By Emma Hesselsweet | January 2021
I leaped up the mountain, occasionally looking back to see my family, right behind me. Today it was actively snowing, and we were making use of our new uphill skis.
For our first foray into the backcountry of 2022, we chose this Baldy Ridge ascent close to the town of Breckenridge. After a morning spent on school and work obligations while the snow fell softly outside our Airstream, we had all been eager to get out on the trail.
I looked down at my boots, covered in flakes of cold powder. Then my eyes flitted to the snow, and I stared up at the tree tops, dusted in snow. Every once in a while a squirrel or small bird would walk along the branch, knocking snow off as they went. When this happened, I would duck my head, and glide forward with as much force as I could muster to avoid being dusted.
When you uphill you get very hot, so we also stopped frequently to take off some layers. Uphilling is like skating up the mountain. Your right foot glides, then your left follows, and suddenly you don’t even know you’re doing it.
We made a quick lunch stop about half way up, and either stood, or sat, depending on how brave we were feeling that day. Me and Graham risked taking off our skis to sit in the deep powder, while our parents stood. We ate clementine segments and little slices of our homemade grilled chicken, and soon we were all satisfied. Probably about ten minutes later, we hauled ourselves up and trudged onward. The higher we went, the harder it became.
On the way up, I sidestepped up a hill on the side, and soon my brother was in my tracks. Without transitioning, I sailed down the short incline, and fell in the soft powder at the bottom.
The way down was fun but quick. There were posed pictures, capturing memories, and shrieks of WOOHOO! I quickly passed my brother, leaving him dumbfounded, and we raced, and sang out MUSCLES OVER MOTORS!!!
The Peace of Wild Things 