Morning Devotionals: Cross Country Skiing at The Moulton

Semester classes have begun at My College in Butte America, so I am back into the rhythm -- and ritual -- of morning skiing at The Moulton. Many years ago, in part thanks to a childhood friend who was a Seneca Indian, I learned the notion of being-in-nature-as-a-prayer. Ronnie Knot explained it to me in the context of taking a hike in the woods as a sort of "count the blessings" experience, and an appreciation for the beauty of the world.

The day begins with morning fog over the town of Butte, Montana, below Walkerville:

Driving up to The Moulton, looking west, the Pintler ridges stand stark against the dark sky:

From the parking lot at The Moulton, looking up toward one of Butte's reservoirs, the sun rises behind a bank of ominous clouds:

It's a cold morning, and dendritic patterns of frost still cling to the Land Rover windshield:

A few days ago, fresh snow blanketed the hills, and the snowshoe hare's big feet provided little advantage as they sank into the surface:

Hard work when there are still places to go and food to find:

Today, the snow has set up, and the "rabbit's" big feet skip over the surface:

Making it worthwhile to cover longer distances for a little choice forage:

For me, too, the deep soft snow made the In Vein trail an "In Vain" (as Rick Appleman calls it at times) skiing experience:

But today the trails are firm. Yesterday's tracks have been groomed out by the wind, making for a delightful run down Big Nipper/Widow Maker:

Also as part of my devotional, I pray that my boots don't break. From day-to-day, I monitor "progress" as the toe bar breaks out of my ski boot. So far, regular treatments with epoxy and super-glue are holding it together:

Seems like no one makes SNS BC ("Salomen Nordic System Back Country") boots anymore. Maybe I'll need to change boots & bindings over to NNN BC?

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The Moulton: Montana's finest cross country ski trails.

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