The Hazard Chronicles

 Friday

Waking up in a hotel room has become pretty routine for our family by now. Idaho Falls this time, a quick stop-over on our way to more exciting destinations in Utah. We made our way down to breakfast in small groups: First, Lindsey and me, followed by more kids, Rachel, and finally, Evelyn. It would seem that the closer in age one is to sixteen, the more sleep is required to stave off testy behavior. After we eat, refreshed and ready for the day, it only takes a few minutes to load the car and be back on the road. Like I said- routine.

*****

Lindsey: "Let's go skiing, let's go skiing- yeah let's go skiing...to the bottom of the mountain!"

It's a newer take on a nursery song our kids grew up with, and it has become unspoken tradition for someone to sing it on the first gondola ride up. Usually Lindsey. I love how she keeps things fun. Why can't we all just be 8 years old all the time?

Another tradition is to always do the first run together before splitting into smaller groups. On this morning, however, I think Adalie forgot how to turn. That, or her internal protection mechanism (aka: fear) wasn't fully turned on, because all she gave us was a quick smile before turning downhill and racing for the finish. Low visibility and flat lighting made for an exciting run, and I was only too happy to let her be the crash dummy as we flew over rollers, bumped down moguls, and floated through unseen powder pockets all at "the speed of trust." Trust in ourselves. Trust that reflexes could respond faster than our conscious minds. Of course, I had to pass her at the very end. It isn't in me to "let" people win.

And for the record, we technically still all did the run together. Tradition stands. Addy and I just had to wait for about ten minutes and twenty three seconds for everyone else to get down.

*****

While we were skiing, Rachel was up to a different kind of fun. I'm sure it was equally as rewarding (if not more so), but we missed her up on the mountain. As mentioned recently, her left knee has been pretty swollen and painful and she decided to sit this one out.

It's not like she was doing nothing though. It turns out that we have tons of family in the Salt Lake area and she was able to get some quality time with her brother and sister. Among other things, they went to the aquarium. I'm not sure of everything they did or talked about, but it seems like it was good.

Also, the whole aspect of catching up with family was an unanticipated perk of this visit. We had come, mostly, to ski. The fact that we got so much extended family time was a real bonus to an already wonderful trip.

*****

My grandma and grandpa are seriously two of my favorite people in the world, and are absolute proof to me that age is just a state of mind. Though they don't ski aggressively anymore (they stopped at 88 years old), they still play pickleball several times a week and force you to keep a sharp mind in conversation. My grandpa, I'm pretty sure, knows more sports trivia than any man alive, and my grandma can tell you the birthdays of nearly all of her 50+ great-grandchildren.

Staying with them was an absolute highlight of this trip. The evening conversations we had will likely stay with me longer than any other memory of the weekend, and the homemade dinners were a much appreciated departure from the microwaved frozen meals that we normally have in hotels. Seriously, they are both my heroes. If my life can be even half as rich as theirs has been then I will consider myself one of the luckiest people to have walked this earth.

Saturday

A forced day of rest. That's what this was. We were planning on skiing, but due to road closures, weather conditions, and conflicting priorities, it soon became apparent that it just wasn't in the cards. In the end, I think it probably worked out for the best. Had we gotten to the mountain, we would have only had a few hours left to enjoy the sub-zero temperatures and scathing winds. It turns out that we do have a limit to where "type-two-fun" is no longer a valid argument.

*****

Of course, we didn't just sit around the house either, because the floor is lava! Quick, jump over the seats of the bus! Solve a puzzle, and then link hands to open the next door, but don't let the lasers sense your presence.

What am I talking about? Labyrinth. It's a great little business that we stumbled on a few years ago. Part obstacle course and part escape room, it bills itself as a "living video game," where you are the main characters. It was fun passing off levels, or "rooms," and though we left plenty undone, we did far better than last time we played.

From there, we found a local park where we hung out, hiked around, and ate lunch. It was much warmer in the valley, and the kids had fun playing king of the hill. It got pretty rough for a while, and they all went home covered in mud, grass, smiles, and high spirits. I love these guys!

*****

Rachel, meanwhile, was hanging out with her family again. The major activity for her today was attending the gymnastics meet for the University of Utah. I guess the team is doing pretty well and her mom has season tickets or something. It was crazy to me later that night how her and my grandpa were able to talk about the ins and outs of this particular meet, as well as about the entire college gymnastics scene- a world which, to me, was nonexistent until about twenty-four hours ago.

*****

A couple of blog posts ago, I included a quote from Addy. We were riding a gondola to the top of Lake Louise, and in a moment of quiet reflection she mentioned that "One day, when we are all grown up and live in different places, we will still have this with us." 

I have a lot of good memories from my own childhood that we "still have with us." I have four siblings and we did a lot of the same things together that our family does now. I particularly have memories of doing things with my brother, who is closest to me in age. Man, the stories we could tell. Remember that one time we cut a hole in the tent because the zipper was frozen shut? Or backpacking, when bears ate all our food? Remember climbing the Grand Teton together, or running the Salmon River? 

We are all grown now and live in different places with different circumstances. And sometimes it seems like a lot of the things we share in common reside mostly in the past. That is why it is so good when we have a chance to reconnect- to form new memories and to find new new ways in which we remain relevant in each other's  lives.

It really was a treat to have Griffin (brother) and Courtney's family (sister) drive up to hang out with us in the evening. Eating, talking, and playing games with them gave us time to remember. It gave us a chance to see Courtney's growing kids, and to catch up with events that are shaping their lives. In short, it was good.

Maren fell instantly in love with her new cousin, Annie.
Quote: "When I am older, I want a baby like this"

Sunday

If I had to choose just one place to ski for the rest of my life, I wouldn't even have to think about it. Snowbird. I could seriously ski a hundred days a year there, and forty years later I would still feel the nervous excitement of getting on that first chairlift. Why? I can't say exactly. Some say it's the snow. Others mention the diversity of terrain. I have even heard mystical theories regarding the geology of the area. Who knows? Maybe it's just a self-fulfilling prophecy, but whenever I am there I feel more "amped" than almost anywhere else, and I think it shows in the way I ski.

Today was no different. A smaller group than normal went up (Maren and Lindsey wanted to stay home with Rach) and we were standing in the lift line before it was even running. We had eight inches of fresh powder, enough visibility to make the best of it, and energy going through us to power a small country. Every turn was dynamic and speed was a friendly ally. I was "on," a living, breathing personification of what people talk about when they say the word "flow."

*****

Up until very recently, I have found it useful to distinguish between two different types of ski days: The ones about people, and the ones about performance. Neither is better than the other, and sometimes I have been able to divide a day so that each gets a turn. Very rarely, however, have both been able to happen at the same time. That is, until recently.

Sunday was one of the best ski days of my life. The mountain was a playground. A dance floor. A big, intimidating monster who had come out just to play. And playing, as always, is much more fun with friends. Evelyn, Adalie, and Jackson took a day that was already pretty amazing, and then sent it out of this world by skiing every run with me. Each person came down in their own way, but we went the entire time with very little need for waiting or coaxing. Run after run, we just flowed down the mountain like water, playing off each others energy. It was magical. Seriously.

The only photos we have from the day are from Jackson goofing around at lunch time. The rest of the time we were just cruising.

*****

Football, food, and family. The three happen to go together really well. While the four of us were playing in the mountains, the rest of the family went over to my aunt Jill's house for a casual afternoon together. From there, the party followed Rachel back to my grandparent's house where some of her family joined us for dinner and games.

It was a great day.

Monday

Alta or Snowbird? That was the question. We all know what my vote would have been. At the same time, Jackson had a "bucket list" run at Alta that he's has been wanting to do since last year, and we weren't sure if we were going to be back again any time soon. It took a little bit of friendly debate along the way, but in the end we found ourselves pulling into the parking lot of Alta. And man, I'm glad we did.

Jackson's run he wanted to do involved a lot of traversing, side-stepping, a boot-pack, and a sketchy part with fixed ropes...and that was just getting to the top of the run. The entry to the run itself is a bit of a steep drop into a tight area before opening up into a beautiful runout in steep powder. It was a cool line. And great skiing. One of the best single runs of the year, for sure.

Contemplating the drop-in. It was a little bit intimidating!

*****

Rach skied with us today! It has been a little while, and she finally said her knee was up to the challenge. She didn't allow herself to stray off the groomed runs, which I think was wise, but she did ski the whole day and at the end said her knee was feeling tired, but not sore. That is major progress! Before we know it, we are going to have our Rachel back!

*****

The drive was uneventful. We arrived home at 3am. I set my alarm for 5:40 and fell asleep.

And now here I am, back at work. It feels odd, in a way. Almost like I can't tell if the past few days actually happened or if it was only a dream. It could have been. 

What a weekend. What a life!

Have a good week!