Today was winter solstice and it was the coldest day this season at Birch Hill. Skies were clear and temperatures dropped from 20 deg F before sunrise to  below zero in the early afternoon:

The sun barely arched above the horizon casting a beautiful orange hue to the hoarfrost covered trees. After our ski, we launched two sky lanterns from Birch Hill:

and they climbed quickly above warming hut and skyward.

Bill Husby, launch leader, commented that the sky lanterns were for Russell Lizotte (https://sonotkkaazoot.wordpress.com/2014/11/22/sad-news/) and Lars Spurkland (http://www.adn.com/article/20141212/ski-club-presidents-sudden-death-shocks-anchorage-nordic-skiers), who during their lives soared as volunteers of the nordic ski community in Alaska.

On the shortest day of the year, we remember two who gave skiers a lot of pleasure during their too short lives.