Chasing Cabin Fever

Heck yes! Anyone have a husky that needs some exercise??

You know it's been a tough winter when you decide to go out and work up a full bodied sweat without a hat and it's only 15 degrees. And it feels reasonable. There's actually blue sky and sun today and even though we've had 45 inches of the white stuff so far, the fields out here are so wind scoured that the drifts are hard packed like beach sand ripples and it's down to bare grass in some places. I've been able to ski and snowshoe more this winter than ever.

Crystal Gavin, someone that I have grown to admire more and more, posted a pic last week of her outdoor target and a snow blown path to go pull arrows. Time to work on outdoor distances already. A club shooter here, Mike Chadsey, just did something similar and is shooting in an unheated breezeway to get some distance practice in.  Insanity. It's 6 degrees. He's just opened the doors for his own archery biz and is going full steam ahead for the Gator Cup. At some point, you have just say f-u winter, I've got stuff to do.

It's been a good indoor season. Have had to miss some of my usual shoots, but am shooting better than I have in a while and building back some confidence. Just need to build back some muscle. Gym motivation is tough to come by for me this time of year and I just need to get back on the horse. One of the guys in our club put together this great training video for recurve archers. I need to just go do it and ixnay on the whinging.

This morning's ski was great, not only for the sun which is surprisingly warm, but the woodpeckers and chickadees making it sound like the world was still alive out there. How they've managed to not freeze and find food is amazing. The six or so deer beds deep in the snow are full of new snow and fox tracks behind the windbreak. My ski got rid of my grumpy mood from not moving enough this week and got some cold oxygen to my brain and got me thinking about the past week or so.

Tonight is dress up and go out to a new place with friends. Not sure this place will let a yak in, it's on the swanky side. I miss my cute shoes. But it's March, so maybe by the end of it...

photo credit: Skijoring 13 via photopin (license)