I’ve spent the past five years travelling and skiing solo. So now, is the new chapter going to be different?

Mondays seem to be the retired people’s day to ski. This was my second Monday in a row to ski Santa Fe. Last Monday I met the Santa Fe Newcomers Club members at Totemoff’s mid mountain chalet, a most fortuitous encounter. This Monday I met up with some acquaintances from Albuquerque and the four of us had a grand time. We stayed on the groomers and mostly followed Mari, who had brought us all together.

We had lunch on the deck of the main chalet, Mari brought soup and I brought cheese and salami, Paul had nuts and chocolate (always appreciated) and I had my trusty box of wine. The past five years I’ve spent mostly solo, so it was fun to share the skiing and camaraderie with friends. As I look forward to this year’s Solo Ski Sojourn, I have the opportunity to ski with plenty of friends. If all goes as planned, I will be meeting up with friends everywhere I plan to go. What a difference from when I started this sojourn five years ago when I knew virtually no one along the way.

Am I ready? I got new tires on my truck so I feel more confident if I hit snow along the way, which is 100% likely. These last two ski sessions have made me feel more confident in my new skis and my new hip. I was tentative the first time I skied Santa Fe, but this time my eyes wandered over to the steeper, harder runs, wondering… It may be hard to stick to my plan of staying on groomers, but maybe not.

I am feeling my age a bit more than I have in the past. Now that my hip is new again, I am feeling the arthritis in my low back. Getting up out of bed or out of a chair after sitting awhile makes me look and feel like an oldster. That makes me a little sad, but on the other hand, what’s the alternative?

I moved to Mi Casa Santa Fe back in June and have yet to experience a full year here.  I am happy in my new living situation (the honeymoon isn’t over, yet.) The sunshine here in New Mexico definitely lifts the spirit. When it is sunny and I look out over my kingdom, I can’t think of a single thing to complain about.

I’ll be leaving for my Solo Ski Sojourn road trip this Saturday if the weather holds out. If the storm front comes through as they are predicting, I’ll just wait it out. I have the luxury of time. And no one is waiting for me on the other end of the road.

Am I ready? Winter Park, Summit County, Eagle Colorado, Snowbasin and Solitude Utah, Palisades and Heavenly in California. My head is in a different place than it was six years ago when I embarked on these Sojourns. There is a known factor today that I didn’t have before. I plan on packing lighter than I have in the past. I feel less stress about the places I’ve books. I have fewer open nights that I don’t know where I’ll be. I have the contacts I’ll be meeting lined up.

The Solo Ski Sojourns that began so unpredictably six years ago are now somewhat predictable. The most unpredictable factor is the weather. And in light of the strange weather we’ve been having—atmospheric rivers causing more than abundant snowfall to total lack of snow in the northern states—that might be enough to keep me on my toes.