Still Winter Woods

a stillness of the Winter Snow Sports Reign Supreme Around Flagstaff Woods

Nighttime in the woods is always mysterious. Senses other than sight take over, you feel your way through your feet, listen intently to every rustling sound and startle at the long shadows. That hyper-awareness is honed to an even finer edge in the supreme stillness of the woods at night in winter. It can be spooky, this nocturnal travel across unfamiliar terrain at a time when most folks are snug in their beds at home. But the Flagstaff Nordic Center's Friday Night Ski made the adventure a little easier. Small, temporary lights lined the snow-packed, groomed trail. A crackling fire in an outdoor fireplace sent firefly sparks leaping into the air. Headlamps aglow, cross-country skiers glided out of the darkness to warm their hands. Suddenly, winter was transformed from a season of cold and deprivation to a cozy intimate place wrapped in ermine white.

The man who brought back the tradition of the night ski at the Nordic Center is Wendell Johnson. An engineer by training and an Idahoan by birth, he and his wife pay for a Forest Service lease in hopes of a deep, white winter like the 2004-2005 season, when the center stayed open until Easter. Dressed in blue jeans and canvas coat, Wendell seemed to be everywhere at once: in the lodge, on the trails, visiting with friends. Snow lovers have flocked in from across the Southwest. "I want them to get the feel of the kick and glide, that they're doing more than shuffling along. That's what they'll remember," said Johnson.

Moonscape A full moon illuminates the snow-dusted San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff.

At the start of the trail, the beginners fumbled with bindings, determinedly dug poles into the snow and wobbled down the trail. Others swooshed past, graceful as gazelles.

For some, savoring the backcountry snow on cross-country skis or snowshoes beats lift lines, après-ski attire and bright lights. Fortunately, the Nordic Center offers both snowshoe and cross-country ski tours into the pines and aspens surrounding the San Francisco Peaks.

Two Phoenix families-the Durans and Michels-gathered outside the center's small wooden lodge for the Saturday snowshoe outing. All were first-timers, which didn't for a moment faze guide Molly McCormick. She was too happy with the ball cap-andsunscreen afternoon, complete with azure sky and pure, clean snow. A lone Stellar's jay bounced along the ground, snagging luncheon leftovers on the lodge deck. The inexperienced group puzzled over the lined-up row of snowshoes until one of the Duran girls presciently inquired if there was a right and a left foot. Mercifully, when it comes to snowshoes, they're interchangeable.

Assuming pretzel-like postures, everyone managed to lace the tennis-racquet-shaped footwear onto their boots, relying on the wicked metal spikes on the bottom of the snowshoes to provide traction. Then the group trailed Molly like ducklings, feet splayed in an awkward waddle. Gilbert Duran actually quacked. He also informed his teenage daughter that it was time to put aside the CDplayer, cell phone and boyfriend distractions and enjoy her surroundings. In moments, she was hurling snowballs at the parents, who promptly returned fire-a wildly good-natured release of intergenerational aggression.

At Molly's behest, the trekkers left the groomed ski trail to blaze their own path, the snow crunching with each step. Immediately, Jamie Michels noted she was "feeling it in her legs," as each step sank 6 inches into the 3-foot snow base. A few soft tumbles and disengaged snowshoes caused only minor delays.

They stopped often as they huffed up the hill. Kathy Duran noted that snowshoeing burns up to 800 calories an hour, justifying that extra granola bar.

Molly stopped repeatedly to point out the crystalline details: long silky ponderosa pine needles, rabbit tracks impressed in glittering snow. Overhead a rainbow ringed the sun-a "sundog" someone said, warning of a change in the weather.

Molly pointed out scrimshaw scrapes on several white aspen trunks-scratches made by elk or bears, she guessed. Animals have come up with all sorts of ingenious ways to weather the winter. Elk and deer and most birds leave the high elevations to look for food in lower or more southerly climes. Black bears slow their metabolism and den up in rock crevices. Smaller mammals tunnel under the insulative blanket of snow. Bats, insects and the mourning cloak butterfly all hibernate under the thick plates of ponderosa pine bark.

Shaking the Chill

Showering mini fireworks in a snowy clearing far from fire danger, above, a bonfire warms night skiers out on the trail near the Nordic Center.

As the afternoon waned, some folks headed for a Nordic Center yurt, each a circular hut with tan canvas walls, wood-lattice framing and Plexiglas skylight. Yurts are fashioned after the traditional portable dwellings of wood and wool felt used by nomadic herders in Russia and Mongolia even before Genghis Khan conquered the world.

Radiating athletic fitness, snowshoe guide Molly McCormick, left, also leads Grand Canyon hikes during the summer months.

Inside, golden sunlight streamed through the west-facing door. Furnishings were spare-two futon couches that doubled as beds, two small round tables, four upholstered chairs, a cast-iron wood stove and a propane lantern. Even without electricity and running water, the yurt made for luxurious winter accommodation. Nordic Center staff had already delivered personal gear-sleeping bags, food, backpack stove and dry clothes. They also stacked up firewood and supplied a container of drinking water.

At sunset, a ruff of clouds shrouded Kendrick Mountain. The cold blue dusk settled in, the velveteen sky darkened and an infinity of glittering stars sprinkled the heavens. Coyote songs serenaded dreams throughout the long night. Winter embraced the woods, and the mystery of night reclaimed her kingdom, in the stillness and the silence and the telltale rustle. All

Get Out and Savor Flagstaff's Winter Wonderland

TRAVEL ADVISORY All these activities take place within the Coconino National Forest. For information on snowplay sites, activities, parking, permits, snow and road conditions, check www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino, and click on “current conditions.” The forest also contains many miles of backcountry roads suitable for cross-country skiing, although parking is limited, and some roads are unplowed and not suitable for driving. For any winter-season activities in the northland, be prepared for winter driving conditions and carry extra food, water and blankets.