The Wandering Skier, Part 3: Rikert Nordic

With snow in the evening forecast, I bailed from Craftsbury at 3 PM. Fastest way to Ticonderoga, NY? Google maps had me dive off of Vermont Route 14 on to Cemetery Road, eight miles of dirt, to get to Route 15. Brilliant. Once I was on Route 15, I drove on autopilot to the bridge over Lake Champlain. Snow was falling as I arrived at the motel.

View from the Stadium
View from the Stadium

Ticonderoga is a cool spot. Despite the massive eponymous fort, it’s likely off the beaten path for most people. The main drag had a cool vibe, including a museum featuring sets from the original Star Trek TV program. Local eateries feature autographed photos of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the guys who played Scotty and Bones.

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The Wandering Skier, Part 1: Jackson, NH

Mount Washington’s summit was covered in clouds as I drove towards Jackson, NH. Everything’s bigger in New Hampshire: much as I love the Adirondacks, the White Mountains a positively gargantuan in scale.

Looking
Looking east from Prospect Farm Trailhead

Decades ago, I drove to the western Catskills on a Friday night. On Saturday, I roller skied around one of the reservoirs with three other people, including a nordic athlete who’d gone to the Paralympics. That afternoon, I drove to Virgil NY and camped out near a bullring where dirt track race cars snorted and roared.

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Titus: Something for Everyone

I introduced my wife to skiing 5 years ago and she’s loved it ever since. Helen took her first few lessons at Plattekill from some excellent instructors. After only a couple of days on skis, was asking me to buy the rentals she was skiing, so we could make it permanent, something that we could share together into the future.

Upper Mountain
To the Upper Mountain

Fast forward to today and she would tell you that the only thing slowing her down is snow. With me being a seriously addicted powder skier, how often is there an opportunity to bring my Bambi-legged beginner along for the chase? The answer is not many!

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