skidoo!

The mountains were misty, the sky gray and blue.  Snow clumped on tree tops, up high.  Tiny flurries swept through town, down low.  It was time to go cross-country skiing again.

Our skis match our car, how chic.

 Skies cleared, once we got to the top of Chief Joseph Pass yesterday. Our plan was a tour of the tracks set around the Continental Divide Trail by volunteers with the Bitterroot Cross-Country Ski Club (http://www.bitterrootxcskiclub.net/).

Broadway was our first route. It's an old, relatively flat road that's groomed for skiing in the winter. It's for beginners, like me ("advanced beginner," if you believe the class I placed into a few weeks ago).  Alex is a bit ahead of me in this sport.

We made it to the warming hut called Gordon Reese Cabin (http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Gordon_Reese_Cabin/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=75219), just in time for lunch -- our own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the wood stove...

...wood stove with hot water simmering on top.

On our way back to the car we encountered way more beauty than my cold little fingers could capture on the iPhone. But I did get one quick and intriguing detail...

Someone wiped out and left a perfect pattern in the snow. Is that a cap on top, or a real face planted there, or a silly face drawn in? Who knows? Just glad I didn't fall at all this time!