Fortune's favor

A remarkable day - Nordic Ski Family

"Fortune favors the bold" I said to Emily. I was leaving for Tim's snowboarding lesson. I'd only recently learned Theodore Wirth Park offered 90 minute small class lessons and lift tickets for $20. We had our reservation but we still left early, for since this was a bold thing to try I wanted room for error.

Why bold? To know that you would need to know our family story. Take my word for it.

This was our first return to Theodore Wirth since we'd taken refuge there when Como Park was closed, without website notice, for a ski race. We thought we knew what to expect.

As Tim and I turned onto the park road, we were stopped by park security. A young Hmong officer, told us the park was closed ... for a ski race. Without website notice.

We turned around. I thought maybe we'd try Como, and try get our money back. Then I began to wonder if a Nordic race might leave the downhill run open. The officer's English had been limited; perhaps there was still ope.

I turned around and headed back. Tim was worried I'd be arrested, but we were allowed in to inspect. Sure enough, a snow bridge blocked the road. We learned the park would be closed until noon. By that time though Emily had phoned the snowboard school. The lesson was on! No refunds!

So we wheeled out and made a great arc to a northern entrance. There we ran into an unmanned barrier. I called the snowboard instructor, and was told to bypass the barrier. If the police arrested me, I was to refer them to the head snowboarding dude.

I tried to look as official as possible, and I confidently hauled the barrier aside and drove through, replacing it behind me. Tim was stunned into silence.

I drove on. Everwhere I saw Nordic skiers - skinny, colorful, a thousand brilliant peacocks. The parking lot was closed by police order to all but volunteers and emergency officials, so I strove to look like a serious volunteer. Maybe it helped that I wore my Nordic boots and carried a backpack.

We fought through a few hundred of the 3,500 skiers from around the world lining up to use the toilets. Eventually we found the snowboarding dudes. Two of them. When I mentioned my son had some learning challenges they boasted of their own ADD and Dyslexia. I'd come to the right place. Even though every rise was thick with skiers, they promised they'd find a spot for Tim. Of course there were no other students. Only we had penetrated security.

I left. I couldn't ski the trails, since I wasn't race registered. Instead I bushwhacked, following snowshoe tracks and climbing steep hills to residential boundaries. That's how I found a network of single track mountain bike trails I'd never heard of (see poster map). Fantastic trails in the snow, with a rider every five minutes. Some road bikes with 5" tires, others standard mountain bikes.

I did the single track trails through the woods, passing carefully over race ways and taking pictures of the leaders.

As I returned to meet Tim phase II of our plan began.

Based on my reconnaissance I gave Emily the go ahead call. She headed out with Ben and Brinna and their brand new Nordic skis. Those two would probably go on the trails with Emily, but would Tim? He'd never done any kind of skiing and had sworn he never would.

Tim's snowboarding, I learned, had been a great success. Unlike past failures this time we had the right dudes and the right chemistry. Tim was confident and happy and totally uninterested in Nordic skiing.

I was not too concerned. I knew my prey.

Ben, Brinna and Emily came by as planned, then left for the trails. Tim was dismayed as they drove off. His choice was to do more snowboarding, go home with me, or rent skis. He thought of his brother and sister leaving without him -- and, recently fed, he did as I'd guessed he might. He chose Nordic.

And so it was. Yes, there were many other twists. Emily had to change locations when, contrary to all available intel, she found the lower park closed. Tim had a balky binding. Ben and Brinna both had moments of despair, sometimes long moments requiring considered responses. Even so. They all skied the loop, taking turns leading. Sometimes they went abruptly off-track, hurling themselves up steep hills. We got lost, though Tim knew the way.

Eventually we got back, and after soda and chocolate they were all proud and happy. Even Ben eventually forgave his father's ill-considered choices.

It was bold for our particular family to attempt this thing, but it was not boldness that fortune favored. It was relentless invention, and a measured disregard for the rules.

It was a good day for our family.