Adventuring with Friends

A few years back, I wrote a family adventuring article mentioning that we now have trip ideas for his (dad & friends), hers (mom & friends), and ours (the whole family, possibly with friends added in).

January brings the annual gals’ trip to Whistler, BC, Canada. I was lucky enough to nordic ski with friends three days in a row, and follow that with food and conversation as 13 of us shared a condo. We certainly talked about our kids, but it is a different adventure when they’re not there.

I would love to ski the Whistler Olympic Park with the whole family, though. And take a biathlon lesson with my daughter. His or hers trips as reconnaissance for family trips. Hmm.

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Second Annual Double Family Ski

What could be better than two teenagers on a cross-country ski trip? Four! We had so much fun last year nordic skiing the Winthrop, Washington area with another family, we decided to repeat the fun. Daily ski tours, an octagonal base camp cabin, and plenty of laughter.

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Solstice Ski

Solstice Ski: the longest ski on the shortest day, is my latest article in Adventures Northwest magazine. Last winter break, we were able to go on a terrific trip with another family, where we rented a base camp cabin in eastern Washington and nordic skied from it each day for four days. On the solstice, we skied into Winthrop and back, Christmas lights illuminating the way because of course the darkness came quickly that day.

The article also includes a few impressions written by my daughter. Which makes me smile. Like me, she not only enjoys the adventure, but the writing about it later.

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Ski Racing Grandma

Yesterday my mother-in-law earned her first place age-group gold medal nordic ski skating the Garland Glide 10K. Today she’s classic cross-country skiing with her granddaughter. It is a beautiful Michigan winter day, somehow sunny and yet snowing so lightly that the air looks like it is glittering. While I am chastened that my mother-in-law is way faster than me at this sport, I am psyched that she is such a great role model for my daughter.

Having a Michigan Cup champion ski racing grandma who has competed in the Masters World Cup in cross-country skiing in Moscow, Italy, Finland, and Idaho is a powerful reminder that outdoor adventuring after age 70 is possible. I admire the medals, but even more the excitement in her voice when she talks about a great ski day and the camaraderie among folks who love the sport. Grandpa too is a fit nordic skier, and glad to see his granddaughter out enjoying winter on skis.

Living in the Pacific Northwest, we don’t have as much opportunity to cross-country ski as grandma and grandpa, but we know they are classic and skate ski racing every weekend this winter, and we think of them with love and admiration. They are probably role models in adventure not just for us, but for the young folks at those races too.

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