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 2: Craftsbury

Sunday, 2 AM. A bunkmate in the hostel dormitory was snoring: the sound of Boeing 747s taking off from Newark Airport rousted me from a sound sleep. I took my bedding to sleep on the floor down in the common room. At 6 AM, I shook myself awake and got in gear. By 9, I slipped the shooting brake’s clutch, and we left New Hampshire, Craftsbury bound.

Biathlete warming up
Biathlete warming up

Craftsbury Outdoor Center looms large in my life. From the late 1980s to the early part of this century, I’d drive to Craftsbury for their 50 km marathon, and usually returned in March for the Spring Fling. When our kiddo entered our lives, I cut back the travel and racing and seldom ventured further into Vermont than Prospect Mountain.

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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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