“Jessie Diggins coming through!” my daughter exclaimed.
“Go Jessie go!” I played along as I heard the rhythmic swish, swish, swish of my 7-year old daughter’s cross-country skis passing me on my left.
“Do you think I could be in the Olympics one day, Mom?” she yelled over her shoulder as she continued to pull away from me.
“OF COURSE YOU COULD!” I replied – hoping she could hear me up ahead.
“Here she goes again!” my 9-year old son said as he took off to race his sister.
My daughter has been practicing her cross-country ski sprints ever since that historic cross-country ski finish by USA’s Jessie Diggins – I’m sure my daughter is not the only one.
Who wouldn’t be pumped up, motivated, excited, or ready to try cross-country skiing after watching Jessie Diggins and teammate Kikkan Randall take the gold in the Ladies’ Team Sprint Free Final in Pyeongchang (the first gold medal for USA women in cross-country skiing). The jostling for first place between the USA, Sweden, and Norway, the final push for the last 100 meters, the NBC announcer’s extraordinarily excited commentary, the win by a half a ski length, the yell by Jessie as she crossed the line, and the tackle by teammate Kikkan Randall as Jessie collapsed in exhaustion led to the most exciting finish of all Olympic activities – well, it was for my family and me. This finish had everyone in our house up off the couch yelling, cheering, and celebrating the epic win. Check out the excitement in the video below.
UNBELIEVABLE!@kikkanimal & @jessdiggs earn the first ever cross-country #gold medal for @TeamUSA, with a pass that will go down in American Olympic history! #WinterOlympics #BestOfUS https://t.co/4YMw63E4C3 pic.twitter.com/bfHoGnPCWw
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 22, 2018
As my son and daughter skied back to me, I asked them “So, how far do you want to ski today?”
“Let’s ski all the way across the lake!” my son suggested.
“Yes, can we, Mom?” my daughter asked.
“Hey, I’m game if you two are up for it.” I answered.
“YES!” yelled my son.
“I’m so excited!” said my daughter.
This winter my kids have had fun making distance goals each time we ski the lake. The furthest we had skied was to the spot my kids named “The Peninsula” – a total of less than two miles round-trip.
Skiing across the lake means doubling our previous distance.
On this day, the sun was out, the temperature was perfect (about 35F) and we had the lake to ourselves – not a car, fish house, or person in sight.
We had just a few inches of powdery snow on top of the foot of crusty snow that lay heavy atop the thick bed of ice (we’ve had a cold winter), so the skiing was fast.
As we set out on our trek across the frozen lake, my kids had energy – they were excited to attempt their longest ski yet. I can’t tell you how many times they both talked about how excited they were, how happy they were to be skiing, and how they couldn’t wait to tell Dad how far they skied. But, with kids, the journey is much more than how far they ski.
On our way across the lake, the kids noticed a wild rabbit mostly buried and dead in the snow, so we had to stop and discuss why this may have happened.
“Do you think it was run over by a snowmobile?” my daughter asked.
“I doubt it, but you never know.” I answered.
My son then noticed dog tracks next to the rabbit.
“Look!” He yelled. “Look at those tracks. Do you think those are dog tracks. Maybe they’re coyote tracks. Do you think some type of dog killed the rabbit?”
“Again, it could be. But, I think that if a dog or coyote killed the rabbit they’d probably run off with it and eat it.” I replied.
“Perhaps the rabbit got lost in one of our recent snowstorms and passed away in the middle of the lake.” I offered.
“Poor rabbit.” my kids said.
About 20 minutes later, we spotted a tiny spider darting around on the snow. “Now, how do you suppose this little spider made it out onto the middle of the lake?” I asked.
“Mom, there is land all around the lake – it could have come from anywhere!” my son said almost exasperated.
I laughed and said, “Well, yes, but that is a long way for a little critter to walk.” We came up with the possibilities that the spider may have:
- blown to the middle of the lake from a tree bordering the lake
- hitched a ride on a bird and dropped to the lake
- dropped off of someone’s vehicle or ice house
We were left wondering what the little spider would eat while he was out there.
After about an hour and a half of skiing, exploring, and lots of conversing, we hit our destination. The kids rejoiced and fell onto the snow to cool down as soon as they reached the far side of the lake. Both of them took a small piece of bark that had fallen off of a nearby tree and put it in their pockets to commemorate their achievement, and asked for a picture so that we could prove that we had made it across the lake.
The journey back was a little bit slower, as we took a couple of breaks, and skied through an obstacle course (the car wheel tracks and skid marks from pulling ice houses across the lake had made for some fun hills and valleys in the snow). But our conversation was just as entertaining as it was on the first part of our journey.
- “This is just the perfect day”
- “I’m so hungry and thirsty”
- “I hope Dad is going to go grocery shopping soon because we’re going to eat everything in the entire house”
- “The sun feels so warm”
- “What do you think sugar ants think when they see us”
- “If you think that would be bad, what do you think sugar ants think when they see an actual giant”
- “What if we were the size of a sugar ant and a sugar ant was the size of us?” *Cue the screaming and giggling kids.
- “Mom, do you think that other kids have skied as far as we just did?”
- “I bet we’re the only kids in history to ski all the way across the lake and back”
- “I’m going to say that this was the best cross-country ski trip ever”
As we neared the end of our trip and the kids could see our car parked on the side of the road, my daughter yelled “I’ll race you to the shore!” as she took off on another sprint.
My son was close behind.
I just smiled.
The kids had met their goal and more than doubled their previous ski distance. They had skied from one side of the lake to the other – a total of about four miles.
Thank you, Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall, for motivating us to get outside and cross-country ski more often, for inspiring my children to form their own races while skiing, and for inspiring them to dream.
But, this day was about more than reaching our goals, racing, and dreaming – it was about exploring, bonding, and enjoying the world around us too.
We ended our trek with high-fives all around, bodies that were tired but happy, tummies that were ready for nourishment, heads that were clear thanks to the fresh air and warm sun, and hearts that were full from our time together and the goals we had achieved.
Today was definitely “…the best cross-country ski trip ever!”
Have you been on any special outdoor adventures with others? If so, I’d love for you to share them below. Thank you for joining us on ours.
Very inspiring and way to go, kids!
They sure had fun!
Love it! Makes me want to go! Look at what the snowbirds are missing!
You’re more than welcome to join us whenever you would like.🙂 Yes, there are a lot of things to enjoy during our MN winters. ❄️ Thanks for your comment, Sheila.
I think it is great for kids (well anyone) to get excited about something and try their best. What a role model and an experience for her to see a fellow countrywoman win a medal in a sport she enjoys. The day looked fabulous.
The day was absolutely fabulous. Jessie Diggins actually lives just 20 minutes from where we live, and she coaches the cross-country team just two cities over from where we are. So, we had fun cheering her on – and to see her win was just the icing on the cake. Yes, Jesse is definitely a wonderful role model and a great motivation for our daughter. Thanks so much for your kind comment!
Nothing better than family fun! I love x-country skiing. I’m heading out to Tahoe tomorrow to spend a week with the family. Now that my kids are in their twenties, they bring their “significant others!”
I love to read about all of your family ski trips, Susie. You are right, there is nothing better than family fun. I hope you have a fantastic week in Tahoe. I’ve never been, but I’d love to visit one of these days.
Oh, and I hope that my kids will want to hang out with me when they’re in their 20’s. 🙂 I think it’s great that they bring their significant others – I did the same with my parents. Enjoy! Thanks so much for your comment, Susie!
Your kids are so lucky to have you! I saw the teacher coming out when you encouraged them to come up with their own explanations for how the spider ended up in that location 🙂 I must admit, I’m not much for cold weather or winter sports, but the one time I tried cross country skiing (my hubby’s from WI), I really enjoyed it!
This winter was a tough one, Allison. We had so many indoor days due to below zero temps and dangerous wind chills. We were definitely experiencing cabin fever. Here we are in March and we are finally able to get out and enjoy the weather on most days.
My kid are finally old enough to accompany me on skiing trips, and they love it! And, we all learn SO much. Nature has the uncanny ability to throw lessons at us everywhere we turn. It’s easy to implore the kids for answers to questions with nature as our guide. 🙂 Allison, thank you for your kind words and awesome comment. I’m so glad you enjoyed the story.
I absolutely want a bit of this magic. Any child that can set his or her own goals and revels in the achievement will contribute some fantastic-ness to the world. I love the curiosity and the sense of playfullness. I love the willingness to inspire and be inspired. This is just great.
I love seeing the world through little eyes – yes, it’s almost magical. Makes me smile just thinking about it. The kids constantly amaze me with their thoughts and actions – kids are capable of so much. Not just my kids, but all kids. Thanks so much for your kind words and thoughtful comment, Angela!
Cracking outing and lovely to hear the inspiration behind the skiiing. Doing that is far more than just physical exercise and outdoors. You can see the excitement in your kids through the post, the discovery and desire to ponder the rabbit, so much more than screen staring can offer. Absolutely lovely and inspiring read!
Thank you, Gary! I love experiencing the world through my children’s eyes – their excitement is infectious. 🙂 I am pretty lucky because the kids much prefer to be outside than to be in, so I’m never fighting the television or computer. Thank you again for your kind words and thoughtful comment, Gary!
So did I! Then they became teenagers and it went a bit pear shaped lol. Mind you, they leave amazing menories and experiences from the younger days. Enjoy it while it lasts and then enjoy the new bits teens deliver too!!
I think it’s brilliant though in this day and age that you are avoiding fighting screens. Sadly it will be hard to do in the next generation of parents methinks.Caityn is attacked by his powerful dark magic, leaving her a wretched hag with a soul so empty even she barely recognizes herself.
Great post! I love cross country skiing but I haven’t done it in a long time. I wanted to get out this winter but it was just too cold! Maybe next year! I’m hoping I can get my boys interested in it. We seem to hibernate in the winter and need to make a concerted effort to get outside!
This winter was extremely cold! We had to be inside for far too many days due to the cold. Here it is March and we finally are getting out for some skiing 3-4 times per week – FINALLY! Thanks so much for the wonderful comment, Lisa!
It sounds like an idyllic day. I love your family’s passion for nature
Thanks, Orla! It really was one “those” days – a very special one. Thanks so much for your comment. 🙂 We do love our outdoor time around here. The kids are generally outside for 5-7 hours per day – I love it. 🙂
This is so alien to me here in the UK, but I did watch the American girls win gold! My 22 year old really wants to go skiing but all his mates can already ski – so it is all my fault for not taking him!! What a fantastic achievement for your kids and to have time outdoors, away from the dreaded screens!
Right! I’m lucky that they prefer to be outside versus staring at a screen. Oh, and it’s never too late to start cross-country skiing. It truly is a sport that can be done at any age – hint, hint 🙂
This is such a lovely post!
The perfect snow, the fun conversations AND setting and achieving an impressive goal! It sounds like an epic day! I think this is the kind of day your kids will keep in their minds when they consider how awesome their childhoods were as adults. 🙂
Such a wonderful comment, Josy! Thank you. I hope they look back on their childhood with fondness. 🙂 I know I won’t forget our epic ski day!
what a beautiful quality time in family^^. very nice post, I loved the story and the pixtures, thanks for sharing^^
Antsafanou, the day was indeed precious – one that I will not soon forget. Thank you so very much for taking the time to read and share your kind words.
Isn’t that what the Olympics is supposed to do, inspire us? Lovely story.
Sheree, thank you for your kind compliment. Yes, the Olympics are definitely a time inspiration – from beginning to end. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment.
What fun. I’m following! I grew up on Northeast Ohio’s snowbelt and we enjoyed cross country skiing on the golf course next door (never golfed once!). But those were short distances. 4 miles! I’m so impressed. Sounds like a wonderful day!
Ha! I love your comment about skiing on the golf course – “never golfed once”. There is something special about cross-country skiing. They day the kids and I went out – we felt like we could ski forever. It was just one of those days. Thanks so much for reading, commenting, and following – I’m heading over to check out your blog. 🙂 Also, thank you for your kind words.
I absolutely loved this post! Its so nice reading about family vacations like this and people pushing themselves towards more difficult feats. You’re writing style is also very entertaining.
Well, thank you very much for your kind words. I really do appreciate them. Yes, there is nothing better than family vacations and outings – they are memories that will last forever. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment. Hope to see you back here sometime. 🙂
Sounds like quite an adventure 😀 I’m from Norway, so this reminds me of my childhood 🙂
We had the best time, and can’t wait to repeat the adventure next winter. I’m sure you had plenty of opportunities to as a child in Norway – I’d love to visit sometime. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!
SUCH a wonderful and insightful journey for parents and kids.
Thank you for your never-ending support, Angela. And, thank you for you wonderful compliment.
Another magical post. This time you made it to discoverd well done.
Eek!!! It is exciting. 🙂 Thanks so much for reading and sharing your kind words, Ellen.
This is brilliant! I love hiking and we took our children to the Lake District last summer. We did a wonderful walk around Langdale with fabulous crag-hopping and scrambling, lunch around a sunny tarn, and then a descent down a waterfall. It is the little conversations that make a day like that.
Goodness – your day sounds absolutely delightful! We do have to cherish the conversations we have with our little ones, don’t we? Thanks so much for reading, and sharing your thoughtful comment, Ali!
What a great day out doing something fun together! Love it!! Well done to you all 😊
Thank you so very much, Debbie! The day was definitely one we’ll always remember. My son was so excited that he had me print him off a map of the lake so he could document his ski trips. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!
Absolutely inspiring, beautiful, and fun to read. This post has got it all. What a treat to know that it was featured on WordPress. Wow. And congratulations — for making it across the lake and back with your incredible kids. (Not just for getting featured!)
Thanks so very much, Alice! The kids were so excited to make it all the way across and back – they didn’t stop talking about it for the entire trip. It’s what made the trip so much fun. 🙂 Thanks so much for all of your kind words. I’m so very happy you enjoyed the post. It means a lot when I enjoy all of your posts so much!
The feeling is definitely mutual (as to enjoying posts). One of the things I admire about your writing (and something I certainly aspire to) is your consistency. You have a voice like no one else’s, which is a rare thing in blogging. Or in Life.
Well, I’m pretty sure this is one of my favorite compliments ever. Thank you, Alice, you’ve made my day. I appreciate you. ❤️🇸🇪☕
Ski trips are good times to have a lot of family fun. But cross-country ski trips, now that’s a ski-venture!
I love it – “a ski-venture.” I’ll have to share that one with my kids as they will appreciate it – maybe even adopt it. 🙂 Yes, we definitely enjoy skiing together. Exercise, good conversations, and competition are always a recipe for a great trip.
Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment!
I must give credit to those who can ski, especially the young ones. It’s fantastic to see. Looks like your day at the snow was quite an educational one too Erin. And congratulations again, for having this post featured by WordPress Discover. Amazing job and well deserved. Xx
Lorelle, thank you so very much for your kind words. Today was definitely special, and so was the ski day with the kids. I’m so happy they enjoy skiing, as this was one of the things I missed most once I had kids. Now they are more than happy to come along with me – definitely many memories being made.
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. 🙂
Looks like a lot of fun. Love it!
The day was one of the best – for all of us. I’m so happy you enjoyed the story. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Hope to see you back soon. 🙂
I love this so much! Such great memories you are creating and I will be sure to look for your daughter in 2026 😉 . <3
K.M. – I love your comment. 🙂 I wouldn’t be surprised if that girl tried out for the Olympics one day. She has a fiery competitive streak in her.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the story, and thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Hope to see you back soon!
Awe I am so glad! I love that! I coach skating (I use to be a competitive skater so I get the excitement of watching athletes on tv at the games) and I love the spirit, passion ,and drive that kids have. THEY are inspiring.
I really did! Thank you for sharing and I will definitely be back! 🙂 <3
What a lovely family day! Love it, apart from the poor rabbit of course. So great to see a family getting out and about doing fabulous things together 🙂
Thank you very much, Sam. The day was truly one of the best. Yes, we felt bad for the poor rabbit too. We suspect that he lost his way in a recent blizzard we had had just the week before. The kids were really hoping that the rabbit was just burrowing in a hole, which wasn’t the case. Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment!
Hey! This is so beautifully written! I am amazed by the way you knitted all this together. You should definitely check http://www.fuzia.com, it is a site for women artists like you! Keep writing and rocking!
Thank you so much for your kind compliment. I’ll definitely check out fuzia – it sounds interesting. Thanks!
What an inspiring story! Your adventure was filled with enjoyment, sunshine and fresh air. The outcome was self determination, sense of accomplishment and an acute awareness of one’s surroundings. Very satisfying experience for anyone! Thanks.
Thank you so very much for your kind and thoughtful comment. It’s easy to enjoy any day that is filled with sunshine and fresh air, but this particular day was very special. Everything was just as you described it – very satisfying.
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughtful comment. I hope to see you back again soon!
I enjoyed reading this very much. It reminded me of growing up in Alaska, where we skied a lot. I am sad I did not get to share that with my children. What a fun adventure!
Hi Beth! Thanks so much for your kind words. Alaska is a place I have never had the pleasure of visiting, but it’s on my bucket list! I can imagine you’d have many skiing opportunities there. My parents visited a few years ago and they say it was one of their favorite vacation spots by far.
Thanks so much for stopping by to read, and taking the time to write such a thoughtful comment. Hope to see you back soon!
Wow thank
Thank you for reading! Hope to see you back again soon.
This is just beautiful hey.I actually have hopes if travelling to such places and explore alittle.
Thank you so very much for your kind words, Sia! And, I hope that you do get to travel and try a little cross-country skiing. It really easy a lot of fun, but peaceful at the same time. Thanks so much for reading! Hope to see you back here again soon. Cheers!
I’d love to do something like this.
Do it! Cross-country skiing is a great activity for anyone. Plus, getting outside in the fresh air is a treat in itself. Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment, pslater!
Amazing! Look wonderful and I really like your writing style.
Tahseen, thanks so very much for your kind compliment. It means a lot! I hope to see you around her again soon. 🙂
what a great article. I love your use of dialogue, and the photographs are amazing!
Thank you for your kind comment, Kat! The day made for an easy-to-write story – the whole trip was so much fun. I appreciate you stopping by to read and taking the time to comment. Hope to see you again soon!
Thanks for an insightful and well detailed post. Absolutely loved this post.
Thank you for your kind comment! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this post – it’s one of my favorites too. Hope to see you back again soon!
Enjoyed this post even though I don’t have children. 😉 Sounds like great educational fun!
Nature is a great leveller.
Thanks so much, Nilla! Nature is one of the best teachers. And, we’re happy to let her teach us whenever we’re out. Thank you for your comment!
Dear Erin, really enjoying checking out some of your blogs. I’m new to serious blogging, I recently set up a blog to help promote my book. I am finding that there’s much more to it than I could have possibly realised. I love the style and sophistication of your blogs.
Eric Fisher author of ‘Compost Teas for the Organic Grower’. ericfisher.blog
Hi Eric! Thanks so much for your comment, and welcome to blogging! I visited your site yesterday, and was happy to follow you. I look forward to reading more of your posts. And, congratulations on your new book! How exciting! I have a children’s book in the works which will be my first book. Any tips? 🙂
Thanks again, Eric!
P.S. Your book sounds very interesting! My family does a lot of organic vegetable gardening. Sometimes frustrating, but very rewarding too.
Hey, thanks. I’ll look out for your book.
P.S. Regarding tips. Just do it for the sake of doing it – and never give up.
I like that! Thank you.