Moose at Pocaterra hut
It was -11°C at the hut at 2 pm. The Pocaterra moose was there to greet me. She did not appear to be aggressive and probably would have run away had I walked towards her. She had found something tasty on the sidewalk, so I went around the other side to get into the hut, and peeked around the corner to take the photos.
Emmie and Allan were enjoying the sun along Wheeler
A group of skiers from Lethbridge who were staying at WWL had started out earlier when the temperature was -21, and said that at breakfast it was -30. The snow temperature at 2 pm was -18, so waxing was simple and easy. I skied on the exact trails which are used for the 24K Cookie race and everything was excellent. Considering that at least 500 skiers had been over the trails on Saturday, and a couple hundred more on Sunday, the tracks were in fine shape.
I ran into Tim on Packers. He had already skied Elk pass and Tyrwhitt.
The trails I skied included Pocaterra, Lynx, Amos, Woolley, Meadow, Wheeler, Packers, and Pocaterra again. I had new grooming only on Packers, but the trails with the older grooming were actually faster. The speedy downhill on Pocaterra from Packers to Lynx was fast and fun today.
This happy group of skiers on Meadow were from Lethbridge
Skiers were sitting in the sun at every picnic table on Wheeler. When I returned to the hut, the moose was gone and the temperature was -9. I timed myself to see how far I’ve regressed since the days when I regularly skied the Cookie race. I finished in the same time as this year’s winner…of the 42K.
Peter and Bob with Cookie race hardware from 2005
A reminder, the Lake Louise Loppet is this Sunday, March 2. The early-bird entry fee is only $35 but you need to get it in by Feb 26. They also accept entries on the morning of the race. Read more, or download an entry form Lake Louise Loppet.
Feb 28 is the last day to enter the contest for the Atomic Skin-tec skis, so if you’re in Lake Louise, stop by Wilson’s and enter your name.
