A few weeks ago I wrote about the fact that Ramona (4 ½ months old) had not gone on a real outdoor adventure yet.  A few years ago we had gone on many outdoor adventures by the time our first daughter was six months old.  At one point, during the winter we went on a full day Nordic ski expedition across a ridge and down Powder Horn on the Mesa by Grand Junction.  This was a one way trip and we had no plans as what we would do at the other end to get a ride.  We just went with it.

Now, having two children under the age of four brings a whole different set of challenges; so many needs and little limbs to keep warm, and energy to be harnessed.   Regardless, great adventures and outdoor time can be accomplished as long as you stay calm and are prepared.

 So, off we went to ski a two mile classic Nordic loop one Saturday morning.  By the time we all were strapped in the car, it had taken us an hour and a half to get ready.  Then it was a twenty minute drive to the start of the trail, followed by fifteen minutes of gear set up before we started.  We skied for 1 hour ( Cora the 31/2 year old skied for 30 minutes) and then we drove back home ( 20 minutes) and put everything away 20 minutes.

Prep time: 2hrs 5 minutes

Ski time: 1 ½ hours

 Clean up: 40 minutes.

Was it worth it?  You bet!

You should have seen the snow capped mountains that surrounded us or the sun reflecting on the beautiful crisp snow and all the people that passed us that were so happy to be outdoors.  There were so many different people out on the trail, huge family groups, old people, young people with very bad equipment, the newest gear, and top athletes.  But to top it off, it was just a beautiful day where we could spend some quality time outdoors with each other.

Hey , someone even told us that we looked like we were on a polar expedition.  Erik was pulling the sled where Ramona was sleeping soundly in her car seat, while Cora was on the back riding on her knees and yelling Mush! Mush! to her pretend dog sled team.  I was carrying Cora’s skis and poles in a large X in front of me.

To get ideas and tips on how to ski with your children read our past ski articles on our winter page.

Heidi

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