Picked up some new gear at the wonderful Joe’s Sporting Goods in St. Paul last weekend. Took my pocketful of Christmas cash and bought a set of Fischer nordic skis and bindings, Alpina boots and a pair of Yukon Charlie’s snowshoes.

I’ve never really done either of these sports, so these are just entry-level products (but well made). I went out and used both yesterday for the first time and did OK. I need to learn more about cross-country form, but 32 years of downhill skiing made it pretty easy to get around without falling down.

Snowshoeing on frozen Lake Vermilion at night was a total trip. The stars were beautiful, it was absolutely quiet and temps were very reasonable. So peaceful and calming – at least until I started to sink into some slush. I was using the cross-country poles and one of them poked through to water. I asked a co-worker about that and he said not to worry – apparently the heavy snow can force water up through cracks to create a slush/water layer. He assured me there is ice beneath that, so I’ll go out again tonight.

Saw one shooting star last night, but still waiting to see the northern lights again.

The picture above was taken with my new favorite iOS photo app – Camera+. It really is a massive improvement on the build-in camera app and the low cost makes it a no-brainer purchase.