There Are Mastodons Here!

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Mastadons may not exist on the Tug Hill Plateau but I can play with the idea. Rather easily too. It truly is the forest primeval.  A rain forest. Deep bogs in thick spruce forests, reindeer moss delicately dripping from branches. Outlined by hardwoods of black birch, ash and maple. Blueberry Bush ground cover thick all around.

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The first time I found Osceola Tug Hill Cross Country Ski Center in Osceola,  N.Y. it was March 17th, around 2015. XC skiing in the Hudson Valley crapped out and the internet search was on. No point in stopping, it had been a stellar season for XC.

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My search led me to the Catskills, but it was all ice and spring conditions.  Nah, keep going. Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  Southern Vermont were all enticing but not a deal yet.

Keep going!
Lake Placid looked great, but wait, the snow was crapping out there too! Omg!! How could the Adirondacks let me down.

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This Osceola kept popping up and I neglected it on purpose.  Four good hours away by car on the thruway. I needed to ski so I gave it a look. The Osceola XC ski page promised the finest powder west of the Rockies, a 15" base and almost 300" total snowfall for the season so far. That sounded amazing, but almost unbelievable to me, the newbie I was, so I went for it.

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Reservations made for three nights in an adorable cabin called Red Camp and I was on the road again. It rained and rained. All the way up through Albany right on to Rome. I was so tired from trying to stay on the road because the lines hadn't been painted and it was the dark of night.  A hotel in Rome for the night would be the smart thing to do. Pick it up again in the morning.

Heading up from Camden to Florence,  there was no snow. I called the ski center and Hugh, (owner and creator of the center) assured me beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had plenty of snow. I couldn't believe that. Being a Hudson Valley  gal my whole life I was used to snow disappearing within hours of falling.  He must be out of his mind! Is he full of it or what!?

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Ten more miles and the center was within easy reach, and guess what? Snow! More snow then I could have wished for! A good 4- 5 ft on the side if the roads! Oh my goodness, this is heaven!

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After entering the office and a quick conversation about how dubious I was, I was off and skiing.
Some of the best skiing I've ever done in the Northeast where most trails quickly turn to ice and mud. Hugh's trail system reeks of his once Adirondack surveyor skills and knowledge. Osceola U, Toe of Slope, Finally Flat, all were a wonderful joy to ski.

Deer Run

Since, I have made Osceola XC Center my home away from home. It is always in my heart and mentally marked on the calendar as soon as the first snow flakes of winter swirl down onto the Hudson Valley.
I know that I will soon be playfully skiing with the Mastadons.

http://www.uxcski.com/