American Birkebeiner 2014

It was another great Birkie Week with my fellow skiers, Tim, Mike, and Joel from February 14th through February 23rd. Tim and I started going to the American Birkebeiner in 1986 and Mike joined us a couple of years later. Joel has been coming up from Traverse City, Michigan with Mike for the last two years.

We have stayed at a number of locations in and around the Birkie Trail over the years. 14 Years at the Pilot Fish Inn, I believe 5 years in a cabin on Lake Namakagon, 3 years in a cabin on Clam Lake, and now a beautiful house that sits between Diamond and Crystal Lakes. We have found as we have aged that we wanted more creature comforts including additional bathrooms, a washing machine and dryer, a designated area to wax skis, and now a sauna!

This is the view of our house that we are calling our Diamond Lake House. While it is about 25 minutes northeast of Cable, it is well worth the drive to both get to the North Trail Head and the Birkie Start at the Cable Airport.

Tim and Joel also especially liked the massive fire place that is available on all three levels of the house. The kitchen was also massive and we have found over the years that we enjoy cooking more and going out for dinner much less. We all bring food and then shop at the grocery stores available in Hayward and Cable.

The picture to the left shows the fire place in the main living area, kitchen, and one of the bedrooms upstairs. The picture on the right shows the view of Diamond Lake from the upper level out the main window.

The nice thing about going up for the week is that we are able to get in a lot of relaxed fun type skiing in on the Birkie Trail, which is usually also in fantastic condition. This year was no exception. While we did not go out for long skis we do explore many parts of the trail. This year we skied on the Kordelopet Trail and both the Birkie Classic and Skate trails from the North End Trail Head to Highway Double OO in Seeley. On Thursday before the race I also skied south on the trail toward Hayward from Double OO.


The picture to the left is after our first day of skiing from the North Trail Head. The pictures below are when we skied on the Kordelopet Trail to the Telemark Lodge. Unfortunately the Lodge has been closed for a few years now. At one time this was the center of activities for the Birkie race.

This year we took a day off from skiing and went up to Lake Superior near Conucopia, Wisconsin to see the Ice Caves. Not since 2009 has the lake been frozen enough to walk out on the ice to see the caves. It was especially interesting to me because I had gone on a sailing trip around the Apostle Islands in August and had pictures of the caves from then. This is also a big area for kayaking where you can go into the caves that have been formed from wave action. In the winter they are just incredible as the pictures below show.

Another part of the annual experience of the Birkie is picking up our bibs and exploring all the booths at the expo. This used to be at the Telemark Lodge and now for the past several years is located at the Hayward Middle School in Hayward. I also like taking pictures of all the vendor booths and then compare from year to year. The pictures below are a sampling of the pictures I took this year.

For more pictures go to the Birkie Web Today Facebook page.

I am a board member and in charge of social media for the Birchleggings Club, which is for all Birkie skiers that have skied 20 or more Birkie races. On the Sunday after the Birkie there is an awards dinner in Hayward where all 20 year skiers are presented with their plagues. Now that we have many skiers completing 30 years there is also a plague presented for these skiers. We also have a few skiers that have completed 40 years, and just one that has completed all 41 years, Ernie St. Germaine. John Kotar is the founder of the Birchleggings Club and our current President is Gale Otterholt. For more information and pictures go to the Birchleggings website. Below are a few pictures from the awards banquet.

Below is a picture of me out on the trail during the race on February 22, 2014 taken by the official Birkie photographers.

While we had a very nice warm week the day before the race we had 18 inches of snow with 50mph winds. This caused havoc with the race as both the warming hut at the start area in Cable and the changing tents at the end in Hayward blew over.

Additionally with the snow it made it difficult for parking and for the buses to get skiers to the start on time. Many skiers were late for their waves, including Tim and I. We got off nearly a full wave behind, so the official times were off quite a bit for many skiers. To compensate next year, the race is going to accept times from the last 4 years rather than the usual 3 for wave seeding purposes. Unfortunately, the race took away the individual start chip timing and instead went to wave starts. Not a good year to do this and I am sure it will be put back for all races in the future. All in all, however, the Birkie Foundation and all the volunteers did a fantastic job given nature's curve mall the day before. Thank you staff and volunteers!

Because of the difficult conditions at the start, with a temperature of 0F and a 15mph wind, many skiers either did not show up or dropped out. It was one of the slowest years for me but I mentally just get into the joy of the race, the sunny day, and that I had my skis waxed well. The upload from my Suunto can be found at this link http://www.movescount.com/moves/move26348033 on the Moves Count website. The Birkie has also been a spiritual experience for me as I just love the trail and the silence of the north woods. It is truly a national treasure. This was my 27th Birkie!

Over the years I have been able to meet skiers that do the Birkie in every place I have lived from the Washington, DC area; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Durham, North Carolina, Kansas City, La Crosse, and now the Twin Cities. One of my friends, David Mathews, from Kansas City wrote a very nice piece on all the skiers from the Kansas City area that completed the Birkie this year. I asked him for permission to include it in my post, which he has graciously agreed to. Thanks for including me in the write-up David!

Birkie Tour 2014

I participated in the 5th Birkie Tour on Saturday, January 18th on the American Birkebeiner Ski Trail and it was an absolutely beautiful day with excellent snow conditions! A big thanks to the American Birkebeiner Foundation and all the volunteers that made it such a wonderful day.

This was my third Birkie Tour as I participated in the second, third, and fifth tours. The forth tour in 2013 was cancelled but I was signed up for it and have the T-shirt.

The Birkie Tour is not a timed event, but instead a fun and relaxing one but with aid and food stops. For those participating in the Worldloppet the tour will provide the same credit as doing the regular Birkebeiner ski race without all the crowds. Additionally, with only a small percentage of the skiers the trail stays in really good shape, especially on the downhills.

Also participating was Tim, who I have participated in two Birkie Tours with and twenty-six Birkie races. My friends from Minneapolis, Geoff, Deanne, and Carol joined us for their first Birkie Tour and also their first time on the Birkie Trail. Geoff, Deanne, and Carol participated in the 44K route and Tim and I in the 26K route. Pictured from left to right with me are Deanne, Geoff, Tim, and Carol.

This picture is of Tim and me at the top of the climb up the new Birkie Ridge access trail. This new trail was developed just this past year and is north of Seely, Wisconsin off of route US 63.

The climb, which is not part of the regular Birkie race is a tough 3K. Of course it was lots of fun coming back down, as the finish and start were both at the start of this new access trail.

This picture was taken on the Classic Trail going towards Double OO. You can see how beautiful this trail is, especially on a sunny day.  Temperatures ranged from -18C at the start to -8 at the end.

The tour followed the Classic Trail to Double OO then came back on the regular trail, which made for some diversity of terrain. Of course, those that have done the Birkie know that around every corner there seems to be yet another hill!

Saturday evening we all met up for dinner at the Rookery Pub east of Cable, Wisconsin. Tim and I have eaten at the pub in past years and keep coming back every year. It is a very quaint and comfortable place with excellent food. During the peak seasons, like the Birkebeiner, they have several different sea foods flown in. If you get up this way it is a great place for dinner or just a drink in the bar.

Joining us for dinner was Jackie who was staying at the same Bed and Breakfast as Geoff, Deanne, and Carol in Seeley. The picture was taken in front of the fire place in the bar. Pictured with me from left to right are Jackie, Geoff, Deanne, Carol, and Tim.

Tim and I stayed at the Lenroot Lodge in Seeley, where we have stayed before for Birkie Tours. The Lenroot is owned by the Sawmill Saloon, which is regular hangout all year around in Northern Wisconsin. They have delicious soup and chili.

On Sunday, I was supposed to attend the Birchleggings Club Board of Directors Meeting at the Hayward Library. Unfortunately, I did get up and go to the meeting but at the Cable Library. I realized my mistake when the library was not open and there were no cars. Of course re-reading the e-mail with the proper location detailed made me feel even worse! Knowing I was meeting Tim, I could not get down to Hayward in time.

Tim and I also had on our Sunday plan to stop by a new cabin that our fellow Birkie Buddy, Mike, had arranged for us. Since we were a bit early we decided to go over to the Telemark Lodge where the Telemark Chase - Junior National Qualifier races were being held. We were able to see the finish of the Classic Race and also take a few pictures. There were high school and college students from all over the nation competing.

This is the map of the Birkie Tour 2014 that shows the 26K and 44K routes. Both started at the new Birkie Ridge Trailhead.

The upload from my Suunto can be found at the MovesCount website. The time was slow because this was not a race and we stopped along the way several times to talk and take in the scenery.

First Day Nordic Skiing for the 2013 - 2014 Season!

Wow! First Day of Nordic Skiing this season! Did I mention that I love Minnesota?

Okay, we have not had any snow to speak of here in the Twin Cities but, as many areas are doing now, snow making has come to Nordic Skiing! 

The first area to open for skiing in the metro area this year is called Elm Creek, which is part of the Three Rivers Park District. In the two years that I have lived here I had not been to Elm Creek and instead had done most of my skiing at the Theodore Wirth Park since it is so close to my loft in the North Loop in downtown Minneapolis. Elm Creek is about 30 minutes away. The picture is from the Elm Creek website.

I actually started out the day not even thinking of skiing but my friend Geoff called and after some thought of what I would not get done on Saturday as planned, I was gathering my stuff together and driving up to meet Geoff. Joining Geoff were Deanne and her friend Carol. The picture was taken after we were done for what my Suunto logged as 11K. We were each skiing at our own pace, however, as you just kept looping around. Pictured from left to right are Geoff, Carol, Deanne, and I.



The skiing was excellent and there was a sizable group of skiers there even with only a 1.2 mile loop open. The terrain has some nice ups and downs but nothing to steep. For the first time out on skis, however, I did get my heart rate up pretty high. I had not been on my bicycle in three weeks as well but had been keeping up with yoga which helps with flexibility and balance although not much aerobically!

This is the map of all the trails so a pretty extensive area that I can't wait to explore when we have a good dump of natural snow, hopefully soon.

When getting ready to leave I ran into a fellow Birchlegger (a skier that has done 20 or more American Birkebeiner ski races in Northern Wisconsin) who was also taking advantage of the snow at Elm Creek.

Steve and I have been newly elected to the Birchleggings Club Board of Directors, which was just formed this past summer. We had our first meeting in Eau Claire in the fall. Both Steve and I have been assisting John Kotar, the founder of the Birchleggings Club. I have been the webmaster and social media coordinator and continue in that role. Steve has done a lot with the Birchlegger clothing line. We both live in the Twin Cities area.

This is the screen shot from the Moves Count website, where I upload data from my Suunto Ambit2 S sports watch. If you click on the picture it will take you to the site with all the stats.

The temperature was a nice 2C with a slight wind from the northwest. It was partially sunny when we got there around noon but clouded up into mid-afternoon.

Think Snow!!!