With the little one outdoor time has been limited to short bursts of outdoor activity when I was able to steal away. Preparing for the two trips, I loaded up my backpack, dressed up, grabbed the skis and head out the door. Fifty meters and I put on my skis, ski downhill to the lake. -20°C can be pretty. It is silent. The cold drives people inside. Good for me.
Few tracks go over the ice. Fishermen who left only their tracks and holes in the ice behind. Hare and Fox tracks which lead to the other side. A thin path from walkers, and tracks from their dogs who enjoyed running in the snow.
I make my own tracks. Skiing tracks. Kick and glide, kick and glide. Keep the mind free, don't think about it - then it goes better, smoother.
The sound of my poles hitting the ice is all I hear. Ponk. Ponk. Ponk. Ponk. A steady rhythm. I really should fix that basket on the one pole before I leave north. Do I always have it in my right hand, or do I switch? Maybe I should mark them. I also should mark my skis. Right and Left. Kick and glide.
Is it cold? Yeah, I feel the ice on my beard. Nice. My head is warm, but not too warm. Happily it is cold. I hope the ice carries. After a few days of over -20°C it should. And those fishermen are heavier than me, even with my backpack on. It will be fine.
Getting closer to Jalkassari. 12 minutes per kilometer. But this is a flat lake, not the fjell. Better be conservative, and estimate two to three kilometer per hour. In the fjell, in the forest. Soon.
I wonder how many people have this luxury of being able to go skiing in front of their door. But is it a luxury? Not in Finland. Happily we have snow. Hopefully it stays cold. It's an awesome sunset. I wonder what the weather will be like up north. Should check that back home.
Damn, that scared me. A loud crack in the ice. But it must be thick enough to carry. No one went over to the islands yet. Ah well, I will. Making my own tracks. Just be careful. The ice should carry, it has been over -20°C for a week, and the current is further out, and even it is frozen over.
Nice. No one has been here yet. Lets cross the island. Fishermen have been here already. And more hare and fox tracks. It's getting dark. Ski around the island and then back.
Another loud crack. Maybe smarter to ski closer to the shore. No need to die on the way home. Even if the ice should carry. And making new tracks is fun. Still about 12 minutes per kilometer. That'd be five kilometers per hour. But better to be more conservative. There will be hills and forests. Some lakes, but many hills and forests.
Lots of light pollution over the city. But still one can see the stars. That's probably Venus there. What was the name of that app which told you? Ah well. Rather be skiing now. How long should I ski when I'm up north? Till nightfall or stop earlier to pitch, melt snow, cook & eat? Ah well. I'll see. Soon. I wonder how much I will miss M & E. I hope they don't worry too much when I'm up north. I wonder if there will be northern lights still. And how cold it will be. Soon.
Few tracks go over the ice. Fishermen who left only their tracks and holes in the ice behind. Hare and Fox tracks which lead to the other side. A thin path from walkers, and tracks from their dogs who enjoyed running in the snow.
I make my own tracks. Skiing tracks. Kick and glide, kick and glide. Keep the mind free, don't think about it - then it goes better, smoother.
The sound of my poles hitting the ice is all I hear. Ponk. Ponk. Ponk. Ponk. A steady rhythm. I really should fix that basket on the one pole before I leave north. Do I always have it in my right hand, or do I switch? Maybe I should mark them. I also should mark my skis. Right and Left. Kick and glide.
Is it cold? Yeah, I feel the ice on my beard. Nice. My head is warm, but not too warm. Happily it is cold. I hope the ice carries. After a few days of over -20°C it should. And those fishermen are heavier than me, even with my backpack on. It will be fine.
Getting closer to Jalkassari. 12 minutes per kilometer. But this is a flat lake, not the fjell. Better be conservative, and estimate two to three kilometer per hour. In the fjell, in the forest. Soon.
I wonder how many people have this luxury of being able to go skiing in front of their door. But is it a luxury? Not in Finland. Happily we have snow. Hopefully it stays cold. It's an awesome sunset. I wonder what the weather will be like up north. Should check that back home.
Damn, that scared me. A loud crack in the ice. But it must be thick enough to carry. No one went over to the islands yet. Ah well, I will. Making my own tracks. Just be careful. The ice should carry, it has been over -20°C for a week, and the current is further out, and even it is frozen over.
Nice. No one has been here yet. Lets cross the island. Fishermen have been here already. And more hare and fox tracks. It's getting dark. Ski around the island and then back.
Another loud crack. Maybe smarter to ski closer to the shore. No need to die on the way home. Even if the ice should carry. And making new tracks is fun. Still about 12 minutes per kilometer. That'd be five kilometers per hour. But better to be more conservative. There will be hills and forests. Some lakes, but many hills and forests.
Lots of light pollution over the city. But still one can see the stars. That's probably Venus there. What was the name of that app which told you? Ah well. Rather be skiing now. How long should I ski when I'm up north? Till nightfall or stop earlier to pitch, melt snow, cook & eat? Ah well. I'll see. Soon. I wonder how much I will miss M & E. I hope they don't worry too much when I'm up north. I wonder if there will be northern lights still. And how cold it will be. Soon.