This week, I went cross-country skiing for the first time. The setting was the Araphaho Bend Natural Area,
in Fort Collins, Colorado. The picturesque landscape features a section
of the Cache la Poudre River and the Arapaho Bend Ponds.
Cross-Country Skiing – In A Colorado Minute (Week 301)
Our friends Lisa Eaton and Pascal Desilio of Vibe Boards
are experienced cross-country skiers, and joined Scott and me on this
wonderful outing in a foot of powder snow that had fallen two days
before. They also gave us helpful instructions on how the classic style
of cross-country skiing
is done: striding forward with the skis parallel (vs. the movement of
skating, as in the skate skiing style). With the opposite arm using a
ski pole to push you forward while your abs help you keep your balance,
it is quite the full-body workout. Next time, I’ll make sure to not get
as bundled up as I do for snowshoeing, since one warms up so quickly.
Since
I knew my hands would be occupied with the ski poles, I decided to
strap a GoPro to my chest to film this experience. Of course, with the
full-body movement, the footage got a bit shaky. So I’m glad I brought
my regular compact camera along to get some steadier shots and some
photographs. Otherwise, I would have never caught those two bald eagles
passing overhead. One of these days, I hope to catch some with a good
telephoto lens…
The Arapaho Bend Natural Area is part of a chain of city-maintained parks and trails along the Poudre River, including Prospect Ponds and Riverbend Ponds, all of which are connected by paved trails. You’ve got to love this about Fort Collins!
Arapaho
Bend is especially lovely because of all the fishing ponds, the view of
the Rocky Mountains and several abandoned buildings, including the
historic Strauss Cabin. I didn’t have room for those buildings in the
video, but will feature them in an upcoming photo post on my personal
blog.
The featured song is called “Back to the Woods” by Jason Shaw of Audinautix.com. He has made so many excellent songs available via a CC BY 3.0 license! Check them out! Thank you so much, Jason!
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| Cross-country skiing in the Arapaho Bend Natural Area Fort Collins, Colorado |