Cross Country Skiing Begins

The late end to elk hunting season and a very busy end to the semester (final exams, theatre of the oppressed, senior thesis presentations...) delayed the longed for gratification of living at 6,000 feet in the Northern Rockies of Montana: cross country skiing. Though the snow is a little sparse on the Moulton trails near Butte, snow conditions are excellent just over the Divide (and a half hour away) near Mill Creek Pass (aka "Mt Haggin ski area").

John Wulf, who enjoyed grooming the ski trails, died recently (http://www.legacy.com/MTStandard/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=89926071). Roly The Dog and I dedicated our ski to John's memory. John is now in good company, since "all dogs go to heaven."

We did the Little California loop--it's about 10 km long, and it's a few km in and out from where L California meets the Crooked John loop. Trails are a bit boring, like skiing a logging road: up, up, up and then down, down, down. And the trails are cut w-a-y t--0--0 w---i---d---e. They're like 4-lane highways. Plus some groomer who did not know better laid the track right down the middle, which made it hard to skate on those gentle downhills. But there are fantastic views to the Pintler, here Mount Haggin (c. 5 miles away):

And I like the sense of history from the remains of the Anaconda Company's logging operations:

Can't wait for Moulton to get a little more snow, so RTD & I can enjoy skiing closer to home on the world's best classic trails.