My new obsession.

I already hinted about this in my recent post about our afternoon at Spidahls in December, so this really isn't going to come as a big surprise. I am in love with Cross-Country Skiing! In December, Steve (ever the supporter) did research on the cost of the equipment on-line and I about had a heart attack and said "No way!" I did think about maybe getting some used equipment from play it again sports in Fargo or from Craigs list. Mostly, I just tucked it away in the back of my mind.

On January 9th, I went x-country skiing with a girlfriend to Glendalough State Park. She had her own equipment while I used the rental equipment available at the park. This is where I found out that not all rental equipment is created equal. The equipment at Spidahls is top notch, the equipment at Glendalough is prehistoric. Seriously. The boots, bindings and skis are at least 30 years old, ill-fitting and could barely glide. Yet, the park itself was BEAUTIFUL, SERENE, with WILDLIFE and wonderful TRAILS. I felt the same lifting of my spirit just being outside, even through my feet were killing me by end of 1 1/2 hours. I badly blistered my left heal & bruised the middle toenail on my right foot and am in the process of losing it completely. The Equipment was a fail. And I began to reconsider Steve's idea of getting my own equipment.

I researched & researched & researched. I learned about waxed vs. non-waxed, the different binding types, ski widths & lengths. I priced high-end, moderate & low-end packages. I finally found this package from LLBean which had everything I wanted, except the price was high. Steve said, "Buy it." I didn't want to without trying on the boots after having such a bad experience with the boots not fitting at Glendalough, so I held off.

We made plans to go to Fargo on Saturday, January 15th to celebrate a belated Christmas with the Matherns. While we were there, we made a stop at Scheels so I could try on boots.

Um... well... lets just say it went beyond trying on boots. As it turned out, Scheels was offering a sale on their x-country ski packages, which were 25% cheaper than a comparable package from LLBean. The salesclerk said they didn't have many boot sizes available, but as luck would have it I wear a 6.5 & it fit perfectly. I was so excited about the cost savings, that I talked Steve into getting a ski package as well! Yup, I am a typical female... love a bargain, to the point that I spend MORE than I would have if it was regular priced.

On Monday, we all had Martin Luther King day off. Abby elected not to go skiing, so Steve, Kippy & I went to Spidahls in the beautiful 20 degree winter weather and had a spectacular time. I felt SO fast with these super light skis. I was lapping Steve & Kippy on Liz's Loop & Emma's trail. My heart was racing, my back was sweating, & my spirit was soaring.

Best of all, my feet were warm and comfortable. No blisters, no bruised toenails, no twisted ankles or sore shoulders. It was almost 2 hours of perfection.And as two of my friends separately pointed out to me, when I make up my mind about something, I make it happen, come hell or high water. Not sure if that is a good thing or not, but I will own the fact that I am an extremist... an all or nothing type-gal... and borrowing a quote from Marcel the Shell, "I like that about myself."



Kippy thinks it is a blast too.



And I love that this is another activity my hubby & I can enjoy together. Although, I think he will probably want to advance to carrying a rifle across his back and getting involved with the Skiing and Shooting Biathlon.