I have this vivid memory of a story my dad told me about the day he converted. He was playing basketball at some elite private school in Western Maine in his Converse sneakers when he looked up and saw a fleet of cross country skiers gliding across the snow through an open door in the gymnasium and he walked off the court and joined the ski team. He never looked back.
This blog is a dedication to his life’s purpose and dedication to a sport that no one else seemed to pay attention to, that the United States didn’t even know about until Bill Koch became a silver medalist in the ’76 Olympics, that most families in Western Maine knew nothing about, but despite all of this he inspired a movement.
How you might ask?
- The dream was big and encompassed anyone who would listen.
- People jumped on board because they liked the sense of community, the good conversation and musical forays and potlucks that followed, and of course, the bliss that exercise and nature provided for their well-being.
This blog will be about cross country skiing adventures, challenges that I set for myself, techniques and tricks to improve your enjoyment in the sport, and healthy lifestyle tips for getting outside and skiing it to believe it!
“The cross-country skier’s erratic, nonlinear course, through meadow, moor and mountain valley, was tangentially opposed to the up-down-up-down, conveyor belt conformity of the downhill aspirant. He smelled of scorched socks, kerosene and chocolate bars. Like Moses, he went into the wilderness. And became as a nomadic, winter-blooming mini-nation of pop-up Pans, warbling mountaineers, gliding yogins and nature freaks.” -Hal Painter from The Cross-Country Ski, Cook, Look & Pleasure Book
Wilderness Press – 1973
Purpose for this blog:
- Learn some tips and techniques for giving cross country skiing a try.
- Listen to some funny stories about how the movement got started in Western Maine and inspired many people to give it a try.
- Listen to some stories told by cross country skiing experts.
- Learn about how to relax and enjoy winters in a new and healthy way!
Get outside. Life is short. Why not try a new hobby that allows you to explore nature, enjoy the company of others, and glide across the snow effortlessly?
Well, as someone close to me once said, “You gotta ski it to believe it!”
Cross Country Ski to Believe It 
❤️
LikeLike
This an excellent read Jessica. Keep it up. We have new X-C skiers walk in the shop everyday and say “this is a breathe of fresh air ” as some knew your DAD, who gave his life to build this majestic landscape for folks to enjoy.It’s my pleasure to continue to preserve this beautiful forest with all my heart as some days Dave’s spirit seems present here. I read in ” The Disappearance of The Universe.” from the Carter Family lodge library, about how close our loved ones in heaven, whom have passed, really are so very close to us,,. Perhaps, heaven is an arms length away as the writer describes.I believe this and think this when times get tough here on Carter mountain, and gets me through.
LikeLike