Salmon Ridge XC Ski with the Ladies

I'd been sick for a few days so had to cancel our trip to a cabin near Mt. Baker with the Skagit Alpine Club this weekend.  Randy took the opportunity to ski a new area with some friends.  I couldn't bear the thought of sitting on the sofa for yet another day so I made tentative plans with some girlfriends to do an easy cross-country ski near Mt. Baker.  We'd later hook up with the club members for a potluck and beverage-fest.

Fortunately when I woke up I was full of energy but still a little dizzy.  Heck with the dizziness!  Shannon had offered to drive so all I had to do was get myself to Mt. Vernon.  I picked up Jenny and her stuff then we loaded into Shannon's Civic and headed north.  The day was promising to be quite beautiful and warm.

The cross-country trail system is just past the town of Glacier.  The sign says it has nearly 30 km of groomed trails ranging in difficulty from easy (flat) to hard (steeper, though road grade, hills).  We had sort of ambitious plans when we started but after an hour or so of skiing we got hungry for lunch so we skied to a viewpoint at the end of the road, took off our skis, crossed a suspect snowbridge that turned out to be solid, plopped ourselves on some warm river rocks, stared at the view of either Mt. Ruth or Icy, and flapped our jaws for a couple hours.

So long ambition.  By the time we got going again, the shadows were long and we were a little cold.  We just skied back out and headed back to the cabins where the club members were staying.  Unfortunately no one was back from their own adventures to let us in so we just had to go to the Italian restaurant in town to drink a bottle of wine, eat very good bread, and a rich chocolate truffle thingy.

When we tried the cabins again, someone answered our call and opened the gate.  We headed straight for the hot tub, only to find it full.  No one was volunteering to get out so we went in the house, drank offered beers and (jealously, me anyway) listened to an adventure of skiing out to Mt. Ann and yo-yo-ing the slope once in quality snow.  I have no doubt that one of the party members wouldn't mind leading the way again in the future.  However, for that day I needed the easy exercise and the long conversation with the girlfriends.  We all needed it and promised to do it more than once a year in the future.

Then it was time for the potluck.  The food was delicious, as all FLABY (Food Lovers of Anacortes and Beyond, Yo) potlucks are and the wine flowed.  It was a good time as stories, food, and beverage were shared.  I was surprised when Shannon said it was time to go because I'm often restless and antsy at social gatherings but it was almost 9:00 and we had a long drive back to civilization and the comfort of our own beds.

I got home at 11:00 p.m., was happy to see that my dog was still in the yard (another story that many of you already know about Jodee's adventurous tendencies), and was very glad to go to bed.  This morning I'm a little slower than usual but that's to be expected after a FLABY.  Here are the pictures (of the ski).