I’ve never exactly held a desire to go play in the snow. Yes, as I child I loved to go sledding in my Midwest hometown and I could never complain when school closed due to snowy conditions. However, I only enjoyed the actual “sledding” part of sledding, you know the part where your gliding on top of the snow, moving at a high rate of speed, but that’s where it ended. Actually, I would have to say my enjoyment started to fade midway down the hill when the cold air began freezing my face, and then it completely vanished when I would come to a stop and notice the frozen water that snuck it’s way under my warm layers as it burned my skin. I would then pick up my sled and turn to face the steep hill I was going to have to trudge up to get to the starting line again; how fleeting is the fun of sledding.

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Flash-forward to my teenage years and I’m at a ski resort. I am there to try out skiing at midnight on machine-produced snow. I’m with a group of friends and feeling confident, I know this will be different from sledding. I can easily control my pace with my legs and the stick, pole things I hold in my hands. I take a small ten-minute intro course with an instructor and off I go down the bunny slopes. I feel excited but also a little uncomfortable thanks to the many layers I have on. I actually can’t put my arms all the way down (similar to that of Randy in A Christmas Story). I glide down the bunny slope with ease but due to its small size, find myself repeating history and trudging up the slope just like with sledding. Once at the top, I again glide down with ease, I’m ready for the bigger slopes.

My friends and I line up at a bigger slope and we all push-off together. Well, they do, I never move. I try again and off I go. Trees along my left flash pass me and I feel out of control. Fear taking hold, I lose my balance and fall and as I do one of my skis pops off and one of my stick things goes flying. Both continue the journey to my friends waiting below. I just sit there. The burn of melting snow now hitting my skin on my wrists and my ankles. I try to get up only to slide and fall again. I fight back tears as my friends laugh and talk below and all the pro skiers on the slope whizz past me (I’m considering everyone else on the slopes a pro skier compared to me).  I somehow manage to get up and make it to the bottom of the slope by a combination of sliding and falling, you see, I couldn’t figure out how to get the other damn ski off.

I return to the bunny slope after that, never bothering to try again at any of the bigger ones, I feel humiliated. My friends had never skied before, yet they were having a great time. I feel like I am a Goofy cartoon, the one where his legs and arms get all tangled and knotted up when trying an outdoor activity. After a few more whizzes down the bunny slope, I can’ help but feel it is exactly like sledding. I have someone help me pop off my skis and announce to anyone that will listen, frozen sports of any kind where awful and I would never do them again.

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Several years later, now an official adult married and fresh off the Appalachian Trail, two friends invite Darwin and me out for a snowshoeing trip. My heart immediately pounds and I feel a flush of heat to my face.

Oh, how I hate snow activities.

We would snowshoe just a few miles out to a Yurt. I had always wanted to stay in a Yurt so we agree to join them on the trip. It’s a total blast. I find that I am made for snowshoeing; I take to it instantly and have the best time (you can read more about this trip or watch a video via the links provided).

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Now let us review this past week I spent in Leadville, CO. This city carries the title of highest elevation in the United States sitting at 10, 152 feet. At this high, I knew snow was without a doubt going to be there, but I didn’t fear it. I was open to whatever challenges the snowy conditions would bring. My first full day there I found myself snowshoeing five miles with my friends of whom I was visiting. We took a picture together at over 12,000 feet in elevation, the highest I’ve ever been. Although a bit winded and tired mostly from the lack of air, I found that I was still built for snowshoeing and I still enjoyed it.

Two days and a winter hike later, I was out Classic Skiing. I had secretly worried about putting on a pair of skis again but found that there are many different styles of skiing beside the terrifying downhill I had tried years before. Even with my awkward duck feet stride, I found my groove and was moving right along. The elevation still wearing me out faster than normal, was the only reason I returned to the car after a 1.5-mile loop. I was ecstatic once I got my breath. I had once again fully enjoyed myself.

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Moral Of The Story:

It makes a difference on who is joining you for the winter activity of choice. I had a great teacher in my friend Sierra last week with Classic Skiing allowing me to really focus on what I was doing and not the fact I was having flashbacks of my last ski trip. When snowshoeing to the yurt a few years before, I was again in the company of good friends Zach and Lee so I was relaxed, and this proved no different when snowshoeing with both Alex and Sierra in Leadville.

Had a bad experience with an outdoor activity in the past? Try it again! If I would have let my past experiences with snow activities determine what I would do in the future, I would have never known I am awesome at snowshoeing or that I actually like to ski, just a different style.

Remember: It’s important to surround yourself with friends and they will often give you the push you need to try again.

Remember: Being comfortable for too long is a death wish; push your comfort zones.

(Sierra and I in mid-snowshoe step; Me Classic Skiing) 

Cool Thingys That I Also Do:

My Book: Mini Misadventures

Etsy Store: TravelandTrail

Instagram: The_snuggle_diaries  – I have more pictures from Leadville, CO posted

Last Week’s Post You May Have Missed:

I Am A Leaf

I am a leaf.

I was born in the spring, unfolding slowly from my mother’s arms. Her name is Tree.

I was greeted by Sun warm and bright; my first friend.

I would dance when Wind tickled me.

My brothers and sisters grew up close to me and we would spend many days laughing together as we watched beings called humans below us. They would often call our laughter “rustling.”

My friend Sun would leave sometimes and another would take his place. His name was Moon.

With Moon came the opposite of light, dark. My family and I would become sleepy as Moon watched over us. Sometimes Wind would try to tickle us in our sleep, but everything was quiet then.

When Sun was out my family and I would see lots of things. Furry creatures would move around on the ground below us. Some other creatures with feathers would come from the sky and walk on my mother’s many arms. They had sharp feet and mouths and would peck at my mother’s skin. Some of those furry things from below would climb on her too.

I was scared of the furry and feathered creatures but the worst we called nibblers; they had lots of legs. They would crawl on us and try to nibble on my siblings and me. Sometimes Wind would try and save us by tickling us and the nibblers would fall to the ground when we moved. I heard they were called Caterpillars.

Sometimes Sun would hide and big wet things would fall from the sky. I wondered if this was Sun crying. I tried to ask him once but he could never hear me.

When I first was born, I was Green and strong. After many visits from Sun and Moon, I started to change my color to Yellow. I’m not sure how I did this.

My color changes more and I feel colder. Sun doesn’t visit as much and Moon watches us more. I don’t feel so strong anymore.

My Mother’s hold on me feels softer. Sometimes when Wind blows my Mother lets some of my siblings go and they fall to the ground below.

I’m all Yellow now.

Wind tickles me again and Mother lets me go. I smile as Wind carries me to the ground.

I can see my Mother, so tall and beautiful, looking down upon me. My brothers and sisters are all snuggled with me, here on the ground.

My Mother tells us we look like a pretty quilt covering the ground.

 I am a leaf.

 

Cool Thingys That I Also Do:

My Book: Mini Misadventures

Etsy Store: TravelandTrail

Instagram: The_snuggle_diaries

Last Week’s Post You May Have Missed:

Disfigured By Love

 

 

 

Darwin and I don’t do anything special for Valentine’s Day. If we did I’m sure going out for pizza and beer is about as fancy as we would get. Valentine’s Day is supposed to be all about spending time with someone you love and maybe gifting them with lovey things, tokens of your love if you will. There is one thing however that we would never do for each other….

Carve Our Names Into A Tree

It is always so disappointing to see trees mutilated by people professing their love to each other. I personally don’t care that “M & P” are together. If we are being honest with each other, the tree doesn’t care either. Not only is a tree constantly battling to survive but now it has to try to spend energy healing itself thanks to someone’s “love”.

What about all the other people who have to now gaze upon your terrible work “D & J”? Are you even together anymore? Do you plan on coming back to this spot that you blemished with your initials to update us on your relationship status??? I bet not, as this was a purely selfish act with no consideration for the flora or other humans who cringe at the sight of your expression of love.

This all also goes for single people carving advertisements that they were at an exact spot at some point in time; “Brad Was Here”. Like anyone cares! I don’t know “Brad” and actually, hate the fact that he was at the spot because he ruined part of my experience on the trail.

In today’s current technology-dependent society, there are millions of ways to express love and one’s current location with the world so why are people still doing it on trees (not this was ever okay in the first place)? This is also true for other bearers of burden such as shelters, monuments, cliff faces, etc. etc. People hundreds of years ago had no idea what effect carving and defacing rocks would cause but now we do; there is no longer an excuse.

If you celebrate Valentine’s Day tomorrow, please refrain from expressing your love by carving into tree. Instead just recite your poetry into the air not permanently onto a rock. Declare your love for Mother Nature by hugging a tree not carving it up.

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Carving into a tree goes against Leave No Trace Principles! Even if you are smart enough to know better, maybe others aren’t! Say something if you see someone leaving a trace!

LNT Principle # 4: Leave What You Find

Avoid Damaging Live Trees And Plants   

  Leave Natural Objects And Cultural Artifacts

 

(Disfigured By Love)

Things To Expect In Up Coming Blog Posts & Other Stuffs:

Outdoor Evolution is live!!! Go check it out if you haven’t already!

Cool Thingys That I Also Do:

My Book: Mini Misadventures

Etsy Store: TravelandTrail

Instagram: The_snuggle_diaries

Another Post You May Have Missed:

Trail Running In Cereal

 

Sometimes, I set expectations for stuff to high. For instance, Darwin and I went for a hike on a trail I have really enjoyed in the past. This was my first visit back to Joshua Tree National Park for 2019 and I was ready to have an “experience”.

At the trailhead to the Forty-Nine Palms Oasis Trail, I strapped on my daypack and was ready to go. My heart and mind were open and ready to receive whatever the universe and nature had to offer. Things were hushed as I started out but as I started to climb up a few rock steps, my peaceful clear mind was attacked, by pizza. It was suddenly all I could think about.

Thick Crust.

Melty, delicious, Mozzarella.

Mushrooms.

Chunks of Feta.

Spinach.

I swear I could even smell pizza. I shook my foodie thoughts out of my head and looked down at my new grippy trail runners. I pretended I was a Desert Bighorn Sheep gracefully moving across the desert terrain. I listened to the wind and felt it push me further up the trail but then it returned…

Pizza.

I was back to thinking about the pizza I knew was in the freezer. There, it was waiting to be removed from its cardboard tomb. I would come to its rescue and help it achieve its full potential as a delicious Italian Pie. Even with all the beauty around me, I couldn’t shake the thought of that mouth-watering PIZZA.

I tried to focus on my present self, closed my eyes, breathed in the fresh air, but the only thing that seemed to get my mind off pizza was a stupid song that was annoyingly on repeat in my head. It wasn’t even a song I liked but a kid’s song I picked up from somewhere. I didn’t even realize I picked it up until it emerged from my sub-consciousness and made its evil presence known.

Pizza.

Annoying Song.

Pizza.

Annoying Song.

I tried to be one with the moment but I just couldn’t get my head into the hike. My mind was loud with irritating music against the quiet serene landscape around me. My hike had become a chore, something I felt I had to do to reach my pre-cooked reward. I came to terms with the fact that I would not be having an “experience”. I would not feel connected to the Earth or anything for that matter. I couldn’t shut out the stupid thoughts that raced around in my head, they were there and I was going to have to think them until they disappeared.

My expectations for this hike were too high and to romanticized. I finally gave in and hiked on autopilot while tiny pizzas danced above the musical notes of the stupid kid song like one of those old sing-a-long videos.

I hate to admit it but after all of this, the pizza was simply delicious.

 

(A Picture Taken At the Oasis) 

Things To Expect In Up Coming Blog Posts & Other Stuffs:

A hiker went missing out on the Fortynine Palms Trail in July of 2018 and has yet to be found. If you’re planning a visit to Joshua Tree, please take a look at this site for information on Paul Miller.

Cool Thingys That I Also Do:

My Book: Mini Misadventures

Etsy Store: TravelandTrail

Instagram: The_snuggle_diaries

A Random Post You May Enjoy:

The Things That Remain