Thom & Co came out for the weekend, and we had a grand time in the newfallen snow. For the past couple of months, we’ve had a few little snowfalls that never amounted to much more than an inch or two on the ground. It was nice to finally get a proper winter storm.
First we headed up to Blacktail Mountain for some skiing. After agonizing over whether to strap on a snowboard and give it a go, Pepper finally decided to do it. She spent a little while on the bunny hill getting reacquainted with her board, and then hit the slopes. She looked pretty good!
Of course Thom put us all to shame– he’s the best skiier in the group by far. Katie and I had a great time doing some easier runs, and then I entertained Sefton in the lodge while she joined Thom for a while. Although the weather was a little dicey (snowing and breezy), it’s hard to beat $25 lift tickets!
Our next day was spent at Glacier. The fresh snow covered everything and made for a beautiful hike. Sefton was adorable in his little bear-ear hat.
Pepper was adorable too, naturally.
Sefton kept up a pretty steady stream-of-consciousness narration as we walked along the trail.
Short legs get tired hiking through snow, but he was a trooper and we managed to go a little over a mile before we had to turn around.
There were some great overlooks where we could see Lake McDonald in the distance as the sun sank toward the southwest.
The next day we’d gained another six inches of snow, so we decided it was time to ski and sled down the driveway. We were inspired by our friends’ driveway last week. Since our driveway is a steady incline and around a third of a mile long, it made a great course. Thom and I skiied down the fresh snow first.
Then the sledders came down.
We took turns as “designated driver”, coming down in our CR-V so everyone could pile in at the bottom of the driveway and get a ride back to the top. Of course Thom and I decided to hitch the sled to the back of the car and ride it uphill. Aside from exhaust fumes, it was a great ride.
After a few runs, the dense snow was hard-packed and fantastic for sledding. We’d pick up quite a bit of speed, and whipping around the switchback corners was always an adventure because we had to steer with our arms, and we’d often spin out and find ourselves heading downhill backward or something. Our “tracks” were basically the wheel ruts, so it was possible to race side-by-side down the driveway.
It was an absolute blast. This morning, as Thom and Katie were packing up to head back home, we had another six inches of powder on top of everything. The snow was so light and fluffy it was like shoveling air. We cleaned off their car (quite a chore with over a foot of snow on it) and they headed out. As always, it was good to have them visit and we’re excited to go their direction in a few months.