“Oh goody. The morning cock.”
You may know the type, hard and eager without much encouragement. Mistress shouldn’t have to work to hard for that effect should she?
But the real story today is a little travelogue about Mistress and our 2nd sullen teen – almost 18 now – who had an excellent adventure worth documenting here.
At our Ski Mountain, the most dramatic run is not “lift served”. No, you need to hike there, toting skis, or board. It’s a long and demanding climb. The locals with their well acclimated lungs and hard bodies can do it in 45 minutes or so. But for flatlanders like us – schedule at least 90 minutes if you are lucky.
The hike stretches across a long narrow ridgeline with amazing views across this wild and beautiful state and north to another. (the picture at the top gives you a good sense of the trail, which starts on the left and extends to the very top, maybe 1.5 miles).
And as the final destination seems to get tantalizingly closer, the trail gets steeper, narrower and dicier. Sometimes you can be plowing forward through knee deep snow, grateful for the footprints of those that preceded you. Other times, like yesterday, the snow is thin and your stiff and heavy ski boots are slipping and sliding on loose rock and ice.
But what awaits is a long and challening run over barely tracked snow down a dramatic slope until you finally arrive to the more routine runs where the mere mortal skiers have been looking up at you in wonder.
Now Molly and Mick have done this hike in years past. But it’s been a few years for me. Quite frankly, in my 60 year old decrepitude, it’s a tough physical challenge that I can happily forego – been there, done that – even though I do miss that sense of accomplishment when the run is over, and the views along the way.
So when our teen said this week “I want to go to the peak”, I was a little reluctant. Quite frankly, I didn’t think she knew what awaited or had the mettle to stick it through. And believe me, there comes a point on that hike when your body says “no mas”, but, quite literally, you can’t turn back.I was not into seeing her hit that point and having to deal with the consequences.
But then Mistress stepped in.
“I’ll go with you…..”
I raised an eyebrow. Quietly lobbied against the risk. But they were undeterred.
So off they went.
Gutsy and determined.
And I got to watch them take their turns down that wide, steep slope, slowly but surely, about two hours after they headed up that narrow trail with a bunch of other hardcore skiers following behind.
The teen made it first, on her snow board, collapsing onto her back on the snow next to me.
“I’m really not that tired. It was just hard on my lungs sometimes….”
Uhh, yeah. At 12,500 feet, climbing up. It’s a killer.
Mistress made it down a few minutes later, a broad smile on that beautiful face.
“My legs are like rubber, Slave.”
No doubt.
So here is to Mistress and our sullen but adventurous teen. I am proud of both of them.
