XC Skiing - Woodford State Park, VT

Still no useful snow locally, and we really wanted to get out skiing this week. Fortunately, Woodford State Park, east of, and high above, Bennington, VT, is only a little more than an hour away, and got over a foot of new snow earlier in the week. We ski there several times every year when we can't find good snow nearer to home, and it's always a good time.

As we got ready to leave home this morning, light snow was falling, but the roads were a mess and traffic was slow. A trip that usually takes a little over an hour took almost twice that at 30mph all the way. We almost gave up at one point, but continued on, and were glad we did. As we started skiing, the snow let up, skies partially cleared to let in some sun, and the forest was beautiful. The hiking trail around Adams Reservoir had been broken by snowshoers, so it was easy skiing. But because we were always skiing in a trench, the various dipsy-doodles, twists, and turns required some quick footwork at times, especially on a few small downhills. A very occasional exposed rock or root made it even more interesting



We chose not to turn onto the hiking trail near the tent sites at the end of the lake, but instead skied back along the unplowed campground roads to the park entrance. The snow on the picnic tables gave a really good indication of what had fallen here.



After about 1.5 hours of skiing, the drive home was much better, taking only the usual amount of time on clearer roads. This weekend, another nor'easter will be passing us by, so we'll still be looking elsewhere for some skiing next week.