Peace At The Pass

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." -Buddha 

Two surgeries,
One season of meager snow,
A tired old car,
And a sweet dog who needed my company.

These are the reasons why I haven't skied since 2013.

I've missed the physical sensation of skiing.
I've missed the magical snow.
I've missed my friendly and familiar mountain.

But most of all, I've missed the beautiful sense of peace that always fills my soul when I'm at Stevens Pass.

So it was with much excitement and anticipation that my dry spell finally came to an end this week when two daughters and I enjoyed a lovely bluebird Friday. 

^ Dudes in blue. 

^Riders at top of Skyline look like they're about to drop off a cliff 

but there's a whole mountain down there.  

^ When a busted board threatened to ruin our outing, we just bought a new one. 

^ Looking north from Hogsback...

 ^ and looking south from Tye Mill, these are the views I drink in as my snowboarding daughters take a minute to strap in at the top of each run.  

 ^ Sunset over Cowboy Ridge. Giddy up. 

 ^ If I squint just right, I don't see the power lines cutting through this insane view. 

 ^ Pretty sure the mountain is wearing a halo.

^ This golden peekaboo view of the sunset is pretty, but when viewed through my amber-colored goggles, this scene was off the charts. 

 ^ Pink clouds soften the sky over Highway 2 as it winds east to Wenatchee. 

 ^ Skyline at sunset still steals my heart.

I was not disappointed.

My muscles ached from blissful hours spent careening down icy fast runs.
My eyes feasted on the glorious white snow that sparkled in the sunlight.
My heart filled with happy memories from every corner of the mountain.

But I was a little bit surprised to find that the anticipated rush of peace didn't take my breath away as it used to.

At first, that made me sad.

But then I realized what's changed in the past four years.

I don't need Stevens Pass to calm my heart; I've learned much better how to make my own peace and now I carry it within me every day of my life.