Candle Light Ski Trip Report

“Well, only Croft and I showed up. We got to Newport State Park in far northern Door County Wisconsin about 10:40 p.m. Friday night, and skied into campsite #2, finding a lost cell phone stuck in the snow in the ski track along the way. Croft pulled a snow sled, and I cross country skied in with a 42 pound backpack. The trails were all groomed, and the campsite was sheltered from the strong wind that night. The campsite had many tent pads and lots of firewood nearby.

On Saturday after breakfast, we skied the 8 km. Newport Loop Trail to the south. With few people on the trails, and around 5 inches of snow, the skiing was mostly excellent, with a rare small bare spot every 15 minutes or so. At 12:30 p.m., I went back to our campsite, started our campfire and fixed a hot lunch.

In the afternoon, I skied most of the Europe Bay Trail to the north. Unfortunatley, with all the skiers that were starting to show up, the goomed ski trails had some icing spots. Cutting the afternoon skiing down to an hour and 20 minutes, I returing to our campsite to make some spicy cajun Jambalaya with loads shrimp, salmon and chicken for dinner. Hot apple cider and 151 rum went well with the spicy dish around the campfire.

At 6:00 p.m., we skied the trail back to the warming shelter about a mile from our campsite. The last half mile was filled with luminaries every 15 feet which allowed one to ski without a headlamp. The entire loop had over 300 luminaries. At the shelter I gave the lost cell phone to the Ranger on duty. He said there was a note about the lost cell phone on the bulletin board, and he would call the owner and see about returing the cell phone. The warming shelter filled up with skiers attending the State Park sponsored Candle Light Ski, and everyone consumed copious amounts of free cookies and hot chocolate. The night skies was blazing with stars, and there was a outside bonfire roaring away. Inside the shelter was a roaring fireplace too, and a party like atmosphere ensued with strangers swaping outdoor stories. People present were surprised that Croft and I were actually camping out in single digit temperatures.

The next morning, I photographed the sunrise coming up over Lake Michigan and we broke camp and head home to Illinois. This was the ninth year in a row that Croft attended the Candle Light Ski which is held in Newport State Park on the second week end in February of every year. Thank you Croft for organizing such a nice trip, and for selected the best campsite to use.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/557585650dcRrvQ
last edited: 2/11/07 10:38:19 PM”

“Great pics and TR”

“I figured it would only be you and croft when I saw Lorax posting on TR Saturday afternoon.

I checked out the weather and you had some good winds to contend with...did they die down during Saturday night's luminary-lit ski or was it still windy.

Glad you had enough snow for sled and skiing. Enjoyed your pictures and TR...what a good idea to combine winter camping with the Candle-light ski week-end...”

“Saturday night the wind was moderate. Standing around by the outdoors by the bonfire or skiing in the woods was no problem with the wind chill. But away from the fire, and not moving in the open, one needed a face mask balaclava to stay comfortable. Truer words were never said when MataHariHiker quoted, "There is no such thing as bad weather, just a poor choice of clothing".”

“Nice... but WHY can't we see the Scandinavian women, hmmmmm???? LOL”

“Thanks for the TR and pix. Your sunrise picture was awesome. If only I had brought my camera us girls could have shared some photos of the Scandinavian men!”

“Nice TR, Pros! Sounds like a great weekender.”

“Sorry I was a no show. But We did get Sunshine new hiking boots”