"More Than Sport..."

"Wilderness rowing is far more than sport to me; it has been a conduit to knowing and trusting myself. It is my way of being, of thinking, of seeing. My rowing has taken me north and pushed me to explore my own horizons. In the process, rowing has evolved from something I do to some way that I am." -- Jill Fredston in her book, "Rowing to Latitude".

For me, cross-country skiing has been the sport which has helped me explore my own horizons and evolve into the way I am.

Here is an example of a recent epic day I had with Holly Brooks in the Alaskan wilderness. Days like this one rejuvenate my soul and make me appreciate the the fitness and freedom that nordic skiing provides me. We found a map, figured out where we wanted to go, and used our abilities to make a self-powered exploration which covered terrain that was unknown to us.
Heading out from the South Fork of Eagle River, not long after the Saturday morning sunrise.
Pulling out the map to figure out where we are exactly... and more importantly, where we are going.
How about up?
Ronsse on a ridge and just about as happy as could be. Cantana peak is behind me.
Our direction of travel...now we need to find a way with the least amount of bush whacking! Holly scoping out a river crossing. I jumped it, punched right through the berm, and ended up splashing around in the water with my ski boots. I was lucky that it was such a spectacular and warm day.
AK crust cruising at its finest.
Katie Ronsse in praise of the sunshine!
Holly Brooks in her element. About 19 miles and 6.5hrs fabulous hours of skiing, bush whacking, navigating, and mountain running later we made it to Glenn Alps! What should we do now?
We decided that making a 9 miles run down into town with our gear seemed more appealing than hitchhiking or calling someone to pick us up all the way up Glenn Alps. We fit in, right?
We decided to stop for some food when we came across an Anchorage pub. The mountains we came from are in the distance. What a day!

These types of trip on any level -- from getting myself temporarily "lost" and "un-lost" on a city's trail system, to learning about massive treks, such as Fredston's 20,000+ miles of self-powered exploration through the Arctic wilderness, make me realize that there are so many interesting places out there that I have yet to explore.

Many of my favorite trips have been spin offs or inspired by treks of others, including accounts from friends and crust skiing extraordinaires, Tim Kelley and Cory Smith. I get inspired hearing about how others have made it possible to enjoy remote areas, especially in places that have not been traveled frequently but are accessible from our back door. If you have any favorite treks that you have done or are planning, I'd love to hear about them!