You meet the best people on ski trails (summer and winter).
Friday sightings on the ski trails
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Wayward SCUM
Where were these guys when we were ski walking up Ester Dome today? It looks like Robert thought they were skiing (hence, his SCUM ski hat) but Bill had other ideas (wearing shorts and a t-shirt). They were BUMs (Bill’s Uncoachable Men) again today–leaving early and changing the course. However, we all agreed that it was a lovely autumn day.
Other wayward SCUM are hiking or biking in Germany, Peru, Erie Canal, NY, and other locations in the Lower 48.
SCUM training now for 38th Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot
Eleven SCUM, all over 70 years old (except for newly retired Dave in center front) with at least one physical or mental handicap, made it up 5 km with 460 m of climb and an equal distance of elevation loss today. Like Alaska Senior Games, we allow youngsters who are at least 50 years old to play with us.
SCUM swim the Birch Bakken
Most of the SCUM aren’t discouraged by a little rain, or cold temperatures, or heat. However, today one of our regulars opted for Planet Fitness over Birch Hill Recreational Area. Here’s what he missed:
Unlike the Seine, water quality remained high on the Birch Bakken in spite of steady rain.
No SCUM took the mud wallowing challenge, but our most gullible member was not with us. No marmots were observed on the trails although some blooming lupines remained. It was the day for seeing and stepping upon the fungus among us.
SCUM combine ski walking with plastic-free disc golf
Today the SCUM opted out of doing the Fort Wainwright alpine hill ascents since several of us plan to do the Golden Heart Trail Run tomorrow. Instead, we ski walked the black and blue loops and finished with some disc golf. However, in honor of the Plastic Free July Challenge, we used a wooden disc. Here is a close up of the disc and Bernardo who ended up tossing the disc the closest to the goal:
Remembering two “reindeer” who led us
A flashback of just 16 winters:
Because many of the SCUM are parents (and now grandparents), we are frequent volunteers, especially for events focusing on kids. So shortly before Christmas 2008, we were asked whether one of our skiers would be willing to dress up as Santa Claus and arrive with a sack full of candy canes to distribute to Junior Nordics skiers after their Candy Cane event. Not willing to let just one SCUM get all the adoration from the next generation of NCAA and Olympic crosscountry skiers, Bill Husby, one of the SCUM who also serves as a trail groomer at Birch Hill, volunteered the SCUM to deliver Santa pulled by eight (or more) tiny reindeer on skis.
SCUM are deemed “uncoachable” for a reason. Everyone wanted to be a “reindeer”, and no one wanted to be Santa until Dermot Cole was strong armed into donning the beard and red suit.
Frank Soos and Tobben Spurkland owned “antlers” of a sort, so they were voted to be our lead reindeer even though I felt that Frank’s antlers were moose like as he was. An additional problem was that our most nattily dressed reindeer were hardly tiny. Frank and Tobben both measured in at 6’5” but they would be in front to guide us. The rest of the SCUM were left with red holiday colored duct tape and whatever antlers they could find in the Birch Hill Recreation Area. Thus, two varieties of tiny reindeer were created with birch and spruce bough antlers, respectively. Hey, what we lack in speed and technique, we make up with adaptability.
Having to orchestrate multiple skis while tied together with a nylon climbing rope would be challenging enough without adding ski poles. So, we determined that Santa would be pulled by reindeer skiing without poles. Seeing as the trail from behind the main ski building, where we had assembled, to the stadium area was flat, even SCUM should be able to negotiate this modest distance. Think again. Eight giggling skiers pulling one resistant Santa wasn’t exactly what the coordinator of the Candy Cane Race had envisioned.
One little guy who couldn’t have been older than 4 or 5, looked at us and then protested, “Those aren’t REAL reindeer!” Even the SCUM needing hearing aids clearly heard the disenchanted Junior Nordic skier and were devastated. We snuck away, leaving Santa with his bag of candy canes.
We weren’t invited back again.
SCUM back after RAIN and winds remove smoke hazard
SCUM ski walked up Ester Dome on Wednesday when winds were gusting to 40 mph, and today a few SCUM tackled the FWW alpine hill after almost an inch of rain. The three Gramps (all over 71 years old) and Mother SCUM tackled the Fort Wainwright alpine hill that is currently involved in the installation of new snowmaking guns. The recent rains around the excavation on the chair lift trail made for some muddy steps that added as much as 5 pounds to one’s boot,
but all four of us made it to the top intact.
Although wet and muddy, we fared better than one birch tree that we found toppled on the Tower Loop.
Bill Husby, a NSCF trail groomer, supervised us while we removed the tree from the trail. Here’s the after photo:
So, we not only got our endurance workout today, but we also got some strength training, too.
Exhibit 1: Uncoachable
Today’s workout was the usual Wednesday morning SCUM ski walk up Ester Dome Road from St Pat’s to Ullerhaven starting at the Ester Dome bike trails parking lot. We walk down to St. Pat’s as a warmup and then ski walk up Ester Dome Road for 5 km to Ullerhaven; walk back to cars as cool down with vistas that one doesn’t see on the uphill portion. Bernardo, Mike, Tim, Jill, and I did this workout.
However, the “uncoachable” SCUM wanted an adventure so took the trail less traveled.
They did eventually make it back to Ester Dome Road:
Dan said that it was a good change of pace (the search for Cabo trail).
Robert said that it was:
Sunnyside Trail lovely in spite of Monday snow
The Birch Hill trails had dried out fairly well before the snow and rain earlier in the week. Today, to avoid muddy conditions on the Tower Direct, we took the Sunnyside and Cliffside trails to access the Fort Wainwright alpine hill. We found dry footing for walking and enjoyable vistas. Also, the mosquitoes haven’t discovered us yet.
Once we reached FWW, we did one ascent under the chair lift. The snow left from the ski jumps had diminished significantly since last week, but the hill was still a steep 840 m uphill.
The SCUM dryland schedule involves ascending Ester Dome on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. (meet at the bike trails parking lot at 1 mile Ester Dome Road) and doing FWW hill ascents on Fridays at 10 a.m. (meeting in South Birch Hill parking lot). We sometimes change up the workouts depending on trail and weather conditions, so be punctual. Today Robert Hannon was 3 minutes late and didn’t get the change of venue so did his first FWW ascent alone. He did join us for our return hike up Cliffside, Sunnyside and Outhouse. The overachieving SCUM also did South Tower–completing the Birch Bakken course.
We welcome all comers and variations in the courses are frequently taken depending upon the schedule and fitness of participants.
Best skate skiing of the season today
Tom Helmers groomed many of trails this morning and conditions for skate skiing were the season’s best. Glide was great so the uphill sections were effectively shorter.
Here’s Robert Hannon, whose training for the past month has been sightseeing in Portugal, yet the N40 loops were just a good workout for him:
The downhill tracks were solid (without debris or birch seed) so that even SCUM elders could descend the Tower loop safely. Bob (shown below), skied down Tower even when it had over 2 inches of new snow on Friday:
Thanks to the grooming, there was no surprises like the SCUM found on the White Cub two weeks earlier, Wednesday (27 March 2024) when trails hadn’t been groomed:
If you’re enjoying the spring skiing and haven’t added to your Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks trail donation, please do so now.
Sonot Kkaazoot 