Skiing in serenity on Kirkwood’s cross-country trails

Aside from the rhythmic shushing of my skis, the only sounds I hear are the rush of water in nearby Caples Creek and a bird somewhere among the tree branches — thrilled at the blue sky between Sierra storms.

While the more than 2,300 acres of terrain at Kirkwood Mountain Resort are typically uncrowded, thanks to its location atop the Sierra Crest, the 50 miles of groomed trails at the Kirkwood Cross Country and Snowshoe Center just across Highway 88 from the resort give skiers the feeling of being out in the winter wilderness all alone.

The trails — 20 percent beginner, 60 percent intermediate and 20 percent advanced — allow novice and skilled cross-country skiers to choose their ideal excursions.

John “Snowshoe” Thompson, the famous skiing mail carrier of the Sierra Nevada, hauled his heavy rucksack twice a month for 20 years in the mid-19th century through the mountains here — delivering letters, packages, newspapers, medicine and ore samples.

[...] the 4-pound Rossignol cross-country skis on my feet feel like feathered appendages as I slide along on the center’s shortest trail, Jobe’s Jaunt — named for Glenn Jobe, the original course owner and designer, who competed in the biathlon in the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid.

[...] when I watch Waldear, eight-time World Master Nordic Champion and overall winner of the Great American Ski Chase, I look like a gawky baby giraffe in comparison.

[...] I’m content to glide along the snowy rolling hills alongside creeks and barns and animal tracks, waving at a passing skier, and spend time enjoying the serene winter outdoors.

Take a break from resort crowds at this spot for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and fat-tire bikes on 80 kilometers of groomed terrain.