Day 4, Vermont Ski Trip

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January 5th, 2009

*Quick addendum to last night* Last night after logging our journal entry, we went for a walk around our lodge grounds at night. We had a snowball fight, made snow angels, and re-enacted the scene from Eternal Sunshine when they lied under the stars on the frozen lake. On our way back to the room, I ran off up a hill, and was pleasantly surprised to find sleds there! I called Jess up and we rode sleds at midnight! Dear Golden Eagle Lodge - that may be your most underrated amenity!


So with that taken care of, let me tell you about our first day with our new friend, Mount Mansfield. I woke up at six, but Jess was not interested in getting up, in her own words, "before the ass-crack of dawn." So I impatiently waited until daybreak, then antagonized her out of bed by turning on literally every light in the room. We had our breakfast, suited up, and drove off to the biggest mountain I have ever been on.


After a minor hassle getting our lift tickets printed (which is by no fault of the customer service desk at stowe, they're awesome), we set off on foot for the FourRunner Quad lift, which is the second-highest lift on the mountain. The ride up on the lift was one of incredible natural beauty, regardless of the grey weather. As we rose, the amount of frost covering literally everything increased, to give the whole upper portion of the mountain a beautiful shimmer. Natural rock outcroppings and hundreds of icicles formed by the freezing of dozens of springs surrounded our trail, providing as much of a breathtaking landscape as it was a distraction from where we should have been going!


Skiing on this mountain was wonderful, and occasionally the clouds broke just long enough to let the falling snow shimmer before our eyes. Jess and I sailed down run after run, and I was really just amazed every time we made a turn, and the base of the mountain just never seemed to get closer. Quite a change from the slopes of New York and Pennsylvania. After our first gondola ride, we took lunch at 3,500ft. At nearly the highest point on Mt. Mansfield sits a very nice restaurant where we dined on Trout and Spinach Salads. After our delightful lunch, we set out on more challenging trails. We met some difficulty on one in particular, because it was a thin layer of snow over large patches of ice. That trail took the last of Jess' energy away, so she went into the lodge to rest. Meanwhile, I rode back up the mountain for one last quick run, which quite effectively took away the last of my energy.


Well exhausted, but thankfully un-bruised, Jess and I headed home for dinner and an early bedtime. I am writing this last part at 7:30, and I expect to be asleep by 8.


We are both very much looking forward to our second ski day tomorrow, but I am a little apprehensive about the part that soreness will play in our adventurous-ness. Also, tomorrow promises improved weather conditions! Pictures of all of this are coming, I promise!


More news tomorrow!


Jess & Luke

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Comments

[Uncle Karl]

Sounds like a fun time so far!
Glad to hear that you are having a grand time. Hope your muscles hold up tomorrow. Don't eat too many ibuprofens! ;-)