(Wo)man vs. machine

I had a dream...

I had a dream that snowmobiling was an escapade into wide open spaces full of fluffy powder. Where in the wake of your sled are waves of white cushiony goodness. Where no one fears of flipping or careening or single ski tipping. Frolicking amongst nature, joyful in my freedom of open space and fresh air.

What I experienced however, was full adrenalin. Man versus machine kind of stuff.  The revving of engines, throttle, exhaust...power. All a weeeeee bit intimidating! Exciting but daunting. For, up ahead was the extreme snowmobile trifecta (for beginners like me, anyway): slush meets high snowmobile traffic meets narrow little trails.... The result: undulating uphill ice rink flanked by big trees and steep drops... 

It sounds worse than it was. Yes, in the beginning it was quite bumpy, making it hard to keep consistent your thumb pressure on the throttle, intensifying the bounces and forcing more concentration than likely otherwise needed... Especially with the guides cautionary tales dancing around my head. You know, the whole no flipping, careening or single ski tipping...quite common as it turns out... yeah, scary!

But as we reached higher elevations, the trails smoothed out just as the fog rolled in. With a steadier hand/thumb I was now better able to take it all in.  And as we cruised to our mountain-top destination, dusk settled upon us. With our headlights playing games with the fog, and the sweeping mountains around us, it was truly beautiful to take in.

Now, I can't claim this vision of beauty in any way contributed to my new-found snowmobiling prowess, but I re-mounted my chariot ablaze in confidence and enthusiasm. The trip home, although equally bumpy, was now bathed in royal blue light and muscle memory; making it all a little more manageable.  That, or the apple cider and promises of many beverages to come once safely home.

Although scary in a "real danger" sort of way (as opposed to "this-is-out-of-my-comfort-zone" sort of way), a totally recommended experience, save the conditions. So, next time, it will be when the snow is fluffy and I can frolic amongst nature in wide open spaces and fresh air with, have I mentioned, no fear of flipping, careening or single ski tipping. 

Thanks to Cindy and Stef who encouraged me to get on that machine and own it! Appreciated the words of reassurance that flipping the machine isn't so bad. Yeah. No.