Our first destination was the famed "Jackrabbit Trail," a cross country ski trail that connects Saranac Lake to Keene. We strapped on our skis and headed east from the route 33 trailhead. After a few bruises and bumps on the hills, we got the hang of it and enjoyed when the trail widened after a mile or so.
Our destination was Mackenzie Pond and the scenery did not disappoint. With gently falling snowflakes we admired the mountains and ridges surrounding the pond while we snacked. In the winter, breaks don't last long though and we needed to get moving before our teeth began to chatter. The trail back to the car was smooth as we now knew where all the moguls, rocks and steep sections were.
We then headed to Saranac Lake, where the first weekend of the Winter Carnival was taking place. We met the Henrys and Vincents and were happy that our nephew Ben was willing to give us a personalized tour of the Ice Palace. The theme this year was "Adirondack Wildlife," and we even enjoyed the ice lean-to facing the lake. It would be nice to have in the summer for some air-conditioning on those hot nights...
In the afternoon, we wanted to get on the skis one more time before heading home. We went to the John Brown Farm in North Elba and although we had to look closely, we found a ski loop. The fluffy snow was denser now and the trail took us through some nice woods as the sun started to set. It was the perfect bookend to a fine ski day.
As we begrudgingly drove back to the Champlain Valley, noticing the disappearance of snow our stomachs started to grumble. To amend the situation, we capped off the day with a fine meal at George's Italian-American Eatery in Port Henry. Yum.
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