CSP by Headlamp (5)

Ignorance is bliss.

Had I not read the ski report this morning, I would have been much happier. 18" fresh at the top of my favorite lift. I wondered if my boss might understand my sudden fever (powder fever). Rats! Too many commitments today. But, a couple of inches fresh on my backdoor trail would spruce it right up. So after work, I was off on 2 planks, headlamp shining through the falling snow. Up toward Near Point in Chugach State Park.

Ignorance really is bliss.

Like the post-holing, ski trail-wrecking hiker. As I skied up the trail I set every winter, recently pock marked by someone on foot, I wondered about the poor fool knee-deep, ignorantly chewing up my ski trail. I stewed. Really like to tell that guy a thing or two.

Then, I came upon the offender. Face-to-face, staring at one another. His size disuaded me from attempting to educate him; tell him how despicable it is to spoil my beautifully smooth ski trail with irregular post holes - just ruins my kick. We stared at one another, but I said not a word, no hello, not even a nod. We cautiously passed one another, him post-holing, me skiing, both wary and not friendly.

It's not like this is a popular hiking trail, matter of fact, it's not really much of a trail at all in the summer, but this guy and his buddies must be using it daily this winter. After all the work I put in, clearing it of the deadfall, skiing it in just so. They just post hole right along my ski track, those ignorant ... moose! Or, maybe its my ignorance? Could "my ski trail" have been a game trail before I started using it? Regardless, this winter (like all that I can remember) Backdoor Trail is multi-use: lynx, snowshoe hare, coyotes, ermine, squirrels, moose and the odd human.