Saturday, 16-Jan-2021


After getting back to the car from backpacking, I found myself with a bit of free time. It was still early in the day, and I had brought my cross country skis along for the ride… it’d be a shame to have stuffed them into the car, and to not use them at all. And hey – I also had some instant coffee that I hadn’t drank, so…

I decided that it was time for a short little trek to have some coffee.

I didn’t go far – seriously, I only skied for maybe 30min, max, until I came to the first of the river crossings before the steep section of the trail. The goal wasn’t to go far, but was instead just to find a nice quiet area… and interestingly enough, I saw a whole crew of snowboarders leaving a little picnic spot just as I was arriving.

Not one to question fortune, I made my way over to where they had been, unrolled by sleeping pad (to keep me from melting into the snow), and fired up the stove to make a quick cup of coffee.

It was… lovely.

No strong emotions, truth be told, just the calm serenity that comes from sitting by a stream, listening to the water as the snow around you muffles all other sound. The quiet hiss of the campstove, the sun shifting through the trees… it was lovely, and an excellent rest stop before starting the drive home.