Low Low, High Grin
Winter, Reconsidered
We rolled into Lolo Pass with that quiet confidence you only get when the plan is simple and the stakes are low. Mo took off with her shuffler skis like she was clocking in for work. I swung a leg over my fat bike, already negotiating with myself about traction, sliding, and dignity. The trail was freshly groomed, corduroy perfect, winding through dark trees that held the cold like a secret. The numbers later would say fourteen and a half miles, some climbing, respectable effort, but at the time it was just breath, snow, and the soft hum of tires doing their thing.
Here is the awkward truth. I like fat biking. I really do not like sliding. Mo loves sliding and openly despises fat biking. It feels like a design flaw in a shared life outdoors. You go out together to touch the past, to do winter like you used to, and you end up on different tools, different instincts, different definitions of fun. She glides. I wrestle rubber. It raises uncomfortable questions, usually right about the time my rear tire reminds me it can drift whenever it wants.
Somewhere deep in the loop, that tension quietly disappeared. The bike settled in. The snow held. The forest opened up into a stretch I had never ridden before, white and wide and absurdly calm. No drama. No fighting it. Just moving forward, steady and smooth, like the trail had finally decided to cooperate.
Back at the truck, my headlight grin was comically oversized. I told Mo it was the best fat bike ride I have ever done. And I meant it. The conditions were perfect, freshly groomed, forgiving, almost generous. For the first time this winter, I felt like I actually showed up for the season instead of avoiding it.
The trick. Not loving the same thing the same way, but finding moments where the terrain lets you both belong.
Past Posts, February 1
2006: Laptop Hampers Online Meeting
2007: Blog and You Shall Receive
2008: Ski Pattee Canyon
2009: 2009 OSCR 50K Race Report
2012: The tricking of winter
2016: They Fat Biked To Cordova
2017: Ski Directive
2018: Rare Bozeman City Trail Visit
2022: Sand Bench Trail Slideshow
2024: Salty Whispers and Sunset Symphony: Riding the Waves at Fort Warden