Oh! What a Beautiful Morning!

This morning I went cross-country skiing with Janie Rasmussen.  It was a glorious experience!  We went up to Midway to ski at the Wasatch Mountain State Park.  They groom trails for skiing along the golf course, and the trail we did was largely flat and went in a big circle.  We skied for an hour and a half and went 3.21 miles.  It snowed Saturday night into Sunday and even a bit Sunday night, so the snow was fresh and deep.  It blanketed the park and the trees, shrouding everything in white.  When we first started it was very foggy, giving everything an otherworldly feel.  Then the fog burned off and the sun burst forth and everything began to sparkle.  The air was crisp but we were working hard as we skied so we weren't cold.

And then the best part--we saw a mother moose and her calf.  A real live moose!  They were standing in a group of trees in very deep snow and turned to watch us ski past.  The baby walked behind a snowbank before we could get our cameras out, but we did get a great picture of the mother.  When I told Kent, he said, "Ski away! Ski away!"  We weren't foolish enough to get close so had no unfortunately interactions.  We also saw two small flocks of wild turkeys.  So exciting!

I felt strong and healthy as we skied, and incredibly blessed to have Janie as my friend.  I would not have gone skiing without her, but I loved it and was so happy to be out enjoying the beauty of the world.  Inside the lodge at the park, there was a sign that perfectly summed up our experience today.

Come all and find peace and rest in the arms of the mighty Wasatch Range.  Listen to the song of the pines and the lullaby of the streams.  The everlasting beauty of God's great out of doors belongs to you.   ---G.C. Lawrence (whoever he/she is)

I felt peace and truly enjoyed the everlasting beauty of God's great out of doors.  Marvelous! Wonderous! Stupendous!  I hope we do it again soon.