So my sretch goal when I woke up this morning was to at least ski the 32k from Ranua to where we would be staying tonight. The topography was going to be flat like yesterday, so I figured I could double pole to protect my seriously sore left shin and minimize the torque on my left hamstring.
We would start skiing at 9 a.m. from the Gasthaus Ranua. Steve, Michael, Jared, and I shared a room. It was a curious floor plan that was limited on showers and water closets, but it all worked out.
The morning was chilly and partly cloudy so it looked like a great day for skiing with sunshine in the forecast. An interesting feature of the Gasthaus that we did not utilize were their igloos out on the lake.
We started out across the lake in the direction of the view above and worked our way through Ranua. This would be the longest leg without an aid station at 19k.
Before we were out of Ranua we passed a husky farm where the dogs are used for sleddog rides. They were pulling dogs together for teams and the commotion from the highly motivated canines was hilarious!
The morning portion of the ski with low angle light presents a lot of opportunities for great shots.
Another shout out for Chicken Tramper Ultralight Gear and the pack they made for me. Even on a day where I doubled poled all day, I hardly noticed it was there!
I skied quite a bit on this first leg with Craig and Sherri from Missoula. They set a great double poling place and it was nice drafting as we skied into the wind.
The first 19k went fast and we soon found ourselves at lunch where we cooked sausages over the fire.
The post-lunch period was spent grinding out the long stretch to the place where we would stay the night. This involved crossing more swamps and lakes, but, since it was flat, we could double pole almost the entire way.
Along the way we passed a reindeer farm that had quite a herd!
I reached the aid station at the place where we would be staying the night with quite a bit of energy, so I decided to complete the remaining 14k. Before doing that I indulged in the available juice, oranges, and raisins and took advantage of a photo op with the bear!
While there were more lakes and swamps ahead to be crossed, I also crossed through a wooded area and actually came across some downhill coming into Hosio.
Here is the map and Strava take on today's ski.
Wow! You are crushin’ it!
Way to go mun iso veli! Looks like you are having a great time! I was thinking of you as I pounded out 3 miles on the tread mill this morning and wondered how you could go so far in one day! Glad that the leg is not giving you too much grief that you can continue on with the ski!