorite places like dog parks, lakes and the vet. I am training for a hiking trip out west, so I loaded up my backpack with about 30 pounds and we set off for the trails.
Date: February 20, 2016
Distance: 24K /14.9 miles
Time: 2:23:56.7
Although I had signed up to ski the American Birkebeiner, or Birkie again, as the change cut off approached a month ago it became clear that this was going to be a Kortelopet, aka Korte, year. For a variety of reasons, I knew I wasn’t going to be prepared for a 51K ski race, so the 24k race sounded just right.
Continue reading
February 24, 2016
This year has been a low-snow year in Madison so far. The little we have has been beaten and battered by sunshine and rain, so today I decided to check out conditions at Mirror Lake State Park near Wisconsin Dells.
Continue reading
January 17, 2016