Steve is one of my oldest friends in Virginia. Valerie and his wife met at the mall where they were both pushing their new babies (who are now adults approaching 30) in their strollers; the two couples have been friends ever since. Steve and I used to do a lot of outdoor activities together, but over time that somehow ceased to happen - I think he may have gotten tired of my general unavailability, as among band, kayaking, etc., my weekends get pretty booked. So, it was a pleasant surprise when he messaged me to see if I would be interested in a day trip to go cross-country skiing. The DC area is a terrible place to live if you're interested in cross-country skiing. Many winters are devoid of snow (and unlike downhill skiing, XC is too spread out for snow-making), and when there is snow the roads are generally too fouled up to be able to get anywhere to go skiing. The best bet is to look for snow in the Alleghenies/Appalachian mountains in western Maryland and West Virginia. Steve ...
One man's journey into the great outdoors of Washington, DC and its environs.