Truth be told, my husband and I long to live somewhere we could ski from our back door. Sure, there are plenty of benefits to living in the "Valley of the Warm Winds" (which means there is seldom snow at our home, but easy access to it, and we don't have to worry about plowing snow and all that goes along with that!) But, oh the joy it would be to NOT have to pack the car with all our skis, gear, snacks and kids every few days to get to snow. Someday....maybe....
As we recently skied at the closest (20 miles away) backcountry trails, we had all sorts of great ideas about starting a ski team, getting permission to do some grooming (anything would be nice!) and at least clearing out some of the fallen trees. We notice the trail imperfections especially as we pull the Chariot since it seems to find all sticks, branches, and rocks to bounce off. We dream of groomed trails that accommodate skate skiing AND don't require breaking our own trail.
And yet, we were realizing that we were completely caught in the grass-is-greener mentality. We forget about the beauty of not having to share the trail with hundreds of other skiers. We don't think about how most nicely-groomed trails don't allow dogs (thanks to the ones that choose to poo right in the middle of the trail.)
Really in anything in our lives it is easy to get caught up in the "if only"s. If only we could ski there. If only we had better wax. If only we had better gear. If only the weather/trails/snow were better. If only we had a different ski trailer. If only we made more money. If only we had that perfect job. Etc. Etc. You get the idea....
And so as we near the beginning of 2012, we vow here to enjoy what we have. To live in the moment. To not stress about the small things. It stop and have a snack, nurse an infant or sing a song/do a dance to warm up a little. And to be happy to ski where there is snow!
Any adventure-oriented New Years resolutions? Please do share!
This is great -- inspirational really! We all suffer from "the grass is greener" mentality. For the new year, I'm going to try to wake up each morning and be thankful for what I have and where I am! Happy New Year to you!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Here's to lots of "green grass on THIS side!" :)
ReplyDeleteI agree great post. I sometimes get frustrated by the lack of things in our little town like established trails, places to eat, structured activities for the kids. But when I go to populated areas and have to deal with crowds I'm reminded of the benefits to not having such things. Sometimes life is better with less.
ReplyDeleteJen, my thoughts exactly on small towns! We are so torn about staying or going sometimes because of those exact reasons. And sometimes when you see the MORE, it is COMPLETELY overwhelming! (I can hardly stand even malls now after being in a very small town for years.)
ReplyDeleteLiving in the very urban L.A. area, I'm always reminding my friends of how many wonderful places to explore nature there are right here in our city. Nature is where you find it & each place offers unique treasures (even if there isn't any snow!). We try to enjoy them all.
ReplyDeleteDebi - great different angle I hardly think of (because I live so far from them) - nature in the cities! Loving the outdoors is certainly not confined to the mountains!
ReplyDeleteI love this. I have said before you are such an inspiration to me. I have had "babies" for so long that I have got stuck with being indoors, even though I LOVE being outside doing fun stuff :-) There isn't alot to do in our itty bitty town but my resolution is to get out and play more. I do alot with the goats but I don't get alot of play time. I have seven kids and alot to do. It has always been hard for me to incorporate the baby with play time. I am hoping to get a Boba 3G and take her out with me rather than being split-one parent in one out. The Boba looks great for this! Thanks for that review too :-) We have 42 acres and we could be trail walking alot but its been hard. What would you suggest the Boba or a pack? any age differences, we have a 2yr.and 9mon???
ReplyDeleteTiffany, thanks for your comments :) As far as the pack.... I love the Boba AND our Deuter and Kelty packs. I personally think they have different functions. I use my Boba most of the day around the house, for errands and when I need something that will pack small. I think framed kid carriers are obnoxious inside because you run into everything!
ReplyDeleteHowever, they are GREAT for outdoors because they allow more room for winter gear, you can set a kid down (or easily transfer to another carrier) if they are sleeping and they provide a bit more protection if you were to fall. That said, if I were hiking around our home and it was windy, I would use my Boba because P can snuggle into me away from the wind (the kids sit much higher in the packs.)
Kudos for you for getting out there, even with 7 kids. I could imagine how difficult that would be! And yet so worth it...
Email me if you have more questions...or even start a discussion on the facebook wall....that may get you some more opinions!! Good luck! :)
p.s. The baby gear quest is unending, isn't it?!?!
oh how funny! i just found your blog from stephanie's facebook giveaway plug (i make tees for her shop-- Mountain Aven Baby) and eventually realized you guys are in dubois! then i saw your chariot from this day's post and realized that i *think* we saw you guys at deception creek that day! or atleast someone else with a green chariot and blue skies, right before the dumping snow began :)
ReplyDeleteanyway, glad to have found your blog, cheers from lander!
blair
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mountainavenbaby.etsy.com
YES!!! Were you skiing with a bunch of people, a Chariot and a bunch of cute kids?? I wanted to follow you all just so I could say "good job" and give J some ideas, but we went and did the connector trail instead. What a small world! Going to try and find your email and email you now - sure love your tees!
Deletesmall world indeed! that was us! we had four adults and four kids on skis (a five year old, a four year old, and two three year olds... oh my)! my two eventually ended up in the chariot. we must have crossed paths again somewhere, as we ended up doing the same loop when the girls got tired. it turned into a bit of an epic as it got windy and deep and we couldn't see a packed trail, but it was also really beautiful and fun! loved reading about your trip into brooks lake, we're headed there a few times this year i think, once without kids and maybe again with kids as well. my email is mountainavenbaby@gmail.com
Deletecheers!