A memorable Thanksgiving. The others are just a blur. This one will stand out in the mind’s eye. In the future one or the other of us will say to the other “remember the Thanksgiving of 202? It was the one in which we awoke to a foot of snow on the ground. Rather than plow, we instead went skiing.”

Indeed, this is what we did. The sun came up over the distant peak, this was at 10:30 a.m., and we were out of the house by 11:15 a.m. Yes, we had quite a bit of plowing and shoveling to do; we figured we’d get to it when we got back. We figured wrong. We got back here at 3:00 p.m. By then it was time for Pete to start making Thanksgiving dinner and for me to begin tending to the animals.

Shadow was obsessed with this magpie

We took Ryder and Shadow with us. Shadow is now seven months old (still pretty young), and now she is of an age where she can accompany us on trail rides, hikes, and cross country ski outings. We had to leave her behind and/or take her on short outings when she was very little. Now that we are over the puppy hump, she can come with.

I didn’t have to convince Pete that it was a good idea to get out today, but I had my arguments at the ready. It being Thanksgiving, I presumed that we’d see less vehicular traffic on the trails. Also, the groomers would not yet have flattened and widened the trails for the skate skiers. As I told Pete, I most enjoy Nordic skiing when the snow is fresh – this way I can glide across it. I also like seeing the fresh snow weighting down the tree limbs.

As it turned out, we encountered a variety of terrain. We broke trail in the upper regions. Snowmobilers broke trail in the middle regions. A groomer broke trail in the far regions, up to the corridor trail where the snowmobilers again covered quite a bit of ground. Then, in turning left off the Corridor Trail, we again broke trail. The last section is usually a slog. However, a half hour before, I hit some overflow and the ice on my skis grabbed the snowpack, slowing me down but providing me with much needed traction.

We met up with one other skier who asked if our dogs stayed with us. I said yes, they have good recall. He said he couldn’t take his dog, a spaniel, with him because she likes to run so much and in this respect is “crazy.”

I didn’t say this, but I just could not imagine leaving our dogs behind. It brings me great joy, seeing them race around. I also like seeing them tired out. It’s a truism, dogs thrive on exercise. So do their human counterparts.

I got home and took Tinni for a walk around the loop. I noticed that others in the hood had plowed. The storm must have taken them by surprise because no one did a stellar job this time around.

Tomorrow, we will plow and shovel. It’s also going to be a horse day. I have some ideas as to what I’ll do. For sure, I’ll make it a more interesting day for them.

Next: 326. 11/27/20: The Dog and Pony Show: A Tough Act to Follow