Weekend at the Cabin

My roommates go up to their parents' cabin out beyond Heber at least once a month. They invite me up all the time, but I always seem to be busy. I went once last fall before winter set in and we had a lot of fun, playing games, eating, putting puzzles together, letting the dogs run through the trees and around the cabin.

Well, this weekend I actually was free. Jayme and Angie went up Saturday and spent the night with their family. Sunday I decided to go up after church with Heather, our other roommate, and have dinner and games with the family. I'd never been up there during winter and didn't know what to expect. I asked Heather if I would need snow pants because during winter the roads aren't clear enough to drive to the cabin. Heather told me no, they would drive me in on the snowcat. I figured that would be great. We were only going to spent a few hours there. I did decide to change out of my cotton socks and into wool ones, stuff a hat (one with fur and ewok ears and two tassels hanging down), gloves, and scarf into my bag, and bring my heavy coat.

An hour later we get to winter parking and discover the family snowcat isn't there. And nobody up at the cabin is answering our calls or texts. We get to hike to the cabin instead. Me in my jeans, Heather in her snowpants, Corbin (golden retriever) in his booties since he doesn't walk in the snow very well, and Kira, (husky), running around while pulling a sled.

Things are going fine, not too cold, and Heather suggests I try out the sled now that we reached a downhill portion. Kira pulled me down two different hills without incident. Then we get to the curving hill, the one I've seen in the videos of Angie and Heather at the cabin, the one where they always biff it. Heather thinks it will be brilliant to get me to sled down the hill, give me her gloves "to steer with" and sends me off.

I'm fine until we round a corner and there are two paths-which one am I supposed to steer to? Kira apparently didn't know either and just ran between them, jumping into an embankment, sending me and the sled into a bush. (I was grateful for the bush; otherwise I might have gone over the snow and down a steep hill.)Behind me I heard Heather laughing hysterically which only increased as I rolled out of the sled and into snow up to my knees. My tassel on my ewok hat got caught in the sled rope and yanked off my hat when Kira pulled away with ease, while I sunk further into the snow. I crawl to the road, thinking this is Kira's revenge for all the times I've teased her; Kira and Heather's plot to leave me buried in the snow until Spring. Heather walks up, laughing, while Corbin pads over to me, tail wagging, tongue out and panting in my face.

I decided I probably shouldn't have trusted Heather, yet when we hiked out at 9 pm, me in borrowed snow pants, I still got on the sled with her for another ride down a hill. Heather put me in front of course, where I got the brunt of the snow and ice flying into my face instead of hers, until we biffed it at the end and we both got planted into the snow.