XC of a different sort

Every four years in Feburary it happens to me. I watch a couple of the XC ski races at the Olympics and I am all fired up about learning how to XC ski. So this year I decided to rent a set of skis from REI and give it a try. Maybe it is just being stuck inside on the trainer all winter and the boredom that accompanies it is getting to me. Being out in the woods any way that I can is a nice change. It is just too bad the conditions in SE Michigan arent always the best for this. Seems like a lot of times we get a lot of snow then it turns to ice after a few warm rainy days. Not good for biking or skiing or really much of anything.
So after some practice in my living room and then the neighborhood park I met up with Pete K. at stony creek today. We started at the golf course and then headed back to the pines. The snow was really good and freshly groomed. Getting out there early helped also with the amount of other people out on the trails. I tried skiing there once before, probably 5 years ago, I just remember having a hard time and falling down a lot. It was much better this time around, it took some getting used to and I did fall down more than a couple of times, but it was also a lot of fun. We put in just over 6 miles, and by the end we were both getting better. I am still not ready for any big hills since I am still trying to figure out how to stop but by the end I was much more comfortable on the skis than when we started out.