Twenty-six miles of good friends, snow and fun

With a few aching muscles and some new friendships forged, 21 Nordic skiers glided into Bruce’s Parking area above Lander on March 7 after skiing the entire 26-mile Loop Road from South Pass to Sinks Canyon on a Wyoming Outdoor Council sponsored event.

The fastest skiers arrived at Bruce’s by 1:30 p.m., while some of the others did not reach their cars until almost 7 p.m. that night, tired, but satisfied from a challenging, beautiful day. "It was great, although I’m a bit more tired than I remember from last year," says Kathy Brown who was along for her second WOC Loop Road ski. "Classic folks like me are so psyched when we finish, since it usually turns into a long, yet rewarding day."

The ski was originally scheduled for Saturday, March 6th, but high winds caused the event to be postponed. Sunday was warm—in fact many of the skiers had to shed layers and some smart high school student ended up in t-shirts. The beautiful day also meant that the skiers weren’t the only ones out enjoying the sunshine.

"I was surprised and amazed at the amount of snow machine traffic up there," said Darran Wells, who had never skied the Loop Road before. "I knew the road was a popular spot for that in the winter, but didn’t realize how popular. Wow. At times I felt like I was riding my bicycle on a motocross track. "I also recognize that some people may not otherwise have access to such pristine areas (without snow machines)," he added.

The Loop Road is a primitive unpaved road that is maintained in the winter as part of the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail. Currently there are plans to pave the first seven miles above Bruce’s Bridge, which could compromise the snowmobiling and skiing along that section of road. "Athletically it was a tremendous challenge, and finishing felt incredible," said skier Jules Feck of Lander. "The views of the Winds and Owl Creeks from the east side of the Blue Ridge were awe-inspiring!"

This year’s group ranged in age from 12 (almost 13)-year-old George Cartwright up to a number of skiers in their 50s. A couple of people skied six miles out to Grannier Meadows and turned around, but the bulk of the team went through with Mike Bailey providing much-needed snacks, drinks, rides, and support on snowmobile.

The skiers included: Molly Absolon, Kathy Brown, Barb Cartwright, George Cartwright, Michael Cheek, John Erickson, Jules Feck, Jenny Harris, Whitney Harris, Corrine Headley, Scott Kane, Christine Lichtenfels, Susie Miller, Eliah Pedersen, Evan Pruett, Tom Pryor, Mike Quinn, Deirdre Rainer, Jan Segna, Marcia Suniga, Sally Webster, Darran Wells, and Donna Yost.

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Mike Bailey for spending his entire Sunday taking care of us on the trail. Todd and Amy Skinner for loaning us the snowmobiles. Michelle Escudero for baking yummy snacks. Mike Young at Freewheel Sports for providing ski equipment. NOLS Rocky Mountain for providing miscellaneous equipment. Scott Kane, Christine Lichtenfels, Molly Absolon for planning, logistics, and leadership.