You know, there are several bona fide ski clubs around America. The Yellowstone Club, and Holimont up in Western New York are among them. All of them have a feel about them. People coming together to do the things they like in a new season. The fireplaces are crackling, the buzz in the lodge is in high gear, and people all have smiles on their faces anticipating what hopes to be a wonderful ski season. The interesting thing is that vibe is also right here in Western Pa at a wonderful place called Laurel Mountain.
Now Laurel is on state property and there is little development nearby which adds to the ambiance of the place. Managed by Vail, Laurel is special to a lot of people because of the laid- back atmosphere and of course, the legendary Wildcat Slope- the steepest in Pennsylvania. It will give you a workout and prepare you for your season in record time. But the really nice thing about Laurel is the people.
Opening weekend was upon us this past weekend and it was so great to be back at Laurel and see all the folks that make that place so special. It is truly a club atmosphere and everyone was so excited to be back in the lodge, greeting each other over a coffee and catching up on the summer and what is happening for Christmas. Sure, I like to go up and lap Wildcat until my legs fall off. But really, I truly enjoy sitting in the lodge and talking to the folks that I have not seen in 8 months. We all are anxious to boot up and head out especially when we got a bonus early start.
Kudos go to Gary Wiltrout and his team of snowmakers. We all were thrilled when we heard that the trails and upper and lower Wildcat were open. Especially when fickle weather patterns ruined a lot of early season snow. But through the hard work of Gary’s team, we skied on perfect man -made snow with no ice, soft conditions and groomed to perfection. We all remarked that mid- season should be this good. But Gary and his team do a spectacular job, and we are all grateful. All the employees who welcome you back are so kind. Paula scanning your passes, Bill in the lodge, welcoming us all back, it sure feels like a club to me.
I had the opportunity to ski a few runs with Brett Cook, the affable GM for Seven Springs, Laurel Mountain and Hidden Valley. He told us a lot about what is new and going on for all three areas and he was especially complimentary of the atmosphere and feel of Laurel. He gets it, and supports all the happenings at Laurel. I complimented him on his diligence to get the area open with the shot of cold weather. The team jumped at the chance to make snow and make it happen for all of us.
People ask me all the time – “what’s the deal with Laurel?” ” Why do you like it so much.” The big part of it is always the people and the other part is the scenic beauty of the Laurel Highlands which I like to enjoy all year round. I ride my mountain bike up there a lot in the summer and that feel of the place even extends into the off ski season.
When my day ends, I drive down to the Pie Shoppe in Laughlintown, grab a piece of homemade pizza and a drink and head home via RT 381 through Rector to Donegal. The drive through the horse farms with the ridges in view is always enjoyable to me before I slog back home on the turnpike, But as I listen to my music, I have great scenes in my head about the great day I had at Laurel Mountain. I think about the wonderful conversations I had with all the folks. Well………….it is a club of sorts, and I am a grateful and happy member of that club for sure. Ski Laurel if you can this winter and you will see what I am talking about. In some ways, it is like skiing back in time. The way skiing is in New England at the smaller resorts that have avoided that big time corporate feeling. Vail manages Laurel, but the employees and the people there make it feel anything but corporate. Thanks for reading and think snow.
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Thought I would add just another little post this week to celebrate the season. This is our Christmas Tree. The ornaments are from the Danbury Mint in Philadelphia and also Lennox China. My folks collected them over the years and always bought two- one for me and one for my sister Molly. Their radiance with the Christmas lights is always spectacular and I always relish putting up the tree every year with these wonderful ornaments shining brightly. But there is a lot more to putting up the tree and placing the ornaments.
Erecting the tree and bringing out the Danbury Mint and Lennox ornaments take me back in time to Christmas long ago. My mother loved Christmas – to the point where people referred to her as ” Christmas Carol.” She always made a point to make Christmas special for Molly and me and to her friends and relatives. My parent’s Christmas Eve party was an anticipated joyful time for all of us. My dad and Molly and I were always on the dock to help out with whatever needed to be done. But, my mother was the coordinator and her decorations, her food, her atmosphere with music in the house was welcoming to many who needed a lift at the holidays.
There were funny times as my dad’s eggnog loosened up some folks. For instance- my mom’s cousin loved the nog but when he went to the driveway and inserted his car keys into his side car window- I knew it was time to take him home. People joyously singing carols around the piano as I played and after hours of this, I was relegated to the kitchen to wash the dishes with my sister and Sally Rose. Lots of work that Christmas party, but with people in and out of the house all day, it was always a wonderful event. The tree in my parents living room looked just like the one that Janet and I erect each year. Perhaps that is why I like the annual rite of erecting and decorating the tree. I am brought back in time. I can somehow see my dad, smiling with his Christmas pants and tie, offering the guests some of his lethal nog. I can see my mom singing behind me at the piano. My mom had perfect pitch and her singing was always appreciated by the crowd. I can just see her around the tree admiring the ornaments and being satisfied with her statement to me that” happiness is like a perfume that you can’t sprinkle on others without getting a little on yourself.” She and my dad were so generous ,and their example has carried on with me years later.
So, as I peer a little more closely into the tree, and see the ornaments depicting the manger scene, I think about the real meaning of Christmas. I think about the amazing announcement by the angel Gabriel, and the birth of Christ into our fallen world. I think how he singlehandedly saved all of us. All we need to do is believe. Christmas is so special and commercialism, deadlines, and other distractions, do not deter me from enjoying the true meaning of Christmas and enjoying our Christmas tree. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and remember to take the time to really enjoy and celebrate with your friends and families. My folks will be watching you with joy from above. Thanks for reading.
” And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ” Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.” -Luke- 2: 12-13.
My friends Melissa and Jaime Thompson always have a festive way to describe the start of a new ski season. They say it is “popping the cork” versus my “breaking the seal”. I like theirs better because it really captures the festive start when you see all your pals, on the slopes again, for another season in the snow. Last Friday was festive indeed when Brett Cook, the GM of Seven Springs, addressed the crowd assembled at the Polar Bear six pack. He welcomed everyone, they had a banner break which ushered in the new season and the chair lift cranked up for the first time this year. Vail did a good job with preparing things for us and even though there was limited terrain. No one really cared because what was open was primo machine- made and natural snow. It was surely nice to be making turns again after 8 long months of waiting. You see- when you are a skier, it doesn’t really matter how much is open at the beginning of the season as long as you can make a few runs. You see all your pals with whom you have skied for years. Remember the saying, you don’t quit skiing because you get old, you get old because you quit skiing.
The interesting thing about Seven Springs is that most of us have skied there since we were kids and many of us now are celebrating,40 50, 60 years together on the slopes. Steve Gurtner made a poignant remark when he said, ” we are lucky to have Seven Springs.” We would not all be skiers if it were not for Seven Springs.” How true Steve, and another reminder that even though we all open up the season with laps of Wagner Bowl and some trails, it is all good. The camaraderie that we all share at the beginning of the season and the knowledge that more winter is coming. More slopes and trails open, more trips to the west and beyond for many of us, and hopefully a long nice ski season.
If you are not a skier, you might not appreciate the enthusiasm for skiing in Western Pa. Or if you are only a ski trip person who scoffs at skiing locally, you might not realize that you are only skiing a week or two for the whole winter. You could be making turns locally on some pretty fine snow made by Vail at three local areas. And also- don’t think that just because it is raining, or lousy weather, or no snow on the ground locally in the city, that there is no snow in the Laurels at the ski resorts. Have faith. Oftentimes there is good skiing and people in the city and suburbs don’t even realize it.
Hey- most of us take our trips out west during the season or to New England, but we make use of the local slopes and areas and truly enjoy the winter. Skiing is not only the exhilaration of sliding down a snow covered slope, but it is also fun discussions on the chairlifts. “How was your summer?”, “what’s new with the family”, and other topics of conversation. You spend most of your time riding these things anyhow to get to the top. Skiing is social, with apres’ skiing being a great part of the day with a beverage or two. The discussion is the start of another season and what we all have to look forward to in the months ahead.
Steve said it right. We all would not be skiers if it were not for Seven Springs. We currently have a great opportunity right here in our own Laurel Highlands. Why not take advantage of it? I can tell you laps on Wildcat at Laurel Mountain will get you ready for any ski trip you plan, and it is great fun on a weekday or weekend morning when it is perfectly groomed.
So………..”popping the cork” last Friday meant a lot to me for many reasons. I came away glad that I made the effort and can’t wait to get out there this week as well. My 63rd season. Think snow and welcome to the season skiers!!!! Thanks for reading.
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“I lift up my eyes to the mountains………..” Psalm 121
When I saw this on the door of the Cafe LeMont up near State College, Pa. I laughed. It is so true. Carpe Diem, seize the day, pack it in. Janet always says I am in a hurry and always rush her into things. But when she gets it together and packs it in, she is happy. She doesn’t want to miss anything. And when we get together with our friends, Judy and Mike Smith, they are definitely cohorts in crime when it comes to squeezing every opportunity out of a day. Janet just rolls her eyes at the three of us but always complies. She may be tired at the end of a day, but always glad that she ……..packed it in.
So, Janet said to me last week, ” where do you want to go for your birthday?” I really didn’t know, and we settled on a trip to State College with the Smiths. Janet and Judy were room- mates at PSU and Mike and I are usually along for the ride. We had not been to State College for a while and decided that would be a fun place to go. We stayed at the newly refurbished Nittany Lion Inn which was available because it was a non- football weekend. The busy itinerary for the weekend began when Janet and I drove to the Cafe Lemont, had lunch, and then donned the backpacks and headed up Mt. Nittany for a hike. Judy and Mike arrived a little later, and they set the land speed record up and back. LOL!! We all laughed and headed to check in at the hotel, shower, and then out to eat. No grass was growing under our feet that day. Hiking up Mt. Nittany is always fun and a rite of passage for Penn Staters. Again – Mike and I were along for the ride.
The view of Beaver Stadum from the top of Mt. Nittany.
After a quick cup of coffee the next morning, we all went out to Shingletown Gap for another hike. A beautiful trail with wonderful scenery and lots of rocks. I told them all that the people who hike the Appalachian Trail always call Pennsylvania ” Rocksylvania” because it is one of the more challenging sections on the route. Mike and I would agree because, as we knew full well, the subsequent mountain bike ride for the both of us would be full of challenging rocks. The ladies regrouped back at the Inn and Mike and I made our way to the Longberger Path and the Tussey Mountain Trail in the Rothrock State Forest. A route that he and I have ridden many, many times on our PSU weekends for football games with the ladies and their clan. As we made our way to the” Beer Tap” which is a fun marker at the confluence of a couple of trails, we forged ahead through heinous rock gardens along the way and wondering where the heck that Beer Tap was so we could begin the long descent back to the car. Mike led the way as I watched him battle the rock sections for as long as he could riding his bike before we had to hike some sections. But as the sun was setting, it was cold on the descent and the shower back at the hotel was a welcome relief. That trail seems longer and longer every year. Could it be that I am just getting older? Hmmm.
Rushing back to pack it in some more after the hike and the ride, we all made our way to Rec Hall to watch the women’s volleyball game between PSU and Illinois. An exciting match for sure and thankful that Judy got tickets. We rushed to The Tavern right after the game, rammed down some food and then began our walk through the town and back up the hill to the hotel. A long day but …………….you can sleep when you’re dead. Right?
The next morning, after a road coffee, we did another hike at Mt. Nittany, had some lunch at the Cafe LeMont again and headed back home. A whirlwind couple of days which was anything but relaxing, but we did a lot and I, for one, was happy. The more I can pack in, the better I like it. Janet rolls her eyes again. But she knows who she married.
We will be heading back out west for another ski trip with the Flying Smittys this winter and I am sure that they will be up at at em early as is their usual protocol. Janet is used to the deal by now seeing that we have been taking ski trips with the Smiths for quite a while now. They love to ski, I love to ski, and Janet- well, once she is out and at it, loves to ski too. We just have to crowbar her out sometimes. LOL!!
So, I guess, the moral of the story for me here is ……………..get it while you can. There are so many opportunities in life that the operative word these days should be” yes”. It doesn’t have to be far away from home either. Lots of good places to visit and pack it in right in your home state. Great to travel, great to pack it in out of state or out of the country, but always wonderful to go for the gusto right in your neck of the woods. Remember- you don’t quit doing things because you get old, you get old because you quit doing things. Thanks for reading and pack it in – will ya?
I told my neighbor Sumant that I was turning 70 this week. He responded, ” Patrick- never let a number define you.” I thought about that for a minute and kind of smiled. I really don’t feel any different, but numbers don’t lie, and you know that at least chronologically, you are advancing in age. I always joke with people that I will age chronologically but will never mature. People laugh, but really- it is kind of true. I still like to have that bright eyed, youthful look on life that sometimes doesn’t match my actual position. But how should we act or how do we move on when you hit a milestone like this?
I think the best way is to just keep doing what you like to do. I ride my mountain bike for exercise all year and also I like to ski when the winter comes. Hiking is good too and the more active you are, the better your health will be especially if you eat correctly and get the proper amount of sleep. Nothing you have not heard before, but we pay more attention to it, the older we get. Sometimes, for a brief moment, I think about things when I mount my bike, but then I just go into ride mode and never think about anything but enjoying the ride and raising the heart rate. Same with skiing. At the beginning of the season at my local areas, I think- ” can I still do this?” Then I strap ’em on and push off with the poles and do what comes naturally – make a turn. From that moment on, the season begins. That brief moment of doubt is erased by the joy of the moment and the muscle memory of knowing how to ski- just like I have done for 63 years. I concentrate on making good turns, looking ahead, and making mature decisions on where to ski and how to ski. Sure, I am not making turns like I was years ago, but I am still trying to learn new things and trying new techniques. If you can stay in shape, the more successful you can be trying new things.
But perhaps the most important thing in this next decade for me will be spending time with Janet and being active with her. We enjoy each other’s company, and I have tried to share my enthusiasm for the great outdoors with her and encourage her to get out there. I laugh and tell her I am crowbarring her out but once she is out there, she enjoys it and is thankful that I give her the push. Make no mistake, Jan pushes me too. I get stuck in my ways sometimes and she moves me out of the comfort zone.
As we age, we do gain some wisdom, and we cannot make a big deal out of things that we really can’t control. We don’t stress, and strive for a more peaceful life. We try to be kind and encouraging, and the great outdoors is a great venue for those virtues. Lots of good conversations can be had on the trails and in the chairlifts. I hope I can share some gained wisdom as I move on in this decade. I hope I can be kind and encouraging not only to my wife, but to my friends and family as well. Also, to new people that I will meet along the way. There is always a new audience for my well- worn stories if I just look for the potential victims. LOL!!! But all in all, I will take Sumant’s advice. I hope you do too. Thanks for reading.
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“Life is like a bicycle- to keep your balance- you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein
Bob Dylan was right but for other reasons. This past weekend we changed the clocks over again and although I am not a big fan of the time change routine, it is what it is, and we need to face the fact that the dark days of winter are here. A lot of people change their exercise programs in the winter and go inside to gyms and workout centers. I like the outdoors and am not really into the indoor deal, so I stay outside and ride my MTB all winter. I retired my old winter bike and am getting a new one. But you need lights. I have been riding with lights for about 36 years. I can remember being chased out of North Park, back in the day, by the police because night riding was something they were not familiar with. We used to turn the lights off, and then when the police went away, we kept riding.
Technology has changed a lot over the years. We used to ride $300.00 Night Suns or Night Rider lights with water bottle cage batteries and a very dim yellow beam. Today- the lights are way more cost effective and you can get a lot of lumens, 2 hour plus, high beam, run times, for a fraction of that price. And the light quality is amazing. So many lights to choose from these days. But night riding was always an adventure.
Recently I was reading Victoria Weeks’ blog post about the “Revenge of the Rattlesnake” MTB race in Davis, West Virginia which included the famous Moon Rocks. If you get a chance, read her post and follow her blog. Very entertaining and Victoria is a very accomplished rider and writer. (The Victory Lap ) https://www.victoriaweeks.com In her post, Victoria describes the challenging riding over the Moon Rocks and I told her in a response, that I remember riding there in the middle of the night at the old 24 Hours of Canaan races in Davis back in the day. I first was introduced to the rock feature when I saw one of the marshals for the race in a long black coat and a wide brimmed hat. He looked like the Grim Reaper as I made my way past him, silently observing, and onto the rocks. My yellow beamed Night Rider was state of the art at the time, and in fact they sponsored Laird Knight’s famous race. But to see that feature, at 3:00 in the morning and try to ride it and make my way through the bog that followed was quite a challenge, especially on 26 ” wheels, cantilever brakes, steel frame and an early version Rock Shocks front suspension fork. We didn’t know any better and that was the best technology that we had at the time.
Fast forward to the 24 Hours of Canaan at Timberline Resort, I can clearly remember following my yellow beam at 4:00 in the morning, all alone because the field was pretty well stretched out at that time, and hearing things go bump in the night. A bear? A bobcat? Another nocturnal animal? I remember one poor guy that I passed asking if he could stay with me because his light went out. I said sure but eventually he tailed off and I never saw him again. Felt bad, but you have to have charged lights for those lonely, West Virginia, late night laps. As my friend Shark always says, ” it gets West Virginia real quick” and it sure did at night, over the Moon Rocks, and through the river two times each lap.
These days- at this time of year, I make sure my lights are charged and if I need any new batteries, I get them and am ready for the evening rides. Nothing like the old days in West Virginia, but enough of a challenge to keep me interested in riding at night. Good exercise- you don’t have to go indoors, and no matter what the weather throws at you, riding is always available. My Endura MT500 jacket and pants https://us.endurasport.com can withstand the harshest of weather and together with a good pair of lights,( helmet and handlebar), you can ride all winter without issue.
So, the time change is kind of bittersweet for me . It signals the end of the summer and fall and the beginning of winter. I like winter, but if you choose to ride in it, good clothing and good lights are a necessity. Things look different at night, just like they did in the old days, but it gives you a new challenge and the “changin” times are not so bad. So, if you like to ride, take a tip from an old guy like me- keep riding. You will really appreciate it in the spring when you are trying to ramp up your fitness. Those who back away in the winter really struggle when the time changes back again. Thanks for reading.
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” To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven” – Ecclesiastes 3:1
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