Winter Getaway

Snowshoe journey
Where do I begin I did so much in the last 3 days. First I should thank the Richards for such an awesome resort. The hospitality is amazing and in the winter the lodging provides a warm cozy atmosphere. If you like to ski, Maplelag is a must for a few days.
I arrived monday morning at 11:30 and after a quick ski I was ready to chow down.If you go to Maplelag make shure you bring a HUGE appitite.Here bonks are unheard of. After lunch I took the snowshoes out and hiked for 3:00 hrs back to dry lake. Its not that far but if you've snowshoed before you know its slow and tireing.I was bush wacking too so I had to make a few corrections in my navigation.After that I broke out the icehouse and did some fishing.It was perfect out, absolutely no wind and mild temps. I caught 3 nice crappies and a sunny before supper, then when I went back out, nothing at all.Jay and the 3 youngest came out to visit for a bit. 3 young ones in a 5x5 area with 4 holes drilled is a little cramped.They were pretty good though.
The next morning I did 4 laps around skaters waltz including the extention and suicide hill each lap. and did a lap without poles wich is good for your form and balance.That was about 2 hrs. Then after lunch Jay borrowed me a pair of classic skis and I took them up around roys run,Island lake,Bullhead lake ,and a bunch of the smaller loops around the lodge.That took 3:30 hrs, but I was having a blast.I haven't classic skied for over 5 years. The muscle groups you use are totally different than skating.Now I'll be buying a pair when I find a nice deal. After a very long day we sat down to a massive dinner, lets see there was chicken,salad,maple squash,creamy corn,rice,fried bread,and dessert was German chocolate cake. I like the way they set up the meals too. Its like a family style dinner where everyone sits together and passes the different food items around to each other.Its kind of an icebreaker that gets everyone talking and getting to know the people staying at the resort. That night at about 8:00 Jay and the kids took me out to the sledding hill which is the steep climb for the short track course.There me and Jake had the Jibskates and were taking them off a little jump they made. They were fun but they would take a while to get used to.

The next morning I was a very sore puppy.The classic skiing killed my hip flexors. I wanted to leave right away for Itasca but Jay talked me into staying for the sticky buns,hashbrowns,bacon,and eggs. After stuffing myself once again, I headed up to Itasca State forest which is a 45min drive from Maplelag.My plan was to ride around lake Itasca on my bike,but they close the oneway down for the winter.They did start grooming this winter however,so Why not. I got a map and off I went. I parked at the south entrance rd which they close off and groom in the winter.This is the freaking autobon for skaters. They groom shoulder to shoulder on the rd.You can do the v1 for like 3km straight. Turning into the trail system I was treated to a narrow downhill followed by a long stairstepper climb. The first few km of this trail had the most climbing but that was it.The trail is groomed for both skate and 1 classic track.I would recommend skating it. The trail took me around an endless amount of very small lakes with absotutly gorgeous scenery. At the end of Eagle Scout trail you can either take the Desoto trail back or go straight on Nicollet. Nicollet is skate only and narrow.I recommend experts only since its quite a ways back there and there's alot of quick turns. I absolutely loved this trail and it was the most fun I ever had on skate skis. The trail weaves all over the place through the big virgin pine forests and the terain was so up and down that my heart rate stayed relatively low while attaining higher speeds.My glide was perfect on the freshly groomed trail.It felt like rally car through the forest...totally sweet trail.This is a must. The trail comes out on Elk lake and turns into that one lane rd that I was going to ride on the bike. Again, shoulder to shoulder grooming and fast. This takes you back and you take a little dog leg that spits you out on south entrance rd. The big loop is 20km.Again, I highly recommend going and skiing this park its a blast.

I'm glad I took this little vacation it was well worth it. Maplelag is an excellent place to go and just ski.You don't have to worry about anything else. Everything is taken care of. Jay keeps the trails in emaculate condition.The best grooming I've seen. The terrain is mild too, so its a great place to take a significant other. Most of the trails are classic only. I thought I would never like classic anymore when I started to skate, but now I found a new love for it. Doing both will develope more muscle groups and really even out the legs. If your an avid skater Itasca is well worth the short drive for an afternoon.Its a beautiful park.I guess thats my review.Untill next time-see ya.

I got some pics in my photo gallery link,and I added the Oftedahl family history link too. Pretty interesting