Hooray! First Ski of the Season.

Today after a nearly three-week bout with the flu I finally got out there and skied for an hour at the Upper Hadlock Pond Loop. I am really out of shape, still not at 100% lung power, and about 20 lbs. heavier than the last time I skied probably 9 months ago, so I wanted to take it really easy. Being a conscientious self-coach, I told myself to ski only in the tracks (because I wasn't sure I'd be steady on skis yet), to go slowly (because I didn't want to collapse into a coughing fit), and to ski for only an hour. My plan was to ski just from Brown Mountain Gatehouse (Signpost 18) on the lower part of the loop to the Hadlock Brook Bridge, a total distance of about two miles.

Conditions were pretty darn good. (My apologies for the poor quality of the photo, but it was taken with a cell phone and it's the only shot I have of that particular stretch of Carriage Road alongside Upper Hadlock Pond.)We have about a foot of snow on the ground but it hasn't snowed for about a week, so the tracks were a little icy and grimy in places. The center was better and had about an inch of powder on it, very good for skate skiing. It was about 20 degrees out and overcast. I warmed up in 10 minutes. I found I wasn't as unsteady as I thought I would be and my mood improved 100% after skiing for 1/2 an hour. The trail was nicely tracked. Thanks Acadia Winter Trails Association. I'll be back tomorrow.