up, up, and away

just returned home from a trip that took me first to sunny palm springs and second to snowy snowbird. there are icicles outside my window and snowflakes fluttering through the air here at home in pennsylvania. hard to believe a week ago i was sitting next to the pool, having to jump in and cool off from time to time.

california was a great escape from winter. we hiked through the desert, found shade in palm tree oases, saw countless stars overhead at night, and ate some really fantastic food. one evening we had a huge mexican feast, and i was surprised as i cleared my plate and proceeded to find room to fit in some of samara's dinner as well. the next night we joined the older set for an early dinner at a famous new york style deli. i tried to save room for dessert as i downed a perfect roast beef sandwich and countless deli pickles. the boston cream cake was just as i imagined it and i almost had to take a nap from all the eating when we sat down to watch "the king's speech". this is pretty much how vacation should be, pool time, sunshine, hiking, eating, and relaxing. it was all over much too soon and i was on a plane back to winter, off to snowbird.

i had the most incredible time in utah this year. last year i could barely walk up the stairs in the house and i dragged myself all over the mountain, not even trying to keep up. this year couldn't have been any different. i found my joy for skiing all over again as we first spent a day in the snow and fog, skiing by braille. at one point i charged down a steep section to the cheers of "yeah!" and was overcome by absolute glee as i realized i could ski again. then i promptly bit it and hit a blind bump and went sailing through the air, laughing as i landed, knowing i was ok, but worried about the ski that had popped off. it was right there, and with a little help from my friends i was able to make it down without further damaging my ego. this was so much fun. the next day was a perfect bluebird day and with the fresh snow there was lots of the mountain to enjoy. at one point back near little cloud we skied a section of just incredible snow, gathered at a resting point, and looked to where our trail would lead next. up a little lip to a section of trees and snow. well, the "little lip" turned out to be a completely vertical ramp up to the spot where we'd all meet up. i hit it with some serious momentum and flew, and i mean, FLEW, into the air. somehow i stayed on my feet as i landed, laughing, and managed to only bump into kevin ever so slightly as i tried to get out of the way of the next person to come. it was awesome.

i was still laughing about it hours later as we waited for our heli ride. no skiing from the bird this time around, but just being up in a helicopter is enough for me. it is so unlike any other feeling - the closest thing to floating i've ever been. the sound of the wind in the rotors and the hum of the bird is relaxing and it is so, so cool to fly over the canyon. we went over snowbird, hidden peak, over to alta's devil's castle, above solitude, and over to cardiac ridge (where i got to ski a few years ago on my heli day) before landing for a moment. we zipped down the back side of the ridge and then back around above alta before heading back to the powderbirds base. it was the perfect end to a completely perfect day. i had perma-grin at the end of a ski day for the first time in years.

needless to say, i didn't want to come home from this ski trip. the magic was back for me, the sheer joy of flying down the mountain, of playing in the snow, and getting to ski with some of my favorite ski partners again. what a week.