One Crazy Weekend!
Last week wrapped up as a bit of juggling act as I completed a grant proposal to Visit Keweenaw, finalized an EGLE permit application for the township, got in some final training skis, and secured equipment and clothing that would be essential for the Border to Border Ski. I even slipped in a visit with our Township Supervisor David Mattson at his manufacturing operation down on the Arnheim Road called American Track Truck. We even got out for a ride in the fields and woods in his jeep. Check out this really cool product for moving over snow at http://americantracktruck.com/
Aside from all this, there were also logistical matters to be worked out for when I reach Kuusamo as well as coordination of meet ups throughout the rest of our stay in Finland. Without getting into all these details that were jammed into Thursday and Friday, I am going to jump right into what was one crazy weekend!
Friday night was the start of the Copper Dog 150. I have been part of Rob Handler’s crew of volunteers going back to 2016. With the route change this year, we moved from the Bootjack Road out to a crossing over US 41 to the east of Ahmeek. We started our work at 6:40 p.m. moving snow into position from the snowbanks along US 41 in the glow of the setting sun.
With the snow in position we received instruction about how we would position ourselves on both sides of the crossing for the 47 teams that would soon be arriving.
If you would like to see how it works, check out the videos on my Instagram post at this link.
Saturday was the Keweenaw Nordic Ski Club’s Glide ‘n Gorge. We arrived at the Four Seasons Chalet at the Houghton County Fairgrounds at 10:00 a.m. Julie dropped me off along with a dessert she had made and headed up to Calumet to set up for a painting class she would be teaching at Gallery on 5th. I went with our friend Mark to set up and work the appetizer station on the Quincy Trail up toward Tomasi Drive.
The weather was perfect for this year’s event as it was warm with barely a puff of a breeze. After working the appetizer station until 1:30, Mark and I skied down into the Gorge to have soup and chili.
I put in some extra skiing in order to hit my goal of 10k for the day. I am definitely looking forward to next year’s Glide ‘n Gorge as we will see the return of the Gorge as MJO rebuilds the bridges wiped out by the Fathers Day Flood of 2018 this coming summer.
Sunday our hiking/skiing group headed down into the Ottawa National Forest in order to ski a little over 10k on the trails at Courtney Lake. The beautiful weather from Saturday continued right into Sunday. It was so warm that many in our group took off their jackets.
You can catch a Facebook reel of the ski along 6-Mile Lake at this link.
Afterwards, we enjoyed coffee and chocolate chip cookies made with cricket flour by our friend Michael. If you would like to see my GoPro video from the ski, you can see it on the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel at this link:
The next time you hear from me I will be up near the Arctic Circle in Finland skiing the 440k from the Russian border to the Swedish border. Until then, if you embrace winter and have the ability to work remotely, consider locating in the Keweenaw where you will find ubiquitous natural beauty, no congestion, and lower crime. Visit Remote Workforce Keweenaw at https://remoteworkforcekeweenaw.com and follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RemoteWorkforceKeweenaw.