Every season has to come to an eventual end, and none is more difficult to see go here in the Green Mts. than ski season. That final sunny day when the road you've been skinning in deep packed snow becomes spotty and you have to ford stretches of dirt to keep skis on snow. This afternoon Katy and I took Cally on what may be our last back country ski adventure this spring on the "Teardrop", a winding and wooded trail that descends from below the summit of Mt. Mansfield to the hardwood forests on the flanks below...
Cally is super excited as we scoop her from the car seat to her true seat of choice, the Baby Bjorn. She knows intuitively that the Bjorn means movement and movement will soon mean sleep. This is a celebratory sunny day and we share the ritual with our friends Anton, Amy and Fax, patient with us as we go through pre-flight check with Cal Pal. As we start the hike up I always wonder what Cally is making of the bright sun, the birds active in the tree tops and the brooks that babble under foot along the old logging roads we ascend. While I realize she won't remember these jaunts with Katy and me, will the rhythm of our ski stride feel familiar some day? Does she connect to the same feeling she had in utero as Katy and I made these same climbs in November?
When the climbing gets steep and the switchback require use of heel lifters, we realize this is the end of the road for Cally. We say our goodbyes to our friends. They continue and climb higher. Given our shared passion for skiing, mountain biking, climbing and adventure of all sort, most would consider skiing these open trails with a baby "on board" too risky or irresponsible. Katy and I have skied these woods for years and know what to expect from conditions and pitch. I decide to leave skins on to check my speed with Cally in front. Katy skis out before us to report on rocks, open water or branches hiding in the greatly thinned snow pack.
Cally is awake, aware and taking it all in as we pick our way slowly though the woods. It's a glorious trip down, sunny, warm and these moments reflective. In one season we've gone from pregnant couple to family and are enjoying every minute of it. We finally reach the muddy open spaces, our skate stops spew heavy wet corn snow into mini rooster tails. The familiar click, click of the bindings coming off, and the usual check under the hod of the Bjorn to see if Cally is sleeping, marks the end of another great ski season for us. Unusually, Cally is awake and calm.
With weeks of mud season still ahead (Vermont's famed fifth season) thoughts now drift to dry single track and devising ways for Katy and I to ride with Cally in her Chariot...
