This years Birkie was a real challenge to put on and a lot of fun to ski. It was quite different though. To make the story short, Steve and I each finished our races, got our medals and had a great time. But it was like no previous Birkie in any way shape or form. Read on for the details.

Our train ride to Minneapolis was fine and on time. Especially noteworthy was the Flatiron Steak dinner in the diner. Delicious! In the photo above the Empire Builder is arriving in Shelby, Montana.

Following our arrival by train in Minneapolis we drove to Hayward and planned to ski about 18 kilometers of the Birkie Trail between the North End Trailhead and Highway 00. The snow looked pretty thin but a guy in the warming hut said conditions were OK or even great. We didn't quite believe him so we asked Juliane to stick around for a while before driving to Highway 00. It turned out that was a good idea.

Steve and I skied out to the Birkie trail and took a look. There was about 2 inches of rock hard crusty, rutted, bumpy snow on the trail. We bailed, returned to the vehicle and drove to Eagle River for a visit with Bert and LaNora Kleerup. The festive atmosphere in their home on Butternut Lake was a wonderful way to begin Birkie week.

Rather than ski in poor conditions on the Birkie trail we spent the next few days at the ABR Ski Area in Ironwood, Michigan where there was plenty of snow and the grooming was perfect. Eric and Angela treated us well.

Heading out onto the River Trail which leads to all the other exciting runs at ABR.

On Wednesday conditions took a turn for the worse. In Hayward temps rose to 52 degrees and an afternoon rain added more insult to the Birkie trail.

We stopped by the 00 area of the Birkie Trail and thought there would be no way a race could be run on what was left of the snow. Bare spots and mush covered the trail. Arriving at our hotel we discovered the race was on hold.

A big weekend snow storm was predicted for the Midwest. The question was would it come in time to save the Birkie? In the meantime temperatures had fallen to well below freezing and all the mush on the trail was now ice, you know that flat, hard, gray stuff.

On Friday morning the Birkie Foundation made a difficult decision. They decided to allow only the elite men and women to compete on shortened Birkie and Korteloppet trails. The rest of us would have an "open track" and could ski the course. Credit would be given to skiers completing the course and medals and year pins given out but no times would be recorded.

Trail conditions were rumored to be poor. There would be no track set for classic skiers because there was so little snow. The trail had bare spots, rocks in a few places and lots of hard gray ice. Because of this many skiers opted out this year. Since fewer skiers would start the race, the 10 waves were reduced to 3. Half hour windows were allowed for groups of skiers to start at their leisure.

Upon our arrival at the start there was a guy skating around the start area on hockey skates. Now that was unusual! The predicted snowstorm hadn't come yet and only a dusting of new snow covered the ice. "This was going to be really fun," we thought!

Steve Bantz and I would start with the Wave 4, 5, 6 group which was allowed to start anytime between 11:15 and 11:45 AM. We sauntered up to the start area, dropped off clothing bags, took a few photos and began our race sometime around 11:20. It took a little while to find some snow to start skiing on. We finally saw something kind of white up ahead, walked up there, put on our skis and headed onto the trail.

At the start of the 2007 Birkie. I'm wearing the red hat and purple bib. Steve is on the right with the white hat and yellow bib. It was a little breezy but warm with temps in the 20s.

What we saw then was even more interesting. The main trail was a dirty brown color. Lots of grass and pine needles were mixed in with the snow, which had a consistency of course sugar. Everyone called this the brown sugar trail. Off to the left side skiers were trying to ski on a thin layer of powder on ice. We tried both lines and settled on the powder on ice.

Quite a few folks had trouble with this stuff. It was bumpy and piles of sugar snow were scattered about. It was imperative to ski relaxed and allow your legs to flex up and down over the bumps. Since no times were being recorded most skiers didn't rush things. But there were a few who needed to blow off some steam so soon after the start. This one guy passed me three times. He was trying so hard to go fast that each time he got in front of me he stumbled and fell threatening to knock me down. I'd go around and then he'd come by again with the same result. I wonder if he every got to where he was going in such a big hurry?

At 3 km we skied onto the Powerline section of the trail where things improved. The uphills had snow over ice but was very skiable. Climbing proved pretty easy. The downhills required some anticipation. As I crested a hill and looked down I tried to find a line that had at least a thin layer of powder on top of the ice. Once the line was discovered I would shoot straight down and glide up the next hill as far as possible.

The fewer skiers this year and the fact that we waited until the main bunch of our group had left meant there was more room on the trail around us so it was pretty easy to manage the hills.

At 7 km there is a very tricky hill with a steep drop leading to a hidden curve and more downhill. There are often big crashes on this hill even in the best of snow years. Many skiers walked down. I did too. Most hills were very manageable though and the ice was nice and smooth in a rolling bumpy sort of way. "Remember, keep those knees flexed and cruise over the bumps," I kept telling myself. Snowplow to control speed? Forget it! Just find an open line and head on down. Step turns on the ice were particularly useful too when the trail took a jog.

Another big downhill required walking also because an injured skier was being helped.

A tricky downhill section at 20 km, called snowmobilers corner, always grabs your attention. It starts down, turns left, crosses a bumpy snowmobile trail, then begins a hard right turn as the trail steepens. Spectators gathered there are entertained by crashing skiers. They cheer raucously whenever a skier goes down. As I reached the top of the hill I quickly saw the trail was mostly gray ice. What little snow that had been on the trail had been pushed to the outside of the turn by previous skiers. As I headed for this "snow" so did another skier in front of me. He skied down the first part of the hill, crashed at the turn and the crowd roared. As he went down though he slid right out onto the ice and I quickly skied by. I gave a big yell to the crowd, raised my arms in a victory salute, tucked in the turn and zoomed down the hill.

The finish was at Highway 00 just 2 km away now. But one big uphill required some attention. I knew the finish was at the top of the hill so I planned to give that hill all I had. I skated up and up and up. I reached a flat section and knew there was one more uphill pitch before 00 and I skated that easily.

As I approached Highway 00 a woman on the left cheered and told me I had 2 km to go. "No way," I thought, the finish was just ahead. I was wrong! In order to lengthen the course and make entry into the finish area a little easier the race organizers added a little surprise. I crossed 00 and followed those ahead of me onto a trail I had never skied before. We skied on and on. Eventually a right turn brought us back onto the Birkie trail a little over a kilometer past 00. I was now skiing back to 00 the way we used to ski when the race began in Hayward many years ago.

Oops! Now I remember, there is a steep uphill just before 00. We called it the wall back then and it was the same now. Fortunately I had enough energy to ski a lot farther, maybe 25 km farther and the hill proved easy. Up and over, 500 meters to go.

I heard my name mentioned by the announcer. He congratulated me on having come all the way from Montana for this Birkie. Then he looked back at his computer screen and congratulated me again on the completion of my 28th Birkie. A very different Birkie indeed. Just think number 29 is only 365 days away.