my dad and i went "nordic walking" in the woods today. we stalheims being of norwegian blood, it would seem that every step we take might be considered nordic walking, but that's not what i mean. we're talkin about a time-tested system of off-season training for cross-country skiing. we're talking about hiking with ski poles. but not just that, you have to *bound* (ala x-c ski) as you thrust your poles about.

this bounding through the woods was fun and all, but i couldn't help feeling a little silly. for one thing, my ski poles were downhill ones, so they didn' t pierce the ground. for another thing, well.. call me old fashioned, but i'm just not used to bounding when i could be walking. if anything, i could see running sooner than bounding. i'm not normally such an "inside the box" kind of person, but i guess i draw the line at bounding. i mean, why not turn cartwheels or do sommersaults down the trail? why not crawl, or walk on your hands? all of these would be more difficult than walking. but guess what, they're ridiculous. and so is bounding. then again, maybe that's how the average car driving american feels when he sees me walking or riding my bike or x-c skiing - "why doesn't she just *drive*?! or snowmobile?"

it turns out that dad is a far more seasoned nordic walker than i. climbing a hill that led to an overlook of the 2 lakes, i trekked calmly through the woods, happy to be on the trail. dad was far ahead of me, advancing in leaps and bounds. hunched over with his toes pointing out and leaping forward like a mutant biped frog, he never looked so dorky.

this is where i get it from.