...early morning outing

The route Gabby and I skied this morning...most of it in the dark.

Gabby and I took an early morning foray to Stormy Lake today. When we were backing down the driveway around 5:30 AM, it was pitch black. Very dark. I was certain by the time we got skiing we would have plenty of light. So, I didn't take a headlamp. Big mistake. At the parking lot I fumbled around with bindings, backpack straps, dog snacks, and GPS settings I couldn't see. I finally got everything together and off we went--crossing the lake in the dark. We made it to the other side and entered the woods, which were even more dark. I slipped and slid along listening to the sounds of Gabby running back and forth through the dense brush. We made it to an opening just as the morning light was beginning to appear. We skied across the swamp and turned back toward the boat ramp knowing there would be a bushwhack before us. Fortunately it was finally light enough to see and after 20 minutes I had used my skis to chop and hack a path back to the edge of the lake. From there it was a dash across the ice to the boat ramp parking area and then the drive home. The end of an...early morning outing.