Skiing some classic intervals in NH (because those just can't happen in eastern MA), I was mostly concerned with not smacking into ice-laden tree branches drooping over the trail. I've come to realize that when you're skiing hard, you sometimes just don't notice the obvious things, like big heavy sticks of wood coated in ice that could knock you out when you run into them at high speed. At first I had tried to knock the ice off the branches, thinking I would use the same section of track (somehow the groomer had gotten through, why couldn't one little skier make it through?), but then I realized that I was basically just knocking the branches off the trees, and that just wouldn't do for a tree-hugger like myself.
It was as I was skiing my cooldown, though, that I realized how beautiful the woods had become, transformed by 2cm of ice into a dazzling crystal palace, where every shining branch sent off a flurry of rainbows as they twinkled in the breeze. Everything was glittering, and given that I am unnaturally attracted to bright shiny objects, I felt like I was some ice princess skiing through her magical world. It was a backward slide in time, to when I had fewer cares and worries, and my imagination and I had a wonderful time playing in that enchanted forest. If only all workouts could end this way...
2 comments:
It was like that here last night after it rained all afternoon. 3cm or so of ice on all the branches. It was sooo pretty, I wish I had taken a picture.
mmmm skiing in new hampshire....
luckily I have a whole week of it to look forward to!
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