In stark comparison to my President's Day weekend romp on the California shoreline, last weekend I participated in Book Across the Bay, the self-proclaimed "most unique winter event" in the Upper Midwest. Basically, it's a 10k showshoe/cross country ski race, at night, from Ashland to Washburn, WI, across Lake Superior's Chequamegon Bay. The organizers keep you thawed with huge bonfires at the beginning and end of the course, and hot chocolate / cookie / fire stops every kilometer. No flashlights or headlamps are allowed but the track was lit by crazy ice lanterns.
About a hundred kids from Carleton loaded onto buses and made the five hour trek past Duluth and into Wisconsin. Here are some fun pictures from our trip!
A map of the area: we snowshoed in a sort of "C" formation around around the bay, from Ashland to Washburn:
The view of the bay from the starting area just before sunset:
The bonfire at the starting line:
And again:
A few of us from 3rd Burton (and one from 1st):
Our super-awesome opposite roommate numbers (clearly, Julia and I were ready for anything):
The ice lanterns that lined the course:
Things we learned from BATB:
- The tortoise really does beat the hare.
- Soggy / a little bit frozen Oreos are better than no Oreos.
- Bonfires, if left to burn for long enough on top a frozen lake, create very large puddles.
- Winter activities can be really pretty great.
On that note, go outside and enjoy the beautiful blue skies!
Marlena
Comments
Great picture.