Archive for January 2009

I have a few confessions to make. I’ll start with the easy one…this is my first blog post. Yep, there it is. I’m a first-time blogger. Kyle makes it look so easy, and since he’s on vacation, I thought I’d jump in with both feet.

The second confession might come as a surprise to some of you. Not everyone who lives here, loves winter sports. In the ten years I’ve worked for Tech, I’ve had countless people say “you have to love to ski to live there.” Ummm…not really. There’s a lot to do in the community and on the Michigan Tech campus. Winter sports are a bonus for those who love it, and those who are ambitious enough to try something new.

I grew up in a small tourist town in northern Wisconsin. I cross country skied as a kid, even did some downhill at the resorts along the Wisconsin/UP border. I was extremely fortunate to grow up living on a lake, so I loved to ice skate. I think at some point, I realized that falling could equal breaking things and I chickened out.

Amber experienced her first snow this year.

Which leads to my third confession. While I don’t love winter sports, I do love winter. I think winter should be snowy and cold. If it’s going to be cold, you might as well have snow. If not to play in, at least so it looks pretty. Plus, you experience the spring thaw and look forward to the glorious days of summer. I absolutely love looking out my window and seeing the perfect greeting card scene.

So, here’s the ultimate confession. I secretly love to shovel. There you have it. Yes…I actually enjoy shovelling snow. Call me crazy, but it’s really not that bad. The air is clean and crisp, the snow shimmers like thousands of diamonds spread across the ground. Everything is still and quiet…you hear nothing but your boots crunching in the snow. Some people get up early to work out, I shovel. After all, it’s good aerobic exercise! As far as the time it takes…it’s no worse than sitting in traffic for a commute to work or school in places larger than Houghton.

The moon just around the winter solstice…beautiful!

You all know Houghton gets its fair share of snow. As a gift, my dad got me a snowman yard ornament that indicates the snow depth. He got it in Florida, and he tells me it was quite on sale. Go figure. You can see it’s been put to good use this year!

December 5…about 12″

January 11…close to 24″

January 19…oh, who cares!

So, winter is here to stay for a few more months. Winter Carnival statue building and broomball are well underway here at Michigan Tech. Check out the webcams for all the action.

As far as moving all that snow…it’s good aerobic exercise. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

Ahhhh snowshoeing. I tried to think of an accurate description for this (because it really is quite strange), but I got nothing. Best way I can describe it:

1. It’s like cheating, and I love that. Our bodies were not designed to walk through the amount of snow we have, and these handy little tools make it so those of us that don’t want to work TOO hard, don’t have to.
2. You feel like Mr. (or Ms/Mrs.) Platypus, which is cool too.

In the end, snowshoes get you to where you couldn’t go otherwise. It has taken me to some of the most picturesque spots in this area. Every time I get to a destination on my snowshoes, I’m always awe struck by a view and an accomplishment. A feeling of success that only this activity can give to you. This time, it was “Wheelkate” in South Range, MI. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

The great thing about this is that, through Michigan Tech’s Outdoor Adventure Program, anybody can experience this. We have so many resources here on campus. I really do hope that if you have the chance to be in Houghton for any period of time that you experience everything you possibly can. You’ll never be able to do everything (we just have too much!), but you can make a dent.

Every university needs a good mascot, and whoever picked ours did a darn good job. No offense to other universities or school districts, but a husky is probably cuter than any rocket, gremlin, buckeye, wolverine, spartan, badger, or boilermaker you might find. Again, NO offense to any of these. We love em’ all, we really do. They just aren’t quite as cute. If it’s fierce you are looking for, keep reading. You’ll see fierce.

It’s time for you to meet Loki. Loki was featured as the “dog of the day” on the Daily Puppy website. Loki is owned by two Michigan Tech students, and even though Blizzard T. Husky is the OFFICIAL husky of the huskies, I unofficially declare Loki the “actually living and breathing” mascot, because he’s so darn cute.

As you search through the endless piles of possibility when it comes to choosing the right college for you, just think about this:

Don’t mess with an 18″ tall husky. Seriously.

Now what’s better, being a jack-o-lantern or a husky. Loki’s opinion is quite clear.

Have a great week everybody. We look forward to posting again on Monday, January 19 (”MLK” day).

My little slang phrase for cross country skiing is “criss crossing”. For those of you who are unaware, we literally have some of the best cross country ski trails in the country, hence we’ve had the opportunity to hold the National Championships twice and the Junior Olympics. Snaking through our immaculately groomed ski trails are snow shoe trails, plenty remote enough to offer solitude, but close enough to your door that you’re never more than a couple minutes walk to trail head. Right now the snow is deep enough that venturing off a groomed trail without snow shoes might lead to a hefty struggle to remain afloat.

Speaking of close enough to walk to, I have the opportunity to sneak away around lunch to catch a ski while I’m supposed to be “eating”. Like always, I snapped a couple pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy your day! I know we will. Lots of new snow over night should make for FANTASTIC turns at Mont Ripley tonight.

I don’t know about you, but we here at Michigan Tech had a very fulfilling break (with lots of snow). For me, break is an opportunity to not only spend time with family and over eat, but time to enjoy the outdoors to its fullest….maybe even get out of town. My break went something like this: eat, sleep, ski, open gifts, eat, sleep, snow blow, eat, sleep, and take a trip to Chicago for the New Year.

We had 109″ of snow in December according to John Dee, which is just 10″ inches shy of our 119″ high and more than 50″ above our average for December. The skiing has been INCREDIBLE, and Mont Ripley is full bore open. Christmas Day Mont Ripley was closed, and it was a great day to ski some very fluffy new snow without a lot of competition. To boot, it was one of the most clear and sunny days we’ve had here in a while…it was very much a blissful experience for me. Once again, a very indescribable feeling.

Jen approaching the top.

The view couldn’t be beat!

It drops off pretty quick!

Deep turns

For those of you that have kept on this blog, I mention the “white room” from time to time. There IS a skier in there, and he’s officially in his own little white room.

I wish I did THIS for a living, but getting to write about it for a living isn’t so bad either :).

I wasn’t the only one having a blast. Buster was insanely funny.

His little legs never hit bottom….it was more of a swimming downhill motion. Quite funny.

We moved onto a flatter part of the hill with less snow, but the skiing was a bit less challenging. This photo is of Jen, my wife, at 5 months pregnant! Don’t tell the doctor.

Buster has fun chasing us…………

However, this was the scene later that day. Note the fetal position. I’m sure he was thinking “why did I do this!”.

Needless to say, it was an amazing break. I am quite excited for everyone to return as Monday, January 12 begins the building of the month long statues for Winter Carnival! Can’t believe it, and I can’t wait.