The summer solstice is behind us and the days are getting shorter. If it snows as early as it did last year, we are only three and a half months away from cross-country skiing. That is an optimistic outlook. I've been thinking about how the sport of cross-country skiing is driven by the sun and the amount of solar energy we receive. I get pumped up on dates like the summer solstice (June 21 7:28 AM EDT this year) or the autumnal equinox (September 22 11:09 PM EDT) as these are benchmarks for sunlight and how the days are getting shorter as the seasons slowly head toward winter. I found some websites dealing with how the sun angle changes in the sky. From the Stanford Solar Center Viewing and Understanding the Annalemma and from Analemma.com are several pages of information about earth-sun relationships.

I've found the ultimate in summer training. Take a look at this youtube video. Can it be true that nordic skiing is about to become a sport for any time of the year? Skiing on Neveplast Finally, I am finding time to update this site. Coming will be a page on ski touring in Pennsylvania and a page promoting the latest grooming. Last year several state parks decided to groom. This grooming page will focus on where the grooming is taking place and hopefully details about the trails. I enjoyed the groomed trails at Parker Dam State Park several times last year and kudos to the staff there for providing a wonderful surface for cross-country skiing. Until next time enjoy the summer activities and stay in shape. Winter is not far away. HP

Walking the ski trails near Kylertown, PA June 2010