Skiing in Circles

The early morning light opens upon Vermont Wilderness. The skies are gray today. Snowfall has been predicted and from what I’m seeing the clouds are about to unleash. None of this is slowing me down, because I really want to get into the backcountry. I’ve chosen Route 18 of the Catamount Trail, just down the road from Mad River Glen Ski Area. The small parking lot at the base of the Trailhead sits empty, small specks of white begin to fall from the sky.

Route 18 climbs south towards Sugarbush Ski Area, eventually traversing The Lincoln Gap. I’m carrying a big backpack today, because I’ve decided to head out for several days, while skiing Route 18, and then 17, and then 16, while eventually landing at The Rikert Ski Touring Center, which sits just down the road from my home. I plan on being out in the Vermont Wilderness for two nights, but I’ve brought enough food and clothing for three, just in case.

I travel as light as possible, but I’m still carrying a twenty-pound backpack aboard a pair of light backcountry skis. The Catamount Trail twists and turns like a snake, traversing the entire length of Vermont. And I twist and turn with the Trail, moving slowly at first, knowing that I’m going to be climbing and descending all day.

The weather turns miserable. A barrage of white flakes pounds against my face, covering the Trail in front of me. I move cautiously, just trying to stay on the Trail. The Catamount System marks their routes rather thoroughly, but only on Public Land. The markings on Private Land seem rather minimal. Bright, blue markers guide the way. Thank God, because skiing Route 18 in this terrible weather isn’t going to be easy. I pick my way along, moving uphill, heading south towards Sugarbush.

I soon learn something about The Catamount Trail that my guidebook doesn’t really delve into very deeply. Roughly sixty percent of the Trail, that’s nearly 180 miles, travels through private lands. I soon have an almost impossible time figuring where I am, because it’s not real clear where the Trail moves through these private lands, at least near Sugarbush. And eventually I make a left, instead of a right. I keep moving, while twisting and turning through the Green Mountains, not quite sure if I’m still on the Trail. Not quite sure of anything, except that I’m skiing in a blizzard.