January 20th 2019

What an action packed Sunday in Burns Lake, B.C! I opened my eyes to a beautiful sunny morning once again. It was Rookie Day at Omineca Cross Country Ski Club. The ski club is about 6.5 km, about 10 minutes out of Burns Lake towards Francois Lake. Once you leave highway 35 S it’s only 800 m up a well groomed road to the Lodge and wax/rental shop area. The club is run like a coop by many volunteers and is very friendly and easy to access. There are multiple trails to explore and even lit until 10 p.m.  groomed trails for evening skiing.

The group of 8 new Rookies started the day up in the lodge where 3 experienced instructors guided us in learning about different skis, boots, bindings, etc. I discovered my rentals are: classic waxless fishscale skis; classic boots, and SNS bindings. We got a bonus is we knew what NNN stood for… I suggested “Not ‘Nuf Newbies” but apparently it wasn’t the answer they were looking for lol! We also learned about the many trails available and how snowshoeing was not allowed on the x Country ski trails. Also, when you see a Red Flag in a certain area, that means they are practicing shooting target for the biathlon group. Could be interesting to observe one day?

Then we were off to the stadium to don our equipment, stretch, and learn skills (without poles). The long skinny skis still seem awkward to me, but my balance is very slowly improving. We divided into 2 groups and heading off on different tails to practice skills which matched our ability levels with very patient and encouraging instructors. It was a great day and I highly recommend anybody new to Cross Country skiing, try a Rookie day! I even bought a new Omineca ski club beanie.

Next, it was off to experiment making crafts with my friend, Sara. She taught me how to make the wax/resin reusable cloths that are so popular right now. It was fun creating together and I ended up with 7 new reusable cloths of very cool patterns. I’m finding they keep food much fresher than saran and ziplock bags and are a huge improvement on my environmental footprint! I have 3 in use in the fridge atm.

As I left the moon was starting its eclipse.   My camera did not do justice to the amazing slight that I witnessed for over an hour. I included a photo of the Super Wolf Blood Moon taken by my friend Jackie Hildering. I was thrilled to discover that many of the students I teach had also been witnessing this phenomenal event! What a stimulating and exciting day!