Skiing, Skiing and More Skiing

God is real. No, really - God is real.

Ever wonder if your prayers are just a figment of your imagination. Whether you call to Him out loud or quietly in your mind, is there a God out there who really hears and cares? Is it possible that when you lay out all your cares for Him to bear, the relief that sweeps over you is simply a sensationalist moment that calms your nerves.

While the relief is a natural human response, I would contend that it must be preceded by a trust in God based on a faith that has taken hold of God's Holy Word through fulfilled promises and answered prayers. Do you have that kind of trust? Have you dared to humble yourself before a loving God, sincerely plead for his forgiveness for your known transgressions and been witness to a transformation of your will? Don't miss this opportunity to be introduced to God, after which your relationship and knowledge of God can prosper. For "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Your life depends on it.

God is real. No, really - God is real.

In the beginning, God...
...created the heaven and the earth. Friday morning, He had just finished raising the sun above the horizon for my enjoyment as I set out cross country skiing through Kelly Canyon...
...spying on this moose. What would the moose do if I hit her with a snowball? Would it assume the snow fell off a tree, would it playfully roger up to a snowball fight, or would it despise me? Well, despite thinking such thoughts, I thought it wiser to just keep skiing...
...and taking pictures of the marvelous beauty surrounding me.
Just imagine the cold, crisp mountain air, in a peaceful forest on a clear morning...
...with the sun sparkling through the trees as I huffed and puffed, breaking trails up hill for way too long. But once I found some other tracks, the going was easier and quite fast! Either way, it was a joy to spend the morning enjoying God's beauty.
From Kelly Canyon, I headed home for a bite to eat and then I was off to pick up fellow adventurers for an afternoon ski. With the frequent frozen fog, this willow tree...
...along with the trees in this field are a common winter sight.
With the McPhie's and Shayna in tow, we headed up to Mesa Falls. I was there a few weeks ago, but now the scenic trail was groomed, the weather beautiful and the snow was fast. Heather leads the pack while Chris (can you see him?) follows along.
The trail followed the canyon rim overlooking the river below and...
...the Teton's above! (Somehow the Teton's make it into every weekend photo shoot.)
Heather demonstrates the "La-Z-Boy" skiing style, of which I won't show the results.
While I was busy trying to capture a phenomenal sunset...
...Chris (Dad) was busy leaving notes along the trail to ensure I found my way there...
...so I continued to shoot a few more.
The beauty of the sun coming across the snow reminded me of sunsets across the lake...
...and the snow just sparkled and danced as the sun waved goodbye.
Heather and Chris enjoy a break overlooking Lower Falls. I had to revert to black and white so Chris's suit didn't monopolize the picture.
Lower falls...
...through a fence.
One last view of the sunset across the canyon. Did I mention this was an afternoon ski trip? Well, once the sun set, I guess it was a night trip!
Arriving at Upper Falls after sunset made for some great shots of the falls.
Upper Falls in sepia.
Chris is easy to spot - but the other two...
...there they are...
...and even Chris got his tongue out! Check out that hair in the middle.
Heading back to the car, we were greeted by a full moon at the top of the hill.
No headlamps would be necessary this night!
On the right is the infamous stop sign you might recall from a previous post. Looks like someone taller then me fixed it!
The picture doesn't come close to doing the scene justice as we skied along in awe of the night time moon lit beauty.
On the way home, I figured this was one red light worth stopping for since there was a train going through the middle of the intersection.
In case we weren't sore enough, we headed for Targhee early the next morning. My only question - where were these guys going with that boat, all dressed up to go fishing?
Can you see the rainbow around the sun? It was a pretty cool sight as we caught the first chair lift up the mountain.
According to this sign, it may be necessary to take away your lift pass after you die skiing off the cliff. Seems a bit excessive to me.
There they are again! (The Tetons of course.)
The view without people getting in the way.
Did you really think I would just put one picture up? I think I took a picture every time I came around the corner.
Heading off into the sunset with the Teton's in my mirror - another great weekend of skiing complete! Now it's time to wash the car and mirrors.

And remember, if you like what you see, it is because God is really real!

Snow Bound

What do you do when it snows, then snows some more? While I wait for your response, I'll go ahead and tell you what I've done: Skiing, sledding, skiing, snowshoeing and skiing some more! Oh, and work during the week, but you don't care about work. So while the snow melts off my clothes, let me show you some pictures starting with last Friday...
Can you trust a weather forecast that calls for clear skies when you can't see the top of the mountain and the chair lift sends you through the clouds?
You know what they say - whether or not you can see it, the sun is always shining, and Friday was no exception.
A view of the clouds off the backside of Grand Targhee.
"He'd be easy to find!"
"That's one way to make sure you don't get split up!"
"Wow, check out that outfit!"
...and somehow we managed to lose Chris twice. Meanwhile, Eric is anxious to get his goggles back on to protect his eyes!
As if the skiing wasn't good enough, you're also rewarded with a great view of the backside of the Tetons.
Chris provides some assistance since skies and hills aren't very conducive to unintentional handstands...
...the unassisted version (in case I didn't spend enough time on my head while attempting to ski).
Its not always the snow covered trees that get you...
...but the slow signs, as Eric found out. (Although I don't have the evidence, this same slow sign got taken out a week later, at a much higher speed, by a man wearing some very bright fluorescent outerwear who will remain anonymous.)
More views looking down the mountain...
...when I wasn't staring at the Tetons.
Exploring the edge of the mountain, we found this tree were people have paid homage to Larry Bird, old skies, an iron, a stretcher sled and ex-wives parking spots.
Where captions aren't needed...

Now, for your entertainment, one frame at a time...
Chris goes for altitude...
...but finds himself parallel to the hill...
...before the hill finds and consumes him (one pole has yet to land and if you look close, you can spot an arm amidst the rubble)...
...checking all the vitals after the snow settles...
...and checking for elusive equipment...
...after which Eric shows us how it is supposed to be done.
Eric poses in front of the Tetons...
...then he made me do the same.
One last scenic view as we headed home from a great day of skiing.
Cool view of the sunset through the trees, capping another great day spent outside.
Since one day of skiing isn't enough, here are nine brave people who didn't balk at the thought of leaving at 6AM, or learning to cross country ski at Harriman State Park! It is true, 6 of the 9 had never put on a pair of cross country skies, and no one lacked a good laugh. (L to R: Erica, Nikki, Kirsten, Lindsey, Shayna, Chris (as if you could miss him), Tyler, Ryan and Joe)
There were many great views to be had, starting with this one, looking across the frozen lake...
...preceded and followed by, well, lots of these ones!
Happy snow...
...and happy people... despite the uphill struggles.
While Nikki and Kirsten accomplish Heart Attack Hill (vice Coronary Bypass), Shayna makes headstands look easy while I do magic tricks and make my neck and head disappear.
Rewarded at the top by another view of the Tetons!
Followed by more frame-by-frame entertainment courtesy of Chris as he heads downhill...
...looking a little unsteady...
...impact! (For today's lesson on human flexibility, see if you can figure out how his foot is attached to the ski, of which you're looking at the underside.)
I'd say this is proof we all survived, but really, it was taken at the beginning of the day.

That was all last weekend, so what about this weekend, after more snow? Unfortunately, my camera spent the weekend in the car instead of in my pocket. So you'll just have to trust me when I tell you that Friday night we snowshoed onto the Snake River, listened to swans and took all available opportunities to place unobservant friends in snowbanks, all while the snow continued to accumulate. Saturday morning, we headed back to Grand Targhee for amazing powder skiing. By the end of the day, we had found some runs that hadn't been touched and the powder was up to your waist as you skied through. When you fall, its like falling into a cloud of feathers. We were having so much fun, we bypassed lunch and skied until they closed the lifts... so much for getting my camera out of the car at lunch time.
Meanwhile, I hadn't realized it would be snowing at the base of the mountain too (duh), because this is what greeted us when we arrived back at the car! Most people would probably dread such a sight, but if you know me, it was the perfect sight to end another amazing weekend playing in the snow! And now you're up to date with my adventures, for today anyways.