While the trailing weekend of the President’s Day Holiday period is much less busy than the opening weekend, one can still expect holiday crowds. And one can also expect not to find discounts. And one can expect to have prepaid vouchers blacked out making. Thus making the decision making process two days after a micro-storm rather difficult. After much consideration, I picked Cannon over Balsams (amongst other options), despite Balsams being a mountain on my “to do list” for this season. My decision was sound leading to spectacular results.

After grabbing my ticket, I took the first tram and began what would be the first of five hourly runs. I opted for one of my favorite stashes that reliably has “day after the powder day” freshies. My expectations were mixed. Yet I found extensive amounts of untracked lines through six inches of fresh. “Where were the powder hounds yesterday?” I wondered aloud before tearing up what they had missed out on.

Next I decided that Kinsman Glade could use an inspection. It was listed as open on the trail report but was roped when I arrived. I used the trail report as my guide instead of the rope. The upper section of Kinsman Glade skied fabulously well with plenty of untracked lines to pick from. The middle section was sketchy to say the least! By the lower middle section, I was making cautious and deliberate survival turns carefully placed and occasionally well executed. Whereas when I entered the glade I had been thinking this was a sure repeat, by the time I was nearing the end, it couldn’t be done with soon enough. Rare is the day that I can report that a rope was up for good reason.

More tree skiing ensued on the next run with some exploration. My first of three explorations was very much ill advised and included needing to take off my skis to thwack out of thick soft woods. My second exploration, however, lead to discovering a shot that I had long wondered about, powdery up top but icy down low.

Unfortunately, this discovery area included a stream bed that had been gushing a month ago during the January wash out. That gushing was followed by a hard freeze and no substantial dumps since. Essentially, the snow ran out and ice took over. Thankfully, I survived this ill advised option without incident due to some thwacking skills. Perhaps that should have learned me that today was not the day for exploring.

The noon hour had long since come and gone by the time I stood on the summit again for my fourth run. This was to yield the jackpot of the day in the form of a completely untracked tree shot with six inches of virgin power. Afternoon. On a weekend. Two days after the last snowfall. Unreal.

I slayed the powder with relish recalling that this was my best powder day in over a month! Base conditions were variable with occasional rock, stick, stump, and blow down to be wary of. But I threw caution to the wind when the trees thinned out into a beautiful open birch glade unmarred by tracks. I opened up my skis and let them gently but swiftly guide me down what could only be considered a paradise.

After a brief expenditure of needless energy doing my third and final exploration, I returned to this glade more than an hour after my first descent and found not another track aside from my own. I made a mental note never to go exploring when a sure shot powder stash is available for the plundering.

Halfway through the glade, as the well covered upper section yielded to lower mountain thin coverage, I took a seat for a short rest. I found myself completely alone in the forest and listening to nature. Noises of all varieties were sounded by creatures both avian and quadruped in nature. And in between those pronouncements of which I knew not to be their intent, I listened. And heard silence.

Too often we ski through the trees far too quickly due to our powder induced jubilation or  conditions induced concentration. Focusing on the thrill of powder or the masochism of the challenge, there are few opportunities during which we appreciate what makes those trees so special with the full bewilderment, amazement, and awe that we once felt when just starting to push those boundaries.

I will keep reaching out for those things that inspire me. And I will keep trying to remember to witness those things with conscious intention long after they have become commonplace and familiar.