Hidden Gem

Skijoring one of our favorite "hidden gem" trails near home this morning - zoom:

Fully out-stretched sled dogs towing me up a rise in the trail.
So fun to get towed uphill!!!

The network of trails we used this morning are some of the gems that stay ski-able the longest into Spring. Two reasons they stay in good shape so long: (1) you are above 11,000 feet elevation on most of the terrain; and (2) they are seldom used (and, thus, not "tracked down") by others. Come along for our tour of the hidden gem trails:

The real trail is the footsteps you see to our left; but the trail gets more sun and some traffic.
The right shoulder is about 3 feet above the trail (3 feet of snowpack!) and hard enough for us
to glide along on the side! "Nice up here on the shoulder, huh bro?" whispers Max to Zorro
as we cruise along the terrain.

A lot of this terrain weaves you through dense forests. The snowpack was fine, but you have to be careful near large trees as their branches block snow from collecting at the base...

Zooming through the forest, just stay away from the dirt spots near the tall or dense trees.

A few nice open straightaways to open things up - wheeee:

Wide open straightaway - pedal to the metal!

Unfortunately I had to take the skis off once to cross over a large patch of dirt in the trail. As long as I cross quickly and get the skis back on quickly, my partners are quite agreeable and understand the conditions:

"Having a great day; but get those skis back on quickly..." declare the happy pair looking back
at me as I place my ski down to get me ready to restart the proper pace.

A great day cruising around the forest on one of our hidden gem trails: 7.7 miles with 1050 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 18 MPH.

2014/2015 Season to Date: 129 days on the trails covering 1113.5 miles with 116,900 feet of elevation climbed.