The 2019 Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) Ski For Light regional event was held in Sherman, Pennsylvania at the Sons of Norway cultural and recreational center known as Land of the Vikings. That last sentence sounded like it came out of a news release. Well, it could have. But I put that intro up there for the search engines. Land of the Vikings needs a little love from the interwebs. And the Sons of Norway District 3 needs to know that they are getting good reviews from some long time users of the facility. Now, on with the show.
Upon arrival we discovered there was actually snow on the ground. Ah, but was it ski-able? That was the question. I’ll come back to that in a moment.
The normal routine of sending out applications and lining up guides was a bit dicey this year. Work schedules and reduced NEPA staff had an impact on normal preparations. Consequently, the number of attendees was more on the order of a “non-program” weekend that we coordinate in the fall. Nevertheless, the adventurous souls that showed up were willing to do whatever it took to ensure the experience was a positive one for all attendees.
Our first day out discovered that the snow was not safe to ski on. The temperature the previous day was above freezing and a slight melt had begun. Overnight the temperatures went below freezing which gave the surface the appearance of nice snow. However, as one of our guides discovered rather harshly, the snow was not only NOT fit for cross country skis, it was not fit for light hiking spikes. The harsh part of that discovery was a sudden fall, a trip to the urgent care center, and eventually a cast on a broken wrist. There are two good things to report about the guide who fell: 1) It happened no where near the photo of the partially frozen waterfall shown here and; 2) the fracture was uncomplicated which means the prognosis for complete recovery and full mobility is very good. But until the cast comes off, showering and, um, dressing were going to require a little more thought and effort.
You would think that after having visited this venue for over 30 years that we would know all the trails around the area. And I suppose we do know the trails. That is to say we know where the trails begin, where they lead (vaguely), and the basic scenery surrounding the paths. But do we really *see* what is around us? In this case, seeing is more often experiencing the surroundings and responding to a variety of sensations.
One vision impaired participant captured the photo seen here which quickly became known as the Dancing Trees photo. So now the trail leading from the entrance road to the mountain behind the lodge has acquired the name Dancing Trees Trail. Clearly these trees have been here a lot longer than I’ve been visiting Land of the Vikings. I’ve hiked this trail in 3 of 4 seasons for many years. Not as long as these trees are old but a good number of years nonetheless. It was good to be introduced to the trees I didn’t know I was ignoring for all these years.
The weather was fickle with temperatures. One morning I went out to inspect the conditions on the field where we usually ski and it was just ice. Ryder was with me and even with four legs, he was challenged to the point that he just wanted to go back to the lodge.
I made my morning report to all hands and we settled in for a leisurely breakfast. Just an hour later I stepped outside to examine the conditions again. As the morning wore on, weather conditions changed. The snowpack responds quite quickly to air temp and sunshine and this affects the characteristics of the snow. Poof! It was ski-able. But most folks were, by then, comfortable near the fireplace or relaxing in conversation with a friend.
One brave lady accompanied me out on to the snow and we made tracks until lunchtime.
After lunch, the clouds were gone and the sun shown brightly. The thermometer was registering a balmy thirty-nine degrees and a slight breeze. Enough to let you know that it was winter but the snow was responding to the temperature as one might expect — melting. Not good for cross country skiing.
So we donned our ice spikes and hiked up the logging trail. Along the way we had a photo op with the panographic setting on the iPhone camera. Guess who else knew about panographic photography. Check out the lady on the ends. (Same person and she does not have a twin.)
Several miles to the north from the lodge, there is another set of falls. Again, we’ve been visiting this area for more than 10 years and we’re just now learning of another good hiking destination.
We hiked up a paved road to these falls but we could not get next to the falls because the ravine was decidedly too steep and covered with snow.
I climbed down for the photo but I had to have Davy give me hand getting back up the side. It could have been more exciting than it was but I’m glad for the unspectacular outcome.
As one might guess, the success of this event depends heavily on guides. The largest gathering of guides appeared the day we took one quite chilly hike around the lake through an area that has become known as the “Magic Woods.” This nickname was given by my favorite hiking companion and is a long story better told in person over hot chocolate, so I’ll save it for then. But I will tell you that walking around the perimeter of the 40 acre lake with a stiff breeze on a cold day will encourage you to pick up the pace and not dilly-dally. Guides and hikers all played the role of good Norwegian explorers and trekked along the trail with not a care for the biting wind. (But folks bundled up pretty good.)
We are all about getting outside to play on or in the snow. In the absence of favorable snow conditions, we hike. If it is raining, we’ll dress accordingly and hike in the rain (to a point). But we’re going to get out on the paths and trails through trees and around bushes to experience the odd comfort that comes from sharing a vast space in the quiet and the cold. We are especially thankful for the *team* of volunteers (it was actually a local downhill ski club) who found a day here and a day there to share in our wanderings along several frozen paths.
I don’t know that I was able to thank each helper personally. If you attended the event and you lent an elbow or two as a guide to a hiker, then I want you to know that you are fully appreciated for being with us and sharing a little slice of life along the way. I’ll be contacting you all again for the 2020 event. (I’ll see what I can do about the snow conditions. <Wink>)
So now you’ve earned your fireside time. Kick off your boots and put up your feet. If you’ve got your laptop nearby, check out the Ski For Light, Inc. website at https://sfl.org. If you liked playing in the snow with us, there are many more opportunities and the international event would be pleased to have you participate as a guide there too.
